Bu-Ali Sina and Arvand petrochemical companies in Mahshahr, Khuzestan Province, are moving ahead with projects to raise their production capacity.
The former is building a paraxylene production unit, the National Petrochemical Company’s news website Nipna reported.
Paraxylene is an aromatic hydrocarbon, widely used as feedstock to produce industrial chemicals. It is a raw material used in the production of polymers and terephthalic acid for polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate (generally known as PET).
Paraxylene is produced by catalytic reforming of petroleum naphtha. The output of Bu-Ali will be used as feedstock in Shahid Tondgouyan Petrochemical Plant to produce PET.
The paraxylene unit will be launched by the end of the current fiscal year (March 20, 2021), the managing director of Bu-Ali Sina Company said.
Speaking about the sales and profit of the company, Mohammad Ahmadzadeh said BSPC witnessed a 25% increase in the last Iranian year (March 2020-21) compared to the previous year.
"The company's exports through land borders quadrupled last year and since land exports have lower logistical costs, the company's revenues also increased,” Ahmadzadeh said, adding that the company's profits tripled last year compared to a year ago.
A subsidiary of the Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company, Bu-Ali Sina Plant stretches over 36 hectares on the northwestern flank of the Persian Gulf.
Founded in 1998, the company processes gas condensate as feedstock to produce an estimated 1.75 million tons of aromatic products a year, including 350,000 tons of light naphtha, most of which will be converted to LPG and C5 raffinate, 500,000 tons of heavy naphtha and 600,000 tons of benzene, available in local and foreign markets.
BSPC products are sold to Bandar Imam Khomeini, Shahid Tondgouyan, Amir Kabir, Pars and Karoun petrochemical companies. Export destinations are the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Europe.
New PVC Unit at Arvand
Arvand Petrochemical Company plans to construct a new unit to increase its production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), managing director of the company said.
Hassan Neshanzadeh Moqaddam said an estimated 730,000 tons of PVC are produced in Iran, of which 50% are manufactured in Arvand Petrochemical Company.
Due to the rising demand in the domestic market and considering the market capacity in neighboring countries, a new PVC production unit with a production capacity of 300,000 tons is to be constructed, he was reported as saying by Nipna.
PVC is the world's third-most widely produced synthetic plastic polymer (after polyethylene and polypropylene). About 40 million tons of PVC are produced annually.
PVC is a versatile material used in window frames, drainage pipe, water service pipe, medical devices, blood storage bags, cable and wire insulation, resilient flooring, roofing membranes, stationery, automotive interiors and seat coverings, fashion, footwear and packaging.
Arvand Petrochemical Company is the largest producer of PVC in the Middle East. With a production capacity of 2.8 million tons of various products per year, Arvand also produces chlorine, sodium hydroxide, suspension polyvinyl chloride, ethylene dichloride, vinylchloride monomer, caustic soda and a variety of PVC grades.
