Domo Chemicals (Leuna / Germany; www.domochemicals.com) and the “Refinery for central Germany”, operated by French oil and gas giant Total (Paris La Défense; www.total.com), plan to invest EUR 30m each in the production of benzene feedstock for caprolactam manufacture as well as a pipeline that will ensure its transport within eastern Germany. Managers Luc de Raedt, of Domo Caproleuna, and Willi Frantz, of Total Leuna, said the facilities are due to start up in autumn 2017. “The investment gives us long-term access to a strategic feedstock for our integrated polyamide 6 production chain,” de Raedt said.

Total hopes the measure will reduce its dependence on fuel, consumption of which is declining in Europe. Total will initially produce 70,000 t/y of the feedstock, and is planning to build facilities to further concentrate the production of the chemical. The entire output will be sent via pipeline to PA producer Domo, which currently has demand for 180,000 t/y of benzene. The German producer presently sources its feedstock by railway.

A look at Plasteurope.com’s Polyglobe capacity database (www.polyglobe.net) shows that Domo has capacities for 155,000 t/y of caprolactam as well as 80,000 t/y of PA 6 in Leuna. The site is also home to several intermediates plants, including for cumene and phenol. About one third of the PA 6 produced in Leuna consists of resin. The remainder goes into fibre production, mostly for carpets.