INVISTA has reached an agreement with its partner to deploy its most advanced ADN technology at its joint venture in France. Owned by INVISTA and Solvay, Butachimie is the largest ADN facility in the world. INVISTA’s new technology will be implemented by retrofitting the existing facilities during a planned turnaround in the second quarter of 2019.

The new technology, already deployed and proven at INVISTA’s facility in Orange, Texas, extends INVISTA’s market-leading ADN technology in several aspects, including improved product yields, reduced energy consumption, lower greenhouse gas emissions, enhanced process stability and reduced capital intensity, compared to existing technologies.

“The performance of this technology at Orange has exceeded our expectations and we look forward to the benefits that deployment at additional facilities will bring to the marketplace,” said Bill Greenfield, president, INVISTA Intermediates. “Since beginning commercial operation of this technology in 2014, we’ve demonstrated improved yield, reliability and record production rates at Orange.”

Additional investments
INVISTA will also implement its latest-generation ADN technology at its nylon intermediates facility in Victoria, Texas, pending final internal and regulatory approvals. Implementation is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2020.

“We expect the combined increase in production capacity from deploying our technology in these existing facilities will be similar to that of a new ADN plant,” Greenfield said. “These considerable investments highlight INVISTA’s dedication to the nylon 6,6 industry and positions INVISTA and its customers with an advantaged and sustainable value chain.”

In China, the company has received strong interest from customers and others in the value chain seeking to participate with INVISTA in building a new ADN plant at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park, where INVISTA opened a 215,000-ton hexamethylene diamine (HMD) plant and a 150,000-ton polymer plant in 2016. The company is assessing this approach.
 
“Demand for nylon 6,6 continues to rise. We believe that we need an ADN plant in China and we envision that the benefits of deploying INVISTA’s market-leading ADN technology are significant,” said Kyle Redinger, vice president, INVISTA Nylon Intermediates, Asia Pacific. “With the strong interest that we have received from participants throughout the value chain, we’ve engaged the market to assess alternatives for participating in our ADN facility, as there may be more value to the industry and our customers by pursuing this approach.”

Redinger was recently presented the Magnolia Silver Award by the Shanghai government, recognizing his contributions to the industry and market in the region.

As the preferred supplier for ADN, INVISTA supports growth and innovation in the nylon industry by continually investing in research and development, including the continued improvement of its ADN technology. The new ADN technology is the result of more than $40 million in research and development spanning four years on two continents.