Oxea said it aims to annually produce 60,000 metric tons of dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP), a general purpose non-ortho-phthalate plasticizer, in Europe by the second half of 2019. To that effect, Oxea has entered into a cooperation with Oxxynova, Steyerberg, Germany, a manufacturer of dimethyl terephthalate (DMT). Oxea’s DOTP will be produced at a new, dedicated production unit in the transesterification process, which is superior to conventional esterification. Oxea will supply the key precursor 2‑ethylhexanol (2-EH) to Oxxynova and will market the end product DOTP through its own sales channels. The new DOTP production unit will be constructed at Oxxynova’s manufacturing site in Germany, with engineering activities already well under way. Dioctyl terephthalate is a phthalate-free plasticizer that meets highest environmental requirements. A direct replacement mainly for dioctyl phthalate (DOP) and diisononyl phthalate (DINP), DOTP is used in a wide range of applications such as construction, automotive, coatings, and flooring.
 
“By 2019 Oxea will become the major supplier of DOTP in Europe,” said Max Grudda, marketing manager Plasticizers at Oxea.“Our primary goal is to improve delivery reliability through local production to sustainably meet our customer’s current and future needs for this important non-ortho-phthalate plasticizer. Together with Oxxynova, we are fully backward-integrated into the two key raw materials: Oxea is the largest European producer of 2-EH, and Oxxynova is the leading European producer of DMT.”
 
“At Oxxynova we are very pleased to be working with Oxea on producing DOTP at Steyerberg. As the world market leader in terms of volumes to the DMT merchant market, we bring over 40 years of manufacturing experience into the cooperation,” Oxxynova CEO Dr. Klaus Puell said. “By combining our new dedicated, state-of-the-art DOTP production unit with Oxea’s resources and sales experience, we will bring the supply of locally produced DOTP to the next level in Europe.”