Invista Will Add Intermediates …

Invista has picked its Orange, Texas, adiponitrile plant as the initial location to implement new technology for producing the nylon 6,6 intermediate from butadiene. Engineering work on the $100 million project is nearly complete, Invista says, and the converted facility will open in 2014. The firm says the technology is less capital intensive, more energy efficient, and improves product yields compared with conventional technologies. To date, Invista has spent about $40 million in R&D on the process. Separately, Invista is spending several million dollars to expand capacity for aromatic polyester polyols in Wilmington, N.C., and Vlissingen, the Netherlands. The polyols are used in applications such as polyurethane and polyisocyanurate foams.