Eastman Chemical has planned for a major debottlenecking in the production of isobutyric acid at its facility in Longview, Texas.
The debottlenecking is expected to be completed on December 2011. This will expand the isobutyric acid production capacity with the addition of 20 million pounds to meet the increasing demand for the chemical, both externally and internally.
The isobutyric acid produced by Eastman has a wide range of applications, which include production of varnish and esters for coatings uses and fragrance intermediates. Esters that are manufactured from isobutyric acid are employed as solvents in applications requiring attractive flavor and odor features. In addition, the isobutyric acid is used in the preparation of photoinitiators for application in coatings and UV-curable inks. UV-curable inks are used for coating various substrates, including metal, plastics, paper, furniture and wood flooring.
As the world’s leading isobutyric acid manufacturer, Eastman Chemical will remain a reliable global supplier in the coming years. The current debottlenecking will allow the company to attain this goal. The company has completed a 10 million pound capacity expansion at Longview, Texas facility in 2009 and has added 3 million pounds manufacturing capability to its Singapore facility in 2010.