MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF SE has invested to enhance the flexibility of its water-soluble polyacrylate production plant at the company’s Ludwigshafen site, Germany, and also has slightly expanded capacity, according to Chemical Engineering.
The upgraded plant is now operational, enabling customers in the household and commercial cleaning products, as well as for chemical and formulator industries to benefit from the expanded capacity in specialty chemicals.
"High-performance water-soluble polyacrylates and copolymers are an indispensable component of our customers’ formulations. With this investment and our applications expertise, we are supporting our European customers in their efforts to boost their market growth with differentiated products," said Soeren Hildebrandt, Senior Vice President, Home Care, I&I and Industrial Formulators Europe at BASF.
Water-soluble polyacrylates and copolymers are marketed by the Care Chemicals operating division under the Sokalan brand and have numerous applications. Sokalan PA and Sokalan CP grades are used in the household and commercial cleaning products industry for water softening and in various technical processes, for example to prevent fouling. As dye transfer inhibitors, Sokalan HP grades protect fabrics from discoloration during washing. Sokalan NR grades are polyacrylates whose narrow molecular-weight distribution makes them highly effective mineral dispersing agents.
As MRC wrote earlier, BASF, the world's petrochemical major, has restarted its No. 1 steam cracker following a maintenance turnaorund. Thus, the company resumed operations at the plant on September 30, 2019. The plant was shut for maintenance in mid-August, 2019. Located at Ludwigshafen in Germany, the No. 1 cracker has an ethylene production capacity of 235,000 mt/year and a propylene production capacity of 125,000 mt/year.
Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing PE and polypropylene (PP).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,904,410 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2019, up by 6% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. PE shipments increased from both domestic producers and foreign suppliers. The PP consumption in the Russian market was 1,161,830 tonnes in January-November 2019, up by 7% year on year. Deliveries of all grades of propylene polymers increased, with the homopolymer PP segment accounting for the largest increase.
BASF is the leading chemical company. It produces a wide range of chemicals, for example solvents, amines, resins, glues, electronic-grade chemicals, industrial gases, basic petrochemicals and inorganic chemicals. The most important customers for this segment are the pharmaceutical, construction, textile and automotive industries. BASF generated sales of around EUR63 billion in 2018.
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