MOSCOW (MRC) - Voronezhsintezkauchuk Plant (VSK, SIBUR Holding) produced the millionth tonne of SBS polymers (styrene-butadiene-styrene) and became the first company in Russia to reach a record level in the production of this polymer, the company said.
SIBUR is the largest producer of SBS polymers in the country with a design capacity of 135,000 tonnes per year, which is 5% of the world SBS polymer market.
According to experts, 80% of federal highways are built and repaired with the use of PMB at the SBS. Binder grades PG with SBS will be used in the construction of the M12 Moscow-Kazan highway.
It is noted that the production of PMB using SBS polymers in Russia has grown 4 times over 5 years - up to 1.1 mln tonnes, of which the consumption of PMB at SBS in Russia has grown 3 times, and exports - 13 times (from 26,000 to 340,000 tonnes).
It is expected that in 2021 the consumption of PMB in Russia will amount to 0.8 mln tonnes, or 11% of the total consumption of road bitumen. In terms of the percentage of PMB consumption from the volume of road bitumen use, Russia is approaching the European average (12-17%).
SIBUR is currently focusing on the Safe and High-Quality Roads national project. The implementation of the project with the use of PMB at the SBS will allow solving a number of tasks of the national project and reaching the target benchmark for a turnaround time of at least 12 years, which will significantly increase the period of accident-free road conditions.
In 2013, Voronezhsintezkauchuk opened a new production of SBS polymers with a capacity of 50,000 tonnes per year, aimed at meeting, first of all, the needs of the domestic construction industry. In 2018, at Voronezhsintezkauchuk, with the support of the Government of the Voronezh Region, an investment project was launched to increase the production capacity of thermoplastic elastomers by another 50,000 tonnes per year.
Styrene is the main raw material for the production of polystyrene (PS).
According to ICIS-MRC Price report, in Russia, Nizhnekamskneftekhim raised its September selling HIPS an GPPS prices for most buyers by Rb700-750/tonne amid an increase in delivery costs. However, some market participants reported a price roll-over.
Voronezhsintezkauchuk is a Russian manufacturer of synthetic rubbers. Since 1998 it has been controlled by SIBUR, since 2012 SIBUR has been the 100% owner of the enterprise. It produces about 40 types of products.
MRC