Nouryon Chemicals Holding B.V. (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) is adding new production of its modified methylaluminoxane, or MMAO, in Jiaxing, China, to meet growing demand for the high-performance plastics used in solar panels and cars. The company will begin producing MMAO, the catalyst activator essential to making these plastics, at its existing Jiaxing site to serve customers in China and beyond. Production is planned to begin in the first half of 2028.
MMAO is an aluminum-based compound that activates the catalysts used to make polyolefin elastomers (POE), the strong, flexible plastics used in solar panels and lightweight auto parts, and alpha-olefins, another input for POE. Producing MMAO in China, a major manufacturing hub for these materials, will give Nouryon’s customers a closer, more reliable source.
“Solar power and lighter, more efficient cars are driving demand for the durable plastics that make them possible, and MMAO is critical to making those plastics,” said Alain Rynwalt, senior vice president of Performance Materials at Nouryon. “By producing at Jiaxing, we put a steady supply right where the industry is growing and help our customers scale with confidence.”
Nouryon currently produces MMAO at one of its facilities in the U.S. Nouryon’s MMAO dissolves easily in production solvents and stays stable in storage, making it practical at industrial scale. Its quality determines how efficiently the catalysts run and how consistent the final plastic is.
Within Nouryon’s Performance Materials segment, MMAO is part of the Polymer Specialties business unit that sells specialized solutions for polymer production.