Eastman announces increase in capacity for butyric acid

Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE: EMN) announced today a debottleneck of butyric acid production capacity at its Kingsport, Tennessee facility. The debottleneck, scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2013, will add an additional 11 million pounds of capacity to support growing internal and external demand for the acid.

“Eastman is committed to the butyric acid market for the long term,” says Chip Millican, business manager for Eastman’s Organic Intermediates business unit of the Specialty Fluids and Intermediates business segment. “We carefully monitor the requirements of this growing global market. This expansion will satisfy the needs we currently have forecasted, and we have the capability to expand further as the demand for Eastman’s butyric acid grows.”

Eastman is the world leader in butyric acid production and has been manufacturing the product for more than 70 years. Butyric acid is a naturally occurring short-chain fatty acid found in the human body, butter, and numerous other sources. Esters and salts of butyric acid are used in a variety of applications including perfumes, flavorings, and animal feeds. Eastman offers a variety of grades of butyric acid appropriate for these various end uses.