MOCOW (MRC) -- Solvay has entered into an agreement to license its leading-edge hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) technology to Hubei Sanning Chemical Industry Co. Ltd. for its 500 kilotons per year caprolactam facility with a planned launch by end of 2023, as per the company's press release.
“This is the first licensing agreement Solvay has allocated for its proprietary hydrogen peroxide mega scale high productivity process technology in China,” said Peter Browning, president of Solvay Peroxides global business unit. “The licensing model provides a process design package for the construction of the H2O2 mega plant by Hubei Sanning Chemical alongside its new caprolactam facility, with access to Solvay’s operating experience and range of services to ensure optimized and reliable H2O2 plant operation.”
Solvay is the leading global producer and supplier of hydrogen peroxide solutions and a technology leader in the hydrogen peroxide production process operating several H2O2 mega plants. Hubei Sanning Chemical will install a single H2O2 production line providing a capacity of 200 kilotons per year to be utilized entirely as a raw material in the production of caprolactam, the monomer used to manufacture nylon 6 (PA6) products such as yarns and filaments.
Solvay will also provide Hubei Sanning Chemical with its proprietary chemicals for the anthraquinone process, which ensure a reliable and consistent high productivity H2O2 process.
“We are honored to be awarded Solvay’s first license for its world-renowned hydrogen peroxide production technology in China,” said Wanqing Li, chairman of Hubei Sanning Chemical Industry. “The new H2O2 mega plant in China and Solvay’s collaboration will be key for us to build the new project for caprolactam, PA6 and downstream products.”
Nylon 6 is a versatile polymer used in a variety of industries such as automotive, electrical and electronics, and when extruded as fibers is extensively used in the textile industry for clothing and home furnishings and for nets in the fishing industry.
As MRC reported earlier, in August, 2020, through the acquisition of the Solvay polyamide (PA) business, BASF enhanced its R&D capabilities in Asia Pacific with new technologies, technical expertise, and upgraded material and part testing services. BASF is planning to integrate the R&D centers from Solvay into its R&D existing facilities in Shanghai, China, and Seoul, Korea. The enhanced capabilities will boost BASF’s position as a solution provider to develop advanced material solutions for key industries.
We remind that BASF shut down an unspecified unit at its 420,000-metric ton/year steam cracker site in Ludwigshafen, Germany, due to a technical defect. Unscheduled flaring started on 13 January, 2021, at the northern part of the Ludwigshafen site and was expected to last until 17 January, 2021.
Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,487,450 tonnes in 2021, up by 13% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 1,494.280 tonnes, up by 21% year on year. Deliveries of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whreas.shipments of PP random copolymers decreased significantly.
Founded in 1969, Hubei Sanning Chemical Co., Ltd is one of China’s biggest manufacturers of agricultural chemicals, fine chemicals and petrochemicals located in Yichang City in western Hubei province. The company’s diverse range of products include coal-derived chemicals, ammonia, nitrogen and potash fertilizers, sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid and lactam-derived products. Since 2007 it operates as a subsidiary of Shanxi Jincheng Anthracite Mining Group Co., Ltd. with 5,500 employees which includes 500 R&I technicians. The company delivered 12.247 billion RMB in sales in 2020.
Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 24,100 employees in 64 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet plan crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering better life. The Group’s innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world’s top three companies for the vast majority of its activities.
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