Arkema plans 2010 start-up at first HFC-125 plant

22 October 2008 12:25 [Source: ICIS news]

CHANGSHU, China (ICIS news)--Arkema’s first HFC-125 refrigeration plant, currently under construction in Changshu, China, will be up and running in early 2010 to produce refrigerant that will meet new regulations in Europe and the US, the French company said on Wednesday.

The plant would have an initial capacity of 15,000 tonnes/year with potential expansion to 25,000 tonnes/year depending on market conditions, executive vice president Pierre Chanoine said.

Arkema would blend HFC-125 with HFC-32 to produce the HFC blend 410A, which would replace HCFC-22 as it was phased out, the company said.

HFC-410A would then be sold to air-conditioning original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and the air-conditioning units would be exported to Europe and the US, it added.

"We are adapting our assets to the new regulations," Chanoine told ICIS news.

HCFC-22 would be banned completely in Europe from the end of 2009, while in the US the refrigerant would be banned from new equipment from the end of 2009, he added.

Construction of the foundations was under way and start-up was scheduled for early 2010, said Patrick Roucoux, general manager of the Changsu site.

This would be Arkema's first commercial facility for the production of HFC-125, it said, adding the company had a pilot plant in Lyons, France.

In China, HCFC-22 was not scheduled to be banned until 2040, said Dominique Namer, Arkema's regional general manager for Asia-Pacific.

HCFC-22 was also a key component in the production of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which was not affected by the ban, so demand For HCFC-22 would continue to grow in line with demand for PTFE, Namer said.

Arkema operated a 30,000 tonne/year HCFC-22 plant in Changshu and more than half the output was sold to Daikin for PTFE production, said Chanoine.

Arkema would also build a polyvinylidene (PVDF) resin plant in Changshu with piling expected to begin next month and start-up scheduled for the second half of 2010, said Roucoux.

Plenty of land was available for further expansion at Changshu, said Namer.

Arkema also has polyamides, organic peroxides and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) slush moulding facilities at the site.

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By: Anna Jagger
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