30-10-2023

Lummus announces commercial availability of Saplene™ technology

Lummus Technology, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven energy solutions, announced the commercial availability of its Saplene™ super absorbent polymer (SAP) technology. The process uses acrylic acid as the main feedstock to produce SAP, which consumer goods manufacturers use to produce liquid-absorbing personal hygiene products and other specialty applications.

“Introducing this technology to the market is another significant step for our portfolio expansion across the C3 value chain,” said Leon de Bruyn, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lummus Technology. “Combining our existing portfolio with SAP technology and our recently acquired acrylic acid technologies positions Lummus at the forefront of the specialty high-value polymer technology market and enables us to offer customers more tailored and integrated solutions.”

Saplene SAP technology is commercially proven, and previously developed and operated at scale by the Songwon Industrial Group of South Korea. The technology has also been licensed for a 45 KTA industrial plant.

Recently, Lummus announced it acquired the rights to Air Liquide’s acrylic acid and acrylic acid esters technologies using propylene as the main feedstock. As a result, Lummus now offers the full chain of technologies for the production of SAP and acrylate esters from propylene, which is a key intermediate in the petrochemical value chain.

The addition of SAP technology strengthens Lummus’ comprehensive polymer technology portfolio, which consists of Novolen® polypropylene technology, EXCENE™ high-density polyethylene technology, and polyhydroxyalkanoaote (PHA) technology. In addition, Lummus offers a complete range of highly competitive technologies for propylene production that can be offered in combination with the polymer technologies. These include CATOFIN® propane dehydrogenation, SRT® steam cracking, olefins conversion technology, Indmax® fluid catalytic cracking, and ORION™ oxidative coupling of methane.