Braskem polypropylene unit begins commercial production

Braskem America Inc., a subsidiary of Braskem SA, São Paulo, has started commercial production from its recently completed Delta polypropylene (PP) production unit at the company’s existing manufacturing site in La Porte, Tex.

Entering commercial production on Sept. 10 following completion of construction and start of commissioning activities in June amid COVID-19 safety protocols, the new Delta PP unit can produce more than 450,000 tonnes/year (1 billion lb/year) of Braskem’s entire PP portfolio, including homopolymer, impact copolymer, and random copolymers, Braskem said.

“Our investment of $750 million in the [Delta PP unit, now the] largest polypropylene production line in the Americas, and the first new polypropylene plant in North America since 2008, reflects our enduring commitment to meeting the needs of our clients today and for the long-term,” said Mark Nikolich, chief executive officer of Braskem Americas.

Production from the new unit—the construction of which was based on Braskem’s sustainable development guidelines, including observing important ecological indicators such as carbon emissions, water and energy efficiency, recycling, and reducing solid waste generation—will reinforce supplies to meet demand in the US market, which currently imports PP to make up for the shortfall in domestic production.

Startup comes at a time when the North American PP industry needs it most, said Alexandre Elias, vice-president of Braskem’s North American PP business.

“[North America’s PP market] had adapted to the COVID-19 health crisis, and [regional PP demand] has recovered to pre-COVID levels,” Elias said.

The unit also will contribute directly to Braskem’s global capacity to export to its clients in South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific.

As the first US PP production line to be built by the operator, the Delta PP unit joins Braskem’s five other PP plants in the US—including three in Texas, one in Pennsylvania, and one in West Virginia—to bring the Brazilian company’s combined US PP production capacity for all six units to nearly 2 million tpy.

Export hub development

Commercial production from the Delta PP follows Braskem America’s selection in June of Charleston, SC, as the site for its newly proposed Global Export Hub, which will provide packaging, warehousing, and export shipping services to support Braskem’s US PP production units.

With design and development phases for the project now well under way, the new hub will have a capacity to support up to 450 million lb/year of PP and specialty polymers export shipments to Braskem customers worldwide, according to the operator.

Located at the Port of Charleston—which features daily express intermodal and merchandise rail services, as well as more than 20 ocean carriers delivering export cargo between Charleston and more than 150 nations around the world—Braskem’s Global Export Hub is scheduled to be completed by third-quarter 2020.