BASF is building an alky-lethanolamine (AEOA) plant at its U.S. Verbund site in Geismar, Louisiana. The new plant, scheduled to come on line in 2007, complements existing amine production facilities at Geismar. The site currently manufactures some 20 different specialty amines. The new Geismar plant increases BASF’s worldwide production capacities for these intermediates by approximately 40%. BASF also operates AEOA plants at its Verbund site in Ludwigshafen, Germany.
“We see strong domestic growth opportunity for alkylethanolamines in a number of markets including water treatment, polyurethane catalysts, pharmaceuticals, and coatings,” said Joe Lynch, business director for BASF’s amine intermediates business in North America. “This investment will allow us to harvest those domestic opportunities, in particular in the polyurethane catalyst and water treatment markets, key targets for BASF amine business.”
Walter Gramlich, head of the intermediates operating division of the BASF Group, said, “With this plant we reinforce our leading position as a global producer of standard and specialty amines of which alkylethanolamines are a prime example. The Geismar production will make us the world’s only manufacturer of these chemical intermediates with production bases in two regions. As a result we are preparing the basis for further growth of our global amine business which in recent years has been developing very successfully.”