Japanese company Ube Industries will establish a joint venture in Henan to produce 100,000 tons per year of dimethyl carbonate

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It is reported that on April 18, the Japanese company Ube Industries stated that it has reached an agreement with Henan Zhongyuan Dahua Group and the Japanese company HighChem to establish a joint venture in China for the production of dimethyl carbonate. This joint venture, named Henan Tanyi New Energy Company, will be located in Puyang, Henan. Henan Zhongyuan Dahua Group will hold 51% of the shares, while Ube and HighChem will each hold 24.5% of the shares. The joint venture will produce 100,000 tons per year of dimethyl carbonate, with production expected to begin in 2013. Ube Industries stated that HighChem will provide the intellectual property related to its chemical business, while Ube Industries will provide the patented technology for dimethyl carbonate. Dimethyl carbonate is used in the fields of plastics, pharmaceuticals, and agrochemicals, and can also be used as an environmentally friendly solvent for coatings. Ube Industries stated that demand in the Chinese market for dimethyl carbonate, which is used as an environmentally friendly additive in gasoline and diesel, is growing rapidly. At the same time, the demand for solvents in lithium-ion rechargeable battery electrolytes is also growing rapidly. Translated by Pang Xiaohua from Chemical Week, 4-18-2012