Oct 4 2007
BASF will expand its plant for low molecular weight, highly reactive polyisobutene (HR PIB), which is marketed globally under the Glissopal® trademark, at its Verbund site in Antwerp, Belgium. BASF will thereby increase its capacity for Glissopal® in Antwerp by 25 000 tonnes to a total of 100 000 tonnes per year. The start up of the expanded capacity is planned for March 2008.
“This investment is BASF’s response to the increasing global demand for Glissopal®. The new capacity is a sustainable contribution to the continuing dynamic development of the market for HR PIB, especially as a raw material for lubricant additives”, said Dr. Hartmann Leube, Head of Strategic Marketing and Product Development at BASF's Business Unit Performance Chemicals for the Automotive and Refinery Industry. By increasing capacity, BASF is consistently strengthening the position of its extensive range of products based on low, medium and high molecular weight polyisobutene. This year already an expansion at the Ludwigshafen site was completed which increased capacity for medium molecular weight polyisobutene (MM PIB).
BASF currently produces polyisobutene in four plants located in Ludwigshafen and Antwerp. BASF manufactures low molecular weight polyisobutene (Glissopal®) as well as medium and high molecular weight polyisobutene (Oppanol®). These two ranges of products play an important role in a wide variety of applications ranging from fuel and lubricant additives, industrial lubricants, oil for two-stroke engines through to adhesives, sealants, plastics and chewing gum base.