DOW, BASF TO BUILD PROPYLENE OXIDE

DOW CHEMICAL AND BASF ARE moving forward with plans to build a plant that produces propylene oxide (PO) via a hydrogen peroxide–based route that the companies have collaborated on for more than a year. Construction of the plant, to be located at BASF's integrated chemical complex in Antwerp, Belgium, is expected to begin in 2006. It is scheduled to go onstream in 2008 with an initial annual PO capacity of 300,000 metric tons. The hydrogen peroxide will come from a 200,000 metricton–per–year BASF/Solvay jointventure plant to be built at the Antwerp complex, Solvay says. Pending approvals by the respective companies' boards, the plant will go onstream in time to supply the new PO plant. In the Dow/BASF process, hydrogen peroxide is used to oxidize propylene, producing PO and water. The PO industry has been intent on developing such routes as well as direct oxidation routes to PO. They want to break from traditional routes ...