Nouryon investing EUR12 mn to double surfactants capacity in Sweden

Chemical firm Nouryon will double capacity at its surfactants plant in Stenungsund, Sweden, to support the growth of several existing products as well as new sustainable technologies for markets including oil and gas, lubricants and fuels, and asphalt. The EUR12-million expansion and upgrade project includes the installation of a new reactor and is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2021.

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Nouryon says the additional capacity will allow it to expand production of several innovative technologies for the oil and gas market. These include Armohib CI-5150, a corrosion inhibitor that meets the industry’s most stringent environmental requirements, as well as a new range of biodegradable demulsifiers that will give oil and gas producers a more sustainable option to separate crude oil from natural gas and water.

“Our customers are looking for more innovative and environmentally-conscious solutions that offer better biodegradability, lower toxicity, and meet the latest regulations,” said AB Ghosh, Managing Director Surface Chemistry at Nouryon. “The design of this new reactor allows for a wide range of chemistries and technologies, including those required for creating more sustainable ingredients.”

The expansion also allows Nouryon to increase output of products including Berol R648NG, a biodegradable surfactant used as a degreaser by customers in the cleaning market. It will also produce surfactants used in the lubricants and fuels and asphalt markets.

Nouryon CEO Charlie Shaver added: “We started producing surfactants at our Stenungsund site in 1917. Over the past 102 years, the facility has proven to be key to our growth and the investment to double capacity there makes good business sense. We are now well positioned to meet the growing demand from our customers for more sustainable products.”

The Stenungsund project is the latest in a series of investments by Nouryon in Sweden to meet growth in customer demand. The company recently completed a EUR20 million project at Sundsvall that significantly raises production capacity for its Expancel expandable microspheres, and earlier this year completed a EUR4 million expansion of surface-modified colloidal silica at Bohus.