Acrylonitrile production in Seal Sands / UK could be facing a potential closure. Plastics group Ineos (Rolle / Switzerland; www.ineos.com) has announced its intention to consult the local workforce about closing its plant there.

Ineos has invested almost EUR 200m in the Seal Sands location since it acquired the plant from BASF in 2008 (see Plasteurope.com of 17.03.2008). The Switzerland-headquartered group said it is "of the view that nothing more can be done to ensure that operations are both safe and economically viable" in the long term. Following decades of underinvestment on the site, another EUR 200m would be required in order to comply with standards and environmental regulations.

The bottom line is that Ineos is put off by the costs and considering terminating ACN production instead. To the 224 employees at the site, the company points out that some of them could be transferred to other activities at Seal Sands. According to Plasteurope.com’s Polyglobe database (www.polyglobe.net), additional production plants belonging to BASF (HMD) and Sabic (cyclohexane and terephthalic acid) are also based in Seal Sands near Middlesborough.

For Europe’s ACN production, the shutdown would be a heavy loss. If the closure were to take place, Polyglobe shows that almost 18% of the total European capacities of 1.3m t/y would vanish. When subtracting the peripheral capacities in Russia, Belarus and Turkey, this share then amounts to 24%. ACN is used in the production of ABS, SAN, ASA, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, acrylic acid and other materials. The substance is also used as a component in adhesives, antioxidants and solvents.