China's Sunsine expanding rubber accelerator capacity

Chinese rubber chemicals producer China Sunsine Chemical Holdings Ltd. has received government approval to begin trial runs at an expansion project in the Shandong.

Subsidiary Shandong Sunsine Chemical Co. Ltd is completing project, which has a capacity of 30,000 metric tons per year of TBBS N- tert-butyl-benzothiazole sulphonamide), in two phases. The first phase, rated at 10,000 tons, is complete and commercial production will start upon the successful completion of the trial run. Once operational, it will increase the group's TBBS production capacity for the accelerator to 97,000 tons annually.

TBBS is a delayed action accelerator with fast cure rate, the firm said. It also possesses good anti-scorching quality and is processing-safe.

Sunsine asserts that it is the world's largest accelerator manufacturer as well as China's biggest producer of insoluble sulphur (IS), which is used in the rubber industry to avoid blooming in high-temperature mixing.

Sunsine added that it conducting trial runs of an IS expansion project that has a capacity of 10,000 tons per year, but did not elaborate further on the location of new plant.

Listed on SGX-ST (Singapore Stock Exchange), Sunsine produces rubber accelerators, insoluble sulphur, other vulcanizing agents and antioxidants. According to its website, the company supplies major tire makers, including Bridgestone Corp., Michelin, Goodyear, Pirelli & C. S.p.A. and Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd.