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elgian chemicals supplier Solvay is building a 100,000 tonne epichlorohydrin plant in Taixing, China, with start-up planned for 2013. Epichlorohydrin is an essential feedstock for the production of epoxy resins.

China is the largest market for epichlorohydrin, consuming around 29% of the world market to produce epoxy resins. These are used in applications such as corrosion protection coatings as well in the electronics, automotive, aerospace industry and the wind turbine industry.

Solvay will use its Epicerol process, based on the transformation of glycerin obtained as by-product from the production of biofuels out of vegetable renewable oils, making it an environmentally friendly process. Compared to the traditional propylene based process, the Epicerol technology is said to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 70%, divides water consumption by ten while dividing the volume of chlorinated by-products by eight. The company built an Epicerol plant in Thailand last year.

To secure supply of other raw materials for the plant, Solvay has also signed a letter of intent with SP Chemicals Taixing to study the feasibility of a chlor-alkali supply by SP Chemicals.