Braskem wraps construction, begins startup of Texas polypropylene unit

Braskem America Inc., a subsidiary of Braskem SA, São Paulo, has completed construction and started commissioning activities for it Delta polypropylene (PP) production unit at the company’s existing manufacturing site in La Porte, Tex., about 26 miles outside of Houston (OGJ Online, June 22, 2017).

Started up in late June 2020, the new Delta PP unit has annual production capacity of more than 450,000 tonnes/year and can produce Braskem's entire PP portfolio, including homopolymer, impact copolymer, and random copolymers, Braskem said.

With the commissioning process now under way, Braskem said it is currently working to complete all necessary steps to ensure safe and successful startup, which includes implementing enhanced health and safety guidelines related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) to protect its team members and other parties involved in the company's operations.

During this ongoing commissioning phase, the company is executing functional and process assessments to verify performance of the integrated safety controls and systems, with initial execution of production tests beginning this month.

Braskem said it expects to launch production activities at the new unit on a commercial scale during third-quarter 2020. 

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, Braskem said.

"[The Delta PP unit] reinforces Braskem's global business strategy and reaffirms our commitment to clients worldwide, especially in the US market," said Mark Nikolich, Braskem's vice-president for North America.

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, according to Nikolich.

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

Linde AG provided lead engineering, procurement, and construction services on the Delta PP project, which included implementing W.R. Grace & Co.’s proprietary Unipol PP process technology at the plant (OGJ Online, July 11, 2017).

Despite a series of challenges and obstacles such as navigating health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, halt of construction activities following a fire at Intercontinental Terminals Co.’s operations in March, and several flooding events at the during 2017’s Hurricane Harvey, Linde completed mechanical delivery of the project within the originally planned first-half 2020 target, the service provider said on July 8.