LANXESS to delay start-up of Singapore plant

Specialty chemicals group LANXESS AG said that production at its butyl rubber plant on Jurong Island, Singapore has been delayed to 2014 due to the global financial crisis. The 100,000 ton per annum plant, which would have cost up to €400 million (US$558.99 million) to build, was originally scheduled to be on stream in 2012. LANXESS will use the time to finish developing an innovative technology for butyl rubber production that will then be used at the new facility, which it jointly developed with two other companies and two universities. The new technique will use fewer resources and is thus more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly than conventional processes. (July 6, 2009)