China's Zhenghe Petrochemical shut its fluid catalytic cracker (FCC) at Dongying on Wednesday, possibly because of mechanical problems, a company source said on Wednesday.

The plant in Shandong province can produce 108,000 tonnes/year of propylene, the source said.

No definite restart date was set for the plant.

Zhenghe Petrochemical has been selling 150 tonnes/day of propylene into the domestic spot market prior to the FCC shutdown.

The company supplies the rest of its propylene output from the FCC as feedstock for its 40,000 tonnes/year acrylic acid (AA) unit, the source said.