Braskem
Encyclopedia
Braskem is a Brazilian petrochemical
company headquartered in São Paulo
. The company is the largest petrochemical in the Americas by production capacity and the fifth largest in the world. By revenue it is the fourth largest in the Americas and the seventeenth in the world.
(Bahia
) and Triunfo
(Rio Grande do Sul
). Its basic petrochemical units account for the supply of ethylene
and propylene
to the company's nearby polymer units. The company also produces other chemical products such as benzene
, butadiene, toluene
, xylene
and isoprene
. These compounds are mostly sold to other chemical companies based within the complexes, such as Innova, Elekeiroz
and Dow Chemical.
Although its main feedstock is naphtha
, the company Braskem's Green Ethylene plant was inaugurated in September, 2010. This green ethylene plant is an important step forward the strategy of becoming a global leader in sustainable chemicals. The plant is the largest industrial-scale operation in the world producing ethylene made from 100% renewable raw materials, i.e., sugar-cane. The project was conceived and installed in less than two years based on Braskem’s proprietary technology.
Located at the Triunfo Petrochemical Complex in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the plant will produce 200,000 tons of green ethylene, which will be transformed into an equivalent volume of green plastic.
and polypropylene
. In addition with ongoing plants located in both petrochemical complexes, in April 2008 Braskem opened a 300,000 metric ton polypropylene plant in the city of Paulínia
(São Paulo
).
and Mariani groups - such as Trikem, OPP, Proppet, Polialden and Nitrocarbono - to create Braskem. The new company started operations as the largest petrochemical concern in Latin America.
In 2006, Braskem acquired Politeno, the third largest polyethylene producer in Brazil. The company joined Petrobras
and Ultrapar
the following year in the biggest merger in Brazilian history, when those three companies acquired Grupo Ipiranga
for US$ 4 billion . While Petrobras and Ultrapar shared the fuel distribution operations, Braskem took over Ipiranga Petroquímica, Ipiranga's former petrochemical operation.
, the second largest petrochemical in Brazil, becoming the second largest in the Americas and the eighth largest in the world.
On February 1, 2010, the company bought the petrochemical operations of the American Sunoco
, adding more than 1.5 million tons of resins in the production capacity of Braskem, putting it in seventh place overall ranking of the largest petrochemical companies in the world by production capacity.
On February, 2, 2010, Braskem acquires Sunoco Chemicals in the United States. The acquisition of Sunoco's polypropylene business for US$ 350 million initiates the Company's operations in the U.S. market. Sunoco Chemicals has annual production capacity of 950,000 tons of polypropylene. The company headquarters is located in Philadelphia, PA, and Sunoco Chemicals has three plants located at La Porte, TX, Marcus Hook, PA, and Neal, WV, which account for approximately 13% of installed U.S. polypropylene production capacity.
Petrochemical
Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from petroleum. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sources such as corn or sugar cane....
company headquartered in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
. The company is the largest petrochemical in the Americas by production capacity and the fifth largest in the world. By revenue it is the fourth largest in the Americas and the seventeenth in the world.
Products
Braskem operates 18 chemical plants with a production capacity of over 11 million metric tons per year of chemical and petrochemical products.Basic Petrochemicals
Braskem controls the two largest petrochemical complexes in Brazil, located in the cities of CamaçariCamaçari
Camaçari is a city in Bahia, Brazil. It is located at . It is part of the Salvador Metropolitan Region , being the industrial city of the metropolis. Several factories and petrochemical plants compose one of largest industrial capabilities in Brazil, the largest of the Northeast region of the...
(Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
) and Triunfo
Triunfo
Triunfo is a municipality in the state Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.It is also the richest municipality in Brazil, with a per capita income of R$122,750 .-See also:*List of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul...
(Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
). Its basic petrochemical units account for the supply of ethylene
Ethylene
Ethylene is a gaseous organic compound with the formula . It is the simplest alkene . Because it contains a carbon-carbon double bond, ethylene is classified as an unsaturated hydrocarbon. Ethylene is widely used in industry and is also a plant hormone...
and propylene
Propylene
Propene, also known as propylene or methylethylene, is an unsaturated organic compound having the chemical formula C3H6. It has one double bond, and is the second simplest member of the alkene class of hydrocarbons, and it is also second in natural abundance.-Properties:At room temperature and...
to the company's nearby polymer units. The company also produces other chemical products such as benzene
Benzene
Benzene is an organic chemical compound. It is composed of 6 carbon atoms in a ring, with 1 hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom, with the molecular formula C6H6....
, butadiene, toluene
Toluene
Toluene, formerly known as toluol, is a clear, water-insoluble liquid with the typical smell of paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, i.e., one in which a single hydrogen atom from the benzene molecule has been replaced by a univalent group, in this case CH3.It is an aromatic...
