Sinopec Baling to Start up SEPS Unit in Late August

Sinopec Baling Petrochemical is slated to start up its 20 000 t/a styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene (SEPS) unit at Yueyang in Hunan province in late August.
The plant is China’s first industry-scale SEPS unit. Construction of the RMB300m project started in mid-March 2016 and was completed in late July this year, the company’s parent firm Sinopec said in a statement issued on 11 August.
SEPS is produced through hydrogenation of styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS), and can be used as adhesives, sealants, coatings, plastic modifications, among others. Global supply and demand of SEPS stands at around 130 000 t/a, with China’s annual consumption estimated at 30 000 tons, all of which are imported.
Baling Petrochemical’s existing 40 000 t/a styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) plant at the same site in Yueyang is running at full capacity, with daily output at around 150 tons.