The project's SBC plant will generate 170,000 tonnes of SBS and SEBS goods, including 120,000 tonnes of SBS products and 50,000 tonnes of SEBS products annually
Sinopec's SBC project in Hainan, China goes into operation. (Credit: PRNewswire/ SINOPEC)
Hainan Baling Chemical New Material, a subsidiary of China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec), has started operations at its styrene-butadiene copolymer (SBC) project in Hainan, China.
With the new facility in operation, Sinopec is said to have the largest world’s largest production capacity of SBC plants.
Baling New Material and Sinopec Hainan Refining & Chemical have invested CNY1.924bn ($279.74m) in the Hainan Baling project.
The project’s SBC plant will generate 170,000 tonnes of SBS and SEBS goods, including 120,000 tonnes of SBS products and 50,000 tonnes of SEBS products annually.
The plant features 13 units that include polymerisation, refining, coalescence, recycling, auxiliaries preparation, and post-treatment to support production and public facilities.
Sinopec said that the project uses the company’s self-developed SBS and SEBS comprehensive solution sets, including a clean production method, to meet the needs of clients who want their products customised.
Apart from that, the Hainan project is using Hainan Refining & Chemical’s styrene and butadiene, Baling New Material’s new technologies, and the Hainan Free Trade Port to save costs associated with raw materials and shipping. It also extends the industrial chain to maximise profits.
Sinopec stated that SBC products will be exported by the SBC plant to South Asian, Southeast Asian, and developing European markets.
For more than 50 years, Sinopec has pushed synthetic rubber research and development in China.
Sinopec is capable of mass-producing SEPS goods utilising advanced green technology. The 20,000-tonne annual production capacity SEPS factory of Baling New Material commenced operations in August 2017.
Sinopec intends to take the leading position in the world for the development of SBC technologies and products using its SBC technologies and proprietary intellectual property rights.
In December 2019, Sinopec partnered with the Netherlands-based chemicals company LyondellBasel to establish a 50:50 joint venture (JV) to build a new propylene oxide (PO) and styrene monomer (SM) unit in Zhenhai, Ningbo, China.