Perstorp Holding AB (Malmö, Sweden; www.perstorp.com) officially opened a major extension to its capacity to produce PVC plasticizers and key chemical intermediates. The new state-of-the-art oxo plant in Stenungsund, Sweden, began producing material soon after its start-up in January, and is now running at full regime and delivering material according to plan.
“The new production platform is the single largest investment in Perstorp’s history and clearly demonstrates Perstorp’s commitment to the PVC industry,”says Perstorp CEO Jan Secher. “It significantly boosts our output of valeraldehyde and 2-propyl heptanol (2-PH), two key raw materials for Perstorp’s general-purpose PVC plasticizers, Emoltene 100 and Pevalen. It is a testimony to our commitment to the PVC industry, and puts us in a very strong competitive position.”
Perstorp now has one of the few fully integrated platforms in Europe providing customers with ready access to high performance, sustainable and cost-effective plasticizers. The Oxo plant is also a source of products for other key markets: 2-propyl heptanol is used in production of lubricants, adhesives and surfactants, for example. While n-valeric acid, which is also made in the plant directly from valeraldehyde, is an important raw material for lubricants, pharmaceuticals and fragrances.
Jerker Olsson, vice president, Business Unit Oxo, says: “The upstream integration into essential raw materials greatly strengthens Perstorp’s position as a reliable supplier of innovative plasticizers to the PVC market. We have raised our total Oxo capacity by 150,000 metric tons per year and become one of the few fully integrated suppliers of plasticizers.”