September 1997

key building-block chemical vi- nyl acetate to much of Asia, was built in record time, meeting all schedules and budgets. Re- cently Celanese announced it plans to build two additional chemical plants at the Sakra site. By late 1999 the company will have a 100 000 metric ton ace- tate esters unit in operation and will start up a 500 000 ton acetic acid plant by January 2001.

ARISTECH CHEMICAL EXPANDS

CAPACITY Aristech Chemical Corpora- tion has approved projects to build a third phenol line at the company’s Haverhill, Ohio: facility and to construct a new 550 million pound per year polypropylene line at the corn pany’s LaPorte, Texas, site.

Capacity at the Haverhill plant is currently being ex- panded through a debottleneck- ing project at the facility’s second phenol line, taking tota production capability to 70C million pounds by the end of thi: year, When the third phenol lint is completed, Aristech’s tota phenol capacity will be 942 mil- lion pounds. Construction o the third line will be completec by the third quarter of 1999 Phenol is used in the manufac. ture of plastics, phenolic res ins, plywood adhesives ant pharmaceuticals.

The new LaPorte unit shoulc come on stream during 1999 bringing Aristech’s total capac ity to 1.4 billion pounds pe year. Construction is schedulec to begin by the end of this year The third line will use Monte1 Technology Company BY Spheripol bulk loop and ga, phase reactor technology to pro duce a wide range of homopo lymer, random copolymer am high-ethylene impact copoly mers. Polypropylene is one 0 the world’s fastest growing ant most cost-effective plastics Aristech Chemical Corporation is a producer of intermediata

a nd industrial chemicals, and P olypropylene. Headquartered ii 1 Pittsburgh, PA, the company e mploys more than 1400 people ii n the United States.

BP CHEMICALS, BASF ANNOUNCE

NEW ACETONITRILE

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IP Chemicals and BASF have signed a memorandum of in- ent to build a world scale ace- onitrile purification facility it BASF’s acrylonitrile site at jeal Sands, Middlesborough, JK.

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The new plant, to be based m BP’s proprietary technology, Hill be owned by BP Chemicals md be operated by BASF. BP Chemicals will market the out- Jut of the 9000 tonnes per year Jlant which is expected to be operational by the end of 1998. Kvaemer John Brown Ltd was selected to do the design engi- leering. Acetonitrile is a co- product of the acrylonitrilc manufacturing process. Thr new plant will capture and pu- rify the acetonitrile which iz used as a solvent for the produc tion of pharmaceuticals, agri- cultural chemicals, laboratory chemicals, butadiene and iso. prene, and specialty chemicals.

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FLUOR DANIEL, TECHNIP WIN

POLYPROPYLENE CONTRACT

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Daniel and Technip are to ex pand a polypropylene manu facturing facility at Amoco Chemical Company’s Choco late Bayou Chemical Plan south of Houston near Alvin Texas.

The new single reactor facil ity will increase Amoco’ polypropylene capacity by 25t 000 metric tons per year. Fluo Daniel’s Petrochemicals operat ing company will perform tb

-ant-end engineering design FEED) and detailed engineer- rg of the offsites and utilities, nd will also finalise the de- liled engineering of the process nits, procure the equipment, nd undertake the construction.

Technip will provide FEED If the process units. Project ompletion is scheduled for :arly 1999.

BOWATER PLANS US$lSO MILLION

PLANT UPGRADE lowater Incorporated is to in- rest approximately US$lSO nillion over the next two fears to modernise its Cal- loun, Tennessee newsprint Bcility.

The investment includes ex- mansion of the thermomechani- :a1 pulp (TMP) facility and :onversion of an idle recovery Ioiler. The new TMP expansion -eplaces an outdated ground- nood facility. The woodyard ;vill be modernised to suppoti .his new TMP facility. In addi- ion, the boiler conversion will allow the mill to deactivate twc alder, high cost boilers. Accord- mg to the company, the expan- sion should result in significant aperating cost reductions.

Bowater Incorporated, head. quartered in Greenville, SC, iz the largest producer of news print in the USA. The company also manufactures coated ant uncoated groundwood papers bleached kraft pulp and lumber products.

CARGILL EXPANDS IN

MEXICO Cargill de Mexico has opener a new vegetable oil refinery.

Located adjacent to Cargill’, Atitalaquia soybean crushinl

Filtration Industry Analyst

slant 60 miles north of Mexico Xty, the plant has a refining :apacity of 400 metric tons daily )f soybean, sun and palm oil n bulk for Mexican markets. The plant also has hydrogena- ion capabilities.

Cargill, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, s an international marketer, processor and distributor of ag- dcultural, food, financial and mdustrial commodities.

WORLD BANK US$532 MILLION

LOAN FUELS INDIA’S COAL

INDUSTRY The World Bank has ap proved a US$532 million as sistance package to revitalisc India’s coal sector.

The package includes 2 US$530 million loan from the International Bank for Recon struction and Developmen (IBRD) and a US$2 millior equivalent credit from the Inter, national Development Associa, tion (IDA). The Coal Secto Rehabilitation Project (CSRP supports India’s ongoing mar ket-oriented coal sector re forms, aimed at making the coa industry commercially viable and competitive by deregulating price and distribution networks reducing import tariffs, am opening the coal sector to pri vate investors. The project also provides financial and technica support to help Coal India Ltd which provides about 90 pe cent of India’s coal output, be come a commercially viable ant self-sustaining company.

The Bank is financing tb cost of a large fleet of heavy earth-moving equipment to sus tain and increase production The total cost of the project i approximately US$l.7 billior The Bank’s loan and credi of US$532 million finances 3 per cent of the total financin, requirements.