Tech tie-ups: IOCL selects Lummus’ cumene tech for new plant in India; BASF to supply acrylates from Zhanjiang site to Youyi

Technology provider Lummus Technology says that IndianOil Corp. Ltd. (IOCL) selected the Lummus/Versalis cumene technology for a 440 kilotonnes/year unit in Paradip, India. The new cumene unit is part of a grassroots petrochemical and polymers expansion at IndianOil’s complex in Paradip.

“Our cumene technology will offer IndianOil lower energy costs, reliability, operational efficiency and exceptional product yield, which will help them optimise their plant economics and support their growth initiatives,” said Romain Lemoine, Chief Business Officer for Polymers and Petrochemicals, Lummus Technology. “We look forward to continue working with IndianOil on another successful project and building on our long-time relationship.”

Lummus’ scope includes the technology license for the cumene technology, basic design engineering, proprietary catalyst, site services, advisory services, and training.

IndianOil has licensed multiple Lummus technologies, including naphtha cracker, Indmax FCC and polypropylene technologies at its complexes across India.

Lummus and Versalis have partnered to license cumene technologies since 2007. The cumene process is a liquid-phase alkylation technology using a proprietary zeolite catalyst and is characterized by a very high cumene yield, ultra-high purity cumene product and a long catalyst run length.

In other news, German chemical firm BASF says it has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Youyi Group, focusing on the supply of butyl acrylate (BA) and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (2-EHA) from BASF’s Zhanjiang site to meet the growing demand in China’s adhesive materials industry.

Youyi, specialising in BOPP tape and expanding into specialty tape, has established multiple production bases across China. The company is currently constructing a new plant in Guangdong for the production of BOPP films and tapes, while BASF is also building fully backward integrated production facilities for butyl acrylate and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate at the Zhanjiang site. This collaboration aims to foster greater synergy and cooperation between the two companies in Guangdong.

BASF’s acrylic acid complex at the Zhanjiang site is planned to come on stream by 2025 with production capacity of approximately 400,000 tonnes/year of BA and 100,000 tonnes/year of 2-EHA. Butyl acrylate, an ester of acrylic acid, is used in the production of adhesives and in architectural and industrial coatings. 2-ethylhexyl acrylate is an important raw material for adhesives and coatings.

"We are delighted to enter into this long-term strategic cooperation partnership with Youyi, which marks the first customer agreement to supply acrylates from the Zhanjiang Verbund site," said Haibo Tian, Vice President, Industrial Petrochemicals Asia Pacific, BASF. "With the upcoming production startups of Youyi’s new production facility in Guangdong and BASF’s acrylic acid complex at our Zhanjiang Verbund site in 2025, we are confident that this agreement will create mutual benefits, ensuring competitiveness and reliability to support the growth of the adhesive tape industry.

“BASF has always been a vital partner for Youyi Group for over 30 years. The signing of this LoI will further enhance our strategic partnership and support our business expansion in the tape industry, particularly in South China,” said Lin Ke Bo, Vice President, Youyi Group. “With BASF’s new facilities at the Zhanjiang Verbund site, BASF not only continues to supply high-quality and reliable products but also brings advanced concepts in site management and sustainability. We look forward to a close collaboration with BASF to achieve mutual success.”

The Zhanjiang site will be BASF’s largest investment to date with around EUR10 billion upon completion. It will be operated under the sole responsibility of BASF and will be the company’s third-largest site worldwide, following Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Antwerp, Belgium.

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