Invista unveils new, energy-efficient nylon intermediates technology

Nylon polymer producer Invista has launched a revolutionary technology for adiponitrile (ADN) production, a key ingredient for nylon 6,6. The new technology is a culmination of more than $40 million in research and development spanning four years on two continents.

Benefits of the new ADN technology include improved product yields, reduced energy consumption, lower CO2 emissions, enhanced process stability and reduced capital intensity, compared to existing technologies.  Another environmental benefit of the new ADN technology is that it virtually eliminates benzene from the production process, resulting in significant benzene reductions.

"We believe this new generation of ADN technology represents a significant improvement versus the proprietary technology we operate today, which is already the world's most advantaged ADN technology," said Bill Greenfield, executive vice president of Invista 's nylon intermediates business.  Invista 's existing processes use six times less electricity than alternative production technologies and results in significantly lower CO2 emissions.

Invista has been operating this new technology for more than two years at a pilot-scale facility at its research and development center in Orange, Texas. The company is pursuing plans for deployment and now has the option of installing the new technology at its existing facilities in Orange and Victoria, Texas, in addition to a plant Invista is constructing in China.

Invista is now ready to deploy the new technology at a commercial scale. The company has been working aggressively for more than a year on the initial implementation of this new technology and will be making a formal announcement in a few weeks with details on location and timing.  

Invista is a world leader in nylon intermediates and polymers, with more than 70 years of experience in nylon 6,6 and a leading presence throughout the nylon 6,6 value chain. INVISTA's proprietary, butadiene-based adiponitrile (ADN) production technologies are widely recognized as one of the most effective and cost-efficient methods of ADN production. As a result, more than 75 percent of the world's existing ADN capacity employs INVISTA's proprietary technologies.