BASF to boost capacity for alkyl polyglucosides and alkoxylates

BASF is planning to expand capacity for alkyl polyglucosides (APGs) in Bangpakong, Thailand, and in Cincinnati by 2025. APGs are biobased surfactants used in a wide range of cleaning and personal care products. BASF’s senior vice president for care chemicals in North America, Marcelo Lu, has described APGs as an answer to the cleaning industry’s struggles with 1,4-dioxane contamination, a problem caused by ethoxylation and sulfation reactions of other kinds of surfactants. BASF is also expanding its alkoxylation capacity in Antwerp, Belgium, and Ludwigshafen, Germany, to more than 150,000 metric tons per year.