US Celanese mechanically completes Clear Lake acetic acid plant

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Celanese has mechanically completed construction of a new 1.3m tonne/year acetic acid plant in Clear Lake, Texas, the US-based acetyls and engineered materials producer said on Tuesday.

Celanese expects to complete commissioning and startup processes in the third quarter.

The new plant will increase the company’s ability to take advantage of low natural gas costs in the US, Celanese said.

The company now has two acetic acid plants in Clear Lake, and the additional unit will allow Celanese to maintain production during scheduled or unplanned outages at either of the units. Also, having two plants will let Celanese optimise energy and catalyst usage by running each of the units at optimal rates.

Thumbnail shows adhesive, a common derivative of chemicals made from acetic acid. Image by Shutterstock.