MOSCOW (MRC) -- Mitsui Chemicals Group, in its newly released annual report, said it has decided to "bring forward" the closure of its Kashima Works in Japan and the shutdown of the diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) plant in Omuta, Japan, to May 2016 from the originally scheduled 31 Dec. 2016 date, according to Apic-online.
Closure of the Kashima site involves the shut down of all plants there. This includes the production of 117,000 t/y of toluene diisocyanate, 32,000 t/y of maleic anhydride, 15,000 t/y of fumaric acid, 1,500 t/y of specialty isocyanates and 900 t/y of hexamethylene diisocyanate. Mitsui's production of specialty isocyanates at Kashima will be shifted to Omuta following the shutdown.
At the same time, Mitsui will close its 60,000-t/y MDI plant at the Omuta site and dispose of the facility.
In addition, the company has completed steps to withdraw from Keiyo Ethylene Co., a naphtha cracker joint venture with Maruzen Petrochemical Co. and Sumitomo Chemical Co., in which Mitsui has a 22.5% interest.
We also remind that, as MRC informed previously, in October 2014, Huntsman commenced preliminary engineering to expand production of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) by investment in a new, world-scale MDI plant at its complex in Geismar, Louisiana. The 400,000-tpy expansion will leverage the significant advantages of the Geismar site, with its access to US shale gas, strong logistics base and excellent integration. The new capacity is expected to come on-stream in 2018 and will enable Huntsman to further support the global growth of its customers.
MDI based polyurethanes are used in an extensive range of applications and markets - including construction, automotive, coatings and footwear - and provide key benefits of energy efficient insulation, comfort and well-being, according to Huntsman representatives.
MRC