Products

Ethylene Oxide And Glycols

INEOS Oxide Ethylene Oxide, EO glycol products

Ethylene oxide (EO) is an important building block for the preparation of a wide variety of EO derivatives. A major part of the ethylene oxide produced by INEOS Oxide is consumed internally for the production of ethylene glycols. Monoethylene glycol (MEG) is the main constituent in PET and polyester fiber production.

INEOS Oxide is the European leader in the production of both ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol. Our EO production is spread across three different production units throughout Europe. These units have leading cost economics, due to economies of scale, state-of-the-art technology, strategic locations, etc. This capacity is supplemented with a large MEG capacity produced in the same world-class assets.

Ethylene oxide is used as a chemical intermediate for the synthesis of a wide variety of EO derivatives such as surfactants, ethanolamines and glycolethers.

Finally, applications for ethylene glycols (MEG/DEG/TEG) include antifreeze, de-icing agents, lubricants, polyester resins and gas drying agents.

Propylene Oxide And Glycols

INEOS Oxide Propylene Oxide & PO glycols Products

Propylene Oxide (PO) is an important building block for the preparation of a wide variety of PO derivatives. A major part of the propylene oxide produced by INEOS Oxide is consumed internally for the production of propylene glycols. Monopropylene glycol (MPG) is the largest volume propylene glycol with MPG US Pharmacopeia (USP) also being an important part of our product range.

INEOS Oxide’s produces PO at our Koeln, Germany site, with a high degree of integration into a larger petrochemical site, including a cracker, INEOS Oxide can ensure a reliable and cost efficient product supply. Just like EO, PO is mainly used as a chemical intermediate for the production of other chemicals such as polyether polyols, propylene glycols, and specialty alkoxylates.

INEOS Oxide’s propylene glycol unit in Koeln produces mono-, di- and tripropylene glycols as well as smaller quantities of higher glycols. PO glycols can be found in a wide range of applications ranging from de-icing formulations to paints, inks and pharmaceuticals.

Ethanolamines

INEOS Oxide Ethanolamines Products

By combining a 50 year history of reliability and innovation with one of the world’s largest assets of its type, INEOS Oxide provides its customers with a powerful package of support and commitment in the field of ethanolamines. Our global manufacturing facilities are advantageously located in Plaquemine (USA) on the Louisiana Gulf Coast, and in Lavéra (France) on the Mediterranean.

The ethanolamine product range includes mono-, di- and triethanolamine. A mixture of higher ethanolamines and low freezing grades which are mixtures of the amines with water is also on offer.

Ethanolamines are one of the most versatile members of the EO derivatives family. They are bifunctional molecules containing both amine and alcohol functional groups and are therefore capable of undergoing reactions at both groups. Many of their various industrial applications rely on these features.

Glycol Ethers

INEOS OXIDE INEOS Oxide Glycol Ethers 2

INEOS Oxide produces a wide range of ethylene oxide (EO) and propylene oxide (PO) based glycol ethers. EO-based glycol ethers include the methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, and butyl product groups. The propylene glycol ethers offered by INEOS Oxide are produced by reaction of PO with ethanol. For some of these glycol ethers we also produce the corresponding acetate esters. The production of these low molecular weight EO and PO derivatives is performed on INEOS Oxide’s glycol ether units.

INEOS Oxide Glycol Ethers 1

Both glycol ethers and their acetate esters combine the solubility characteristics of ethers and alcohols (or esters) as both functional groups are present in the molecule. Not only are they miscible in water and in most common organic solvents but they also combine powerful dissolving characteristics with low volatility.

Esters

INESO Oxide Esters Products

INEOS Oxide offer a wide range of Ester solvents to the market. Besides ethyl acetate in Hull, alkyl acetates and glycol ethers acetates are manufactured in Antwerp (Belgium) and Lavéra (France).

The alkyl acetate range comprises n-butyl acetate, isobutyl acetate and isopropyl acetate formed by reacting acetic acid with an alcohol resulting in the corresponding alcohol ester and water. These are the so called acetate esters. INEOS Oxide is also able to offer several glycol ether acetate esters produced by esterification of the corresponding glycol ethers (butyl glycol and butyl diglycol ether, ethoxypropanol).

Both types of esters are versatile, oxygenated solvents which are primarily used in paints, coatings and inks formulations. They are also widely used in sealants and adhesives, in pharmaceutical applications, in the textile industry, in cleaning formulations and as extraction solvents.

Alkoxylates

INEOS Oxide Alkoxylates Products

Alkoxylation is one of the core technologies of INEOS Oxide. Our alkoxylates portfolio includes a broad range of high-quality products based on different types of alcohol initiators and varying proportions of ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide.

Production flexibility permits us to offer anything from batch-produced niche chemicals to high-volume performance chemicals manufactured via semi-continuous processes. Fine-tuning of our manufacturing processes has enabled us to produce high-quality alkoxylation products, with low residual catalyst and low impurity levels.

INEOS Oxide Alkoxylates Products

In addition to our standard product portfolio, an extensive range of tailor-made products are manufactured in order to meet our customers’ specific end-use requirements. For special product demands, information on applications, or other special requirements please contact the local sales office.

The alkoxylates produced by INEOS Oxide are used in a wide range of applications including:

Agrochemicals
Construction chemicals
Cosmetics
Industrial cleaners
Oil and gas processing chemicals
Pharmaceuticals
Superabsorbents
Surfactants for detergents and shampoos
Synthetic lubricants

Oxo-Products

INEOS Oxide INEOS Oxo-Alcohols Products

INEOS Oxide is a major European producer of Oxo alcohols. The world-scale production unit in Lavéra (France) produces n-butanol, isobutanol and 2-ethylhexanol.

A sizable quantity of the produced n-butanol and isobutanol is used internally for the production of other INEOS Oxide products such as butyl glycolethers and esters. The 2-ethylhexanol INEOS Oxide produces is sold directly into the European market to customers who mainly use it to manufacture plasticizers, lubricants and other chemical products such as raw materials for paints and coatings.

Besides the oxo alcohols, INEOS also sells n-butyraldehyde and isobutyraldehyde on the merchant market, into chemical intermediates applications.

Norbornenes

INEOS Oxide ENB & VNB norbornenes

INEOS Oxide has been at the forefront of norbornene technology for the last 30 years and is Europe’s sole producer. Our Antwerp production plant allows us to provide high quality norbornene products to our customers.

Ethylidene norbornene (ENB) and vinylidene norbornene (VNB) are primarily used as the diene monomer in the production of ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) rubber.

This synthetic rubber shows superior heat, wear and weather resistance, and is commonly used in applications including:

Automotive
Cooling system circuit hoses
Door and window seals
Roofing membranes
Pond liners
Cable insulation

Finally, norbornenes are also used in the flavour and fragrance industry as an intermediate in the preparation of perfume ingredients.