HUNGARY: MOL commissions butadiene facility; begins work on S-SBR unit with JSR

MOL notified the Budapest Stock Exchange that it has commissioned a 130,000-t/y butadiene extraction unit at its site in Tiszaujvaros, Hungary.

The facility, costing about USD150-million, uses a closed technology system to prevent pollution from leaking into the atmosphere. It is expected to begin full commercial operations in the current quarter. In parallel, MOL said it plans to begin construction this month on a new 60,000-t/y solution polymerized styrene butadiene rubber (S-SBR) plant in Tiszaujvaros with its joint venture partner JSR.

The venture provides MOL “with the possibility to further expand its petrochemical product portfolio along the value chain, as a stable supply of feedstock . . . can be secured from the adjacent butadiene extraction unit.”

Owned 49% by MOL and 51% by JSR, the venture expects to reach mechanical completion of the S-SBR plant by the end of 2017.

Source: Weekly “PetroChemical News”, Durham, NC, USA; 16 Nov 2015
(Syed Rashid Ali, Karachi, Pakistan)