BASF and Sinopec expand Neopentyl Glycol capacity at Nanjing base

On April 22, Yangzi Petrochemical-Basif Co Ltd, a 50-50 joint venture between Sinopec and BASF, announced the expansion of its neopentyl glycol capacity.

The plant, located at the world-class integrated site in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, will come into operation in 2015 with an annual capacity of 40,000 tons, and will have a total annual capacity of 80,000 tons when the expansion is completed in August 2020.

Neopentyl glycol is a unique polyol that, due to its high chemical and thermal stability, performs well in many end-use applications, especially in the production of polyester and alkyd resins for various coatings and plastics. It is an important raw material for the production of polyester fiber resins, which are used in coatings, unsaturated polyester resins, alkyd resins, lubricants and plasticizers. As one of the market leaders, BASF has Neopentyl Glycol production sites in Ludwigshafen (Germany), Freeport (USA), Nanjing (China) and Jilin (China).