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# OAR Box 1872 Prepped by Keeia Richards



## Document

Number: 

# 21)11-1-7 0 Docket Number: 

# A-90-1 9

Printed 11/26/20088:51:49AM

Sheet 21 of 204

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# A-90-1 9 II I "7 0 

# IC I LEAP S INT O CF

C SUBSTITUTE S Jh e rus ht o ge

t int o int o th e marke t for chlorofluorocarbo n substitute s continue s apac e wit hIC I Americas ' (Wilmington ) mov e t o buil da$184

- millio n plan t

at St . Gabriel , L

A t o pro duc e HCF-134a . areplacemen t fo r CFC

1 2 in refrigerant

unit s an dcar

ai r con ditioners . Constructio n wil l begi n nex t yea r fo r first-quarter

199 3 start-up . "We'r e goin g inl o thi s reasonabl y blin dwit hrespec t

t o th e deman dsitu

ation, " say s IC

I commercia l directo r Anthon y Mash . Bu

t th e intention , h e explains , i s to capitaliz e onautomakers ' tentativ e plan s t o switc hfro mCFC s t o HFC-134 ain ai r

conditionin g unit s fo

r th e 199 3 o r

199 4 mode l year . HFC

134a , whic hcontain s hydroge n bu t n o chlorine , break s dow n chemicall y be

for e reachin g th e stratospheri c ozon e layer . Preliminar y result s o

f toxicit y test s presente din lat e Septembe r b y th e Programfo

r Alternativ e Fluorocarbo n Toxicity Testin g (PAFT)—agrou p o f CF C maker s wh o conducte dth e re search—sho w th e thre e leadin g CF C alternatives . HCFC-123,HFC-134a.an d HCFC-1 4 lb . exhibi t

n o significan t

sign s o f toxicity . Accordin g t o PAFT , nobirt h defect s or unusua l irritatio n t o th e ski n or eye s resulte dfro

mexposur e t o th e compounds , an dthe y shoul dno t pres ent an y seriou s healt heffect s in th e workplace . "Repeate dexposur e t o th e product s a

t extremel y hig hlevel s showe doveral l mil deffect s simila r t o thos e demonstrate db y CFCs, " say s PAFT . Th e compound s ar e expecte dt o sho w n o significan t

advers e effect s i n carcinoge n tests , bu t

thes e wil l no t

b e complet e unti l 199 2 o r

1993 . IC I become s th e secon dmajor CF C produce r t o pla n afull-scal e produc

tio n plan ! fo

r alternative s t o CFCs , se t fo r phaseou t unde r th e Montrea l Proto

col . D u Pont announce dplan s las t

year fo r asimilar plan t i nCorpu s Christi , TX . IC I America s chairma nBe nH . Lochtenbergsay s th e Louisian asit e wa s chosen fo r acces s t o internationa l ship

pin g lane s an dth e state' s "favorabl e attitud e towardbusines s investment. " Th e CF C alternativ e wil l b e markete d unde r th e tradenam e Kle aan daime d primaril y a

t th e aut o ai r

conditionin g market , h e adds . IC I woul dno t

giv e specifi c capacit y estimation s no r

commen t

o nprogres s bein g mad e i

n perfectin g th e HFC-134 a productio nprocess . Th e compan y fur

the r decline s t o say wha t

wast e prod

uct s th e ne w plan t

wil l emi t int o th e air . water , an dsoil . Bu

t Lochtenber g say s IC I i s committe dt o meetin g al l stat e an dfedera

l environmenta l laws . Th e IC I chie f i s confiden t

HFC-134 a i s "th e material o

f choic e t o replac e CFCs. " H e say s th e firmi s workin g wit h customer s an dpotentia l customer s t o redesig nequipmen t

suc ha s compres sor s t o accep t

HFC-134a ; i

t alread y market s lubricant s t o hel p adap t exist

42 0 41 0 40 0 39 0 38 0 37 0 36 0 35 0 34 0 33 0 32 0 

# CHEMICALWEE KPRIC E SERVIC E Mont h ag o - Aug . 403. 0 Yea r ag o - Sept . '88 387. 8 Curren t wee k

- Sept . 2 9 403. 1 Previou s wee k

- Sept . 2 2 403. 3 7 

### ____- i

SE P O G NO V DEC JA N FE8 MA R AP R MA YJU N JU L AU G Monthl yda m U S Burea u o l Labo rSiat&iic s Lochtenberg : th e materia l o f choice. ' in g equipment . I

t i s to o earl y t o tel l exactl y ho w muc hHFC-134 awil l cos t t o produce , note s John W . Beckitt , th e company' s busines s manage r fo r ( CONRAD

