Swiss company to build Iran rubber plant

Tehran – Iran has signed its first post-sanction EPC contract with the Swiss company Welding Engineers for the construction of a rubber plant in the southern port of Assalouyeh.

The Swiss company is to complete the final phase of the emulsion styrene butadiene rubber (ESBR) plant, which includes drying lines, packaging and preparation for export to local and international markets.

In October 2015, Sadaf Chemical broke ground on the ESBR plant, which will produce five grades of rubber – some of them specifically for tires.

Iran expects to complete the construction of the plant by the end of 2018.

The project is fully financed by Iranian stakeholders and the construction will be carried out by the Iranian Petrochemical Industries Construction Co.

The plant will produce five grades of dry and oily rubber, two of which will be used in the tire industry and three in plastics, according to Jazayeri.

The facility will produce 136,000 tonnes of ESBR annually and will have the capability to change grades and adapt to downstream demands where necessary.

In terms of feedstock, Pars and Jam petrochemical plants will supply 26,000 tonnes of styrene; 84,000 tonnes of butadiene and 25,000 tonnes of aromatic oils to the project together.

Iran expects China to be a major export market for Sadaf’s ESBR products, with a demand of 1.5 million tonnes a year.

The company expects to export around 50,000 tonnes of ESBR per year.