Saudi Organometallic Chemicals Co. has started up a aluminum alkyls facility in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The facility will manufacture 6,000 metric tons annually of tri-ethyl aluminum (TEA), used as a co-catalyst in the plastics industry.
SOCC is a 50-50 joint venture between Saudi Specialty Chemicals Co., an affiliate of Riyadh-based Saudi Basic Industries Corp., and Albemarle Netherlands BV, a subsidiary of Albemarle Corp.
TEA is a Ziegler Natta co-catalyst. The company said the first batch of TEA was completed in mid-April.
Albemarle is based in Baton Rouge, La.