The first phase of Alvand Polypropylene Petrochemical Complex in Shazand County, Markazi Province, will be inaugurated in spring.
Upon its launch, the plant will start producing meltblown granules for the first time in the country, ILNA reported.
Meltblowing is a conventional fabrication method of micro- and nanofibers where a polymer melt is extruded through small nozzles surrounded by high speed blowing gas. The randomly deposited fibers form a nonwoven sheet product applicable for filtration, sorbents, apparels and drug delivery systems.
These fabrics are mostly used in isolation materials, air filtration equipment, mask materials, N95 masks, PPE kit and coverall for healthcare industry.
The launch of the facility and indigenization of meltblown granules will help reduce the price of baby and adult diapers, disposable masks, disposable clothes used in the health and medical industries, including surgical and patient gowns. It will also address unemployment in the central province, especially in Shazand.
The second phase of the plant will become operational a year later, producing various medical and health grades of polypropylene also for the first time in the country.
It will help cut the country's need to import medical grades of polypropylene, provide the country's domestic factories with the raw materials needed for health-oriented industries, and also create export capacities
Another advantage of the project is the creation of employment for more than 2,000 people directly and indirectly. The project is estimated to cost $118 million and upon completion, it will have an annual production capacity of 180,000 tons per year.
Iran will turn into a major polypropylene producer in the near future as 12 propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plants are in different stages of construction.
Propane Value Chain
The projects seek to complete the propane value chain. PDH is used to produce polymer-grade propylene from propane independent of a steam cracker or fluid catalytic cracking unit.
Propylene is the second most important product in the petrochemical industry after ethylene. It is the raw material for plastic polypropylene, which component is mainly used in the automotive, textile and packaging industries.
The primary source of propylene is from cracking naphtha and other liquids such as diesel and condensates to produce ethylene. However, propane can also be used to produce propylene.
In Iran, propane is produced at the Bandar Imam Khomeini Petrochemical Complex and Bidboland Gas Treatment Plant for use as feedstock in the new PDH plants.
At present, about 1 million tons of propylene are produced annually in the country and the output is expected to increase by 3 million tons or 300% over the next three years.
Propylene is a strategic commodity in the petrochemical industries. It can be transformed into value added products like polypropylene and create jobs in the downstream petrochemical sector.
Polypropylene – the world's second-most widely produced synthetic plastic, after polyethylene – is used in a variety of applications, including packaging, labeling, textiles, carpets, stationery, plastic parts and reusable containers, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive parts and polymer banknotes.
