US chemicals and plastics producer Celanese (Dallas, Texas; www.celanese.com) is adding a new 15,000 t/y production line for the company’s “GUR” ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) at its integrated chemical complex in Nanjing, Jiangsu / China. Chief operating officer Scott Sutton said the new line due to start up in 2019 will support the “significant growth” in its engineered materials business and in particular meet demand from the electric vehicle sector. According to Plasteurope.com’s Polyglobe database (www.polyglobe.net), with start-up of expanded production, the site’s output capability will rise to 40,000 t/y.

As global demand for speciality materials from key industries such as medical, automotive, consumer goods and energy storage increases, Sutton said Celanese is partnering with customers to deliver innovative materials. Among the fastest-growing applications for GUR is in production of lithium ion battery separators for electric vehicle applications, currently seeing growth rates of 20-30% annually. Demand from sheet, profile and filters is also strong, Celanese said. The company’s Nanjing complex is considered the prime choice for expansion as most of its plastics processing customers are based in China.