OREANDA-NEWS. RUSNANO is investing in a project to modernize large-scale production of caprolactam (a raw material for nylon) by the Russian company, KuibyshevAzot. The production process will be modernized using advanced technologies with nanostructured catalysts. The total investment will be 6.2 billion rubles, including 1.25 billion rubles from RUSNANO.

The nanostructured catalyst technology, transferred by the Dutch group DSM, will increase caprolactam production capacity at KuibyshevAzot from 190,000 to 210,000 tons per year (260,000 tons in the future) while reducing production costs by 12%. The effect of the technology is to boost output of cyclohexanone (an intermediate product in caprolactam synthesis) while reducing resource use and waste generation. Improvements will also be obtained in energy efficiency, and environmental and industrial safety.

The joint project with RUSNANO makes an important contribution to the strategic development program of KuibyshevAzot, which is focused on increasing the share of products with higher value added: the company now processes caprolactam into polyamide-6, technical and textile yarns, cord fabric, as well as engineering plastics (composite polymers for use in the automotive industry).

KuibyshevAzot is the biggest producer of caprolactam and polyamide-6 in the CIS and Eastern Europe. It is also one of the top-10 Russian nitrogen producers, producing ammonia and a range of nitrogen fertilizers (urea, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate), which account for 5% of total Russian output of fertilizers.