Japanese elastomer engineering and plant-design consultancy ETIC has signed an EPDM manufacturing technology licensing agreement with China’s state-owned Guoneng Yulin Chemical for a new 50,000-tonne/year plant in Yulin City, Shaanxi province.
The project is planned as ETIC’s third EPDM technology licensing agreement in China and adds to a growing portfolio of projects using the company’s process technology.
Construction is scheduled to begin as the project moves into its next development phase, with commercial operations targeted for the end of 2028.
The project will be developed by Guoneng Yulin Chemical, a coal-chemical enterprise belonging to a major Chinese state-owned coal energy company.
ETIC will provide its proprietary EPDM manufacturing technology under the licensing agreement, supporting the development of the new production unit.
The project is expected to strengthen China’s domestic EPDM production capacity while adding another application for ETIC’s technology in the country’s expanding chemical manufacturing sector.
ETIC’s EPDM technology uses a vanadium catalyst, which the company says is particularly suitable for applications involving thermoplastic elastomers and foamed products.
EPDM is used in a range of applications, including door seals and trunk seals, as well as other industrial products.
The Yulin project is the third EPDM technology licensing agreement announced by ETIC. The company previously reached an agreement with Shaanxi Yuneng Chemical New Materials Co. for another 50 kt/year EPDM plant, which is scheduled to begin operations by the end of 2027.
ETIC is also working with Shandong Dawn Polymer Materials, which is developing a separate 25 kt/year EPDM unit, to be operational by the end of 2027.