Irving, Texas - ExxonMobil is set to bring new production capacity for olefinic elastomers on stream as part of a $2-billion (€1.8-billion) expansion at its Baytown, Texas site.

Due for start-up in mid-2022, the project features a 400-kilotonnes-per-annum (ktpa) unit to manufacture Vistamaxx ethylene/propylene-based copolymers, the company has previously announced.

Combining toughness and elasticity, the metallocene-catalysed polymers are used in applications ranging from film materials to sealing products.

The Baytown expansion will also include a 350ktpa plant to produce linear alpha olefins, for use in waxes and polyethylene packaging, among other applications.

ExxonMobil's Baytown facility is claimed to be the largest integrated petrochemicals complex in the US.