Polibrasil builds worldscale PP plant

18 November 1997 10:18  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (CNI)--Montell's Brazilian joint venture Polibrasil is to build a worldscale polypropylene (PP) plant at Capuava, Maua, in Sao Paulo, Montell announced late Monday.

The 240 000 tonne/year, $150m plant will "consolidate Polibrasil's position as the largest PP manufacturer in Latin America," Montell said. Its partner in Polibrasil is Brazilian group Suzano.

The new plant is expected to come onstream in late 1999. It will use Montell's Spheripol process to produce a complete range of homopolymers, impact copolymers and random copolymers, primarily for the Latin American packaging, textile, automotive and household appliance industries.

A Montell spokesman said the new plant would replace an existing 110 000 tonne/year slurry-phase plant at Maua. Including plants at Camacari and Caxias, Polibrasil had a total 1996 PP capacity of 323 000 tonne. Total capacity will be boosted to 540 000 tonne/year at the turn of the century, through the new plant and further capacity increases, although the spokesman could not say where these would be made.

On Monday Polibrasil signed an agreement to purchase an additional 140 000 tonne/year of propylene feedstock for the new plant, from Brazilian refiner Petrobras. Polibrasil will pay for a new $45m propylene separation unit, which will be owned and operated by Petrobras at its Capuava refinery.

By: Grace Williams
+44 208 652 3214

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