Advanced Aromatics Expands Baytown Facility

HOUSTON (October 12, 2005) -- Advanced Aromatics, L.P., the leading producer of high purity naphthalene and derivatives in the United States, today announced that it is expanding its Baytown plant in order to increase the capacity of its naphthalene unit. The expansion, along with production technology improvements, will result in a 25 percent increase in naphthalene production capacity beginning in the third quarter of 2005.

This is the first expansion of the naphthalene unit since 1996, and comes in response to improved market conditions, including a drop in the number of naphthalene producers in North America in the past nine years from five to three. The additional product resulting from the expansion will support Advanced Aromatics’ existing refined naphthalene and derivatives markets, and will allow Advanced Aromatics to return to the crude naphthalene market. “We are excited to see margins in crude naphthalene that will justify investing in that business again. We believe the additional capacity will give us a larger market share in some of our traditional markets, too,” said Peter Buenz, president of Advanced Aromatics. “This work supports our central mission – to be the leading supplier of naphthalene and heavy aromatics – and brings us one step closer to accomplishing that goal.” The expansion will also increase the overall reliability of the plant with significant utility and infrastructure improvements which will enable the company to address new growth opportunities. Advanced Aromatics, L.P., is a privately-owned chemical manufacturer with a plant in Baytown, Texas, and headquarters in Houston, Texas. For further information, log onto www.advancedaromatics.com.

For information contact:
Tiffany Heikkila (tiffany@vollmerpr.com)
Vollmer
(713) 970-2100