US Q4 MX production falls 5% from Q3, 2009 output up 8% - NPRA

12 February 2010 23:31  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--US production of mixed xylenes (MX) totalled 289.6m gal (1.10bn litres) in the fourth quarter, down 5% from 306.1m gal in the third quarter but up 29% from 225.3m gal a year earlier, the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association (NPRA) said on Friday.

For all of 2009, MX production was 1.204bn gal, up 8% from 1.111bn gal in 2008, the NPRA said.

The data issued by the NPRA showed growth in the use of the reformate route to source MX over the latest year, to account for 43% of total production. That was up from a 38% share in 2008.

The fractionation route was the source for 45% of MX output in 2009, down from 48% in 2008.

The NPRA survey did not give data on other sources of MX.

Participants in the survey were Amerada Hess, BP Chemicals, Chevron Phillips Chemical, CITGO Petroleum, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil Chemical, Flint Hills Resources, LyondellBasell Industries, Marathon Ashland Petroleum, Shell Chemical, Sunoco Chemicals, Total Petrochemicals USA and Valero Energy.

US MX production, in millions of gallons

Q4 2008	Q1 2009	Q2 2009	Q3 2009	Q4 2009	All 2009	All 2008
225.3	280.8	327.1	306.1	289.6	1,204	1,111

Source: NPRA

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By: Stephen Burns
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