INVISTA Unveils Revolutionary Technology for Adiponitrile Production

WICHITA, Kan. -- One of the World-leading nylon polymer producer INVISTA unveils a revolutionary technology for adiponitrile (ADN) production, a key ingredient for nylon 6,6. The new technology is a culmination of more than $40 million in research and development spanning four years on two continents.

Benefits of the new ADN technology include improved product yields, reduced energy consumption, lower CO₂ emissions, enhanced process stability and reduced capital intensity, compared to existing technologies.

Another environmental benefit of the new ADN technology is that it virtually eliminates benzene from the production process, resulting in significant benzene reductions.

"We believe this new generation of ADN technology represents a significant improvement versus the proprietary technology we operate today, which is already the worlds most advantaged ADN technology," said Bill Greenfield, executive vice president of INVISTAs nylon intermediates business.

"For example, INVISTAs existing processes use six times less electricity than alternative production technologies and results in significantly lower CO₂ emissions. INVISTAs newest generation of ADN technology extends these advantages even further," said Greenfield.

INVISTA has been operating this new technology for more than two years at a pilot-scale facility at its research and development center in Orange, Texas. The company is pursuing plans for deployment and now has the option of installing the new technology at its existing facilities in Orange and Victoria, Texas, in addition to a plant INVISTA is constructing in China.

"We are now ready to deploy the new technology at a commercial scale," said Greenfield. "We have been working aggressively for more than a year on the initial implementation of this new technology and will be making a formal announcement in a few weeks with details on location and timing," Greenfield said

INVISTA is a world leader in nylon intermediates and polymers, with more than 70 years of experience in nylon 6,6 and a leading presence throughout the nylon 6,6 value chain.

INVISTAs proprietary, butadiene-based adiponitrile (ADN) production technologies are widely recognized as one of the most effective and cost-efficient methods of ADN production. As a result, more than 75 percent of the worlds existing ADN capacity employs INVISTAs proprietary technologies.