Evonik Will Restart Nylon Precursor Unit

Evonik Industries plans this month to restart a plant in Marl, Germany, that makes cyclododecatriene (CDT), a precursor for nylon 12. The plant was damaged by an explosion and fire on March 31 that killed two workers. Evonik says the explosion was caused by the use of too much catalyst in the production process. An investigation into who caused the incident is ongoing. The firm has introduced safety measures proposed by an independent safety institute to prevent a recurrence of the incident. Evonik is the leading supplier of CDT to nylon 12 producers and is the only nylon 12 firm making its own CDT.