Evonik Industries recently announced it has started up a new facility to produce high-purity isobutene at its site in Antwerp (Belgium). The new plant, which involved the investment of tens of millions of euros, can produce up to 110,000 metric tons of isobutene p.a. and forms part of the site’s integrated C4 production platform. The investment has tripled Evonik’s production capacity for isobutene, which is used, for example, for butyl rubber for applications such as inner liners with low air permeability in automotive tires.

“The new production plant strengthens our position as one of Europe’s leading suppliers of isobutene,” said Thomas Haeberle, Ph.D., a member of Evonik’s Executive Board. Isobutene from Antwerp enables the group to reliably meet rising demand from customers.

“At the same time, it further increases our efficiency and flexibility in the management of product streams in our integrated C4 production,” said Jan Van den Bergh of the Advanced Intermediates Business Unit.

The integrated C4 production complex in Antwerp is reportedly one of the world’s leading technology platforms in this field. For more information, visit www.evonik.com.