BASF is planning to spend as much as €500 million on a major upgrade of its superabsorbent technology platform up to the end of 2016. Simultaneously, the world's largest chemical producer will launch what it claims are "highly innovative superabsorbent polymers" under the trademark Saviva.

To keep time-to-market as short as possible, managing board member Michael Heinz said existing plants will be revamped to operate on a droplet polymerization process - starting in Europe and closely followed by facilities in Asia and the Americas. In future the facilities will be able to produce both Saviva and the current product sold under the HySorb trademark.

Based on round-shaped particles with micro-pores, Saviva has an innovative liquid distribution mechanism, BASF said, making it a highly efficient superabsorbent polymer in a diaper core.

The product already has been tested in laboratories, in diaper prototypes and with end consumers in home-use tests. Selected customers are said to have given "positive feedback."

With a global network of research, production and service sites for superabsorbent polymers, BASF has a production capacity of 590,000 t/y.