Lubricant Additives

Olefi n Copolymer Viscosity Modifi ers 307

TABLE 10.14

Manufacturers with Production Capacity Greater than 30,000 Metric Tons/Year

Company

Manufacturing

Location(s)

Capacity (Metric

tons/Year) Technology Trade Name Comments

Dow Chemical Plaquemine,

Louisiana

230,000 Metallocene, solution

and gas-phase

processes

Nordel IP EPDM

Seadrift, Texas Nordel MG

DSM Elastomers Geleen, The

Netherlands;

Triunfo, Brazil

185,000 Ziegler–Natta,

solution process

Keltan EP and EPDM

ExxonMobil

Chemical

Baton Rouge,

Louisiana, United

States; Notre Dame

de Gravenchon,

France; Kumbo

Polychem, South

Korea (JV)

272,500 Ziegler–Natta and

metallocene,

solution process

Vistalon EP and EPDM

JSR Corporation

(Japan Synthetic

Rubber)

Yokkaichi and

Kashima, Japan

87,500 Ziegler–Natta,

solution process

Esprene EPDM

Lanxess Orange, Texas 110,000 Ziegler–Natta,

suspension and

solution processes

Buna EP T EP and EPDM

Marl, Germany Buna EP G

Lion Copolymer Geismar, Louisiana,

United States

93,000 Ziegler–Natta,

solution process

Royalene,

Trilene

EP and EPDM

Mitsui Chiba, Japan 120,000a Ziegler–Natta and

metallocene,

solution process

Mitsui EPT EP and EPDM

Polimeri Europa Ferrara, Italy 85,000 Ziegler–Natta,

suspension process

Dutral EP and EPDM

Sumitomo Japan 45,000 Ziegler–Natta,

solution process

Esprene EPDM

a Includes 75,000 metric tons/year metallocene plant to begin operation in 2007.

10.6.2 OLEFIN COPOLYMER VM MARKETERS

Companies which provide EP copolymers and EPDM terpolymers to the viscosity modifi er market

are listed in Table 10.15. A wide variety of products, varying in shear stability and level of crystal-

linity, are available in both solid and liquid forms. Functionalized polymers that provide added

dispersancy and antioxidancy are available from several suppliers. The reader is advised to update

this information periodically, since each company’s product lines change over time.

Mergers and acquisitions have also contributed to signifi cant fl ux in the OCP market. For exam-

ple, the Paratone® product line was originally developed and marketed by the Paramins Division of

Exxon Chemical Company. When Exxon and Shell combined their lubricant additives businesses to

form Infi neum in 1998, the Paratone business was sold to Oronite, the lubricant additives division

of Chevron Chemical Company. Ethyl’s purchase of Amoco and Texaco OCP product technology

in the 1990s resulted in rebranding of Texaco’s TLA-XXXX products to Ethyl’s Hitec® product

line. Ethyl Additives changed its name to Afton Chemical Company in 2004. Dupont originally

marketed EPDM—manufactured at its Freeport, Texas, facility—into the viscosity modifi er market

under the Ortholeum® trademark until it was sold to Octel in 1995. Thereafter, DuPont adopted

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