1935
Nylon 6.6, a technical textile and plastic invented by Du Pont de Nemours in 1935, met the exploding needs of the post-war decade following World War II.
Our History
In 1974, Du Pont de Nemours and Rhône Poulenc joined forces to produce Adiponitrile (ADN), an intermediary needed to make the nylon chain 6.6. This first step would eventually become Butachimie.
In 1992, we accepted the responsibility for producing and supplying HMD. Over time, we became the world’s number one manufacturer of ADN.
Our partners, formerly Du Pont de Nemours and Rhône Poulenc, are today INVISTA and BASF, but we have retained the name Butachimie. The various projects that have illustrated our story for over 40 years are proof that striving for excellence is the guarantee of permanence.
The beginnings of Butachimie
1974
The American chemical group Du Pont de Nemours in Europe joined forces with the French company Rhône Poulenc to industrialize a new technology for manufacturing ADN, a key intermediate in the nylon chain, from Butadiene. Du Pont de Nemours furnished the technology; Rhône Poulenc provided the facilities, the personnel and the process. This was the beginning of Butachimie on the Chalampé site which has provided facilities for the two partners since 1977.
From ADN to HMD
1992
Rhône Poulenc gave Butachimie the responsibility for producing and supplying HMD in 1992. Our partner owns the intellectual property for the synthesis process of this second, key intermediary for nylon production.
1994
Since 1994, the SACHA project has enabled us to increase productivity.
Optimizing processes: DAPHNE, EDEN, OXYMORE…
In order to guarantee value creation for our partners over the long term, and to respect the basic principles of safety and sustainability, we are committed to process optimization on a daily basis.
2000 | Daphné
Conducted in 2000 and 2001, the DAPHNE project allowed us to significantly increase production capacities and process reliability in manufacturing HMD.
Eden | 2001
EDEN addressed the challenges of the 21st Century. Conducted between 1999 and 2001, the project saw a 50% increase in production of ADN to deal with the growing global demand for nylon 6.6 and polyurethanes. Butachimie became the world’s number one producer of ADN. EDEN also contributed to meeting our sustainability objectives. It personifies the “beyond compliance” policy for environmental protection that Butachimie had already been acting on for more than ten years.
The Eden project in numbers:
2007 | Oxymore
With Oxymore (2007-2010), the manufacturing costs of ADN dropped and the environmental performance improved. The project achieved another strategic objective: reducing the frequency of planned shutdowns. Since 2010, they now occur once every three years.
2014: Butachimie's field of expertise expands
2014
In 2014, Butachimie’s two partners extended the joint venture agreement for 99 years. Recognizing our excellence and reliability, the new statutes gave us even more autonomy and responsibility.
Since that date, our teams have contributed to improving the manufacturing and production process of ADN.
Septembre 2017
Our two partners, INVISTA and Solvay, decided to equip Butachimie with the latest technology for producing ADN at our Chalampé-Ottmarsheim facility. This decision, involving an investment of more than €250m, assured the future of the platform.
The project was baptized the Atlas Event.
2019 | ATLAS EVENT
Butachimie is continually advancing its technology for manufacturing ADN along with the most competitive processes to considerably reduce environmental impact.
