Shanghai Petrochemical Starts up MEG Unit

Shanghai Petrochemical Co., Ltd. (Shanghai Petrochemical)
recently put its mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) unit on stream and
manufactured qualified products. Up until now, the total MEG
capacity in Shanghai Petrochemical reaches 610 000 t/a, being
the largest in China. With a budget investment of around RMB1.2
billion, this project with a capacity of 380 000 t/a is the
important component of the product portfolio readjustment
project in Shanghai Petrochemical. The project has major units
including ethylene oxidation unit, ethylene oxide absorption
unit and so on. The output of MEG and ethylene oxide can be easily
adjusted according to the market demand. With advanced
technology imported from the United States, the project makes
use of equipment mostly made in China.
    It is released that Shanghai Petrochemical put the first MEG
unit on stream in 1990. That MEG unit with a capacity of 225 000
t/a after several renovations operates well today. This newly
built MEG unit adopts reserved space of the existing unit and
saves investment.
    MEG as a chemical raw material has extensive applications
in the production of polyester and anti-freezing agent for
automobiles. The demand for MEG is increasing rapidly in China.