BASF has agreed to sell its Bleaching Clay and Mineral Adsorbents businesses to EP Minerals for an undisclosed sum. The deal’s closing is expected for the third quarter, following all approvals. The buyer, based at Reno, Nevada, is regarded as a leader in diatomaceous earth (DE), clay and perlite, used as filter aids, absorbents and functional additives in a number of markets.

The Bleaching Clay and Mineral Adsorbents businesses are currently part of BASF’s Process Catalysts business unit within its global Catalysts division. A production site and a clay mine in the US state of Mississippi and the mineral rights sublease associated with a mine in Arizona will transfer to the new owner. Some 70 employees will be affected by the deal, but it was unclear if all will transfer.

Detlef Ruff, senior vice president, Process Catalysts, at BASF said the sale reflects the German group’s plans to refocus its portfolio on strategic growth areas. EP Minerals President and CEO Gregg Jones called the acquisition  a strategic move to strengthen its portfolio of industrial minerals and position the company for future growth and innovation.

Pigments alliance with Landa

In other news, BASF has announced an alliance with Landa Labs of the US to create “revolutionary pigments” for automotive coatings. As part of the arrangement, it will employ Landa’s nano-pigment technology in a new portfolio of easy dispersible ultra-high transparency pigments marketed under its Colors & Effects brand. The “groundbreaking development” will offer unprecedented color depth while significantly simplifying the production of automotive coatings, BASF said

The Ludwigshafen group said the Landa nano-pigment technology originally developed for the printing industry will allow it to introduce a new generation of colors & effects pigments with the highest quality consistency for the final automotive coating. The smaller size and narrower particle distribution leads to a thinner, higher chroma coating, it added.

“This is an industry first,” asserted Stefan Suetterlin, vice president of global business management, pigments, BASF. Benny Landa, chairman of the Landa Group, said the “synergistic alliance has the potential to disrupt the market.”