Oman Oil Company (OOC) owned Oxea, a global manufacturer of oxo intermediates and oxo derivatives, will build a major propanol unit adjoining its existing complex in Texas, US, said a report.

The world-scale plant, dubbed ‘Propanol-2’, will boost Oxea’s propanol production capacity by around 100,000 metric tonnes/year, and its propionaldehyde capacity by 40,000 mt/year, added the Oman Daily Observer report.

Propanol is a key ingredient in the manufacture of a range of products such as adhesives, coatings, printing inks and pharmaceuticals formulations, it said.

Propionaldehyde, on the other hand, is used in the production of food preservatives, plasticisers, plastics, rubber chemicals and pharmaceutical.

Oman Oil Company, the wholly Omani government owned energy and strategy investment arm, acquired Oxea in December 2013. The acquisition of what is effectively the world’s second largest producer of oxo intermediates and oxo derivatives catapulted Oman Oil Company into the ranks of the world’s top chemicals producers.