220 DuPont, Orange, Tex. 33 Rhone-Poulenc, Institute, W.Va. 15 Rohm and Haas, Deer Park, Tex. 200 Solutia, Alvin, Tex. 60 Sterling, Texas City, Tex.
Most product is consumed captively, usually on the production site.
BP added a new reactor train at its Green Lake acrylonitrile plant in late 1996 and has debottlenecked its Lima facility, increasing byproduct HCN capacities at the two sites. Cytec sold its acrylic fibers business to Sterling Chemical in the first quarter of 1997, but continues to operate the Fortier facility, supplying Sterling Chemical with acrylonitrile under a long-term agreement. Dow's HCN capacity, which is captive for production of chelating agents, is readily expandable. Cyanco, a 50-50 joint venture of Mining Services International and Degussa, started up an aqueous sodium cyanide facility at its Winnemucca, Nev., site earlier this year, doubling its NaCN capacity to 86 million pounds annually. Canada has no production of hydrogen cyanide, and Mexico's HCN production totals about 55 million poun ds annually as byproduct from acrylonitrile plants operated by Pemex.