US Dow’s crude acrylic acid debottlenecking in Texas complete

17 November 2011 22:13  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS)--US Dow Chemical's crude acrylic acid (AA) capacity at Deer Park, Texas, has increased by 15% after incremental expansions over the “past couple of years,” the company said on Thursday.

The company would not be more specific about the duration of the expansion period, but a spokesperson said the company’s improvement projects and technological advances at its AA oxidation unit had been “an ongoing thing … for some time.”

“Basically, we wanted to show our customers that we are using everything we have to improve reliability and performance” at the site, the spokesperson said.

The company did not confirm current capacity levels, but according to ICIS, crude AA capacity at Deer Park has been 580,000 tonnes/year. The additional 15% capacity would add about 87,000 tonnes/year.

Crude AA is used in the production of acrylate esters and glacial acrylic acid (GAA).

The company would not say how much of the new capacity would be available to the merchant market. The company also has significant internal demand for crude AA.

Coatings and adhesives customers said the acrylates market is in the midst of a seasonal slowdown and that supply is more than ample through the end of the year.

Producers are pinning hopes of demand resurgence on the US spring paints and coatings season. A large part of downstream acrylates demand also stems from the superabsorbent polymer (SAP) market and water treatment facilities.

($1 = €0.74)

For more on Dow’s Deer Park plant visit the ICIS Plants & Projects database

For more on acrylic acid visit ICIS Chemical Intelligence

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