Lucite mulls second 'Alpha' MMA plant to be built in 2013

09 November 2009 07:52  [Source: ICIS news]

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SINGAPORE (ICIS news)--Lucite is considering building a second methyl methacrylate (MMA) plant in 2013 that is based on its new Alpha technology, the company’s CEO said on Monday.

The new plant, to be known as Alpha 2, would probably be set up in Saudi Arabia, where Mitsubishi Rayon has a $1bn (€670m) joint venture with SABIC for a petrochemical complex that would include an MMA plant, Lambert said.

The Alpha technology uses ethylene, carbon dioxide and methanol as feedstocks to produce MMA.

Lucite's first commercial plant using the Alpha technology is operating in Singapore. The 120,000 tonne/year unit, which started up in November 2008 and cost $180m (€120.6m) to build, is currently operating at a capacity of around 125,000 tonnes/year, according to a senior plant official.

A second plant MMA based on the Alpha technology would be twice as big as the Singapore MMA plant, said Lucite international project technology manager Roy Goulder, adding that the company may not be inclined to license its proprietary technology.

Lucite intends to have a two-to-three-year interval in constructing new Alpha-based facilities after 2013, while facilities that are based on feedstocks C4 and acetone would also be considered, depending on location, Lambert added.

MMA is generally produced by two processes: one using acetone cyanohydrin (ACH), the other using crude C4.

Lucite is a fully owned subsidiary of Japan's Mitsubishi Rayon.

($1 = €0.67)

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By: Pearl Bantillo
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