The plant's smaller 15,000 mt/year reactor has been shut from September 1, and will restart November 4, while its larger 75,000 mt/year reactor was shut September 14 and is to restart October 19, the source added. Both reactors were earlier scheduled to be shut from mid-September for four weeks.
The smaller 15,000 mt/year reactor is being shut for a longer time because a new catalyst was currently being tested.
As the Otake plant was running at full capacity prior to the shutdown, Platts estimates that up to 8,000 mt of ACN would be removed from the supply chain.
Dia-Nitrix also operates a 115,000 mt/year ACN plant at Mizushima. That plant was last shut for maintenance from February 22 to April 6.
Dia-Nitrix's ACN output is sent to its 45,000 mt/year and 30,000 mt/year acrylamide plants at Kawasaki, and to Mitsubishi Rayon's 130,000 mt/year acrylic fiber plant at Otake.
Mitsubishi Rayon holds a 65% stake in Dia-Nitrix, while the remaining 35% is held by Mitsubishi Chemical Corp.
China Chemical Weekly: http://news.chemnet.com/en/detail-1411716.html
