Huntsman Corp. recently commemorated the official startup of a new 22,000-ton TEROL^® aromatic polyester polyols plant at its systems house in Kuan Yin, Taiwan. The opening ceremony at the site was attended by key customers and employees. The 3,600-sq-m polyols plant, completed in May, expands Huntsman’s downstream polyurethanes capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region and marks the first time Huntsman has manufactured these polyols outside the U.S.

Huntsman reports that TEROL polyester polyols are critical components in the production of MDI-based polyurethane insulation systems. Insulation products based on these polyols include polyisocyanurate (PIR) boardstock systems, spray polyurethane foam (SPF), and pour-in-place applications such as entry doors, garage doors, coolers, refrigerators, and commercial freezers. To produce its TEROL polyols, Huntsman utilizes a proprietary process that upcycles scrap polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, some of which otherwise would have ended up in landfills, rivers, and oceans.

“The work we are doing in Taiwan and throughout the Asia Pacific region will truly transform our industry,” said Peter Huntsman, chairman, president, and CEO, at the opening ceremony. “By recycling the equivalent of nearly half a billion PET bottles from the oceans, landfills and refuse facilities, we are creating the building blocks that transform plastic waste into something of real value—highly efficient insulants that help conserve energy and reduce emissions. When considered with its sister plant in Houston, Texas, this new TEROL^® polyols plant enables Huntsman to participate on a global scale in the shared responsibility to clean up our environment and do more with less.”

For more information, visit www.huntsman.com.