BASF Eyes More Products For Its Nanjing Site

While still conducting major expansion work at their joint-venture chemical complex in Nanjing, China, BASF and Sinopec will consider investing an additional $1 billion at the site.

The two companies say they will undertake feasibility studies for the construction of a butyl acrylate plant and an acrylic acid plant with capacity of 160,000 metric tons per year. In addition, the firms plan to build an acrylic superabsorbent polymers plant to complement existing facilities in Antwerp, Belgium, and Freeport, Texas.

Separately, BASF announced it will expand the capacity of the Antwerp and Freeport superabsorbent polymer plants by 35,000 metric tons apiece to a combined 470,000 metric tons.

In Nanjing, BASF and Sinopec also will expand their 2-propylheptanol, styrene, and nonionic surfactants facilities. And they say they will consider the construction of a complex making propylene oxide via a hydrogen peroxide-based route recently developed by BASF and Dow Chemical.

The announcement is not surprising, says David S. Jiang, president of Sinodata, a Beijing-based chemicals market consultancy. He points out that the acrylics market is booming in China and that BASF is one of the top three global players. "This represents the third phase of establishment of their Nanjing complex," he says.

BASF is in the middle of a major program of expansions in Asia. Earlier this month, it announced with partner Petronas that it wants to invest $1.3 billion in Malaysia to build a specialty chemical complex. In Nanjing, the project currently under way is worth $1.4 billion. It involves an ethylene cracker expansion and building specialty chemical plants making products such as polyisobutene and amines (C&EN, Oct. 11, page 24).