Solvay to build bio-based Epichlorohydrin plant in China to serve largest market in the world
25/06/2012
Chinese epichlorohydrin market expected to grow on average by 8% per year
Solvay announced today its Thai affiliate Vinythai will serve the vast and growing Chinese epichlorohydrin market with a new production plant in Taixing, China. The plant with an initial capacity of 100,000 tons epichlorohydrin per year requires an investment of EUR 155 million and should become operational in the second half of 2014.
The Chinese epichlorohydrin market is expected to grow on annual basis by 8% and represent 35% of total world demand in 2016. Epichlorohydrin is an essential feedstock for the production of epoxy resins, increasingly used in applications such as corrosion protection coatings as well in the electronics, automotive, aerospace industry or wind turbine industry.
The new plant located in the Taixing Economic Development Park will be based on Solvay's proprietary bio-based Epicerol® technology. The plant will use as feedstock natural glycerin obtained as by-product from the production of biofuels. This cost competitive and eco-efficient process requires less invested capital, has a 60% lower CO2 balance (cradle to gate), while dividing the volume of chlorinated by-products by eight compared to the conventional propylene based process. The Epicerol® technology is protected by 1000 patent titles, some of them already granted in different parts of the world.
