BASF will increase the production capacity for key specialty amines manufactured at its Geismar, Louisiana site. After the completed production capacity expansion of a flexible world-scale production asset by mid-2023, BASF will be able to produce more of its key polyetheramines and tertiary amines marketed under the Baxxodur® and LupragenTM brands. These assets in North America will complement a global network of specialty amines production plants including those at Verbund sites in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and in Nanjing, China.

“This investment underlines our commitment to continuously support the growth of our customers with high-quality specialty amines,” said Kevin Anderson, Vice President, Business Management Amines, Acetylenics and Carbonyl Derivatives, Chemical Intermediates, North America for BASF. “The additional capacity in Geismar will allow us to respond quickly and reliably to increasing market demand.”

BASF’s Baxxodur portfolio is utilized by customers as highly efficient curing agents and chain extenders in epoxy and polyurea applications for the wind, electrical, composites, adhesives and flooring industries. The usage of Baxxodur products allows customers to achieve a wide range of benefits in their formulation, including curing time, hardness, flexibility, peel strength, chemical and temperature resistance.

BASF’s Lupragen products are highly efficient amine catalysts for Polyurethanes (PU). Those catalysts are typically tertiary amines, which are required to facilitate the reaction of the main components – isocyanate and polyol. Depending on the choice of catalyst, the polyurethane forming process can be controlled to enhance the gelling or blowing reaction. BASF’s Lupragen portfolio includes several low-VOC catalysts which offer support to address the increasing target of sustainable emission reductions.

With about 300 different amines, BASF has one of the world’s most diverse portfolio of chemical intermediates. Along with alkyl-, alkanol- and alkoxyalkylamines, BASF offers heterocyclic and aromatic as well as specialty amines. The range is completed by an expanding portfolio of chiral amines of high optical and chemical purity. The versatile products prove themselves mainly to manufacture process chemicals, pharmaceuticals and crop protection products, as well as cosmetic products and detergents. They also serve to produce coatings, special plastics, composites and special fibers.