French technology provider Axens has won a contract from China’s CNOOC Huizhou Petrochemical Co. Ltd. (CHPCL) for an aromatics expansion project in Daya Bay.

Axens will supply its suite of ParamaX technologies, which produce PX, benzene and mixed xylenes from aromatic-rich reformate and pyrolysis gasoline. The ParamaX suite includes Arofining selective olefin removal; Eluxyl PX purification; XyMax C8 aromatics isomerisation; and TransPlus aromatics transalkylation.

The project will expand CHPCL’s high-purity aromatics capacity to 3 million t/y. The new complex will also include 1.5 million t/y of PX in a single train. A timescale for the project was not disclosed.

“This brand-new, state-of-the-art aromatics complex will allow CHPCL to further improve its resilience and competitiveness while producing highly valuable aromatics products,” said Patrick Sarrazin, executive vice-president of Axens’ process licensing global business unit.

Under the terms of the contract, Axens will supply catalysts, adsorbents and equipment along with staff training and plant start-up, followed by plant performance monitoring services.

CHPCL has been running an Axens ParamaX complex producing more than 1.3 million t/y of pure aromatics since 2009.

Axens said it has licensed more than 30 ParamaX aromatics complexes to date as well as 400 process units aimed at aromatics production or transformation.