CHINA: Keyuan discusses plans for SSBR plant and ethylene-styrene copolymer unit

Keyuan, citing increased demand for SSBR in the tire market, said it is building a 150,000 t/y facility that will utilize its own production technology. The project, for which a location and construction schedule were not given, is estimated to have a cost of USD 99.5 million.

Additionally, Keyuan is expanding the capacity of its ethylene-styrene copolymer plant to 200,000 t/y from 80,000 t/y, allowing for the sale of 120,000 t/y to down-stream petrochemical producers. “This facility can be considered the bridge between original products and high-value added products and will complete the integration of internal resources,” the company noted.

Regarding Keyuan’s previously announced plans for a new 400,000 t/y acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plant in China’s Guangxi Province, the company said it is currently going through the government approval process and design phase. Keyuan now expects the first phase of the project to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2014.

Source: Weekly "PetroChemical News", Durham, NC, USA; 2 Sept 2013
(Syed Rashid Ali, Karachi, Pakistan)