BASF to build speciality amines plant in China

BASF will build a new speciality amines plant at its existing wholly owned site in Nanjing Chemical Industry Park in China.

The new multi-product plant will be able to manufacture 21,000 metric tonnes per year and further extends BASF’s amines portfolio at the speciality amines complex in Nanjing.

The plant is scheduled to come on stream in 2019 and will mainly produce 1.2-Propylenediamine (1.2-PDA), n-Octylamine (n-OA) and Polyetheramine (PEA).

"BASF offers a wide range of amines globally, and this investment reflects our continued commitment to meeting the growing market demand in Asia Pacific,” said Stefan Blank, President, BASF Intermediates division.

"Building on decades of experience in developing and manufacturing amines, this new plant will further strengthen our global leadership in these versatile intermediate products.”

"This investment will help us to meet the increasing Asia Pacific demand for speciality amines used as intermediates in a diverse range of industries and applications, such as epoxy formulations, crop protection agents, spandex and biocides for the coatings industry,” said Narayan Krishnamohan, Senior Vice President, Intermediates Asia Pacific, BASF.

"Through this expansion, we will be able to better serve our customers in Asia Pacific with steady and timely supply of quality products.”

BASF also has manufacturing capacities for both 1.2-PDA and n-OA at its Ludwigshafen Verbund site in Germany.

Manufacturing plants for PEA are located at BASF sites in Ludwigshafen, Germany, Geismar, USA and Nanjing, China.

The main products of the new plant include:

• 1.2-Propylendiamine (1.2-PDA), an essential ingredient to produce elastic fibres. It is also used as a building block in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, crop protection agents, colourants, textile auxiliaries, pigments and optical brighteners. Furthermore, it is used as a corrosion inhibitor in surface treatment products.
• N-Octylamine (n-OA), a chemical intermediate for the synthesis of antimicrobial and biocidal agents.
• Polyetheramines (PEA), chemical intermediates used, for example, to produce polyurea coatings, adhesives and plastics. PEA is also used as a curing agent in epoxy resin systems for the production of blades for wind energy plants. BASF offers PEA under its Baxxodur brand.

With about 300 different amines, BASF has the world’s most diverse portfolio of this type of chemical intermediates.

Along with alkyl-, alkanol- and alkoxyalkylamines, the company offers heterocyclic and aromatic as well as speciality amines.

The range is completed by an expanding portfolio of chiral amines of high optical and chemical purity.

These versatile products are used 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 fibres.