Eastman Chemical to expand carboxylic acid plants in Texas, Tennessee

Eastman Chemical is expanding carboxylic acids capacity at its plants in Longview, Texas, and Kingsport, Tennessee, the company announced on Tuesday. 

The additional capacity is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2014 and will add approximately 50 million pounds of carboxylic acids to support the increasing internal and external demand of the product.

“Eastman is committed to the continued optimization of its plants that produce these acids,” says Tony Ponder, business manager for Eastman’s oxo-chemicals unit within the company's specialty fluids and intermediates (SFI) business. “Our olefin crackers in Texas allow Eastman a competitive position in carboxylic acid production with the supply chain capabilities to ship globally.”

“Internal demand for our acids ensures our commitment to long-term efficient production for both internal and external customers,” added Chip Millican, business manager for Eastman’s organic intermediates unit, also a part of the SFI business. “These are important intermediate materials and we continue to invest in them. Additionally, our engineers have identified at least 20 million pounds of additional low cost capacity that could be implemented in the future as demand dictates.”

Manufacturing the products for more than 70 years, Eastman is a world leader in the production of carboxylic acids for multiple markets, including food and feed, pharmaceutical chemical intermediates, and agriculture. 

Eastman offers a wide variety of grades of acetic, propionic, butyric, isobutyric, benzoic, and 2-EH acids appropriate for these and other end uses.