BASF to Double Glyoxal Capacity

30 October 2000 00:00  [Source: ICB Americas]

BASF is doubling its capacity for glyoxal because of increased demand for the chemical as an intermediate in textile and paper products. The company is building a 60,000-metric-ton-per-year glyoxal plant in Ludwigshafen. That facility will come on in mid-2002 and replace a 25,000-ton unit at that site.

BASF already has a 20,000-ton glyoxal plant in Geismar, La., which supplies the North and South American markets. The Asian market is served through a regional distribution center in Singapore.

BASF says that once the new plant is completed, it will be the world's largest producer of glyoxal, ahead of Clariant, the current market leader.

"There is strong growth in demand for glyoxal as an intermediate for an additive in fabric conditioners, which makes clothes easier to iron and eliminates creases," says a BASF spokesman. "In this sector, it is increasingly replacing formaldehyde derivatives because it is easier to process and does not have odor problems."

Glyoxal is also an intermediate for resins in paper and epoxy applications, as well as for glyoxylic acid, cellulose ethers, biocides and soil hardeners.

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