Evonik to close UK sulfolane plant, exit market

14 July 2008 19:23  [Source: ICIS news]

NEW YORK (ICIS news)--Evonik plans to close its sulfolane plant in Stanlow, UK, at the end of the third quarter of 2008 and withdraw entirely from the business, the German producer said on Monday.

Rising raw material costs, the impact of currency exchange rates, and an increasingly competitive commodity market were behind the move, Evonik said.

“No significant changes to this operating environment are expected,” the company said in a statement.

The Stanlow plant in Cheshire, northwest England, is the only sulfolane production facility in Europe.

Japan’s Sumitomo Seika Chemicals also produces the solvent, which is used mainly for aromatic extraction and gas sweetening.

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By: Clay Boswell
+1 713 525 2653

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