A project to complete the value chain of butane is underway in Mahshahr, Khuzestan Province, and will be over before the year is out in March 2021.
Construction of the Ibne Sina Petrochemical Company, which started in 2015, is near completion, the Oil Ministry news agency Shana reported.
Using butane as feedstock, the plant will produce three important products including maleic anhydride, isobutane and normal butane.
An organic compound, maleic anhydride is a colorless or white solid with an acrid odor. It is used in the production of unsaturated polyester resin as well as in the manufacture of coatings, pharmaceutics, agricultural products, surfactants, and as an additive of plastics.
Globally, butane oxidation is the dominant production process used for maleic anhydride production. In 2018, it accounted for 45% of the installed maleic anhydride capacity.
Isobutane is a chemical compound that is used as a precursor molecule in the petrochemical industry, for example in the synthesis of isooctane.
Normal butane is a flammable, colorless, mostly nontoxic gas with a natural gas odor. It can be used for gasoline blending, as a fuel gas, fragrance extraction solvent, either alone or in a mixture with propane, and as a feedstock for the manufacture of ethylene and butadiene, a key ingredient of synthetic rubber.
Ibne Sina Petrochemical Company is being constructed over 3 hectares in Petrochemical Special Economic Zone in Bandar Imam Khomeini in the southwest. The plant is located in a way to allow easy access to BIK's port and international sea routes.
BIK is the closest port in south Iran to neighboring countries. Furthermore, through easy access inside the petrochemical zone to one of the main railway routes in Iran, the plant can also serve customers in Turkey and Central Asia through a railroad.
Global maleic anhydride capacity is expected to experience moderate growth, from 3.20 million tons per annum in 2018 to 3.43 million tons per year by 2023, registering 7% growth.
The Middle East will lead with the largest capacity additions from the upcoming plants of maleic anhydride by 2023. For the upcoming plants, the region is expected to add 0.222 million tons per year.
With the additions, Iran aims to represent around 59% of global capacity growth by adding 0.13 million tons per year.
The UAE and Russia are the second highest countries in terms of capacity additions in the global maleic anhydride industry. Together, the two add 0.09 million tons per year from the two upcoming projects.
India is the only other country with an expansion project, which aims to increase India’s maleic anhydride capacity by 0.002 million tons per year.
