More butyl rubber in Belgium

Lanxess will expand the production capacity of its butyl rubber plant in Zwijndrecht, Belgium, by 10% to meet growing global demand for regular butyl and halobutyl synthetic rubber. The company will invest 20 million euro to increase capacity by an extra 14,000 metric tons per year. The current capacity of the plant is about 135,000 metric tons per year. The expansion will mainly take place during a scheduled turnaround of the plant in the third quarter of 2011 and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2012. The plant will produce a superior quality of butyl rubber. In May Lanxess broke ground for a new butyl rubber facility on Jurong Island, Singapore, with a total capacity of 100,000 metric tons per year. The plant, which will be the most modern of its kind, is expected to start up in the first quarter of 2013.