Sinopec's SBC Project in China Comes Online

Sinopec's SBC Project in China Starts Operations Sinopec's styrene-butadiene copolymer (SBC) project with annual production capacity of 170,000 tonnes has been put into operation. Hainan Baling Chemical New Material, a subsidiary of China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, has commissioned its styrene-butadiene copolymer (SBC) project in Hainan, China, which will reach annual production capacity of 170,000 tonnes. Sinopec currently owns the world's largest SBC production capacity. Baling New Material and Sinopec Hainan Refining & Chemical Co., Ltd. invested 1.924 billion yuan (USD 279.74 million) in the Hainan Baling project. The SBC facility of the project produces 170,000 tonnes of SBS and SEBS products annually, comprising 120,000 tonnes of SBS product and 50,000 tonnes of SEBS product. The facility supports production and public utilities through 13 units including purification, polymerization, blending, recycling, preparation of auxiliaries and final purification. TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) is a copolymer class that can be plasticized at high temperatures and has rubber flexibility at room temperature. SBC is a type of TPE that includes commonly used products such as SBS, SEBS, SIS and SEPS, and is used in footwear, asphalt modification, resin modification, adhesives, food packaging, medical equipment, sports equipment, automotive and consumer electronics. The project uses Sinopec's proprietary SBS and SEBS complete solution sets, including clean production methods capable of creating SBCs in different grades and performance levels to meet customers' product customization requirements. Meanwhile, to minimize raw material and transportation costs and optimize revenues, it is expanding the industrial chain by utilizing styrene and butadiene from Hainan Refining & Chemical, new technologies from Baling New Material, and Hainan Free Trade Port. The venture will export SBC products to developing European, Southeast Asian and South Asian markets. Sinopec has been conducting advanced synthetic rubber research and development for over 50 years in China. In the 1970s, the Yanshan Petrochemical Research Institute developed butyllithium preparation and SBS polymerization technologies. Sinopec is one of only three companies in the world capable of industrial production of new SEBS products using environment-friendly technology and the sole company in China. Baling New Material's SEPS facility with annual production capacity of 20,000 tonnes began production in August 2017. With proprietary SBC technologies and intellectual property rights, Sinopec now holds a technologically leading position globally in the development of SBC technologies and products. SOURCE: SINOPEC