Lanxess has increased capacity for the high-performance intermediate cresol at Leverkusen, Germany, by 20% at a cost of €20 million. The Cologne-based specialty chemicals producer said it is now operating a newly constructed reaction system as well as a second 46-meter-high distillation column.

Hubert Fink, head of the company's Advanced Industrial Intermediates business unit, said the equipment is designed in such a way that energy released in production is fed back into the process in the form of steam, which both makes the process more environmentally friendly and reduces energy consumption.

The business unit manager said expanding capacity for cresol, which is used in the agrochemical industry but also goes into production of vitamin E, aroma chemicals, resins and flame retardants, is part of the company's strategy to invest in long-term assets and increase productivity.

Lanxess managing board member Werner Breuers said the company expects "substantial growth" in the cresols market and has aligned its long-term planning accordingly.