Japanese petrochemical producer Tosoh plans to build a methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) splitter in south Vietnam's Ba Ria–Vung Tau province, targeting to begin commercial operations by October 2026.

Tosoh plans to operate the splitter, which will have manufacturing capacity of 100,000 t/yr of monomeric and polymeric MDIs, using crude MDI as a feedstock. MDI is used as feedstock to produce polyurethane. It aims to start construction from November 2024 and complete the splitter by June 2026.

The company will bring the crude MDI from Japan to the splitter in Vietnam. Tosoh produces 400,000 t/yr of crude MDI at its Nanyo plant in south Japan's Yamaguchi prefecture.

Tosoh has an 85,000 t/yr splitter in China and another at its Nanyo plant of undisclosed output capacity, although its said annual production is 400,000t. Its MDI production will be unchanged even after the launch of the Vietnamese splitter, as Tosoh plans to modify manufacturing in Japan and China based on demand.

It also plans to set up a wholly-owned subsidiary Tosoh Vietnam Polyurethane by January next year to enhance MDI sales in southeast Asia.

Source: argus