Welding Engineers Ltd., a Swiss concern specialized in engineering design for synthetic rubber production, has been engaged by an Iranian company to supply the engineering to finish a plant under construction in the southern port of Asalouyeh in Bushehr Province.
Geneva-based Welding Engineers is to complete the final phase of the emulsion styrene-butadiene rubber plant, which includes drying lines, packaging and preparation for export to local and international markets, the US-based newspaper Tire Business reported on its website citing Swiss and Iranian news agencies.
Iran’s Sadaf Petrochemical Asaluyeh Company broke ground in October 2015 on the $289 million project, which will produce five grades of emulsion SBR, some of them specifically for tires.
This is said to be one of the first contracts signed by a western company in the petrochemical sector since sanctions on Iran were lifted.
Iran expects the construction of the plant to be completed by the end of 2018.
The project is fully financed by Iranian stakeholders and the construction will be carried out by Iranian Petrochemical Industries Construction Company.
The plant will produce five grades of dry and oily rubber—two of which will be used in the tire industry and three in plastics, according to Welding Engineers.
The facility will produce 136,000 tons of E-SBR annually and will have the capability to change grades and adapt to downstream demands where necessary.
In terms of feedstock, Pars and Jam petrochemical plants will supply 26,000 tons of styrene, 84,000 tons of butadiene and 25,000 tons of aromatic oils to the project together.
Iran expects China to be a major export market for Sadaf’s E-SBR products, with a demand of 1.5 million tons a year.
The company expects to export around 50,000 tons of E-SBR per year.
