May 16 2006
Bayer MaterialScience AG has developed a pioneering technology for producing toluene diisocyanate (TDI), which reduces the investment costs involved in constructing production plants by 10 to 20 percent.
Moreover, the technology reduces the energy consumption by one third and sets new safety standards. A pilot plant with an annual production capacity of 30,000 tons has been in operation in the Bayer Chemical Park in Dormagen for over a year. The new technology is scheduled to be used for the first time on a world scale at Bayer MaterialScience’s Caojing site near Shanghai. The company plans to construct a fully integrated TDI production plant there with an annual capacity of 160,000 tons by the end of 2009. TDI is used worldwide for the production of flexible polyurethane foam, large quantities of which are used in upholstered furniture, mattresses and automotive seating.
"The new technology is a quantum leap in our development of state-of-the-art production methods that offer even greater efficiency. It provides an innovative system of energy management and sets new standards in high-output, resource-saving production methods," says Peter Vanacker, head of the Polyurethanes Business Unit at Bayer MaterialScience. "This enables us to support our customers’ growth long-term by providing top-quality products and to reinforce our leading role on the global polyurethane market with optimum cost structures. Following the success with the new technology, we will also considering using it when constructing TDI plants in Europe in the future."
In the summer of 2005, Bayer MaterialScience finished years of work on a consolidation process for TDI and its primary products and has since focused its production on integrated world-scale plants. The story is similar with methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), an important raw material for producing rigid polyurethane foam, which guarantees a highly efficient insulation effect. Bayer MaterialScience is currently constructing a world-scale production plant for MDI in Caojing with a capacity of 350,000 tons a year, which is due to commence operation in 2008. The inauguration of a splitter for recovering monomeric and polymeric MDI from crude MDI is already scheduled for fall of this year. It will boast an annual capacity of 80,000 tons.