Expansions: Kaneka increases capacity for acrylic film resins in Japan; Lummus Novolen technology selected for PP plant in China

Japan’s Kaneka Corporation is to increase production capacity for acrylic film resin used in LCD TVs in order to respond to high demand. The company plans to increase production capacity by around 40% at the Osaka plant (Osaka Prefecture), investing approximately 1.5 billion yen and progressing with process automation with a view to starting operations in the autumn of 2023.

Along with the increase in size of LCD panels in recent years, panel warpage and uneven colouring have become issues due to moisture absorption in the polariser protective film, which is a polarising plate structure component. For this reason, there has been an increase in the number of enquiries about low moisture-absorption resin film such as acrylic.

As LCD TV size increases, high resolution and high luminance advance further, Kaneka says it is expected that the demand for acrylic film resin will expand more.

In other news, Lummus Technology, a provider of process technologies, says that Lihuayi Weiyuan Chemical Co. has selected its Novolen PP technology for a new unit in Shandong Province, China. Lummus' scope includes the technology license for the PP unit as well as basic design engineering, training and services.

"We are grateful for Lihuayi Weiyuan's selection of Novolen, and proud to support our customer across the full value stream, from propane feedstock to high-value polypropylene product," said Leon de Bruyn, President/CEO of Lummus Technology. "Our technology has proven to yield our customers significant Capex and Opex advantages, coupled with the ability to produce a comprehensive range of high-performance polymers."

In addition to PP technology, Lummus also licensed its Catofin technology to Lihuayi Weiyuan. In 2021, Lihuayi Weiyuan selected Lummus as the licensor for its Catofin propane dehydrogenation technology for a 600 KTA unit in China.

(PRA)

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