Synthos Group S.A. (Oswiecim, Poland; www.synthosgroup.com) is planning to build a neodymium polybutadiene rubber plant in Triunfo Petrochemical Complex in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The investment will be carried out provided that the 2013 contracts on raw material supplies will come into effect.
Upon the implementation of those contracts, the company will build a modern production plant producing neodymium polybutadiene rubber (NdBR), which will be used to manufacture high-performance car and truck tires and various technical rubber products. The plant capacity will reach 80,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr), which will result in a huge production growth of elastomers in Brazil and will replace a significant part of the current import. The production of polybutadiene rubber in Brazil will be based on the license granted by Michelin. Synthos has signed contract agreements with tire manufacturers Michelin and Pirelli regarding the supply of NdBR to their facilities in Brazil.