DATE : 2015-06-19

 

Austrian energy and petrochemicals major OMV on Friday officially started up a new butadiene (BD) extraction unit at its refining and petrochemicals production site in southern Germany.

 

OMV said that the BD unit at Burghausen in Bavaria would help meet rising global demand for BD, which is primarily used in the auto and tyre sectors.

 

At the same time, the investment would further strengthen OMV’s focus on petrochemicals, it said.

 

“With the global changes in refining, crude oil-based petrochemical derivatives will play an increasingly important role” in the international refining industry, said Alois Virag, head of OMV’s refining and petrochemicals business.

 

OMV did not disclose how much it invested in the project, and it did not comment on capacities.

 

Industry sources told ICIS previously that the BD unit has a capacity of about 70,000 tonnes/year. The project underwent testing earlier this year.

 

The Burghausen BD unit is one of three such new facilities expected to come online this year in Europe.

 

SOURCE Icis News