Nisshoku Chemical Industry (NSC), a China subsidiary of Nippon Shokubai, will invest approximately $56m, including ancillary facilities, to expand its superabsorbent polymers (SAP) plant at Zhangjiagang, in Jiangsu province, China.
NSC is planning to add a new SAP plant to the existing plant as part of the expansion.
The plant, which has a current capacity of 30,000 metric tonnes per year (tpa), is expected to produce 60,000 metric tpa of SAP on completion.
It is likely to start commercial production in July 2014.
In July 2011, Nippon Shokubai said its subsidiary Nippon Shokubai Indonesia (NSI) would build a 90,000tpa SAP facility and an 80,000tpa acrylic acid plant, a main raw material for SAP, at its site in Cilegon, Indonesia, to meet demand in the emerging market for disposable diapers.
Both plants at NSI are scheduled to start commercial production in August 2013.
The company said it made a decision to increase capacity in Zhangjiagang because it expects demand of SAP would still exceed its production capacity even after the NSI project starts up.
After the completion of the new SAP plant at NSI and the expansion at Zhangjiagang, Nippon Shokubai's total SAP capacity will be increased to 590,000tpa (Japan 320,000tpa and overseas 270,000tpa), thus enhancing its position as one of the world's top suppliers of SAP.
Nippon Shokubai is involved in the supply of ethylene oxide, acrylic acid, and automobile and process catalysts.
SAP is mainly used for personal disposable hygiene products, such as baby diapers, adult protective underwear and sanitary napkins.
It is also used for blocking water penetration in underground power or communications cables, horticultural water retention agents, the control of spill and waste aqueous fluids, and in artificial snow for motion picture and stage production.
