China Chemical Corp. has completed construction on the expansion of its maleic anhydride (MAH) production facility and has begun site development on its planned and permitted 50,000-ton-capacity 1,4-Butanediol (BDO) production facility. The expansion doubles the company’s total MAH production capacity to 60,000 tons. The new 30,000-ton MAH plant is now in its testing phase, which includes the debugging of the facility's operations. The company expects to complete this testing period by December 31.

China Chemical also announced that site development work has begun for the construction of its 50,000-ton BDO cogeneration facility. BDO uses MAH as a feedstock and is used in a variety of commercial applications. The plant is scheduled for completion in 2012.

China is the world's largest consumer of MAH and BDO, accounting for 23% of global demand for the two chemicals. According to market research firm ResearchInChina, the BDO production capacity of mainland China grew 96.5% year-over-year in 2009 in response to strong domestic demand.

For additional details, visit www.chinachemicalcorp.com.