New nylon technology at Invista's Orange facility in Texas

16 Aug '12

2 min read

Global nylon producer Invista has selected its Orange, Texas production facility as the initial location to install Invista’s next-generation adiponitrile (ADN) technology. ADN is a critical intermediate chemical used in the manufacture of nylon 6,6.

The project to convert the Orange site to the new technology is well underway, and Invista is expected to invest more than $100 million at the Orange facility in the next 18 months.

“We’re moving quickly,” said Bill Greenfield, executive vice president of Invista’s nylon intermediates business. “The required environmental and construction permits have already been approved, the detailed project engineering work is nearly finished and we have already begun the site work. We expect to begin commissioning some of the new units approximately a year from today and hope to be in full production by mid-2014.”

The technology involves a new butadiene-based chemistry that improves product yields and ease of operations while requiring a lower annual maintenance investment compared to existing technology. The technology also delivers significant air emission and waste reductions, evidenced through the operation of a pilot scale facility, also located in Orange.

“The fact that we are willing to retrofit one of our company’s largest manufacturing plants shows our customers that we are confident in our ability to commercialize the technology,” Greenfield said. “We have a fantastic group of employees in Texas and around the world dedicated to making the implementation of this technology a success.”

Invista also expects it will be in a position in upcoming years to deploy the new technology at its other sites.

With more than 75 percent of the world’s existing ADN capacity employing Invista’s proprietary technologies, Invista maintains its world-leading position in the nylon market by continually investing in research and development. The new ADN technology was a culmination of more than $40 million in research and development spanning four years on two continents.

Invista

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