Jul 5 2007
BASF started up its new alkylethanolamines (AEOA) plant at its U.S. Verbund site in Geismar, Louisiana, about one month ahead of schedule. The new plant complements existing amine production facilities at that site that now include 20 different specialty amines. This plant is backward integrated through existing on-site ethylene oxide production. The new Geismar plant increases BASF’s worldwide production capacity for alkylethanolamines by about 40 percent. BASF also operates AEOA plants at its Verbund site in Ludwigshafen, Germany.
“We see strong domestic growth opportunity for alkylethanolamines in water treatment, gas treatment and coatings,” said Joe Lynch, Business Director for BASF’s Amine Intermediates business in North America. “Our new domestic production also makes it easier for our customers to be serviced more quickly.”
Teressa Szelest, Group Vice President, BASF Chemical Intermediates NAFTA, said: “With this plant, we reinforce our leading position as a global producer of standard and specialty amines, including these strategic alkylethanolamines. I am also very pleased that we were able to start-up ahead of schedule and that we began shipping product in June.”
The world’s most multifaceted amine selection
BASF has the world’s most diverse portfolio of amines. In addition to alkyl-, alkanol-, alkoxyalkyl-, di- and polyamines, the company also produces aromatic as well as heterocyclic amines. In addition the company is offering a constantly expanding portfolio of chiral amines of high optical and chemical purity. These chemical intermediates are produced in Ludwigshafen and Schwarzheide (Germany), Antwerp (Belgium), Geismar (United States), Camaçari (Brazil), and in Nanjing, the Verbund site in China.
This diverse line of chemical intermediates is being utilized with great success in manufacturing pharmaceuticals and cosmetics as well as cleaning and crop protection agents. Intermediates are additionally employed in producing various plastics and coating resins. Amines are also part of process chemical formulations applied, for instance, in water treatment as well as paper, textile and leather manufacturing.