ExxonMobil to increase butyl rubber capacity
ExxonMobil Chemical Co.’s affiliate ExxonMobil Yugen Kaisha (EMYK) announced that its joint venture with Kawasaki Motors Corp., Japan Butyl Co. Ltd. (JBCL), will increase its butyl rubber production capacity. JBCL will increase its output by 18,000 tons per year (tpy), an expansion which will increase the plant’s total capacity to 98,000 tpy and will also add new technology to the plant’s features. One new proprietary technology advancement that will be added will allow for butyl polymerization reaction, which normally occurs at -95°C, to operate at -75°C. Using the innovation at its facilities, EMYK said, will reduce the amount of material its customers will require for existing applications, effectively doubling the volume of tire inner liner applications that ExxonMobil > from each plant. Market testing is expected to commence when construction finishes in 2010. (May 20, 2009)