Akzo, CCIC set expansion plans

Journal Article · Wed Jan 20 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Chemical Week; (United States)

OSTI ID:6745807

Wood, A

Akzo Chemicals' (Chicago) polymer chemicals business unit will build a multimillion-dollar' organic peroxide catalysts plant at Pasadena, TX. Akzo says the move reflects growing demand for the materials, used as initiators in a range of polymerization reactions and for modifying polypropylene, curing unsaturated polyester resins, and crosslinking synthetic rubber. Output from the plant will include dialkyl peroxides, peroxyketals, specialty polyesters - tert-butyl, tert-amyl and trimethylpentyl products - and hydroperoxides; a significant portion of the output will be used to produce materials Akzo currently imports from Europe. Construction will begin in first-quarter 1993, with completion expected by fourth-quarter 1994. Akzo is the world's largest producer of organic peroxides but is in second place beind Elf Atochem North America (Philadelphia) in the US market. Elf expects to start construction of its grassroots 20 million lbs/year-plus organic peroxides plant at Crosby, TX, during the first quarter, also for 1994 completion (CW, June 12, 1991, p.28); that unit has been held up by permitting difficulties. In refinery fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts, overcapacity has recently pushed Katalistiks and Crosfield out of the market. Despite that, Japan's Catalysts Chemical Industries Co (CCIC) - the only producer in the Far East, apart from some Chinese output - has announced a plan to spend $40 million to expand capacity at its Wakamatsu plant. Initially, CCIC will expand capacity by 30%, to 21,000 m.t./year by March, and plans to boost it to 40,000 m.t./year by 1995. However, CCIC remains a small player in the FCC market, which is dominated by W.R. Grace, with Akzo and Engelhard vying for the number two spot.

• OSTI ID: 6745807
• Journal Information: Chemical Week; (United States), Journal Name: Chemical Week; (United States) Vol. 152:2; ISSN CHWKA9; ISSN 0009-272X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020700* -- Petroleum-- Economics
Industrial
& Business Aspects
CATALYSIS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CRACKING
DECOMPOSITION
ELASTOMERS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC POLYMERS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PEROXIDES
POLYMERS
POLYOLEFINS
POLYPROPYLENE
PRODUCTION
PYROLYSIS
RUBBERS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES