Mobile Navigation

View Comments

Sibur announces commissioning of new polypropylene unit

| By Mary Bailey

Sibur (Moscow; www.sibur.com) announced that the polypropylene unit at ZapSibNeftekhim, a deep hydrocarbon conversion plant under construction, is 99.8% complete. Construction and installation work on the process unit are over, and commissioning is underway. In particular, systems are undergoing functional testing and safety systems are being checked for proper performance.

During commissioning, the unit produced a pilot batch of polypropylene granules from third-party feedstock.

The technology enables production of all polypropylene types that enjoy demand in all market segments.

“We have only produced several tons of polypropylene as part of a test run,” comments Andrei Germashev, Head of Production at ZapSibNeftekhim. “However, it confirms that the facility with the total capacity of 500,000 metric tons per year is ready for operation.”

After the launch of ZapSibNeftekhim, polypropylene production at SIBUR’s facilities in Tobolsk (including the existing polymer production facility of SIBUR Tobolsk) will total 1 million metric tons per year (m.t./yr). This represents the biggest production capacity in Russia and one of the largest in the world.

ZapSibNeftekhim’s polypropylene will be used to manufacture a wide range of polymer goods, from medical products and personal hygiene items to geotextiles, hot water supply pipes, containers and packaging.

Overall, ZapSibNeftekhim will play an important role in substituting 85–95% (depending on the product) of current polymer imports – mainly from China and Europe.