BASF has reached a major construction milestone at its Zhanjiang Verbund site with the successful mechanical completion of the first batch of plants in the acrylics complex, including the glacial acrylic acid (GAA) and butyl acrylate (BA) plants. This achievement marks a significant step toward the site’s scheduled start-up in 2025, further strengthening BASF's position as a global leader in the acrylics market.

"The acrylics business has been a cornerstone of BASF Petrochemicals. With the completion of the new acrylics complex in Zhanjiang, we are further enhancing our production capacities along the acrylics value chain," said Bir Darbar Mehta, senior vice president of Petrochemicals Asia-Pacific at BASF. "These new world-scale production facilities will allow us to meet the fast-growing demand for acrylics in China and across Asia with a reliable supply of high-quality, competitive products and shorter lead times."

"Since breaking ground in 2023, our team has been committed to upholding the highest safety and quality standards throughout construction and mechanical completion while achieving excellent progress," said Han Liang, vice president of Industrial Petrochemicals Operations for Petrochemicals Asia-Pacific at BASF. "We have now moved into the commissioning and start-up phase, and we are confident in commencing operations in 2025, delivering superior value to our customers across the region."

Acrylic acid is an important precursor for the production of superabsorbent polymers. Butyl acrylate, an ester of acrylic acid, is widely used in the production of adhesives, architectural coatings, and industrial coatings. The acrylics complex at the Zhanjiang Verbund site is planned to come on stream by 2025, with an annual production capacity of approximately 400,000 metric tons of BA.

The Zhanjiang Verbund site will be BASF’s largest investment to date with around €10 billion upon completion. It will be operated under the sole responsibility of BASF and will be the company’s third-largest Verbund site worldwide, following Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Antwerp, Belgium.

Additional information about BASF’s Petrochemicals division is available at petrochemicals.basf.com. 

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