BASF

Multinational Companies in China’s Chemical Industry

Chemical MNCs show strong verbal commitment to China, but the real situation is somewhat underwhelming.

Air Liquide and BASF Win EU Funds for Antwerp CCS Project

Air Liquide and BASF have received an undisclosed funding award from the European Innovation Fund as part of plans to develop what the EU expects to be the world’s largest cross-border Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) value chain, starting at the Port of Antwerp in Belgium.

BASF to Sell Kaolin Minerals Business to KaMin

BASF is selling its kaolin minerals business to KaMin, a globally active minerals company owned by IMin Partners and headquartered in Macon, Georgia, USA. Part of BASF’s Performance Chemicals division, the activities had sales of around €155 million in 2020 and a workforce of 440 in North America, Europe and Asia.

Sika Boosts Construction Chemicals with MBCC Buy

Swiss specialty chemicals company Sika has agreed to buy MBCC Group, formerly BASF’s construction chemicals business, from an affiliate of private equity company Lone Star Funds for €5.2 billion. Sika described the deal as “highly complementary” and added that it expects the addition of MBCC’s portfolio to push sales above €12.3 billion by 2023.

Sale of Solenis to Platinum Equity Closes

With the receipt of all approvals, BASF and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) have closed the sale of water treatment company Solenis to Platinum Equity. The transfer to the new private equity investor for an enterprise value of $5.25 billion includes net debt of around $2.5 billion.

A Pivotal Move to Net-Zero

Leading global chemical companies and the World Economic Forum (WEF) have announced that they are entering an agreement to formalize the Low-Carbon Emitting Technologies (LCET) initiative into a stand-alone entity by the end of 2023, to share early-stage risks and co-invest in developing and upscaling low-carbon emitting technologies.

BASF and Sanyo Partner on PUDs

BASF and Sanyo Chemical Industries have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop and produce sustainable polyurethane dispersions (PUDs). The companies said they aim to jointly develop and manufacture innovative products with strong sustainability contribution. Any newly developed technologies and products will have worldwide market access through their global production footprint.

Synthos to Build Butadiene Plant at Plock

Polish plastics and rubber producer Synthos is building a new butadiene extrusion unit, coupled with associated logistics infrastructure, at Plock, Poland. The new facility due on stream in 2024 will have an ultimate capacity of 120,000 t/y and will feed the company’s production in central and eastern Europe.

US EPA may Regulate Chemical Recycling

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is said to be considering regulating the increasingly popular practice of chemical recycling. In a notice published in the Federal Register, the environmental watchdog that turned into the opposite during the Trump administration said it wants companies to provide more information on pyrolysis and gasification, with an eye to regulating these processes under the federal Clean Air Act.

Renewable Energy for BASF Polish Plant

BASF Polska, Polish subsidiary of the Ludwigshafen-based German chemical group, has signed a two-year contract with energy utility PGE Obrót to purchase electricity produced entirely from renewable sources – for the most part wind-based – to power its mobile emissions catalysts plant in Środa Śląska.

BASF and Sinopec Expand Capacity at Nanjing

German chemical giant BASF and its Chinese joint venture partner Sinopec have unveiled plans to expand several downstream plants at the Nanjing petrochemicals complex they operate under the name BASF-YPC. The expansion will cover propionic acid, propionic aldehyde, ethyleneamines, ethanolamines and purified ethylene oxide.

BASF and Eni to Develop Bio-based Propanol

BASF and Eni have agreed to jointly develop new technology to produce bio-propanol from glycerin, a byproduct from the production of industrial biodiesel, or fatty acid methyl ester (FAME).

LyondellBasell Takes Over PolyPacific Polymers

LyondellBasell has taken over 100% of PolyPacific Polymers (PPM), a compounder based at Port Klang, Malaysia. The Malaysian production facility, which has capacity to produce 25,000 t/y of reinforced and modified polyolefin compounds, will be rebranded as LyondellBasell. All employees will transfer.

EU Unveils “Fit for 55” Climate Proposals

Building on the Green Deal it rolled out at the end of 2019 and the European Climate Law that goes into effect this month, the European Commission on Jul. 14, concretized its long anticipated targets toward putting the EU at the forefront of political blocs dealing with climate change.

BASF to Build Battery Recycling Pilot at Schwarzheide

With an eye toward the growing electric vehicle market, BASF has announced it will build a battery recycling prototype plant at the site of its cathode active materials (CAM) production facility in Schwarzheide, Germany.

Renewable Electricity for First BASF Plants at Zhanjiang

In what it called another “significant milestone” along the route to greener production globally, BASF has agreed to buy renewable electricity for its Zhanjiang integrated site in China from China Resources Power. The purchase transacted through the Guangdong Power Exchange Center was made possible by new government rules established in April, and BASF will be the first company to benefit.

Wintershall Dea IPO Pushed Back Again

An initial public offering for Wintershall Dea, the oil and gas producer owned by BASF and Letter One – last planned for the second half of 2021 – will not take place this year, the partners announced on Jun. 16, citing an uncertain market.

