PARIS (April 30) — Rhodia S.A. plans to build to build a joint-venture facility in China to produce sodium silicate, an intermediate for precipitated silica production.
The plant in Qingdao, China, will have an annual capacity of 220,000 metric tons and come on-stream in the first quarter of 2008. The facility will be built through a joint venture agreement with Qingdao Haiwan Group and Qingdao Dongyue Sodium Silicate Co., Rhodia said.
The factory will supply Rhodia's Asian silica processing plants in Qingdao, China and Incheon, South Korea, which specialize in high-performance silica aimed mainly at the tire industry. Rhodia didn't disclose the cost of the project.