, xylene
Xylene
Xylene encompasses three isomers of dimethylbenzene. The isomers are distinguished by the designations ortho- , meta- , and para- , which specify to which carbon atoms the two methyl groups are attached...
and isoprene
Isoprene
Isoprene , or 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene, is a common organic compound with the formula CH2=CCH=CH2. Under standard conditions it is a colorless liquid...
. These compounds are mostly sold to other chemical companies based within the complexes, such as Innova, Elekeiroz
Elekeiroz
Elekeiroz is a Brazilian chemical and petrochemical company based in São Paulo is controlled by Itaúsa, conglomerate that control companies such companies such as Itaú Unibanco, Deca, Duratex S.A. and others. Its operations are concentrated in State of São Paulo, with its main complex located in...
and Dow Chemical.
Although its main feedstock is naphtha
Naphtha
Naphtha normally refers to a number of different flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons, i.e., a component of natural gas condensate or a distillation product from petroleum, coal tar or peat boiling in a certain range and containing certain hydrocarbons. It is a broad term covering among the...
, the company Braskem's Green Ethylene plant was inaugurated in September, 2010. This green ethylene plant is an important step forward the strategy of becoming a global leader in sustainable chemicals. The plant is the largest industrial-scale operation in the world producing ethylene made from 100% renewable raw materials, i.e., sugar-cane. The project was conceived and installed in less than two years based on Braskem’s proprietary technology.
Located at the Triunfo Petrochemical Complex in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the plant will produce 200,000 tons of green ethylene, which will be transformed into an equivalent volume of green plastic.
Polymers
Braskem is Brazil's main producer of polyethylenePolyethylene
Polyethylene or polythene is the most widely used plastic, with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons...
and polypropylene
Polypropylene
Polypropylene , also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications including packaging, textiles , stationery, plastic parts and reusable containers of various types, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components, and polymer banknotes...
. In addition with ongoing plants located in both petrochemical complexes, in April 2008 Braskem opened a 300,000 metric ton polypropylene plant in the city of Paulínia
Paulínia
Paulínia is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. As of 2009, its population was 84.577 inhabitants in an area of 145.27 km². The elevation is 590 m...
(São Paulo
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
).
History
The company was formed in 2002 as part of a major restructuring of the Brazilian petrochemical industry. At that time, Copene merged with other petrochemical companies owned by the OdebrechtOdebrecht
Odebrecht S.A. is a Brazilian conglomerate in the fields of engineering, construction, chemicals and petrochemicals. The company was founded in 1944 in Salvador da Bahia by Norberto Odebrecht, and is now present in South America, Central America, North America, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and the...
and Mariani groups - such as Trikem, OPP, Proppet, Polialden and Nitrocarbono - to create Braskem. The new company started operations as the largest petrochemical concern in Latin America.
In 2006, Braskem acquired Politeno, the third largest polyethylene producer in Brazil. The company joined Petrobras
Petrobras
Petróleo Brasileiro or Petrobras is a semi-public Brazilian multinational energy corporation headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest company in Latin America by market capitalization and revenue, and the largest company headquartered in the Southern Hemisphere by market...
and Ultrapar
Ultrapar
Ultrapar is a Brazilian group, with operations in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, USA and Venezuela, and differentiated position in the three segments in which to operate its business units: distribution of fuel through the Petroleo Ipiranga and Ultragaz , production of chemicals through Oxiteno and...
the following year in the biggest merger in Brazilian history, when those three companies acquired Grupo Ipiranga
Petroleo Ipiranga
Empresas Petróleo Ipiranga is a Brazilian conglomerate that are in the field of refining and distribution of oil.It also has business in petrochemical and chemical industries....
for US$ 4 billion . While Petrobras and Ultrapar shared the fuel distribution operations, Braskem took over Ipiranga Petroquímica, Ipiranga's former petrochemical operation.
Purchases
On January 22, 2010, Braskem has announced the full incorporation of QuattorQuattor (company)
Quattor was a Brazilian petrochemical company headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. Founded on June 12, 2008, Quattor was the second largest petrochemicals in Brazil, behind only the Braskem and one of the largest petrochemical of the Americas...
, the second largest petrochemical in Brazil, becoming the second largest in the Americas and the eighth largest in the world.
On February 1, 2010, the company bought the petrochemical operations of the American Sunoco
Sunoco
Sunoco Inc. is an American petroleum and petrochemical manufacturer headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, formerly known as Sun Company Inc. and Sun Oil Co. ....
, adding more than 1.5 million tons of resins in the production capacity of Braskem, putting it in seventh place overall ranking of the largest petrochemical companies in the world by production capacity.
On February, 2, 2010, Braskem acquires Sunoco Chemicals in the United States. The acquisition of Sunoco's polypropylene business for US$ 350 million initiates the Company's operations in the U.S. market. Sunoco Chemicals has annual production capacity of 950,000 tons of polypropylene. The company headquarters is located in Philadelphia, PA, and Sunoco Chemicals has three plants located at La Porte, TX, Marcus Hook, PA, and Neal, WV, which account for approximately 13% of installed U.S. polypropylene production capacity.