BASF and Shanshan in Chinese Battery JV

BASF is forming a majority-owned 51:49 joint venture with Hunan Shanshan Energy to make cathode active materials (CAM) and their precursors (PCAM) in China, the world’s the largest battery materials market. The chemicals are a key component of lithium-ion batteries, which are in strong demand, thanks to the growing market for electric vehicles.

On the Way to Climate Neutrality

The EU Commission’s ambitious plan for a European Green Deal, launched shortly before the pandemic struck in early 2020, aims to make the continent the world’s first climate-neutral region by 2050. The goals spelled out in January last year call for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% up to 2030, compared with 1990 levels.

BASF Wraps up Sale of US Kankakee Site

BASF has wrapped up the sale of its Kankakee, Illinois production site for an undisclosed sum to an affiliate of US private equity group One Rock Capital Partners. The sale also includes the associated businesses of vegetable-oil-based raw material sterols and natural vitamin E, anionic surfactants and esters produced at the site, which are being rebranded as Kensing.

BASF and RWE to Build Wind Farm for Ludwigshafen

BASF and major German utility company RWE have signed a letter of intent to create a €4 billion, 2 gigawatt, wind farm at an undisclosed offshore location on the German North Sea coast by 2030. The chemical group, which will own 49% of the project to RWE’s 51%, will take four-fifths of the output, feeding energy mainly to its Ludwigshafen headquarters. The wind park is calculated to satisfy about a quarter of the site’s power needs.

BASF Invests in Enzymes in Austria

BASF is investing in its enzymes business at the Novartis Kundl/Schaftenau Campus in Austria. The German chemical giant said the agreement with the Swiss group – for which financial details were not disclosed – will enable it to develop a world-scale operation for bacterial enzymes and biotechnology products.

BASF Breaks Ground on Shanghai R&D Expansion

BASF has broken ground for the third phase of its new Innovation Campus Shanghai. Construction work on the expansion, which will add a further research and development building and a new R&D workshop building to the campus, is expected to be completed by the end of 2022 and bring its total investment in the Chinese technology showcase to around €280 million.

BASF, SABIC and Linde in Cracker Electrification Pact

BASF, SABIC and Linde have signed a joint agreement to develop and demonstrate solutions for electrically heated steam cracker furnaces and are evaluating the construction of a multi-megawatt demonstration plant at BASF’s Ludwigshafen site in Germany, to start up in 2023.

BASF again Named World’s Most Valuable Chemicals Brand

A coalescing of factors has led to arrested growth across the chemicals sector this year, with the brand value of the top 25 most valuable chemicals brands contracting by 8% on average, according to the latest report by Brand Finance, an independent brand valuation consultancy.

BASF Commissions Custom Rhine Tanker

To facilitate shipping on the Rhine River at extremely low water levels, BASF has commissioned a special tanker, which is currently being built by Stolt Tankers. Scheduled for delivery in late 2022, it will be operated exclusively for the German chemical group.

BASF Completes Phase 1 of Geismar MDI Expansion

BASF has completed the first phase of an MDI expansion at its Geismar, Louisiana, complex in the US and taken an older MDI plant off stream. When the next phase is concluded, in the second half of 2021, the group’s MDI capacity by will rise by about a third.

A Virtual Formulation Assistant

BASF has created ZoomLab, a virtual formulation prediction and optimization tool, to help address the challenges of drug product development.

Major Indian Chemical Complex Put on Ice

Following completion of a comprehensive feasibility study, tentative plans for a major petrochemical complex in India have been shelved for now, due to what the prospective international project partners said were global economic uncertainties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

BASF to Close Herbicide Plants

BASF has announced it will close two herbicide plants by 2022 as it seeks to strengthen its competitive position. The facilities are located in Knapsack, Germany, where the company currently operates three plants, and Muskegon, Michigan, USA. The closures will affect about 100 workers.

Martin Brudermüller Is new CEFIC President

Martin Brudermüller, CEO of BASF, has been elected president of the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) for a two-year term. In the rotating position, the 59-year-old German national, a native of Stuttgart, succeeds Daniele Ferrari, CEO of Versalis, who has held the position since October 2018.

BASF Doubles China Base Stocks

BASF Completes Construction Chemicals Sale

BASF completed the sale of its construction chemicals business to an affiliate of private equity investor Lone Star on the last day of September and the 2020 third quarter. Selling price was €3.17 billion.

Evonik and Siemens Commission Photosynthesis Pilot

Evonik and Siemens Energy have commissioned a pilot plant that uses carbon dioxide (CO2) and water to produce chemicals. The plant is the culmination of two years’ work under the Rheticus I and II research projects to develop a technically feasible foundation for artificial photosynthesis using a bioreactor and electrolyzers.

BASF and Idemitsu End BDO JV

BASF, in mutual agreement with partner Idemitsu Kosan, has decided to end its joint-venture 1,4-butanediol (BDO) in Japan. Consequently, BASF Idemitsu’s BDO plant at Chiba, Japan, will close in December 2020. All 21 people employed at the plant will be offered alternative employment at either BASF or Idemitsu in Japan.