BP to Supply Lanxess with “Green” Cyclohexane
As part of a new strategic partnership, energy giant BP will provide German specialty chemicals producer Lanxess with “green” cyclohexane to feed its high-tech plastics production at Antwerp, Belgium.
During the current fourth quarter, the British-multinational group will begin deliveries of the material that is certified according to International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC Plus) rules.
With the partnership, the two companies, which already have a long-standing business relationship, said they intend to “significantly advance” the production of sustainable plastics. Lanxess uses cyclohexane as a precursor to make high performance polyamide 6, sold primarily to customers in the automotive electrical and consumer goods industries.
“The chemical industry plays an important role in the expansion of the circular economy and efficient sustainable management. To meet the global challenges of climate change, creative approaches to solutions and collaboration are needed,” said Wolfgang Stückle, vice president Midstream Refining and Specialities Solutions Europe and Africa of at BP.
The London-based group uses bio-based and bio-circular feedstocks such as rapeseed oil or biomass to produce cyclohexane sustainably.
Marcel Beermann, head of global procurement and logistics at Lanxess, noted that high performance plastics are needed to make many sustainable products, in particular in various e-mobility applications. “It is now important to also make production of the plastics sustainable,” he said, adding that the use of bio-based raw materials, along with modern recycling processes, is a “key lever.”
Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist
