Sibur (Moscow, Russia; www.sibur.ru) is ramping up trial production of thermoplastic elastomers (SBS polymers) at its Voronezh site in accordance with the project schedule. Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) can significantly improve the quality of output in road construction, roof coating and footwear production, and other industries.
The new capacities are set to meet demand in special segments, such as compounds and glues. Thus, in 2020 the company’s product portfolio will include five new SBS grades, sought after in the footwear, automotive, and packaging industries, as well as in the production of household goods (e.g., hygiene products and items in close contact with food).
The company launched the investment project to increase the production of TPE for road construction, roof coating production and other industries by 50,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) in the second half of 2018. The project relied on available government support provided on several levels: municipal and regional support under the Special Investment Contract (SPIC) with the Government of the Voronezh Region and the Administration of the City of Voronezh, and federal support under the agreement on the implementation of the Corporate Competitiveness Improvement Program (CCIP) with the Russian Ministry for Industry and Trade.
The use of new technologies in line with the best global practices for project construction will ensure that TPE production will meet environmental standards. A German air purification plant makes TPE production environmentally friendly. The plant’s pollutant removal efficiency is 99%. The project’s general designer was NIPIgaspererabotka, a leading Russian research centre for facility design, procurement, logistics, and construction in the petrochemical industry. Promstroi played the role of the projects’s general contractor.
In January 2020, SIBUR’s Voronezh site (Voronezhsintezkauchuk) completed the construction phase and produced the first tonne of TPE. Since then, the plant has produced 3,000 m.t. of TPE and is proceeding with the homologation of new product grades. With the current TPE output, the total design capacity of Voronezhsintezkauchuk is set to increase to 135,000 m.t./yr.
“Thermoplastic elastomers are a unique polymer product with an excellent market potential in the modern world. They are in high demand, and with our additional production capacity we will be able to meet the demand in both the Russian and foreign markets. Other advantages of our TPE investment project include excellent environmental properties of the production process and the product itself, additional tax revenue for the regional budget and an increase in exports from Voronezh Region,” said Pavel Lyakhovich, member of the Management Board and Managing Director at SIBUR.