A new acrylonitrile plant of Tongsuh Petrochemical Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Asahi Kasei Corporation, entered commercial operation at the end of February with a capacity of 200,000 metric tons per annum. A new sodium cyanide plant of Tongsuh Petrochemical with a capacity of 39,000 metric tons per annum also entered commercial operation at the same time.
Commercial context
World wide demand for acrylonitrile (AN) in 2002 was approximately 5 million metric tons. Demand in Asian markets reached 50 % of world wide demand, and a high rate of growth is expected to continue.
Asahi Kasei, with its own capacity of 400,000 metric tons per annum, has operated AN business mainly in Asian markets. Asahi Kasei decided to build a new plant in Korea to meet the requirements of customers, and the construction work was started in March, 2001. This new plant entered commercial operation at the end of February, slightly earlier than the original plan to start in March.
Tongsuh Petrochemical had 2 AN units with a total capacity of 130,000 metric tons per annum, but closed the older unit of 60,000 metric tons at the end of 2002. Tongsuh presently has AN production capacity of 270,000 metric tons per annum.
The total AN production capacity of the Asahi Kasei Group at present is 720,000 metric tons per annum, including 400,000 metric tons per annum in Japan, 270,000 metric tons from Tongsuh in Korea, and 50,000 metric tons per annum in capacity rights from Solutia in the USA. This expansion will contribute supply capability to not only Asian markets but also global markets, and enhance the cost competitiveness of the Asahi Kasei Group’s AN business.
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