Asahi Kasei to close Japanese petchem plants

ERJ staff report (TP)

Tokyo – Japan’s Asahi Kasei will close several domestic petrochemicals plants, and has agreed to share a naphtha cracker with Mitsubishi Chemical in light of difficult market conditions, reported Adam Duckett for TCE Today.

Closures have been announced for its 150,000 tonne/year (t/y) acrylonitrile plant in Kawasaki in August 2014; its 320,000 t/y styrene plant in Mizushima in March 2016; its 65,000 t/y acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene plant in Mizushima in December 2015; its 24,000 t/y styrene-butadiene latex plant in Mizushima in December 2015; and its…