【Haichuan Project Updates】China’s largest MMA monomer production facility begins operations in Yiwu, Xinjiang
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On the morning of June 2, the groundbreaking ceremony for Xinjiang Zhongyou Puhui Technology Co., Ltd.’s 110,000 tons per year production facility for methyl methacrylate (MMA), a new type of polymer synthesis material, was held in the industrial park of Yiwu County. It is understood that the 110,000 tons per year production facility for methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomers, a new type of polymer synthesis material, operated by Xinjiang Zhongyou Puhui Technology Co., Ltd., utilizes an MMA production process that is the result of years of research and development by the Institute of Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; this process enjoys complete independent intellectual property rights. Phase 1 of the project is scheduled to require an investment of 1.28 billion yuan, while Phase 2 will need an investment of 5.6 billion yuan. Once completed, the project will become the largest MMA production facility of its kind in the country. It will also stimulate the development of related industrial chains and help form industrial clusters, thereby significantly promoting the further growth of the local coal chemical industry. This will play a crucial role in optimizing the industrial structure of Yiwu County, accelerating high-quality development, and creating more local jobs.
This product is mainly used as a monomer for polymethyl methacrylate (plexiglass). Methyl methacrylate is also used to produce copolymers of methyl methacrylate-butadiene-styrene resin (MBS), which is a modifier for PVC plastics. Methyl methacrylate and its copolymers are primarily used in manufacturing, such as latex paints for buildings and adhesives. A modern application of methyl methacrylate is in making discs that allow light to pass horizontally through computer LCD screens or television screens. Methyl methacrylate is also used as a coating to prevent the corrosion of anatomical organs, such as for the preservation of coronary arteries in the heart. It can also be copolymerized with other vinyl monomers to produce products with different properties, and is used in the manufacture of other resins, plastics, adhesives, coatings, lubricants, wood impregnants, motor coil impregnants, ion exchange resins, paper glazing agents, textile printing and dyeing auxiliaries, leather treatment agents, and insulating pouring materials.
Recently, the construction of Yantai Wanhua Chemical’s MMA Phase II project, undertaken by the Fifth Construction Company of the Refining and Chemical Engineering Group, commenced. The project includes the 120,000 tons/year MMA Phase II main plant, the MMA Phase II tank farm, the MMA wastewater tank farm, the MMA Phase II wastewater incineration facility, and new wastewater concentration projects. The planned delivery date is April 30, 2022.
Recently, Qixiang Tengda has been making every effort to promote high-quality development while simultaneously ensuring effective epidemic prevention measures. Following a visit by several officials, including Liu Qiang, the vice governor of Shandong Province, to Qixiang Tengda in March for inspection and guidance, on the morning of April 17, Yu Haitian, the deputy secretary of the Zibo Municipal Party Committee and mayor of Shandong Province, along with other officials, visited the northern area of Qixiang Tengda New Materials Industrial Park to oversee the construction of the MMA project there and other related activities. At the construction site of the Qixiang Tengda MMA project, Che Chengju, the chairman and general manager of Qixiang Tengda, provided Mayor Yu Haitian with a detailed update on the progress of the project. He stated that Qixiang Tengda would go all out, with a determination to strive hard, in order to accelerate the project’s completion. The company aims to play a key role in the city’s transition to new forms of economic activity and its pursuit of high-quality development, by demonstrating the \"Qixiang speed,\" creating \"Qixiang advantages,\" and showing \"Qixiang’s commitment.\"
Qixiang Tengda’s MMA project is a key initiative for the transformation of old and new economic drivers in Shandong Province. It involves the construction of facilities capable of producing 200,000 tons per year of MMA, 100,000 tons per year of PMMA, 400,000 tons per year of tert-butanol, and 50,000 tons per year of isobutylene. At present, a number of new projects under construction by Qixiang Tengda, such as the 200,000-ton-per-year methyl acrylate (MMA) project and the 700,000-ton-per-year propylene production via propane dehydrogenation (PDH) project, are progressing as planned. Leveraging the strong resource support provided by Cedar Holdings, Qixiang Tengda has accelerated its progress in introducing internationally leading technologies and pursuing high-quality development in the field of high-value fine chemicals and new chemical materials. On April 9, Qixiang Tengda held an online signing ceremony for the technical licensing agreement related to the isononyl alcohol project; it plans to build the largest isononyl alcohol production facility in China. Once completed, this facility will further enhance the company’s ability to process C4 raw materials, increase the value and diversity of its products, and promote the deeper development of the C4 industry chain.