Rhodia Prepares to Begin the New Year with Several Large Investments

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Rhodia Incorporated (Cranbury, New Jersey) made great strides toward bolstering its position as a global chemical company in 2007 with the completion of two grassroot plants in China among other significant completed projects. Rhodia is planning for another big year in 2008 with total investments currently identified by Industrial Info totaling an estimated $160 million around the globe. A large portion of this activity is planned to take place in Brazil where Rhodia plans several projects including an expansion of cyclohexanol capacity and the addition of phenol and acetone units at its Paulinia Chemical Complex in Sao Paulo, Brazil. These projects equal more than $70 million in potential project spending aimed at getting underway in the first part of next year.

Here in the United States, Industrial Info has so far identified nearly a dozen capital and maintenance projects as part of its North American Project Database planned by Rhodia that are expected to begin construction in 2008. Among the largest investments are two emissions-reduction initiatives for its Houston, Texas, sulfuric acid plant and a sulfuric acid plant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Mustang Tampa Incorporated (Tampa, Florida) a Mustang Engineering LP (Houston, Texas) company, is providing engineering, procurement and construction/management services for the Houston project that includes the installation of a new acid flue gas scrubber and stripper column to reduce particulate emissions and recover elemental sulfur. Construction for this project is expected to get underway in the second quarter of 2008. Mustang is providing engineering and design support for a similar project at the Baton Rouge site that potentially could get underway in the field late next year.

Elsewhere in the United States, Industrial Info is tracking 11 planned maintenance turnaround projects at seven Rhodia plant sites across the country. Many of Rhodia's plants produce sulfuric acid and other chemicals that are very corrosive in nature, making the plants susceptible to corrosion and annual down time to inspect, repair and protect critical components.

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