MOSCOW (MRC) -- Celanese intends to build a world-scale, multi-phase liquid crystal polymer (LCP) polymerisation plant in China, said Chemweek.
A first phase of the 20,000 tonne/year plant is expected to come online in 2024. Site selection is underway, with Celanese considering both existing and greenfield locations. The plant would support Celanese’s family of halogen-free, high-performance polymers, it said.
"5G, ‘Internet of Things’ and vehicle electrification are just a few of the macrotrends driving demand for materials that support device miniaturisation, improved signal integrity and circuit densification,” said Stefan Kutta, Celanese vice president, engineered materials.
"LCP is uniquely qualified to solve these challenging requirements, and this investment will support a reliable supply of LCP to a growing customer base and enable Celanese to capture additional growth in these exciting end-uses,” Kutta said.
The addition of LCP polymerisation capacity in China would make Celanese the only LCP producer with assets in both Asia and the western hemisphere, giving it the ability to work closely with customers in multiple regions, the company stated.
Celanese currently has LCP polymerisation capability at Shelby, North Carolina, and LCP compounding in North America, Europe and China. Details about the new LCP project’s expected costs were not disclosed.
As MRC informed earlier, Mitsubishi Chemical has acquired a greenfield property at a large integrated site in Geismar, Louisiana, and plans to advance its feasibility study for the design and construction of a 350,000-metric tons/year methyl methacrylate (MMA) plant. The plant will be the third and largest to employ the Alpha production technology developed by subsidiary Lucite. The company earlier in March this year announced its intent to build the plant.
The main application, consuming approximately 75% MMA, is in the production of polymethyl methacrylate acrylic plastics (PMMA). Methyl methacrylate is also used to produce methyl methacrylate-butadiene-styrene copolymer (MBS), used as a modifier for polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, October total production of unmixed PVC grew to 86,600 tonnes from 86,000 tonnes a month earlier, SayanskKhimPlast and Bashkir Soda Company increased their capacity utilisation. Overall output of polymer was 805,100 tonnes in the first ten months of 2020, which virtually corresponds to the last year"s figure. Two producers increased their production, whereas two other manufacturers reduced their output.
MRC