History
1930s |
Development of catalytic cracking technology resulted in the availability of large quantities of propylene and butylenes. Efforts began to develop synthetic lubricating oils based on the polymerization of these olefins. |
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1943 |
Standard Oil built the Wood River No. 1 Polybutene unit, designed to produce H-100 polybutene. |
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1961 |
DIB unit in Köln starts under the Erdölchemie venture (Bayer/Deutsche BP). |
| 1962 |
Polybutene plant at Lavéra, France with an initial capacity of 5,000 tons/ year was commissioned by Naphtachemie. |
| 1969 |
Amoco’s Texas City polybutene unit began operation with initial capacity of 77,000 tons / year. |
| 1971 |
Ethyl adds 90,000 tons alpha olefin production to its primary alcohols complex in Pasadena, Texas, licensing Ziegler technology. |
| 1976 |
Ethyl adds 110,000 tons LAO capacity to Pasadena LAO plant. |
| 1983 |
Whiting polybutene unit with a capacity of 75,000 tons / year was started at Amoco’s oil refinery in Indiana. |
| 1987 |
Ethyl’s Pasadena LAO plant capacity expanded to 431,000 tons. Ethyl enters toll agreement with Quantum Chemical for production of PAO from Ethyl’s Decene. |
| 1990 |
Ethyl purchase’s Quantum’s LaPorte, Texas PAO plant. |
| 1992 |
Ethyl builds 200,000 ton LAO plant and 75,000 ton PAO plant in Feluy, Belgium. |
| 1993 |
Lavéra polybutene plant capacity increased to 65,000 tons / year. |
| 1996 |
Ethyl/Albemarle sells LAO and PAO business to Amoco Chemical. |
| 1997 |
BP’s Lavéra polybutene plant debottlenecked to 80,000 tons / year. |
| 1998 |
Amoco expands Feluy, Belgium LAO plant to 300,000 tons / year. BP merges with Amoco. |
| 1999 |
BP Chemical opens 250,000 ton LAO plant in Joffre, Alberta, Canada. |
| 2000 |
Lavéra PIB plant developed to produce full range of polybutene products. Grangemouth and Texas City PIB plants closed. |
| 2001 |
BP acquires remaining interest in Erdölchemie. |
| 2005 |
Pasadena LAO plant is closed. INEOS acquires Innovene. |
| 2006 |
INEOS Oligomers is formed. |