In a bid to reduce its raw material costs in the long term, Japan's Mitsui Chemicals plans to develop a catalyst to produce benzene from natural gas, at the planned research and development center on Singapore's Jurong Island. This will end its reliance on costly naphtha-based benzene, currently sourced on the international markets, to supply a 250,000 tpa phenol plant on Jurong Island being operated by Mitsui Phenols, a subsidiary of Mitsui Chemicals. Mitsui Phenols plans to expand the plant's capacity to 300,000 tpa by July 2007.
Mitsui Chemicals aims to produce at least 600,000 tpa of benzene from gas after about 5 years of research and development. Success with this catalysis process may also enable the company to license it.
21-Aug-06 
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