UOP technology selected by Kumho P&B Chemicals  

UOP LLC (Des Plaines, Ill; www.uop.com), a Honeywell company, has been selected by Kumho P&B Chemicals, Inc. (Yeosu, South Korea) to provide technology to produce key petrochemicals for the manufacture of plastics. UOP’s Q-Max and Phenol process technologies will be integrated at Kumho’s Yeosu, South Korea, facility to produce high-quality phenol. According to industry consultants, the demand for materials produced using these petrochemicals is forecasted to grow in Asia by as much as 9% annually over the next five years, driven by demand for automobiles, appliances and electronics. The new units, expected to start up in 2013-2014, will produce 900,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) of cumene and 300,000 m.t./yr of phenol. UOP will provide engineering design, technology licensing, catalysts, adsorbents and technical service for the project. The UOP Q-Max process produces high-quality cumene through the alkylation of benzene with propylene. The cumene is subsequently converted to high-quality phenol, with low feedstock and utility requirements, using the UOP Phenol process. The UOP Q-Max process uses a robust and efficient catalyst system, which maximizes on-stream time, and minimizes raw material and energy consumption.…