BASF's plasticiser applications

15 July 2002 00:00  [Source: ICB]

In response to the ongoing discussion on the hazards of phthalates in PVC plasticisers, BASF has developed a new type of 'sustainable plasticiser', which it says is safe for such sensitive flexible PVC applications as food packaging, medical equipment and toys.

A new 25 000 tonne/year plant has gone onstream at Ludwigshafen, Germany, to manufacture the new product, a di-ester of cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid known as Hexamoll Dinch. BASF said it has spent E1m ($0.97m) on tests designed to uncover 'any imaginable side effects or characteristics that could be construed as dangerous'.

Switching to the new plasticiser, which can be processed on standard machinery, does not alter the properties of the end product, the group said. Several German processors are said to be using the Hexamoll Dinch in their plastic formulations, or are planning to switch to it.

BASF estimated potential sales of plasticisers for sensitive applications at over E100m/year.

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