Mitsubishi Chemical Corp (MCC) is studying the feasibility of building a methyl methacrylate (MMA) plant at Louisiana site using the company’s Alpha technology that produces the material from ethylene instead of acetone.
The new plant is due to start commercial operations in 2025, it said. It is the largest MMA plant globally, exceeding the 250,000 mt/year plant owned by a joint venture between the company and Saudi Arabia's SABIC.
The new plant will adopt new ethylene processes, which was developed by the Mitsubishi Chemical group. The company chose Louisiana as it can easily access ethylene feedstock as well as flexible logistics using the Mississippi River. MMA is a monomer used mostly for the production of acrylic plastics.
