China Expansions: LyondellBasell expands lab capabilities in Suzhou; Solvay doubles electronic-grade hydrogen peroxide capacity

Chemical firm LyondellBasell has commissioned a new laboratory extrusion line and upgraded processing workshop at its Suzhou Technical Centre. Supporting the Advanced Polymer Solutions (APS) business, the new equipment will enhance compounding capabilities and enable the development of complex formulations with high precision for its PP compounds and engineered plastics portfolios.

The enhanced facility features extruders and comprehensive lab capabilities designed for advanced product analysis and performance testing. Innovation focus areas include lightweight plastic body panels, colour-material-finish solutions, flame-retardant technologies sustainable materials and specialty resins.

Established in 2013 in the Suzhou Industrial Park, the LYB Suzhou Technical Center is now home to a team of engineers who drive customer-centric innovation across the region.

This expansion reinforces the broader Asia Pacific innovation network, which also includes recent investments at the Senai and Port Klang labs in Malaysia and Vadodara Technical Centre in India.

“Our customers in automotive, electronics and consumer goods are facing increasingly complex material challenges that demand both innovation and speed,” said Rolf van Beeck, vice president, APS APAC & AfMEI at LYB. “Our new equipment strengthens our ability to collaborate closely with customers and OEMs, delivering solutions that address their most demanding applications and bring their visions to the market faster.”

Meanwhile, Solvay has opened its expansion at its Zhenjiang, China, facility, doubling its production capacity for electronic grade hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) annually. This investment underscores Solvay's commitment to supporting the semiconductor industry, which relies on this ultra-pure chemical for integrated circuit manufacturing.

Electronic grade H2O2 is essential for critical cleaning and etching in semiconductor chip production. Achieving its requisite purity is extraordinarily challenging, with impurities measured in single-digit parts per trillion (similar to finding a grain of salt in a soccer field). Only a select number of companies worldwide possess the advanced capabilities and manufacturing processes required to meet these exacting specifications.

This expansion builds upon Solvay's initial launch of electronic grade H2O2 production at this site in 2018 and directly addresses the escalating demand for these vital materials, as electronic devices continue to advance and the industry strives to keep pace with the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubling approximately every two years.

This new expansion, which joins other investments in the US, Europe and China, further consolidates Solvay's leadership in the electronic chemicals market, it adds, serving critical applications in semiconductors, flat panel displays, photovoltaics, and MEMS/LED fabrication.

Carlos Silveira, President of Solvay's Peroxides business, said, "Thanks to Zhenjiang's well-established business environment and specialised support, this expansion strategically positions us to continue supplying critical materials for the next generation of technological innovation. Our Interox Pico grades offer industry-leading purity and uniformity, supported by identical manufacturing processes across our global production facilities, which is a crucial factor for semiconductor producers seeking worldwide consistency."

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