Honeywell announced that Hyundai Chemical Co. will use Honeywell UOP technology to expand its petrochemicals complex in Daesan Republic, South Korea, allowing it to make its own feedstock material to boost profitability. The facility will use technology as well as modular equipment from Honeywell UOP to allow the plant to make mixed xylenes, a critical feedstock used by the plant to produce para-xylene, a building block for synthetic fibers, packaging and plastics that is in high demand in Asia.

Back-integrating the facility to make its own feedstock will reduce the plant's dependence on imports of mixed xylenes and its exposure to the volatile market for the feedstock. The plant currently uses Honeywell UOP technology to produce para-xylene. In addition to licensing, Honeywell UOP will provide the basic engineering, commissioning services, training services, proprietary equipment, catalysts and adsorbents for the new portion of the complex, which is expected to come online in 2016.

Honeywell UOP technologies licensed for the expansion include: The Coker Naphtha Hydrotreating process to pre-treat reforming feed. The end product will also be used as a gasoline blend stock and as feedstock for petrochemicals production. The Merox™ process to remove contaminants from liquefied petroleum gases for further downstream processing.

The Distillate Unionfining™ process to improve the quality of distillate boiling-range feedstocks to help meet tougher product specifications. The CCR Platforming™ process to produce high-octane blending components for gasoline and as a feed for aromatics production. This technology will be delivered as a modular unit.

The Extractive Distillation (ED) Sulfolane™ process to recover high-purity benzene and toluene. The Tatoray™ process to increase production of benzene and xylenes. The Polybed™ PSA process to recover and purify hydrogen used in downstream processing.

This technology will also be delivered as a modular unit.