Work Starts on New Methyl Methacrylate Plant in US

Intermediates and performance chemicals manufacturer OQ Chemicals and methacrylate supplier Röhm broke ground this week on a new methyl methacrylate (MMA) plant in Bay City, TX, the companies announced in a joint release Thursday.

A groundbreaking ceremony was attended by representtives of Röhm, its parent company, Advent International, and OQ Chemicals, as well as government officials. To support the project, OQ Chemicals invested in an expansion of its Propionaldehyde capacity and infrastructure. Röhm will deploy its proprietary production technology, LiMA (Leading in Methacrylates).

“Today is a historic moment for Röhm. The new plant will be the first to employ our unique LiMA technology on a large industrial scale,” Röhm CEO Dr. Michael Pack said in a statement. “The project is an important signal to our customers, worldwide. The additional capacities will enable us to serve the increasing demand for MMA and support the reliability of our supply chain towards our customers globally.”

Slated to become operational by 2024, the location will have a capacity of 250,000 mt/yr of MMA. 70 direct jobs will be created through the opening of the facility.