IOCL to set up India’s first mega-scale Maleic Anhydride Plant at Panipat

IOCL plans to invest around Rs 36 billion in setting up India’s first mega-scale maleic anhydride plant with a capacity to produce 120,000 tonnes of maleic anhydride per annum. Maleic anhydride is used in polyester re­sins, agrochemicals, lubricant additives and surface plasticisers. The project will be commissioned in 54 months of the first stage of approval. IOCL will set up this plant at its Panipat petrochemical refining facility in order to manufacture niche value-accretive petrochemical products. The plant will also manufacture 20,000 tonnes of butanediol, utilised in polyurethanes. Additionally, it will manufacture polybutylene terephthalates as well as 16,000 tonnes of tetrahydrofuran (thf) per year on its commissioning. Polybutylene terephthalates are used to manufacture engineering grade plastic and biodegradable fibres while thf is also widely used in adhesives and vinyl films.