Formaldehyde Manufacturing Plant for Resinkem

Resinkem (Pty) Ltd are to install an additional formaldehyde manufacturing plant at their facility in Umbogintwini, KwaZulu-Natal, which will increase the formaldehyde manufacturing capacity from the current 18000 to approximately 33000 tons per annum. There are two common technologies to produce formaldehyde from methanol; namely a silver catalyst technology and an iron-molybdenum catalyst technology (commonly called the oxide catalyst process). The existing formaldehyde plant at Resinkem uses the silver catalyst technology and the proposed plant will use oxide catalyst technology. No expansion of the current resin production facility or chemical storage facilities are proposed.