Technological watch

Prime Polymer plans to build a new 200,000 t/yr plant in Ichihara, targeting to start construction in August. The plant will adopt technology from Mitsui Chemicals and is expected to start operations in late 2024.
Scrap-and-Build Approach for PP Production
The construction of the new plant is part of the producers' plans to restructure its existing production system, citing a ‘scrap-and-build-approach', in a statement released on 31 May.
The new PP plant will enable the production of high-performance PP materials, allowing the producer to meet rising need for lightweight materials in the automotive sector. Primer Polymer is a 65:35 joint-venture between Japan's Mitsui Chemicals and Japanese refiner Idemitsu.
Its parent company Mitsui Chemicals owns nine PP compound plants globally, across Japan, China, India, Thailand, Mexico, Brazil, US and the Netherlands. Its ninth plant in the Netherlands is started a year earlier, to tap rising demand for PP compound resin for lighter-weight vehicle parts production in face of looming stricter environmental regulations in the global automotive sector. Prime Polymer also plans to step up its circular economy efforts soon, eyeing polymer production from bio-based feedstock.