Eastman, Sinopec Plan Ester Alcohol, Plasticizer Plants
Eastman currently produces Texanol ester alcohol and TXIB plasticizer at its 725,000 mt/yr oxo complex in Longview, TX, and its 150,000 mt/yr oxo facility on Jurong Island, Singapore. The new venture will expand the company's capacity for these materials by about 20%.
The investment is Eastman's second major specialty chemical project in China. It follows a joint venture with Yangzi Petrochemical Industrial Corp., Nanjing Yangzi Eastman Chemical Ltd., to manufacture Eastotac hydrocarbon tackifying resins for adhesives.
The new venture will manufacture Texanol ester alcohol, a coalescing aid used in premium architectural paints, and TXIB plasticizer, a vinyl and urethane plasticizer used in flooring, wallpaper, artificial leather, and disposable medical examination gloves.
"The architectural paint market in China has become more sophisticated, driven by consumer demand for higher quality products," says Eastman Coatings, Inks, Textiles, and Composites Business VP/GM Jeff Nodland. Texanol ester alcohol capacity will enable Eastman to serve this growing market.
The new venture may prove a springboard for additional investment in Chinese specialty derivatives facilities, says Eastman Performance Chemicals & Intermediates Business VP/GM Keith Gockenbach.
"Our partner in this venture, Qilu Petrochemical, is well known in the China petrochemicals business as a leading producer with a strong raw material position and excellent site management for large scale operations," Gockenbach explains.
"Combining Qilu's strong position on oxo chemicals with Eastman's leading derivative technology will give the venture the most competitive position on products that are currently being imported to China."
Meng Xiang De, Deputy Director of Qilu's Planning Dept., says the venture is a significant step in moving the company downstream into the manufacture of higher value, more specialized derivatives.
Edited by Alan S. Brown
Managing Editor, Chemical Online
abrown@vertical.net
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