BASF Starts Up A New Production Facility For Intermediates
- More than €100M invested in Ludwigshafen
- 48 new jobs created
- Greenhouse gas nitrous oxide used as a raw material
After a two-year construction phase, BASF recently (November 30, 2009) started up a new plant complex for the production of the chemical intermediates cyclopentanone (CPon) and cyclododecanone (CDon) at its Ludwigshafen Verbund site. Kurt Beck, the prime minister of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, attended the inauguration ceremony. The company has invested more than €100M euros in the facility, which has a total production capacity of approximately 30,000 metric tons per year. The complex will create 48 new jobs in Ludwigshafen.
"The new facility is a very positive event for us – especially in the currently difficult economic climate," said Board member Dr. Harald Schwager. "A plant startup like this shows that we have a long-term perspective at BASF and take well-founded decisions," Schwager added.
The new facility will be the first to use nitrous oxide for industrial-scale oxidation. This greenhouse gas, which is a by-product from another production process, serves as a starting material in the new process. The new technology was tailored to the needs of BASF's Verbund system. Along with nitrous oxide, other raw materials from BASF are also used as ingredients. As a result the process is cost-efficient as well as sustainable and easy on the environment.
"The two new products, CDon and CPon, fit in perfectly in our intermediates portfolio. The key factors for success are our innovativeness and BASF's Verbund. Not only does it supply the raw materials we need, it also provides a Know-how Verbund that integrates research, process technology, mechanical and plant engineering," said Dr. Beate Ehle, President of BASF's Intermediates division. BASF needed only five and a half years from the initial idea to plant startup. This is all the more remarkable because the operation uses a novel three-stage production process that had never before been used on an industrial scale.
CDon is the key raw material for producing laurolactam, an intermediate for the high-performance plastic polyamide 12, which in turn is used to make products such as dimensionally stable automotive and engineering components. In addition, CDon is used in the synthesis of musk fragrances and UV stabilizers. CPon is a building block in the synthesis of crop protection products, active ingredients for pharmaceuticals and fragrances, and as a solvent in wafer production.
About BASF's Intermediates division
The BASF Group's Intermediates division develops, produces and markets around the world a comprehensive portfolio of more than 600 intermediates. The most important of the division's product groups include amines, diols, polyalcohols, acids and specialties. Among other applications, intermediates are used as starting materials for coatings, plastics, pharmaceuticals, textile fibers, detergents and crop protectants. Innovative intermediates from BASF help to improve the properties of final products and the efficiency of production processes. The ISO 9001:2000-certified Intermediates division operates plants at production sites in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Around the globe, 2,655 employees of the division generated sales of about €2.5B to third parties in 2008. For more information, visit: www.basf.de/intermediates.
About BASF
BASF is the world's leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals as well as oil and gas. As a reliable partner BASF helps its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of more than €62B in 2008 and had approximately 97,000 employees as of the end of the year. For more information, visit: www.basf.com.
SOURCE: BASF