12.30.13
Wanhua Chemical Group, Shanghai, China, says it is entering the superabsorbent polymers (SAP) market with a new plant that in its first phase will produce 30,000 tons of SAP when it is finished sometime in 2014. The overall project is expected to have a capacity of 120 tones per year. The company says the global consumption of SAP in 2012 reached 1.7 million tons, of which personal hygiene products accounted for more than 90%. The compound annual growth rate for diaper consumption volume in the next five years is pegged at 20%. Wanhua reported a 35% rise in revenue to $2.5 billion in the nine months ended September 30, 2013.