Alkylbenzene production capacities

Table 5.9 summarizes production capacities for the major alkylbenzene producer countries. The largest manufacturers are Vista, Monsanto (USA), EniChem (Italy) and Petroquimica Espanola (Spain). 

The company s ethylene expansion project was one of the six projects in China s ninth five-year plan for 1996 to 2000. After a temporary suspension of all ethylene and LDPE projects in China, the company completed its Ethylene Project in late 2001, increasing its annual ethylene production rated capacity to 710 000 tons. As an integral part of this Project, the company s LDPE facilities were also expanded from 180 000 tons to 380 000 tons. It is also a major producer of HDPE with 140 000 metric tonnes of capacity. A 200 000-ton PP facility was completed in 1998 and a butyl rubber facility in 1999. Only a limited number of butyl rubber producers exist worldwide and Sinopec Beijing is among the first to produce the material in China. Other major products include styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR 1500 tonnes per year), cis-1,3 butadiene rubber (BR), EPDM (40 000 tonnes per year), polystyrene resin, reinforced polypropylene, stretching film, ethylene, propylene, propane, ethylene glycol, p-xylene, styrene, benzene, toluene, xylene, alkylbenzene, and other basic organic chemicals. 

The company, an affiliate of Sinopec, has 21 400 employees and owns 55 plants. Its major products include petroleum processing products, polystyrene, PP, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, EO, benzene, styrene, unsaturated polyester resin, ammonia, urea, alkylbenzene, alkylbenzene-sulphonate, alkylbenzene sodium sulphonate, heavy alkylbenzene, washing powder, plasticizers, printing and dyeing auxiliaries. The company has 110 000 tonnes/year of PP capacity and 10 000 tonnes/ year of polystyrene capacity. It plans to expand its refining capacity 24% by the end of 2004 to a total of 13 million tonnes/year. 

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