ILLINOIS, USA (Commodity Online): UOP LLC, a Honeywell (NYSE: HON) company, announced that Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co., Ltd. has successfully started up a new para-xylene complex using UOP process technology at the Sinopec facility in Shanghai.

The aromatics project was completed in just 30 months from initial kick-off through commissioning, with UOP providing the technology license, basic engineering, equipment packages, and key products.

"This successful start-up demonstrates what can be achieved for a large, world-scale facility through close collaboration and thorough planning," said Pete Piotrowski, senior vice president for UOP's Process Technology and Equipment business unit. "We are proud to continue our partnership with Sinopec and will continue to build on this almost 30-year relationship to help them meet their objectives."



"Once engineering design was complete, it took just over 18 months to complete construction, prepare for start-up and bring the complex on stream," said Mr. Honggen Li, senior vice president of Sinopec Petrochemical. "This smooth and successful start-up is a perfect gift to the nation on the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China."

The new aromatics complex produces 600,000 metric tons per annum of para-xylene using the UOP Parex(TM) process. Para-xylene is a key ingredient in the production of PTA (purified terephthalic acid), which is used to make polyester for fabric and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) chips for carbonated soft drink and water bottles. The new plant will also produce 280,000 metric tons per annum of benzene, another important building block in plastics production.

In addition to the Parex unit, the complex also includes a UOP CCR Platforming(TM) unit to convert naphtha, an oil-derived feedstock, to aromatics and hydrogen and a UOP Isomar(TM) unit to convert other xylenes to para-xylene.

Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co., Ltd. (SPC), a subsidiary of the China Petroleum and Chemical Corp., commissioned its first aromatics complex in 1986 utilizing UOP's CCR Platforming, Sulfolane(TM), Parex, Isomar, and Tatoray(TM) process technologies. Globally, UOP has licensed more than 725 individual process units for the production of aromatics.

With more than 140 million tons of refining capacity, Sinopec is the largest producer and marketer of refined oil products in China and in Asia. It is also the largest distributor of petrochemicals in China and is the country's second largest producer of oil and gas. (Courtesy: Webwire)

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