Perstorp Group announced on July 7 that it has increased production capacity of 2-ethylhexanoic acid at its plant in Stenungsund, Sweden, to meet global demand from customers. Applications include in synthetic lubricants and corrosion inhibitors.
The company, which did not disclose the amount of capacity added, secured the capacity expansion during the spring through debottlenecking of the existing plant in Stenungsund. The company claims to have the largest production capacity of 2-EHA in the world.
“To enable the expansion, modifications were required for the increased 2-EHA production,” Andreas Utbult, project manager from GTI, global technology and investments, said in a press release. “The installations included new installations as well as replacement and modification of existing equipment, piping and instrumentation.”
Betty Lu, Perstorp’s vice president business oxo and plasticizers, said the expansion was important to further strengthen the company’s position in the 2-EHA market. “There is a healthy demand from our customers, and these extra volumes are most welcome,” Lu said.
In June 2021, the company said it had begun implementing a production capacity increase for 2-EHA, with plans to bring that online in early 2022. Demand for the chemical had increased significantly in the preceding two quarters, the company had noted then, as industries recovered and adjusted to the ongoing pandemic.
Malmo-based Perstorp announced in April plans to build a new plant at the Stenungsund site to bring on an additional 70,000 metric tons per year of carboxylic acids production onstream in 2024, doubling its capacity. The chemicals are used in the manufacture of refrigeration lubricants, among other applications. In May, Malaysia’s Petronas Chemicals Group Berhad announced it would acquire Perstorp Holding AB for €2.3 billion (then 10.5 billion ringgit or U.S. $2.3 billion).