PetroChina subsidiary Guangxi Petrochemical has completed the 'handover' of new rubber and elastomer production units in Guangxi, southeast China, the local regional industrial park has reported.

The project features a 120 kilotonne per annum (ktpa) solution styrene butadiene rubber (SSBR) and 80ktpa styrene butadiene styrene (SBS) elastomer units, said Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region industrial park office.

Launched in 2023, the expansion is part of an upgrading initiative by PetroChina parent China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) at its Guangxi Petrochemical Refining and Chemical complex.

As previously announced by Chinese state-owned CNPC, the SSBR unit mainly produces solution polymerized styrene butadiene rubber, along with a small amount of low-cis polybutadiene rubber.

The unit comprises two production lines: a 60ktpa continuous polymerization SSBR line and a 60ktpa intermittent polymerization SSBR line.

These products are mainly used in all-season tires, winter tires, ultra-high-performance tires, and ultra-low rolling resistance tires.

The SBS unit uses process technology jointly developed by Xinjiang Huanqiu Co. and Dushanzi Petrochemical to produce SBS materials with varied compositions and structures.

These products can be customized for a range of final uses, including asphalt modification, polymer modification, and adhesives, according to CNPC.

The unit can also produce styrene-isoprene block copolymer (SIS) through partial transformation and includes a reserve function for expanding SEBS (hydrogenated product) production.