Doha Conference To Track Developments In The Petrochemicals Industry

With increased developments and investments in petrochemical companies in the Middle East, oil and gas companies are now focusing more on research and development. Companies in the Middle East spent $266M in 2011 on R & D, however in 2012, the number went upto $380M. It is expected that more research centres will come up in the future in the GCC.

Highlighting such trends and advancements will be the 4th Annual Global Petrochemicals Technology Conference to be held from 6 - 8 May 2014. Taking place at the Grand Hyatt Doha Hotel, Qatar, the conference is gathering oil and gas experts from world over to discuss the latest developments in the petrochemicals industry. The three day conference will feature panel discussions, case studies and presentations on first two days and workshops on the final day of the conference.

Prof. Farid Benyahia, Professor & Head of Chemical Engineering Department (Qatar), Qatar University is one of the key speakers at the summit and will present on integrating carbon management in petrochemical complexes. Speaking about onsite carbon utilization, he will shed light on technical and economic challenges in carbon utilization in petrochemical plants. Farid Benyahia holds a PhD and MSc in Chemical Engineering from Newcastle University and BSc (Hons) from Aston University in the UK. He has taught process and plant design at petrochemical plants for over 18 years, and developed a unique plant design team teaching scheme at Qatar University involving university professors and senior process engineers at local and international companies.

Other speakers at the conference are representing organizations like Qatar Petrochemical Company - QAPCO, Kaust Catalysis Center (KCC), Lyondellbasell, Qatar University, Breitling Energy, ETHYDCO and Reliance Technology Group. They will focus on topics like impact of feedstock shifts in GCC on strategy to offset emerging challenges, the value of intellectual property in petrochemical industry, integrating carbon management in petrochemical complexes, breakthrough technology to convert methanol from coal to plastics and how Shale gas boom in the Americas will affect the petrochemical industry roadmap in the Middle East. The conference is being supported by The Independent Power Producers Forum (IPPF), an international non-profit NGO of senior executives and decision-makers and related firms with energy business commitments.