31 October 2012
Sahand Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Production Unit in Mazandaran province is under construction.
National Development Fund (NDF) has secured the required foreign currency for implementation of the project, IRNA reported.
EPS is used in packing and shipping industries. With inauguration of the unit, 200 Iranian specialists who hold MA and PhD degrees in petro-chemistry, mechanics engineering, electrical engineering, commerce and sale will be employed.
Once the unit becomes operational, it will help Iran to acquire self-sufficiency.
Speaking in this respect, head of the board of directors of the unit said NDF has allocated 87 millions of UAE dirhams for the project.
Mohammad Nushiravani said all facilities and machineries have been purchased from a consortium comprising South Korean, Taiwanese, and Chinese companies.
Once they are installed, the unit will start polystyrene production in March 2013.
According to statistics released by Iran's Customs Administration, EPS consumption rate stood at 110,000 tons in the year to March 2011.
Every ton of imported polystyrene costs $2,300, he said.
None of the Middle East nations produce polystyrene, he said. "Only Russia has a unit for production of 16,000 tons of EPS."
Iran can export EPS to neighboring nations such as Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine, he added.
He also said the required feedstock for the unit is supplied from Asalouyeh, Bushehr province.
Polystyrene is a type of polymer with thermoplastic properties produced from the petroleum-derived monomer, styrene. In solid form, polystyrene is a colorless and rigid plastic and it may also be returned to a liquid by heating and used again for molding or extrusion.
Polystyrene is used to produce various products for industrial and consumer use. Its presence as a plastic in everyday life is second only to polyethylene.
Sahand Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Production Unit in Mazandaran province is under construction.
National Development Fund (NDF) has secured the required foreign currency for implementation of the project, IRNA reported.
EPS is used in packing and shipping industries. With inauguration of the unit, 200 Iranian specialists who hold MA and PhD degrees in petro-chemistry, mechanics engineering, electrical engineering, commerce and sale will be employed.
Once the unit becomes operational, it will help Iran to acquire self-sufficiency.
Speaking in this respect, head of the board of directors of the unit said NDF has allocated 87 millions of UAE dirhams for the project.
Mohammad Nushiravani said all facilities and machineries have been purchased from a consortium comprising South Korean, Taiwanese, and Chinese companies.
Once they are installed, the unit will start polystyrene production in March 2013.
According to statistics released by Iran's Customs Administration, EPS consumption rate stood at 110,000 tons in the year to March 2011.
Every ton of imported polystyrene costs $2,300, he said.
None of the Middle East nations produce polystyrene, he said. "Only Russia has a unit for production of 16,000 tons of EPS."
Iran can export EPS to neighboring nations such as Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine, he added.
He also said the required feedstock for the unit is supplied from Asalouyeh, Bushehr province.
Polystyrene is a type of polymer with thermoplastic properties produced from the petroleum-derived monomer, styrene. In solid form, polystyrene is a colorless and rigid plastic and it may also be returned to a liquid by heating and used again for molding or extrusion.
Polystyrene is used to produce various products for industrial and consumer use. Its presence as a plastic in everyday life is second only to polyethylene.
© Iran Daily 2012
