Iran's Oil Minister Massoud Mirkazemi has launched the development plan of Tabriz Petrochemical Company (TPC) in an effort to boost the production of polystyrene, Press TV reported.
Mirkazemi attended the opening ceremony of the project on Thursday, Mehr News Agency reported.
The development plan includes the production of polystyrene in the TPC, which is located in the northwestern part of the country.
It is expected that the new project would produce 54,000 tons of polystyrene annually, generating 76 million dollars per year in its final stage.
About 21 million dollars have been invested for the design, construction, and implementation of the polystyrene project with cooperation of the private sector.
The project, which would meet the country's requirements, began five years ago.
Tabriz Petrochemical Company currently produces about 15,000 tons of polystyrene annually while the country's requirement is about five-fold. Importing the product would be cut following the launch of the project.
Polystyrene is a type of polymer with thermoplastic properties produced from the petroleum-derived monomer, styrene.
In solid form, polystyrene is a colorless and rigid plastic and it may also be returned to a liquid by heating and used again for molding or extrusion.
Polystyrene is used to produce many products for industrial and consumer use. In fact, its presence as a plastic in everyday life is second only to polyethylene.
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