The first set of polytetrahydrofuran units with an annual output of 20,000 tons was completed and became operational at CNPC Qianguo Petrochemical on December 8, using furfural as the raw material. The project, which started in July 2005, uses advanced manufacturing technologies to ensure it is of the highest international standards.
Polytetrahydrofuran is mainly used to produce urethane elastic fiber and polyurethane elastomer. Furfural, the raw material of tetrahydrofuran, is produced mainly with corn cobs. A set of polytetrahydrofuran units with an annual output of 20,000 tons requires 30,000 tons of furfural and 330,000 tons of corn cobs.
The productivity of this set of units not only meets the demands of the domestic PTMEG market, but also brings extra income to farmers planting corn. Qianguo Petrochemical is located in the city of Songyuan, Jilin Province, an agricultural area which produces 5 million tons of corn annually. Therefore, the polytetrahydrofuran project is quite important to the development of farming in the area.