BASF to modernise production of chloroformates and acid chlorides at Ludwigshafen site

BASF is to fundamentally modernise the entire infrastructure, including the facilities for the production of chloroformates and acid chlorides at its Ludwigshafen Verbund site. The company is investing a low three-digit million euro amount for this. The measures, which will be completed in the course of 2025, will increase the company’s capacity for these products at the site by around 30%. BASF is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of chloroformates, acid chlorides and alkyl chlorides, with a current annual capacity of 60,000 metric tons, as well as production facilities at its sites in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Yeosu, Korea.

"With our investment project we prove our long-term commitment to these high-value speciality products," said Frank Stein, Head of the Regional Business Unit Europe in BASF’s Intermediates division, adding, "As a leading producer in this field, we want to continue to reliably support our customers’ growth with a state-of-the-art infrastructure."

BASF sells around 30 individual products from the group of chloroformates, acid chlorides and alkyl chlorides. Customers use the chemicals for further processing in a wide range of applications, ranging from synthesis building blocks for pharmaceuticals and crop protection products to the production of organic peroxides. Peroxides prove their worth in the production of coating materials used, for example, to coat solar panels. They are also used in the production of a wide range of plastics for everyday use.