AMSTERDAM — Nouryon has inaugurated a demonstration plant in Stenungsund, Sweden, to showcase a more sustainable technology platform to produce ethylene amines and their derivatives. The technology, which is based on ethylene oxide (EO), allows for selective production of a wide range of end products, enabling Nouryon to expand its ethylene amine product offering.

Nouryon has successfully produced the first ethylene amines products in the demonstration plant, confirming the new technology on an industrially relevant scale and marking the next step towards full commercialization. Ethylene amines are key building blocks in several growth applications, including epoxy curing, oil and road additives, and wet-strength paper resins.

 “The ability to extend our EO-based ethylene amines portfolio to selectively produce compounds including diethylenetriamine (DETA), triethylenetetramine (TETA) and other higher amines is a major opportunity, and we are excited about this breakthrough,” said Joppe Smit, General Manager Ethylene Amines at Nouryon. “In addition, the new technology significantly reduces raw material consumption and substantially improves both cost and environmental performance by nearly eliminating all waste when compared with existing processes.”

Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) activities for a world-scale manufacturing facility based on this new technology are expected to start by the end of 2019. “We strongly believe that this technology has the potential to become a game-changer in the industry,” said Nouryon CEO Charlie Shaver. “This is a great example of how Nouryon is innovating to meet the evolving demands of our customers.”

Nouryon is a leading producer of ethylene amines. In addition to its existing production plant in Stenungsund, it also produces ethylene amines in Ningbo, China.