OQ CHEMICALS
Former Oxea supports Röhm's integrated MMA production / Final go-ahead for project in Texas
 Pleased about the US project with Röhm: CEO Oliver Borgmeier (Photo: OQ Chemicals) |
OQ Chemicals (Monheim, Germany; www.chemicals.oq.com) has taken the final investment decision to build a plant for propionic aldehyde at Bay City, Texas, to support the new 250,000 t/y MMA plant that compatriot Röhm (Darmstadt; www.roehm.de) is building at the former Oxea’s US Gulf Coast site (see Plasteurope.com of 31.03.2021).
Expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2024, the project will create the infrastructure to provide raw materials, utilities, and site services for the facility that will debut Röhm’s new LiMA (Leading in Methacrylates) technology. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2021, saying at the time that start-up could take place in 2023.
With start-up of the MMA plant, Röhm CEO Michael Peck said the acrylics specialist will complete the integration of its technology platform for PMMA and its feedstock, guaranteeing customers “the highest level of supply security”.
Related: Oxea changes name after joining Oman’s OQ group
Plasteurope.com’s Polyglobe database (www.polyglobe.net) shows that Röhm can produce MMA in Germany at Worms and Wesseling, and at Fortier, Louisiana, on the US Gulf Coast, and in Shanghai, China – the latter three are joint ventures. Together with partners, Röhm makes PMMA resin at Shanghai and at Taichung, Taiwan, and on its own at Worms, where it recently added capacity for moulding compounds.
The German company’s CO2-based route to MMA leverages ethylene and methanol feedstocks, both of which are in abundant supply from US fracking activities. The LiMA process is said to enable a high product yield with low energy consumption and reduced wastewater volumes, in addition to setting new standards for efficient use of resources and reducing the environmental impact.
Directly owned by Oman Oil (OOC, Muscat, Oman; www.oman-oil.com), OQ Chemicals is part of the OQ group (Muscat; www.oq.com), an Oman-based petrochemicals conglomerate created in 2020 (see Plasteurope.com of 14.02.2020). The Middle East sultanate has neither confirmed nor denied recent rumours that the German producer of oxo intermediates and derivatives may be up for sale (see Plasteurope.com of 08.06.2022).
Expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2024, the project will create the infrastructure to provide raw materials, utilities, and site services for the facility that will debut Röhm’s new LiMA (Leading in Methacrylates) technology. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2021, saying at the time that start-up could take place in 2023.
With start-up of the MMA plant, Röhm CEO Michael Peck said the acrylics specialist will complete the integration of its technology platform for PMMA and its feedstock, guaranteeing customers “the highest level of supply security”.
Related: Oxea changes name after joining Oman’s OQ group
Plasteurope.com’s Polyglobe database (www.polyglobe.net) shows that Röhm can produce MMA in Germany at Worms and Wesseling, and at Fortier, Louisiana, on the US Gulf Coast, and in Shanghai, China – the latter three are joint ventures. Together with partners, Röhm makes PMMA resin at Shanghai and at Taichung, Taiwan, and on its own at Worms, where it recently added capacity for moulding compounds.
The German company’s CO2-based route to MMA leverages ethylene and methanol feedstocks, both of which are in abundant supply from US fracking activities. The LiMA process is said to enable a high product yield with low energy consumption and reduced wastewater volumes, in addition to setting new standards for efficient use of resources and reducing the environmental impact.
Directly owned by Oman Oil (OOC, Muscat, Oman; www.oman-oil.com), OQ Chemicals is part of the OQ group (Muscat; www.oq.com), an Oman-based petrochemicals conglomerate created in 2020 (see Plasteurope.com of 14.02.2020). The Middle East sultanate has neither confirmed nor denied recent rumours that the German producer of oxo intermediates and derivatives may be up for sale (see Plasteurope.com of 08.06.2022).
29.07.2022 Plasteurope.com [250851-0]
Published on 29.07.2022
German version of this article...