Qatar Petrochemical Plant To Produce 5% of World’s Melamine
The Amir of Qatar, Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, on 12 October inaugurated a 60,000 tons/year plant of the Qatar Melamine Company (QMC) in Mesaieed. The plant can supply 5% of global demand of melamine, which is used in colorants, plastics and concrete. It is the largest in the Middle East and the second largest in the world. The melamine project, built at a total cost of $350mn, will use Qatar Fertilizer Company’s (QAFCO)'s high-quality urea as a feedstock. As part of the melamine project, the existing Urea-1 plant has already been revamped using technology from Urea Casale of Switzerland to provide the melamine plant with the required urea. The cost of this project is about $95m, including $40m spent on meeting environmental commitments made to the Ministry of Environment. The inauguration of the QMC plant is considered as an important addition to the industrial sector in Qatar. “The production of melamine will help the development of downstream industries, wherein the melamine produced can be consumed and put to use locally as well as exported throughout the region,” QAFCO Managing Director Khalifa 'Abd Allah Al- Suwaidi has said.
Copyright MEES 2010.
