GPCA ’17: Braskem completes Camacari ethane flexibility project

DUBAI (ICIS)–Braskem has completed the flexibility project at its Camacari chemical complex in Brazil’s Bahia state, converting the 1.3m tonne/year cracker so that it can partly use shale gas ethane as a feedstock, the Brazilian producer’s president and CEO said on Wednesday.

“It’s done. We took the first shipment of ethane and produced the first ethylene from US-based ethane last week,” Fernando Musa told ICIS on the sidelines of the 12th annual Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals (GPCA) Forum in Dubai.

“Everything is operational,” he said, adding that the complex can now use ethane feedstock “for up to 15% of its production as we decided to do a partial conversion.”

The cracker was previously using naphtha as its sole feedstock.

Braskem previously had said the conversion would be completed by year’s end. The project is part of the Brazilian producer’s strategy of finding competitive feedstocks for its crackers.