Idemitsu Kosan commissions unit at Aichi refinery

Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd. has commissioned a unit for production of mixed xylenes at its 160,000-b/d Aichi refinery in Chita, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Commercial operation of the mixed xylene equipment—which includes reformed gasoline xylene recovery equipment—began earlier this month, the operator said.

With a mixed xylene production capacity of 170,000 tonnes/year, the new equipment not only will contribute to expansion of the petrochemical business but also will enable flexibility to deal with changing supply and demand trend of petroleum products and petrochemical raw materials, Idemitsu Kosan said.

The refinery used to extract mixed xylenes through distilled separation of aromatic ingredients in gasoline.

The mixed xylenes unit comes as part of installation of various new equipment at the Aichi refinery under Idemitsu Kosan’s fifth consolidated medium-term management plan, which calls for promotion of its fuel-to-chemicals business, the company said.

Contact Robert Brelsford at [email protected].