Oxea GmbH (Monheim am Rhein, Germany; www.oxea-chemicals.com) has successfully started up its new world-scale production unit “Propanol 2” at its Bay City, Texas, USA, site. The has has capacity to product 100,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) of propanol. The now fully operational unit will increase Oxea’s North American production capacity for n-propanol by 75%. Construction and commissioning of the new unit were completed incident-free, ahead of schedule and under budget. Oxea has used its proprietary process technology and process expertise to optimize production and improve product yield at Propanol 2. The first specification grade batches of material from the new unit have already been shipped to customers.
“I am proud to say that the new propanol production unit has been successfully started up incident-free and ahead of schedule. Propanol 2 demonstrated both quality and capacity deliverables sooner than expected and is now fully integrated into existing operations. The successful start-up was the result of excellent teamwork between the project team, operations, engineering, and contractors. Leveraging Oxea’s knowledge as the world leader in propanol production, the new unit will be a foundation for on-going optimization and growth,” commented Fred Gaytan, Site Director Bay City and Bishop at Oxea.
“Propanol 2 is a critical part of our selective growth strategy and a commitment to our Bay City production site. The new unit has been one of our largest investment projects in the past years. With its successful start-up, we achieved a major milestone on our roadmap and further strengthened our global production platform,” said Oxea’s CEO, Dr. Salim Al Huthaili. “With the increased n-propanol volume, we can now better serve the growing needs of existing and new customers worldwide. This particularly applies to Propyls from Oxea, a blend of n-propanol and n-propyl acetate. They are touted as a game changer for the rotogravure and flexographic printing industry because with our Propyls print shops can achieve higher print quality and produce more economically at the same time,” he concluded.