BASF to build butadiene plant in Antwerp

Ludwigshafen, Germany – BASF plans to build a butadiene extraction plant at its Verbund site in Antwerp, Belgium. The 155 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) facility, which is to start up during 2014, is in response to increasingly tight supplies of butadiene on global markets.

In recent years, the volumes of butadiene available on the market have declined sharply, noted BASF. At the same time, it said, demand from the tyre industry and other industries has been rising, which has led to a considerable increase in prices.

“With the plant, we will secure our supply of butadiene at a competitive cost,” said Dr. Uwe Kirchgäßner, head of BASF’s basic petrochemicals Europe business unit . “Furthermore, we will take advantage of opportunities on the attractive external market and thereby contribute to our long-term economic success.”

Butadiene will be extracted from crude C4, a product from the steam cracker at the Belgian site.

“This plant strengthens our Verbund production in Antwerp and is a very important investment at the site,” said Wouter de Geest, CEO of BASF Antwerpen NV.

“By improving the integration of the C4 value chain, we will also be able to reduce the need for logistics as well as traffic,” added de Geest.

In Europe, BASF already operates a butadiene extraction plant at its HQ site in Ludwigshafen, with an annual production capacity of 105ktpa.