BASF to increase capacity for butanediol at its Geismar site

GEISMAR, La., Jan. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- BASF will increase its production capacities for the chemical intermediate 1,4-butanediol (BDO) by 10 percent at its site in Geismar, Louisiana, as of 2016. The company will then have a global capacity of BDO of 670,000 metric tons per year.

BASF will also examine further measures to strengthen and to expand its BDO value chain at the Geismar site. To increase the capacities of BDO according to the steadily growing customer demand, BASF continuously implements measures to boost efficiency and improve infrastructure at all of its sites.

Besides its Geismar site, BASF is producing BDO at its sites in Ludwigshafen, Germany; Kuantan, Malaysia; Caojing, China and Chiba, Japan. In addition, a new BDO site, a joint venture of BASF and the Chinese company Xinjiang Markor, is expected to begin production of 100,000 metric tons BDO per year in 2015.

"Being the leading producer of BDO globally, we continue to expand our production capacity step wise to support the growth of our customers as a reliable partner," said Stefan Blank, President, BASF Intermediates division.

BDO is used for producing plastics, solvents, electronic chemicals and elastic fibers. Depending on the production technology, the starting materials for the production of conventional BDO are natural gas, coal, butane, butadiene and propylene.

About BASF Intermediates

The BASF Group's Intermediates division develops, produces and markets a comprehensive portfolio of about 700 intermediates around the world. Its most important product groups include amines, diols, polyalcohols, acids and specialties. Intermediates are for example used as starting materials for coatings, plastics, pharmaceuticals, textiles, detergents and crop protectants. Innovative intermediates from BASF help to improve both the properties of final products and the efficiency of production processes. The ISO 9001 certified Intermediates division operates plants at production sites in Europe, Asia and North America. Around the globe the division generated sales to third parties of about €2.8 billion in 2013. For more information, go to www.intermediates.basf.com. 

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has nearly 17,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $19.3 billion in 2013. For more information about BASF's North American operations, visit www.basf.us.

At BASF, we create chemistry – and have been doing so for 150 years. Our portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. As the world's leading chemical company, we combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of about €74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

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SOURCE BASF Corporation

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