… And Plans Aroma Complex In Malaysia

BASF and Petronas Chemicals will invest $500 million in an aroma chemicals complex at their joint-venture site in Kuantan, Malaysia. The complex will include plants for citral and other precursors, as well as downstream facilities for l-menthol and citronellol, a key ingredient in rose fragrances. The plants are scheduled to start operating in 2016 and will serve customers in the fragrance and flavor industry, mostly in Asia. In business since 1997, BASF Petronas Chemicals is 60% owned by BASF. It produces acrylic monomers, oxo products, and butanediol. Earlier this year, BASF bowed out of a proposed $1.3 billion specialty chemical venture with Petronas.