Paraform in polymer production - new opportunities
Evgeniy Gavrilov, Deputy Director for Strategy and Investment in Metafrax Group, has presented the promising growth areas for the industry to leading polymer producers in the CIS countries.
In Atyrau city (Kazakhstan), on October 17-19, the fourth international congress and exhibition “Kazakhstan and the CIS Polymers: construction and modernization of plants” took place. The professional platform brought together the manufacturers of base polymers and synthetic rubbers, initiators of investment projects in the polymer industry, industry regulatory authorities, licensors of production technologies, developers, manufacturers and suppliers of equipment, engineering and design and construction companies, and service providers.
The topic of discussion was investment projects for the construction and modernization of production facilities, as well as ways to increase the efficiency of existing enterprises. Evgeny Gavrilov spoke about the possibilities of using paraformaldehyde in the polymers production.
- “In our speech we have developed two topics. The first one is a group of polymers produced from formaldehyde. In particular, we are talking about polymers that improve the properties of composite materials. Unlike basic polymers, their market volumes are not measured in millions of tons. These are potentially interesting market niches for existing manufacturers,” said Evgeny Gavrilov. – The second topic is that when designing production facilities for such polymers, the technology can be built on formaldehyde, or it can be based on paraformaldehyde. We suggested considering both options to make a more effective decision. For a more correct development of paraformaldehyde technology, we can provide support thanks to the Metafrax Engineering and Technology Center, which has experience in the field of technological and product integration of projects. We plan to continue our work on systematic promotion of new paraformaldehyde-based products on other platforms.
Paraformaldehyde (paraform) is a high-quality substitute for formaldehyde, a solid product in the form of granules, which has a long shelf life and transportation options by all modes of transport. When it is dissolved, an aqueous solution of formaldehyde of a given concentration is obtained, which can be used in the synthesis of other chemicals. In Gubakha, there is produced the highest-grade paraform intended for the production of plastics, paints, resins, adhesives, and insulating materials. The product is widely used in the production of wooden board and fiberboard as a binder polymer. Paraforms have great potential for use in agriculture, including the production of herbicides and antiseptics.
Metafrax Group completed construction of a paraformaldehyde unit at the production site in Gubakha, Perm Territory, in November 2022. As reported at the Metafrax Chemicals enterprise, 11 thousand tons of paraformaldehyde were produced during the year taking into account the commissioning mode.