Sasol has resumed start-up at its 1.5m tonne/year ethane cracker in Lake Charles, Louisiana in the US, the South Africa-based company said in an update on Monday The issue that initially interrupted start-up activities has been resolved, and a beneficial operation test run is halfway complete, the company said.Sasol defines beneficial operation as production of on-spec material for at least 72 hours continuously. The cracker produced ethylene that meets the requirements of some downstream derivative units but is "marginally below" polymer-grade specification as the acetylene reactor system is not performing up to expectations, the company said.Sasol is upgrading the ethylene to specification. The cracker is running at 50% and will ramp up further as operational issues are resolved, which Sasol said is in line with its plan.The delay in the cracker has delayed the start-up of derivative units at the Lake Charles Chemicals Project (LCCP).
