Mitsubishi to close Hiroshima acrylics and MMA capacity

Mitsubishi Chemical Group plans to close a methyl methacrylate (MMA) plant and end production of acrylonitrile and acrylonitrile derivatives in Hiroshima, Japan, by July. The MMA plant, which has a capacity of 105,000 metric tons per year, uses the older ACH process, which begins with acetone and hydrogen cyanide, a by-product of acrylonitrile production. In recent years, Mitsubishi has favored its Alpha process, which starts with the more common raw materials ethylene, methanol, and carbon monoxide. Mitsubishi will continue to produce MMA by yet another process, the isobutylene-based C4 method, in Hiroshima.