Ashland Inc.’s (Covington, Ky.; www.ashland.com) Ashland Specialty Ingredients commercial unit has announced that it plans to expand capacity at its Natrosol hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) production facility in Nanjing by 4,000 metric tons (m.t.), or approximately 40%, over the next 18 months.
The four-year-old facility, which employs more than 100 workers, is located within the Nanjing Chemical Industrial Park, a modern, highly integrated chemical manufacturing complex. Natrosol is a cellulosic polymer used as an additive in a wide variety of industrial and consumer products, including latex paints, paper coatings and personal care items such as shampoos and shower gels. The additional capacity will come on line in two phases. The first 2,000 m.t. will be available in early 2015 to support the spring paint season, and the second 2,000 m.t. will be available in late 2015.