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The Belpre, Ohio, facility is located
about 120 miles (200 kilometers) southeast
of Columbus, Ohio, and manufactures Performance Products, such as ZYLAR^® EX and DYLARK^® FG, as well as crystal polystyrene.

The facility began operation in 1968 producing crystal and impact polystyrene on four production lines. During the 1970s, six additional production lines were added and numerous capacity and quality improvement projects occurred. In 1990, a high-capacity crystal polystyrene line was built, which produced products containing less than 150 parts per million of residual styrene monomer. NOVA Chemicals acquired the site in December 1998, with plans to convert several lines into Performance Polymer production.

Styrene monomer, methylmethacrylate (MMA) and maleic anhydride are the primary raw materials used at the Belpre site. The styrene feedstock is transported to the site by barge and railcar from NOVA Chemicals' Bayport, Texas, and Sarnia facilities, and is used as the chemical building block for many of NOVA Chemicals' proprietary Performance Product technologies. The current annual production capacity is 320 million pounds per year, excluding the mid-2005 startup of the Performance Polymer production lines.

The finished products are shipped in pellet form to customers via rail car, hopper truck or packaged bags and boxes. Crystal polystyrene is used in the manufacture of food packaging, various food service items, medical products, packaging for audio cassettes, compact discs, and other electronic media. ZYLAR EX is an acrylic co-polymer with superior low-temperature resistance and can be found in frozen food packaging applications where clarity and performance are necessary. DYLARK FG was formulated for use in microwavable food packaging, a market that keeps growing with the demands of the consumer.

Approximately 70 employees work at the Belpre site. The Belpre site was ISO 9002 registered in 1993 and ISO 9001:2000 registered in 2002.