French specialty chemicals producer Arkema is spending $90 million on upgrading technology at its Clear Lake, Texas site acrylic acid production units. When the two production units of 45,000 t/y each are merged into one larger 90,000 t/y reactor equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the Texas site will be “among the most competitive in North America while meeting growing demand in the region,” the company said.

The new facility is due to go on stream in mid-2019. At completion, Clear Lake's total acrylic acid production capacity will be 270 t/y. While construction is in progress, Arkema said it will supply customers from other facilities in the US, Europe and Asia. 

With this investment Arkema, said, it will cement its position as North America’s second largest producer of acrylic acid, supplying growing markets such as superabsorbents, coatings and adhesives an polymers for water treatment, as well as oil and gas recovery. The French company restructured other part of its US acrylics business between 2012 and 2014.