India BPCL plans to build 50,000 tons/year superabsorbent polymer production line

India's state-owned Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) plans to build a 50,000-ton/year superabsorbent polymer (SAP) plant near its refinery and petrochemical plant in Kochi
.

BPCL said on June 8 that the company will first develop a demonstration plant with a capacity of 200 tonnes/year at its Kochi refinery in southern Kerala state by October, using technology developed in-house
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The demonstration plant will be followed by a commercial plant with a capacity of 50,000 tonnes/year, P Ravitej, the company's executive director in charge of the refinery, said in a statement.

Timeline and financial details of the project were not disclosed
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BPCL said the SAP plant will receive feedstock from the recently commissioned 160,000-ton/year acrylic acid unit, which is part of BPCL's Propylene Derivatives Petrochemical Project (PDPP) in Kochi
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The company's acrylic acid plant and a 38,000-ton/year n-butanol production line were put into operation in April this year
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SAP currently imported into India is a special petrochemical product used in diapers and feminine hygiene products
.