MOSCOW (MRC) -- The US-based TPC Group is going to move to the next phase of engineering to produce on-purpose butadiene and expand production capacity to meet market demand, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing with reference to the company's announcement.
The company is able to start a new phase of engineering due to successful completion of the project's preliminary engineering study to produce butadiene from a variety of sources.
The US shale gas revolution offers an abundance of natural gas liquids for feedstocks to produce butadiene, according to the company. It has also had an impact on by-product butadiene production, creating a shortage of butadiene to meet customer needs.
TPC Group anticipates that its engineering design optimization will be complete by the end of the third quarter of 2013.
TPC Group said it aims to address the structural shortage of supply due to the shift from heavier to lighter feedslates by ethylene producers. The need for a capacity expansion is driven by the growing demand for butadiene and the reduced by-product of crude butadiene available as North American ethylene producers utilize more ethane as a primary feedstock.
We remind that, as MRC reported earlier, TPC Group Inc. had commenced engineering to expand production capacity of polyisobutylene (PIB). The need for a capacity expansion is driven by the growing demand for HR-PIB due to upcoming changes in the technical standards for lubricating oils that favor use of HR-PIB based dispersants, as well as an increasing demand for the wide variety of other end uses, including automotive sealants and industrial lubricants. TPC has commenced engineering to expand the Company's existing capacity to meet this growing need.
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, TPC Group is a leader in providing highly specialized lines of chemical products. The Company sells its products into a wide range of performance, specialty and intermediate markets, including synthetic rubber, fuels, lubricant additives, plastics and surfactants.
MRC