chemexpo.com/news/PROFILE010319.cfm Millions of pounds per year
| PRODUCER | EDC | VCM | PVC |
| Borden, Geismar,
La. Addis, La. Illiopolis, Ill |
1,180 |
650 |
550 600 400 |
| CertainTeed, Lake Charles, La. | 450 | ||
| Colorite Polymers, Burlington, N.J. | 120 | ||
| Dow, Freeport, Tex. (2 plants) | 4,500 | 2,200 | |
| Dow, Plaquemine, La. | 2,300 | 1,500 | |
| Formosa Plastics, Baton Rouge, La. ＆Delaware City, Del.; Point Comfort, Tex | 1,800 | 1,455 | 2,265 |
| Formosa Plastics, Point Comfort, Tex. | 2,500 | ||
| Formosa, Point Comfort, Tex. | 875 | ||
| Geon, Deer Park, Tex.; Henry, Ill.; Louisville, Ky.; Pedricktown, N.J. | 1,933 | ||
| Georgia Gulf, Lake Charles, La. | 1,700 | 1,000 | |
| Georgia Gulf, Plaquemine, La. | 2,800 | 1,600 | 1,120 |
| Kaneka Corporation, Delaware City, Del | 57 | ||
| Keysor-Century, Santa Clarita, Calif. | 70 | ||
| Occidental Chemical, Convent, La. | 1,500 | ||
| Occidental Chemical, Ingleside, Tex. | 1,500 | ||
| OxyChem, Pasadena, Tex.; Pottstown, Pa. | 2,013 | ||
| OxyMar, Ingleside, Tex. | 3,400 | 2,100 | |
| OxyVinyls, Deer Park, Tex. | 1,950 | 1,100 | |
| OxyVinyls, La Porte, Tex. | 4,000 | 2,400 | |
| PHH Monomers, Lake Charles, La. | 1,400 | 1,150 | |
| PPG, Lake Charles, La. | 1,600 | ||
| Shintech, Freeport, Tex. | 2,800 | ||
| Dow (Union Carbide), Texas City, Tex. | 140 | ||
| Vista, Aberdeen, Miss.; Oklahoma City, Okla | 1,400 | ||
| Vulcan, Geismar, La. | 600 | ||
| Westlake, Calvert City, Ky.＆ Pace, Fla. | 1,950 | 1,000 | |
| Westlake Monomers, Calvert City, Ky. | 1,200 | ||
| Total | 34,680 |
17,580 |
14,861 |
EDC
Commercial production is by the chlorination of ethylene, either directly with chlorine or by oxychlorination using hydrogen chloride and oxygen. Most major plants are integrated and use both routes.
In 1999, Occidental and Geon formed OxyVinyls, owned 76 percent by Occidental and 24 percent by Geon. Occidental contributed its plant at Deer Park, Tex., and its 50 percent ownership of Oxymar. Geon contributed its plant at La Porte, Tex.
Later that year, Georgia Gulf purchased Condea Vista's plant at Lake Charles, La., and Condea Vista's 50 percent ownership in PHH Monomers. PHH Monomers is now a 50-50 joint venture between PPG and Georgia Gulf.
OxyMar is a joint venture of OxyVinyls and Marubeni Corporation, Japan.
The Vulcan plant in Geismar, La., is part of a joint venture with Mitsui, formed in 1998. Vulcan owns 51 percent of the joint venture and operates the EDC facility.
This past February, Occidental Chemical temporarily idled its EDC facility in Convent, La., for an undisclosed period. The company cites declining market conditions and concurrent increases in energy and feedstock costs.
Profile last published 2/16/98; this revision, 3/19/01.
VCM
Most commercial production is based on cracking ethylene
dichloride (EDC) derived from the chlorination of ethylene.
Byproduct hydrogen chloride obtained in the cracking process is
used in an oxychlorination reaction with oxygen and ethylene to
produce more EDC.
In 1998, Occidental Chemical Company and The Geon Company combined their PVC and VCM assets, as well as specific chloralkali and cogeneration operations, into OxyVinyls, a joint venture. Ownership is shared between OxyChem (76 percent) and Geon (24 percent). The half share of OxyMar owned by Occidental Chemical was also transferred to the JV.
Last year, Georgia Gulf acquired Condea Vista's vinyls business, along with its VCM plant in Lake Charles, La. Under the deal, Georgia Gulf also gained ownership of Condea Vista's half-share of PHH Monomers.
PHH Monomers is now owned jointly by PPG and Georgia Gulf.
Also in 1999, Borden acquired BASF's half of a jointly owned acetylene plant in Geismar, La. It will use the additional feedstock to expand its 320-million-pound, acetylene-based VCM plant by 250 million pounds. Borden has both ethylene- and acetylene-based VCM facilities in Geismar.
A commercial plant using EVC
International's single-step, ethane-to-VCM technology will come on in 2003. EVC and
Bechtel signed an agreement last year to build a plant based on
EVC's technology, which promises to reduce VCM production costs
by 30 percent. The location of the plant has not been announced.
Profile last
published 2/9/98; this revision, 8/28/00.
PVC
Borden
acquired OxyChem's 450-million-pound Addis facility in 1995 and subsequently expanded
it to 625 million pounds in 1996.
In addition to its US plants, Geon has Canadian capacity of 525 million pounds per year at Niagara Falls, Ontario, and 350 million pounds at Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, making its total North American PVC capacity 2,803 million pounds per year.
Georgia Gulf sold its Delaware City, Del., resin facilities to a joint venture of Kaneka Corporation and Mitsui Company in the second quarter of 1996.
Goodyear closed its 125-million-pound plant at Niagara Falls, N.Y., at the end of 1996.
OxyChem has started construction of a 300-million-pound rigid PVC compounding plant at Pasadena, adjacent to its PVC resin plant, where a separate 450-million-pound expansion was completed in December 1997. The new compounding plant is scheduled for startup in November 1998.
Pure Tech International acquired in August 1995 the Burlington, N.J., specialty vinyl dispersions plant formerly owned by OxyChem. The plant operates under Pure Tech's Colorite Polymers Division.
Union Carbide's Texas City plant produces specialty solution vinyl resins.
Profile last published 5/29/95; this revision 2/23/98.