WD SILICONE launches large alkoxysilane unit in China.(Fine and Specialty)

Wuhan University Silicone New Material Co., Ltd. (WD SILICONE), the leading silicone material producer of China, recently announced that construction on its large alkoxysilane unit had been started. "The ground construction have been already started now", said Liao Jun, the general manager of the company, "the first phase project is expected to be completed in this summer". It is reported that the gross investment of this project will surpass US$10 million, a production capacity of 30 000t/a alkoxysilane will be formed before 2010, and the capacity will be probably expanded further to 50 000 t/a if the market gets better.

Alkoxysilane is mainly used as medial raw materials of synthesizing downstream products such as silane coupling agent and so on, and it is seldom circulated as commodity in the past because of the small scale of its downstream sector. According to Liao Jun, the commercialization in the downstream sectors of alkoxysilane including silane coupling agents, silicone resin, and even polysilicon had been gone well gradually after years' development, and the demand for high quality raw materials will increase. He also pointed out that the decision of the company to invest such a large-scale unit was mainly based on its confidence to the market.