Huntsman Venture to Expand Capacity
Tuesday April 1, 9:10 am ET

Huntsman Joint Venture in Germany to Expand Capacity of Industrial Chemical Maleic Anhydride

THE WOODLANDS, Texas (AP) -- A Huntsman Corp. joint venture said Tuesday it plans to expand manufacturing capacity for the chemical maleic anhydride, which is used to make industrial products.

Sasol-Huntsman GmbH & Co. KG, a 50-50 German joint venture between Huntsman and Sasol Ltd., will add 45,000 metric tons to its maleic anhydride capacity. The chemical products maker will then be able to produce 105,000 metric tons of the compound each year.

Maleic anhydride is a component of polyester resins, which are used in construction, automotive and marine products. It is also used in formulations for lube-oil additives, food additives, paper chemicals, epoxies and other applications.

Sasol-Huntsman expects the new capacity to come on line during the first quarter of 2011.

The venture will construct a second 45-kiloton reactor and purification section on the same site as the existing plant. The new plant will operate independently from the existing plant to prevent production interruption.

Source: Associated Press

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