Industrial Info Tracks $700 Million in U.S. Surfactants Projects

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The world would be a grimier place without surfactants. Also called surface active agents, surfactants are used in products such as household detergents and soap, but have a lot of other applications. Industrial Info is tracking more than $3.5 billion in Chemical Processing Industry projects across the globe that are related to the production of surface active agents, including nearly $700 million worth in the U.S.

Click on the image at right for a graph showing U.S. surfactants projects by state.

Surfactants are compounds used in an array of cleaning products for their ability to lower the surface tension of water, in essence making the molecules slipperier, so they are less likely to stick to themselves and more likely to interact with oil and grease, according to the website ChemicalSafetyFacts.org, which is maintained by the American Chemistry Council. Surfactants also are used in lubricants, inks, anti-fogging liquids, herbicides, adhesives, emulsifiers and fabric softeners. Additionally, surfactants have a presence in oilfield chemicals and coatings.

The global surfactants market is expected to reach more than $45 billion by 2025, up from $32 billion in 2017, according to a market analysis and forecast by ResearchAndMarkets.com.

Industrial Info is tracking 14 active capital projects in the U.S. that involve surfactants. In early September, Oxiteno (Sao Paulo, Brazil) announced the startup of a surfactants unit expansion in Pasadena, Texas.

"The start-up of our new alkoxylation plant in Texas is a key accomplishment in our journey to become a leading supplier of surfactants and specialty alkoxylates to U.S. and global customers," said Timothy Madden, chief operating officer of Oxiteno in the U.S., according to a company press release. The expansion adds 142,000 metric tons per year of production capacity at the site, according to Industrial Info's project report. Oxiteno is a subsidiary of Ultra Group, a Brazil-based multinational surfactants and chemicals manufacturer. WorleyParsons (North Sydney, Australia) provided engineering, procurement and construction management for the Pasadena project.

At its chemical complex in Louisiana, Sasol Limited (NYSE:SSL) (Johannesburg, South Africa) plans to complete an ethoxylation unit expansion in second-quarter 2019 as part of its $11 million Lake Charles Chemical Project (LCCP). Ethoxylates are surfactants used in products such as detergents, paints, inks, coatings and adhesives. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report. For more information on the LCCP, see July 24, 2018, article - Commissioning Underway for Sasol's Chemical Project in Louisiana.

At its surfactants plant in Morris, Illinois, AkzoNobel (Amsterdam, Netherlands) is planning the first phase of a hydrogenation unit expansion. The project would expand the continuous process of the hydrogenation unit by 70%. The project is expected to kick off construction by the end of 2018, with completion in second-quarter 2019. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.