MOL has inaugurated the new polyol research and development center, named after György Mosonyi, late CEO of MOL, in Százhalombatta, Hungary, and will develop various polyols to meet customer needs. The experimental reactor system, which is the most modern in the world, was supplied and commissioned by thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions. 90% of the other equipment used in the project was purchased from Hungarian suppliers. At the same time, MOL and thyssenkrupp reached a joint agreement on research and development.

The MOL Group’s 2030 strategy aims to increase the share of the petrochemical segment’s contribution to the group’s results. The 1.2 billion euro investment in the Tiszaújváros polyol complex aims to achieve this goal. To support the investment and to ensure that the plant meets the needs of the markets it serves, MOL has set up a research and development center at its refinery on the Danube River. The center, built with an investment of 10 million euro, will provide the necessary funding for up to 12 engineers and 7 technicians and the most advanced experimental reactor system in the world, provided and put into operation by thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions, 90% of the equipment being purchased from Hungarian suppliers.

MOL and thyssenkrupp also concluded a joint agreement on research and development to facilitate the entry of both companies into the polyols market: thyssenkrupp as a provider of technological services and engineering-procurement-construction contracts (EPC), and MOL as a manufacturer and supplier of various polyols.

The research and development center will perform tests of the physico-chemical properties of polyols, as well as laboratory analyzes and experiments with applications of polyurethane foams made from them. By July 2022, at least 10 classes of polyols will be developed in the newly built unit.