August 30, 2025 – Nanjing Jinling Huntsman New Materials Co., Ltd. announced a major milestone on August 22, 2025: its 60,000-ton-per-year isobutylene production project, which uses catalytic distillation dehydration of tert-butanol, has successfully yielded high-purity isobutylene. The product boasts a purity level of 99.99%, with all key indicators surpassing the designed values, marking the seamless success of the full-process trial run at the first attempt. This achievement not only signals the official launch of the project into operational phase but also effectively fills the gap in the regional high-end C4 industrial chain, providing crucial raw material support for the development of downstream industries.
Sources indicate that the high-purity isobutylene from this project has clear application targets. It will be directly supplied to downstream sectors engaged in the production of specialty rubber, pharmaceutical intermediates, and high-end resins, offering a new option for raw material security in these industries. From an economic perspective, the stable operation of the project is expected to help the company add an annual output value of 580 million yuan. Beyond expanding the company’s revenue scale, this will also inject new vitality into regional economic growth, demonstrating strong economic benefits and a driving role in industrial development.
Nanjing Jinling Huntsman New Materials Co., Ltd. enjoys a favorable corporate background, as it is a joint venture invested by Sinopec and Huntsman Corporation—both leaders in the chemical industry with profound strength and abundant resources. The success of the 60,000-ton/year isobutylene project is a direct result of the integration of the two shareholders’ core advantages. Sinopec, with extensive experience in C4 raw material supply and large-scale chemical project management, provides stable raw material guarantees and a mature operation management system for the project. Meanwhile, Huntsman Corporation excels in technological innovation, offering robust support for the project’s technical implementation and efficient operation.
For Jinling Huntsman, the project’s success represents a “critical step” in its transformation and upgrading journey. The project itself holds distinct advantages: on one hand, the product has high added value—high-purity isobutylene is in strong demand in the high-end chemical sector and enjoys competitive market positioning; on the other hand, it features low production energy consumption, aligning with the current trend of green and low-carbon development in the chemical industry. This not only reduces production costs but also minimizes environmental impact. By developing and producing such high-value-added, globally competitive high-end products, the company has opened up new profit margins, significantly enhancing its market competitiveness in the industry and laying a solid foundation for future development.
According to information from the Color Masterbatch Industry Network, from a market perspective, high-purity isobutylene is a vital raw material in the chemical field. Currently, most high-purity isobutylene available in the market already meets a purity standard of over 99.9%, with top-grade products reaching 99.99% purity. The isobutylene produced by Jinling Huntsman falls into this high-quality category, capable of meeting the demands of high-end downstream application scenarios. In terms of usage, high-purity isobutylene has a wide range of applications. In addition to the specialty rubber, pharmaceutical intermediate, and high-end resin sectors targeted by this project, it can also serve as a raw material for methyl methacrylate (MMA)—the monomer for acrylic glass—providing support for the acrylic glass industry. Furthermore, it is used in the production of polyisobutylene (mainly as a lubricating oil additive) and butyl rubber, playing an important role in the lubricating oil and rubber industries.
Moreover, high-purity isobutylene holds an irreplaceable position in the fine chemical sector. It is widely used in the production of chemical products such as antioxidants, tert-butylamine, and isoprene, and also serves as a key raw material for various pharmaceutical intermediates, safeguarding the development of the pharmaceutical industry. As downstream industries continue to increase their demand for high-purity isobutylene, the commissioning of Jinling Huntsman’s project will further enrich market supply, optimize the layout of the regional industrial chain, and drive the high-quality development of China’s high-end C4 chemical industry.