BASF to increase global capacities for BDO and PolyTHF  

BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) will increase its global capacities for producing the chemical intermediate 1,4-butanediol (BDO) and the BDO derivative PolyTHF (polytetramethylene ether glycol; PTMEG) within the coming two years. BASF’s annual BDO capacity will rise from 535,000 to 650,000 metric tons (m.t.), its annual PolyTHF capacity from 250,000 to 350,000 m.t. With respect to PolyTHF, BASF had already announced a capacity increase from 185,000 to 250,000 m.t./yr in August 2012. The company continuously expands its production capacities by implementing measures to boost efficiency and improve its infrastructure. These measures include, in particular, investments in the double-digit million euro range to increase capacity for BDO operations at BASF’s Geismar, Louisiana, site, and for PolyTHF operations at the Caojing, China, site. Part of the announced capacity increase will be a BDO and a PolyTHF plant located at Korla, China. As recently announced these plants will be built by two joint-venture (JV) companies established by BASF and Xinjiang Markor Chemical Industry Co. The plants will be capable of manufacturing 100,000 m.t./yr of BDO and 50,000 m.t./yr of PolyTHF. They are expected to begin operations…