plastics - The customer magazine from BASF 2/2007

News
Setting a new record
Seven million tons of adipic acid
Seven million tons of adipic acid – this
record has now been set by BASF. The
product, which has been in production
at BASF since 1939, leaves the factory
either as a solution or in solid form. This
classic product continues to sell as briskly
as ever, “The demand for adipic acid is
very high at the moment, so we have
been producing well above average in recent
months,” explains Thomas Jaworek,
deputy operating manager.
When large-scale production of adipic
acid began in 1947, a mere two to three
tons were being produced per day. In the
decades that followed, BASF increased
the capacity of the facility to meet the rising
demand, up to today’s production of
270,000 tons annually.
Adipic acid is one of the two components
that make up hexamethylene diamine adipate,
a precursor of polyamide 6.6. The
major buyers are the clothing, footwear
and automotive industries. One of the
best-known final products made of this
material is nylon stockings. Moreover, it is
an intermediate in the production of polyurethane
systems. This substance can
Sports shoes made of polyurethane, a secondary
product of adipic acid.
be found in nature in sugar beets and red
beets and it is used in the food industry
as an acidifier in soft drinks.
New compounding facility in Shanghai
Expansion of production and development service
for engineering plastics in Asia
Opening ceremony of the new
compounding facility in Shanghai.
BASF has inaugurated one of the world’s
most modern compounding facilities
for engineering
plastics at its
Pudong site in
Shanghai, China.
This new worldscale
installation
with an annual
capacity of 45,000
tons has been
operating successfully
since March.
It stands out for its
efficient production
process and very
high environmental
standards. This
new installation
boosts BASF’s compounding capacity
in Asia to over 100,000 tons per year.
Moreover, BASF has set up a development
center for engineering plastics
in Shanghai, where engineers cooperate
closely with customers to create
and optimize new applications. This
collaboration ranges from computeraided
design in the initial phase all
the way to component testing during
the experimental and market-ready
stages. BASF’s state-of-the-art injection-molding
technical laboratory also
offers its customers services in process
technology. The technical center
is part of a worldwide integrated
research network that also encompasses
centers in Japan and Korea, in
Europe and in the United States.
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