Feiplastic ’19: INEOS Styrolution getting permits for US ASA plant

SAO PAULO (ICIS)–INEOS Styrolution is in the midst of securing permits for a new acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA) plant that it is building in Bayport, Texas, an executive said on Wednesday.

The plant will have an ASA capacity of 100,000 tonnes/year, and it should be on stream by mid-2021, said Alexander Gluck, president, Americas, INEOS Styrolution. He made his comments on the sidelines of the Feiplastic trade show.

The plant will allow INEOS Styrolution to dedicate its Mexican swing plant in Altamira, Tamaulipas state to acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Gluck said. Right now that plant produces both ASA and ABS at a capacity of 145,000 tonnes/year.

Once the projects are completed, ASA and ABS capacity at the two sites will reach 260,000 tonnes/year.

INEOS Styrolution is pursuing the projects as demand for the two resins continues to grow. The company expects ASA demand to rise by 4-5% and ABS by 2-3%, Gluck said.

ABS and ASA have similar end markets, but ABS is used indoors or in interior applications, while ASA is more typically used outdoors or in exterior applications.

In automobiles, ASA is often used in front grills, rear mirrors and other parts in the front of the vehicle.

Because of ASA’s durability, one promising use in Brazil is in roofing tiles, Gluck said.

ASA is also used in construction. For example, a film of the resin can be applied to vinyl siding or decking to make it more durable, Gluck said.

The Feira Internacional do Plastic (Feiplastic) takes place on 22-26 April in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Interview article by Al Greenwood