Sasol expands chemical business in China

Sasol today announced the opening of an office in Shanghai to market its diverse range of chemical solvents in China.

Sasol Chemicals Shanghai Co Ltd (SCS) will initially market products from the global Sasol Solvents business. Sasol Solvents operates plants in South Africa and Germany and supplies a wide range of products, including glycol ethers, C3/C4 alcohols, esters and acids, ethanol, ethyl acrylate, fine chemicals and aldehydes, glacial acrylic acid, ketones, methanol, n-butyl acrylate and mining chemicals. These are used in aerosol, agricultural, cosmetic, fragrance, mining, packaging, paint, adhesive, pharmaceutical, polish, printing and other applications.

"The Chinese market is extensive and forms part of our vigorous pursuit of global growth opportunities in the chemicals sector. We believe that we can offer a significant value proposition to the Chinese chemical markets. The opening of SCS in Shanghai will lay a foundation for profitable and sustainable growth by enhancing customer service through local currency sales and new business development," says group GM for Sasol Chemical Businesses, Dr Reiner Groh.

Sasol also recently announced plans to increase its octene production at Secunda in South Africa by 100 000 tonnes per annum, and will also double its methyl iso-butyl ketone (MIBK) output at Sasolburg, near Johannesburg.

Octene is a comonomer that is used in the production of plastics. MIBK is used largely as a solvent in surface coatings.