The Texas-based Chevron Phillips Chemical Company will build the world's largest on-purpose 1- hexene plant with a capacity of producing up to 250,000 metric tons per year, the company said on Monday.

Construction at the company's planned 1-hexene plant in Baytown, Texas state, is expected to begin in the first half of this year, and production of 1-hexene will start in the first quarter of 2014, according to the company's announcement.

The proprietary on-purpose 1-hexene technology is already successfully used at the company's facility in Qatar, and will soon be utilized at a plant in Saudi Arabia, the company said.

Chevron Phillips said that the technology enables the production of exceptionally pure 1-hexene from ethylene. "Approval of this 1-hexene project represents a significant milestone for our business and it supports our growth strategy as a leader in the production of normal alpha olefins," said Mitch Eichelberger, general manager of normal alpha olefins and polyalphaolefins for Chevron Phillips Chemical.

Chevron Phillips Chemical is a joint venture between Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhillips.

1-hexene is a critical component used in the manufacture of polyethylene, a plastic resin commonly converted into film, pipe, detergent bottles, and food and beverage containers.

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