China’s Cenway to expand speciality rubber capacity

Jiaxing, Zhejiang – Cenway New Materials is to add 500 tonnes of annual capacity for speciality rubbers at its existing production site in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province.

The project, according to the Chinese supplier, is currently being reviewed for environmental impact.
 
With a totalinvestment of $2.05 million (€1.8 million), the project will also see the upgrading of the site's butyl rubber facilities. 

This includes the installation of a triethylene glycol dehydration unit to pretreat recycled chloromethane for drying, and raising vacuum level in the steam stripping process.
 
Furthermore, the project will generate 60 tonnes of industrial grade isobutylene and 6.4 tonnes light hydrocarbon feedstock annually.
 
The speciality rubber facility constitutes a joint programme between Cenway and China National Petroleum Corporation affiliate Lanzhou Petrochemical Research Center.

It will make star-branched butyl rubber and other speciality products such as customised high molecular weight polyisobutylene.
 
In addition, the two parties will jointly advance the research on and application of cationic polymers, said Cenway.
 
The new project will complete Cenway’s "all-around butyl rubber portfolio and make it a leading supplier globally," said the company. The company's butyl rubber products are claimed to be used by 24 out of the world’s 30 largest tire makers.