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Nippon Shokubai Hikes Superabsorbents

by Jean-François Tremblay
August 16, 2010 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 88, Issue 33

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Credit: Shutterstock
Superabsorbent polymers are a major component of disposable diapers.
Credit: Shutterstock
Superabsorbent polymers are a major component of disposable diapers.

Seeking to enhance its role as a top global supplier of superabsorbent acrylic polymers, Japan’s Nippon Shokubai will build a new plant in Indonesia. The company is also nearing completion of a 60,000-metric-ton-per-year facility in Japan. To cope with surging demand for the materials, mostly used in disposable diapers, Shokubai will spend roughly $35 million to build a 30,000-metric-ton facility at its Indonesian subsidiary NSI. NSI already produces acrylic acid, the key raw material for superabsorbent polymers. The new plant is scheduled to come on-stream in 2013, bringing Shokubai’s total capacity for the polymers to 500,000 metric tons.

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