Fatal fire at Shell plant hits elastomers market

Abstract

An explosion and fire ripped through a thermoplastic rubber unit and a tank farm on May 27 at Shell Chemical's Belpre, Ohio, plant, killing at least one employee. At press time, two other employees were still missing. The company has not yet determined the cause of the explosion and degree of damage to the unit, which produces Kraton D styrenic block copolymers, styrene-butadiene-styrene and styrene-isoprene-styrene. That facility, called the K-l unit, and all other plants at the site remain closed. Shell Chemical says it plans to rebuild its K-l facility, which produces materials for paving roads and building roofs, as well as some adhesive products. Shell's outage comes at the beginning of the construction industry's busiest season, as demand for roofing and paving materials soars. Because the Belpre plant is by far the largest U.S. producer of styrenic block copolymers, with about 350 million lb of annual capacity, the shutdown of Kraton D ...