Nouryon announced Aug. 27 that it will double capacity at its surfactants plant in Stenungsund, Sweden, through a 12-million (U.S. $13.2 million) expansion and upgrade scheduled for completion by 2021s first quarter. The expanded plant will produce corrosion inhibitors and surfactants for the lubricants market.
The expansion supports the growth of several existing products, Nouryon said, as well as new sustainable technologies for the oil and gas, lubricants and fuels markets, among others.
The additional capacity will allow Nouryon to expand production of several technologies for the oil and gas market. These include Armohib CI-5150, a corrosion inhibitor that meets the industrys most stringent environmental requirements.
Our customers are looking for more innovative and environmentally-conscious solutions that offer better biodegradability and lower toxicity and that meet the latest regulations, AB Ghosh, Nouryons managing director for surface chemistry, said in a news release. The design of this new reactor allows for a wide range of chemistries and technologies, including those required for creating more sustainable ingredients.
The expansion also allows Nouryon to increase output of products such as Berol R648NG, a biodegradable surfactant used as a degreaser by customers in the cleaning market. It will also produce surfactants used in the lubricants and fuels and asphalt markets.
According to Nouryon’s website, for the automotive market it produces surfactants solutions for improved engine efficiency, greater fuel economy and cleaner emissions. Its surfactants used in lubricants include several types of friction modifiers used in engine oils and added to fluids for automatic and manual transmissions.
The company bills itself as one of the worlds leading suppliers of fatty amines and their derivatives. Primarily derived from petrochemicals, fats and oils, fatty amines are used in a variety of applications, including lubricant additives, corrosion inhibition and oilfield chemicals.
Nouryon CEO Charlie Shaver added, We started producing surfactants at our Stenungsund site in 1917. Over the past 102 years, the facility has proven to be key to our growth, and the investment to double capacity there makes good business sense. We are now well positioned to meet the growing demand from our customers for more sustainable products.
The Amsterdam-based chemicals company previously known as AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals rebranded as Nouryon in October 2018.