Solutia starts acrylonitrile plant
The expansion lifts Chocolate Bayou capacity to 1 billion lb/yr, making it the world's largest AN facility. Solutia will use the output to supply its nylon and acrylic fiber businesses as well as the merchant market.
Solutia says it has already contracted for the majority of merchant AN output from the new unit for the next several years.
"With the start up of this plant, three of the world's 12 billion pounds of AN capacity come from plants that were either built by Monsanto or Solutia or use our technology," says Solutia integrated nylon chain SVP/GM John Ferguson. In addition to licensing process technology, Solutia also sells catalysts to other AN manufacturers.
"We now have an extremely efficient, reliable source of this key material, which will in large part replace our need for merchant purchases, and which supports our corporation's dedication to growth through additional sales of AN," Ferguson adds.
Solutia states that it is one of the few companies to operate a fully integrated nylon manufacturing infrastructure. Its products include Wear-Dated nylon carpet fibers; nylon 6,6 engineering thermoplastics; Ascend nylon resins for textiles, specialty, and automotive applications; and Acrilan acrylic fibers for upholstery and apparel.
Edited by Alan S. Brown
Managing Editor, Chemical Online
abrown@vertical.net
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