B. MACKERRON in Wash r 

# VCM/ED C DEA L FO R GOODRIC H Westlak e Monomers , par t o f lin o Westlake Grou p (Houston) , ha s entere d int o adefinitiv e agreemen t t o bu y BFGoodrich' s (Akron . OH ) viny l chlo

rid e monome r

(VCM) an dethylen e dichlorid e (EDC

) plan t a t CalvriK. i v . KY . Goodric hwa s force dt o unloa dth e uni t fo r antitrus t reasons , an da

t on e poin t Sterlin g Chemical s planne dt o bu y it , thoughth e dea l fizzle d(CIV . July 19. p. 13). Mos t ED C i s usedt o mak e VCM , whic hgoe s int o prndmoim ; polyviny l chlorid e (PVC) resins , Afte r th e Goodric hwil l retai n a n undisclose d amoun t o f ED C capacit y an d1. 3 bil

lio nlbs/year

o f VC M capacit y a

t it s LaPorte , T

X plant . Th e firmplan s t o bu y " asignifican t

portio n o

f th e out put " o f th e Calver

t City plant . wlii

< h ha s capacit y fo

r 1 billio n lbs/yea r

o f VC M an dwil l be ru n a

t 100 % operat in g rale . Westlake' s Taiwan-base downer Chin aGeneral Plastics—ha s almu l 3 0 year s experienc e wit hVC M an dPVC resin s in th e Fa

r East , bu t th e Goodric h uni t wil l mar k itsentrd e inl o U S V

( ! M an dED C markets , say s Loui s A Ross , plannin g an dbusines s developmen t

Octobe r11 . 1989'Chemicafwea k 9P. 3

### P. 4 

# YOURBES T BU Y I N QUALIT Y PROTECTIO N

Saybol t Independen t Inspectio n Service s Professional : Accurat

e Befor e yo u shi p or receiv e an y valuabl e liquidor

bul k cargo , have i

t inspectedan

d verifiedb y Saybolt . Prompt . Trustworthy . Authoritative . Ship , barge , rai l an dtruc k inspections . QuanLil y an dqualit y surveys . Complet e state-of-the-ar t physica l an danalytica l testing . Precisio n calibratio n o f tanks , vessels , vehicle s an dmeters . Inventor y contro l when , wher e an d a s needed . 

# SAYBOLT Established 

## E.W. SAYBOL

T & CO. , inc. Phon e fo rServic e Anywher e i n th e US A an d Mexico : EAST : 201/245-310 0 INLAND : 504/925-123 1 GULF : 713/477-817 1 WEST : 213/549-799 0 

# NEW S

vic e presiden t

at Westlake . Th e uni t wil l als o soa k

u p ethylen e fro ma1

- billio n lb/yea r

plan t bein g buil t

b y Westlak e Petrochemical s at LakeChar

les . LA . Occidenta l Chemica l presi

den t an dchie f

operatin g office r

J . Roge r Hir l add s lha t

Chin aGenera l Plastic s ma y b e abl e t o us e th e VCM . Th e 9-billio n lb/yea r U.S . VC M marke t ha s bee n fla

t thi s y_aj . say s Hirl . Heattribulestha t

tohig hindustr y operatin g rate s an dth e lac k o f an y ne w capacit y comin g o n stream . Bu t ac cordin g t o jac k

Doerr . o f

th e ethylene / propyleneconsultan t

firmInternationa l P C (Houston) , price s hav e eonethroug h sojTie_er25iQj ] becaus e inventorie s buil t u p i n 19H

