Page 15 - Plastics News March 2017

CoMPANy NEWS

Borealis mulls new PP plant, steam cracker at Borouge

ustrian chemical company Borealis is carrying growth strategy. Commissioning of the Corpus Christi
Aout feasibility studies for a polypropylene (PP) expansion also concludes a multiyear plan launched in
unit and a mixed-feed steam cracker at Borouge, the 2012 by LyondellBasell to increase its overall US ethylene
petrochemicals complex it owns jointly with Abu Dhabi's production by 2 billion lb/year, which included about
state-owned Adnoc in Ruwais, UAE. The study for the new $2-billion of investments specific to the US Gulf Coast, the
PP unit- known as PP5, is in its latter stages, with a final operator said. Alongside the Corpus Christi project, the
investment decision expected later this year. The new program included ethylene expansions at the company’s
plant would have a production plants at La Porte, Tex., and Channelview, Texas, as
capacity of around 600,000 well as earlier capacity increases at its operations in
tpa. Abu Dhabi refiner Takreer Clinton, Iowa, and Morris, Ill. The strategy has enabled
is building a new 500,000 tpa LyondellBasell to proceed with another round of growth
propane dehydrogenation (PDH) projects at the US Gulf Coast, on which the company
unit at Ruwais that is planned plans an investment of about $3-4 billion over the next
to start up in the third quarter 5 years to complete.
of this year. This will create a
significant excess of propylene in the complex that would Arkema to set up PEKK plant in US
easily support a new PP plant, Borealis chief executive
Mark Garrett said. The design challenges of building a rkema has confirmed investment in its Mobile site
new PP unit at Ruwais are quite minimal, Garrett said, A(Alabama) in a world-scale PEKK plant, expected
as Borealis can effectively copy the design of its four to come on stream in H2-2018. These investments will
existing PP units at Borouge. Borealis is also evaluating serve the growing needs of the carbon fibre reinforced
the feasibility of building a mixed-feed steam cracker at composites and additive manufacturing (3D printing)
Borouge, a project known as Borouge 4. With Borouge's markets, as per Business Standard. This decision
existing cracker capacity ethane based, Garrett said
mixed-feed cracking is a "new challenge" for the complex.
The decision to evaluate mixed-feed cracking was taken
because there is no longer enough price-advantaged
ethane available in the Middle East to support a world-
scale ethane cracker. The feasibility study is focusing on
guaranteeing the correct balance of naphtha and lighter
feedstocks will be available, and evaluating possible
downstream units to consume the heavier co-products,
such as C4s, that result from cracking heavier feedstocks.
A definitive timeline is not yet in place because of the
complexity of the project, although the study is expected
to take 12-18 months to complete.yondellBasell Industries confirms Arkema’s continued commitment to develop
has completed the 800 mln lbs per year ethylene lightweight materials. The company has recently
expansion project at its Corpus Christi, Texas facility. doubled the capacity of its Kepstan PEKK (polyether
The project expands ethylene capacity at the site by 50% ketone ketone) line in France.PEKK is the latest
to 2.5 bln lbs pa from 1.7 bln lbs pa. The conclusion of addition to the PAEK (polyaryl ether ketone) family
the expansion at Corpus Christi marks the completion of which significantly increases the number of applications
LyondellBasell’s multi-year plan to boost annual ethylene suitable for these very high performance polymers by
capacity in the U.S. by 2 bln pounds and is also another offering a wider range of processing techniques and
key milestone in the company’s organic profit-generating
thermo-mechanical properties.

15 March 2017 | Plastics News