Site

The Butachimie facility in Chalampé, Alsace, France, is recognized as one of the world’s most advanced and largest production sites for intermediates used in nylon 6.6 (polyamide 6.6) manufacturing.

The facility’s core activity is the production of adiponitrile (ADN) and hexamethylenediamine (HMDA), both of which are essential for the creation of nylon 6.6 fibers, technical plastics, and other high-performance materials.This process, originally developed by DuPont and now owned and licensed by INVISTA.

Feedstocks, products, and Utilities

• The main feedstock for the site is butadiene.
• ADN is produced by reacting butadiene with hydrogen cyanide in a multi-step catalytic process.
• HMDA is produced by hydrogenating ADN.
• Hydrogen and ammonia are important feedstocks in these processes, and the site relies on a robust supply of water and industrial gases.
• Utilities are provided by the integrated WEurope industrial platform.

Technologies

• The site underwent a significant upgrade between 2019 and 2020, with a €250 million investment to implement INVISTA’s latest ADN production technology. This upgrade not only expanded the site’s capacity—making it the world’s largest single-site ADN producer with an annual capacity of around 620,000 tonnes—but also improved energy efficiency and reduced by-product generation.
• The hydrogenation technology for HMD production is also based on INVISTA’s (DuPont legacy) proprietary processes, ensuring high yields and product purity.

Certifications

The facility is certified to ISO 14001 for environmental management and ISO 50001 for energy efficiency.