MOL Group (Budapest, Hungary; www.molgroup.info/en/) and JSR Corp. inaugurated a new synthetic rubber plant in Tiszaújváros, Hungary, which will produce 60,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) of solution polymerization styrene-butadiene rubber (S-SBR). The most important feedstock of S-SBR is butadiene, which is produced by MOL at an adjacent plant commissioned in 2015. S-SBR is highly valued worldwide as a raw material for fuel-efficient tires.
MOL and JSR Corporation reached an agreement in 2013 to establish a joint venture with 51% held by JSR and 49% by MOL. The construction of the plant started in 2015.
“MOL has further extended its petrochemical value chain with one of the world’s most innovative products. We are proud that year after year MOL is able to produce more specialized and more profitable products. There is a lot of work ahead of us, but we are well on track to reach our strategic goal and become a leading chemical company in Central Eastern Europe by 2030,” said Zsolt Hernádi, Chairman-CEO of MOL Group.