Badger Licensing LLC (Boston, Mass.; www.badgerlicensing.com) has announced that Lihuayi Weiyuan Chemical Co., Ltd. (Lihuayi) has selected Badger to provide its proprietary technology for a grassroots bisphenol-A (BPA) plant being built in Lijin, Shandong Province, China. The award includes technology license, process design, and start-up services. The plant’s planned capacity is 120,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) BPA.
The new BPA plant is under construction and is scheduled for mechanical completion and startup in 2015. Lihuayi operates a cumene plant using Badger technology at the same site.
“Lihuayi is an important new phenolics producer in China,” said Stuart Agler, president of Badger. “This is the second time they have chosen one of Badger’s proprietary technologies for their facility in Lijin. We believe this BPA plant will help Lihuayi become a market leader in the Chinese phenolics industry, and we look forward to expanding our relationship with them on this project and into the future.”
BPA is a precursor to the production of epoxy resins and polycarbonate. Nearly 1.7 million m.t. of BPA capacity has been licensed by Badger and its predecessor companies since the technology was first offered for license in 2001.