Through targeted debottlenecking measures, the Essen, Germany-based group said it will be able to increase local production capacity for the isobutene derivatives by well over 50% up to December 2021. Logistics will be further expanded to enhance the flexibility of supply to customers, both in terms of order volume and delivery time.

At the same time, the chemical producer will increase the purity of TMH from > 88 % to > 96 %. In future, its customers will be able to use TMH directly in their own production process without additional purification, thus saving time and money.

Evonik said all three products are enjoying increasing demand and have high future growth potential due to the ongoing development of petrochemical specialties such as MTBE, 1,3-butadiene or DINP. The production upgrades, it noted, will make a significant contribution to complete utilization of product from all raw material flows and thus to its sustainability strategy.

Hinnerk Becker, market segment manager for specialties at Performance Intermediates, said the investment supports the high growth dynamics in the field of synthetic high-performance lubricants. With the broadening of its range of isobutene derivatives, Evonik will be able to offer customers an optimized combination of supply reliability, flexibility and product quality.

The group supplies TBA in two grades (pure and azeotropic). Applications are in organic peroxides for the plastics industry, as a special solvent and in the production of tablet coatings by the pharmaceutical industry.

Due to its high purity, highly branched C8 molecule DiB can be used as an intermediate for UV stabilizers, high-performance lubricants and special polymer resins.

TMH, an aldehyde with high isomeric purity, is used as an intermediate for high-performance lubricants (especially cooling lubricants) and lubricant additives, as well as a component and intermediate product for special products in the cosmetics and fragrance industries.

Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist