BASF has doubled capacity of its non-phthalate plasticizer Hexamoll DINCH at its Ludwigshafen headquarters to 200,000 t/y. With a second production facility, the German group said it will be better able to satisfy growing customer demand and strengthen supply security worldwide while continuing to ensure consistently high quality.

The BASF plasticizer was developed specially for applications with close human contact. Due to steadily growing demand since its market launch in 2002, it bacome an established plasticizer in food packaging, medical devices and toys. In the recent past, the group said it has seen increasing demand from the flooring and wall covering industry.

In other news, BASF said that, together with its Norwegian partner Yara, it has made "good progress" on plans to jointly build a world-scale ammonia plant on the U.S. Gulf Coast. The proposed plant based on a hydrogen-synthesis process would be located at the existing BASF site in Freeport, Texas, and have an annual capacity of 750,000 t/y.