Lanxess Slates Big Rubber Plant

Lanxess will build in Changzhou, China, what it says will be the world’s largest ethylene propylene diene (EPDM) rubber plant. The German chemical maker says it will invest about $300 million in the facility, which will open in 2015 with annual capacity of 160,000 metric tons. Raw material ethylene and propylene will come from a methanol-to-olefins facility under construction near Lanxess’ site in the Changzhou Yangtze Riverside Industrial Park. The company notes that it has all necessary permits and that it is already building a $38 million leather chemicals plant in Changzhou. Lanxess became the world’s leading EPDM supplier, with 320,000 metric tons of capacity, after its acquisition of DSM Elastomers last year.