Polief, a subsidiary of Sibur (Moscow; www.sibur.com), has completed its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) production expansion project in Blagoveshchensk, increasing its capacity from 140,000 to 210,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr).
As part of the production expansion project, Polief has modernized its existing PET production lines and constructed a new line. The expansion is one of Bashkortostan’s priority projects and will enable Polief to process terephthalic acid of its own production into in-demand polymers and substitute imports in some Russian PET market segments.
The decision to expand the PET production capacity at POLIEF was made in December 2010. Construction and installation work began in December 2012.
Guarantee tests on the upgraded and new PET lines were conducted with the technology licensors, BIO CHEMTEX (Italy) and UOP (Belgium). Investment in the project totalled RUB 1.9 billion (around $53 million).
The new advanced equipment will contribute to reducing the company’s environmental footprint and decreasing energy consumption. The modernization will also improve control over the production process and the efficiency of the equipment.