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Bu Ali Sina Petrochemical Company to Raise Output

The construction of a paraxylene unit of Bu Ali Sina Petrochemical Company in Mahshahr, Khuzestan Province, is expected to become complete in February, the deputy director of the company said.

“The paraxylene unit of the complex was damaged in a fire accident in 2016 so the design and construction of a new unit were started by Iranian experts and engineers. Now almost all the equipment are installed and the unit will be ready for launch in about a month,” Ardalan Sedaqatzadeh was also quoted as saying by the National Petrochemical Company’s news portal. 

“When the unit stopped operating, the reformate product of the complex was exported. With the launch of the new unit, it will turn into paraxylene, which is a more valuable product with higher added value,” he said. 

“The paraxylene unit of the company has the annual production capacity of 400,000 tons of paraxylene, 180,000 tons of benzene and 36,000 tons of orthoxylene.”

It can increase the profit of the complex by more than $50 million annually.

The products of the new unit will be used as feedstock in Shahid Tondgouyan Petrochemical Plant to produce polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Paraxylene is an aromatic hydrocarbon used as feedstock to produce industrial chemicals. It is produced by catalytic reformation of petroleum naphtha and used in the production of polymers and terephthalic acid for polyesters such as PET.

Referring to the amount of feedstock received by the company in the first eight months of the current Iranian year (March-November 2022), Sedaqatzadeh said, “The complex received 1.45 million tons of feed during the period and produced about 1.38 million tons of products. The company sold a total of 1.9 million tons of products last year [March 2021-22] and its sales are expected to rise.”

Regarding the company’s revenues so far in the current Iranian year (started March 21), he said, “The company earned about $650 million during this period, which is equivalent to the total sales of last year, due to the rise in prices.”

 

 

Increasing Production

Bu Ali Sina Petrochemical Company seeks to increase annual output to 2 million tons.

The current production capacity of the complex is close to 1.7 million tons and with the help of development plans, the output will increase by about 20%.

A subsidiary of the Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company, Bu Ali Sina Petrochemical Company stretches over 36 hectares on the northwestern flank of the Persian Gulf.

Founded in 1998, the company processes gas condensate as feedstock to produce various aromatic products, including heavy naphtha, light naphtha and benzene.

Sold in local and international markets, heavy naphtha is used in the production of gasoline, kerosene and industrial solvents. 

Light naphtha, a hydrocarbon liquid, is supplied to domestic and foreign markets as feedstock for olefin units. A part of the light naphtha is also converted to LPG and C5 raffinate.

The rise in the plant’s benzene output has helped make the country self-sufficient in its production. Iran no longer needs to import benzene and can even export the valuable product now.

The chemical is used in the production of detergents and hygiene products, which are needed worldwide.

The sanctions-battered country had difficulty importing benzene in the past, but with Bu Ali Sina Company on fast track, detergent manufacturers can better meet their raw material needs and increase output.

Besides its use in the production of detergents, some industries use benzene to make chemicals used in the manufacture of plastics, resins, nylon and synthetic fibers. It is also used to make lubricants, rubber, dyes, drugs and pesticides.

BSPC’s products are sold to Imam Khomeini Port, Shahid Tondgouyan, Amir Kabir, Pars and Karoun petrochemical companies, and a portion is also exported to the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Europe.

Bu Ali Sina’s major export products include benzene, reformate and diesel.