Air Liquide licenses acrylic acid technology to India’s Bharat Petroleum

Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions has been selected by Bharat Petroleum (BPCL) to supply its leading Lurgi/Nippon Kayaku Ester Grade acrylic acid technology for their propylene derivatives petrochemical project, located in Kochi, Kerala, India.

Acrylic acid and acrylates are mainly used for paints, coatings, adhesives and platicisers. The market demand for acrylic acid is driven by growing populations.

For BPCL’s propylene project, Air Liquide is providing the technology license, basic engineering, technical services as well as proprietary catalyst and equipment for the world-scale unit.

This contract with BPCL follows two successful implementations of this Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions technology, notably at one of the world’s largest single-train plants located in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China. 

There, the facility utilizes chemical-grade propylene as feedstock to produce some 140,000 tpy of ester-grade acrylic acid. The plant started operation in 2012 and stands out for its world-scale capacity, its high product quality and its operational reliability.

Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions says it is committed to moving forward and takes a relentless approach to innovation, in line with the Air Liquide group’s mission to create value over the long term by delivering high-quality solutions to customers.

“This petrochemical project in India is the very first such endeavor to integrate acrylic acid technology to supply local demand," said Domenico D’Elia, vice president and chairman of Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions. "We are pleased to contribute to the development of Bharat Petroleum."