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Nippon Shokubai opens Indonesian plant

Japan’s Nippon Shokubai has officially opened a 100,000 tonnes/year acrylic acid (AA) plant that was built at a cost of about $200 million at Cilegon, Banten, Indonesia. This takes its global capacity to 980,000 tonnes, of which 540,000 are in Japan itself.

AA is a key raw material in superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) for disposable diapers, the application that is mainly driving continuing demand growth. SAPs are also used in paints and adhesives. Nippon Shokubai claims to be the world’s largest SAP producer and has integrated AA and SAP facilities across the globe.

AI for SAPs

Together with Algo Artis, Japan’s Nippon Shokubai has developed an algorithm-based means for the production planning of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) based on acrylic acid, and has started operations at its plant in Himeji following all the necessary validations and modifications. This is in line with its ‘TechnoAmenity for the future’ strategy, which was unveiled in April 2021 and will be extended to other products.

Three join on biobased acrylic acid

Agrifood giant Cargill is joining forces with two French companies to further develop and scale biobased acrylic acid based on a lactic acid technology it licensed in from Procter & Gamble earlier this year. This is claimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in production by 50% compared with conventional means of production.

Acetic-to-acrylic tests for Celanese

Celanese’s Nanjing-based Chinese subsidiary has signed a tri-party agreement to test the industrial-scale production of acrylic acid using acetic acid as the main raw material. Commercial details are not being disclosed.

The company’s partners in this project are: the Southwest Institute of Chemical, a Ministry of Chemical Industry R&D institute based in Chengdu and known as SW Chem; and Yankuang Lunan of Teng Zhou, a privately owned chemical company which mainly makes urea, methanol, acetic acid and polyoxymethylene.

Arkema brings two expansions onstream

Arkema has announced that it has brought a new 90,000 tonnes/year acrylic acid reactor at its site in Clear Lake, Texas, at a cost of about $90 million. This replaces two 45,000 tonnes/year reactors, which have been decommissioned.
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