An Aug. 22 explosion rocked a chemical plant in Zibo, China, that's ramping up 100,000 metric tons of annual capacity for adiponitrile — a feedstock for nylon 6/6 resin.
The blast killed one and injured nine, the local government reported. The explosion site is less than a mile from residential buildings.
ADN can emit toxic fumes when heated to decomposition, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But the local government said its testing so far showed no signs of pollution.
The plant is owned by Shandong Runxing Chemical Technology Co., a subsidiary of Shandong Runxing Group. The company highlighted on its website a 6 billion yuan ($937 million), four-year, multi-phase project that includes adding annual capacity of 300,000 tonnes of ADN and 100,000 tonnes of polyurethane feedstock hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI).
On May 15, Runxing Chemical had announced the completion of construction of its first 100,000 tonnes of ADN capacity, and touted it as China's first ADN production facility.
Invista, the world's largest ADN producer, had announced plans last year to build a 300,000-tonne-per-year ADN facility in China, which will be integrated with the company's nylon 6/6 production site.