B an dexport s declined . Nevertheless , ne w capacit y i s com in g o n stream . Uccidenla l Chemica l alon e i s building s 1.25-billio n lb/yea r VC M plan t

an drecentl y starte du p a n 800-millio n lb/yea r

ED C facility , bot h i n Corpu s Christi , TX . Th e compan y i s alread y considerin g expansion s a t th e VC M plan t

an dha s raise dcapacit y at it s Dee r Park . T X plan t

t o 1. 1 billio n pounds . Do w Chemical , Formos aPlas

tics , an dGeorgi aGul f

als o wil l ad do r debottlenec k

VCM capacit y withi n th e nex t tw o years . Doer r

adds , an dtha t shoul dkee p suppl y an ddemen dI n balanc e int o nex t

year . H e the nsee s "ver y goo ddeman ddevelopin g nex t spring. " particularl y i f th e constn n tio n market—a n outle t

fo r PVC—hold s up . Goodric hwil l continu e t o ow n a n ethylen e plant , achlor-alkal i plant , a specialt y chemical s facility , an dothe r utilitie s a t

th e Calver l Cit y sit e and . Doer r says , wil l b e amajo r

supplie r

t o Westlake' s ne w plant . Th e Federa l Trad e Commissio n mus t approv e sal e o f

ih e unit , whos e pric e ha s no t

ye t bee n disclosed . Goodric hsay s n o liabilit y wil l b e trans ferre dI o Wes t

lak e regar din g ape n dIn g environmenta l lawsui t file dagains t

i t an danumbe r

o f othe r producer s i n th e Calver t Cit y area . SOPHIEL. WILKINSON 

# PRONO R GET

S IT S WISH : A PORTUGUES E UNI T Brazilia n petrochemica l compan y Prono r Petroquimic aS A ha s pai da n estimate d$1 0 millio n fo r Divisa o d e Especialidade s Quimica s (DEQ) . aLis

bon-base dmanufacture r o f polyols . ethoxylates . an dpolyurethan e systems , fro mth e Portugues e stat e compan y Quimigal . Th e plant , say s Ar y Barbos a 

# The Brazilian firm wins out over its competitors

Silveira . adirecto r

o f Pronor' s majorit y shareholder . Petroquimic ad aBahia , woul dcurrentl y cos t

abou t $1 5 millio n t o buil dfro mscratch . It ha s atota l capacit y fo r

21.00 0 m.t./yea r

divide d amon g th e thre e produc t lines , an dha s sale s o f $2 5 million/year . "W e thin k w e ca n increas e sale s b y 20%-30 % withou t increasin g th e capacity. " Silveir aadds . Jf Abou t

20 % o f th e plant' s outpu l i s exporte dt o Spain . Silveir asay s tha i Prono r wil l suppl y th e uni l wit hmet h ylen e dipheny l isocyanat e (MDI ) fro m it s ow n plan t

i n th e Camacar i petit ) chemica l complex , i n northeaster n Brazil . "Thereafte r

w e arestudyin g th e possibilit y o f

introducin g othe r

prod

uct s ou r grou p alread y make s i nBrazil , suc ha s dimethy l terephthalat e an d caprolaclam. " Prono r

als o ha s asub

sidiary . Sintemor , tha t

produce s poly

urethan e systems . Prono r i s sai dl o hav e wo n ou t i n biddin g fo r

th e plan t

agains t Hoechst . Himont , an dRepsol/Nest e O y becaus e o f it s abilit y t o suppl y MDI . Th e DE Q plan t wa s originall y t o obtai n MD I fro m anothe r Quimiga l plan t

a t Eslarreja . abou t 5 0 mile s nort ho f

Coimbra . Whe n tha i plan t

wa s sol dl o Do w Chemical . DE Q wa s lef

t withou t aguarantee dfeed

sloc k source . "W e ha dwante dsom e kin do f opera tio n outsid e Brazi l for

som e time. " Sil

veir asays . Las t

yea r Prono r wa s par t o f aconsortiu mtha t

offere dt o bu y int o th e Sine s petrochemica l comple x th e Por

tugues e governmen t

wa s seekin g l o privatize , eventuall y losin g t o Nesle . Prono r i s owne db y Petroquimic ad a Bahia . stal e petrochemica l holdin g compan y Petroquis aan dMetanor , Bra

zil' s sol e manufacture r

o f methanol . RIK TURNER

in Sao Paulo 1 2 Cr>emicai*eeh . Ociooe r11 . 198 9