Arvand Petrochemical Company in Mahshahr, Khuzestan Province, exports a part of its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and caustic soda output to some Middle Eastern countries such as Turkey, in addition to meeting the domestic demand, managing director of the company said.
“The production capacity of the complex is 2.8 million tons per year, of which 340,000 tons account for different grades of PVC,” the Oil Ministry’s news agency Shana also quoted Hassan Neshanzadeh as saying.
Arvand is the largest producer of PVC in the Middle East. It also produces chlorine, sodium hydroxide, suspension polyvinyl chloride, ethylene dichloride and vinylchloride monomer.
Currently, an estimated 730,000 tons of PVC are produced in Iran annually, about half of which is produced by Arvand Petrochemical Company.
The company plans to build a new unit to increase its PVC output. Because of rising demand in the domestic market and low market capacity in neighboring countries, the new PVC unit has been planned with an annual production capacity of 300,000 tons.
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.
It is a versatile material used in window frames, drainage pipe, water pipe, medical devices, blood storage bags, cable and wire insulation, resilient flooring, roofing membranes, stationery, automotive interiors and seat coverings, fashion, footwear and packaging.
“Utilizing the most advanced technology in the world, Arvand Petrochemical Plant was inaugurated in 2010 and soon made the country self-sufficient in the production of caustic soda,” Neshanzadeh said.
The plant produces 660,000 ton per year of 100% caustic soda or 1,320,000 tons a year of 50% caustic soda.
Caustic soda is the chemical compound sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The compound is an alkali – a type of base that can neutralize acids and is soluble in water. Today caustic soda can be manufactured in the form of pellets, flakes, powders, solutions and more.
The main uses of caustic soda are in the manufacture of pulp and paper, alumina, soap and detergents, petroleum products and chemical production. Other applications include water treatment, food, textiles, metal processing, mining and glass production.
Arvand Petrochemical Company registered a 289% increase in operating revenues in the first half of the current Iranian year (March 21-Sept. 22) compared with the same period of last year and earned a profit of $144 million.
The company sold 58,683 tons of S-PVC in the six months, which shows a tremendous increase of 525% in the export of the valuable product year-on-year,
Regarding the sale of E-PVC, the company had a 230% increase in export volume and a 699% rise in sales revenues compared with the first half of a year ago.
