BASF will invest in a new citral plant in China

BASF announced on March 7 that it will invest in a new citral plant at its integrated base in Zhanjiang, China, and invest in a new downstream plant for menthol and linalool at its integrated base in Ludwigshafen, Germany. These units are expected to be commissioned from 2026 to meet the growing demand in the global flavors and fragrances market.

BASF said that this investment will expand the production scale of BASF's fragrance raw material citral value chain in Germany and Malaysia. The citral plant in China will further consolidate BASF's market position in key growth regions and expand the production scale of various aroma raw materials and downstream products globally. After the investment is completed, BASF's annual production capacity of citral will increase to 118,000 tons.

BASF said that the integration of new plants into integrated bases in China and Germany will help optimize resource utilization and create synergies. At the Zhanjiang Integrated Base, BASF will further accelerate the progress of renewable energy power supply, aiming to provide 100% renewable energy power for the entire Zhanjiang Integrated Base by 2025. BASF will also adopt advanced automation and process technologies at the base to optimize plant operations at the base, thereby reducing energy consumption and emissions. The downstream plant of menthol and linalool in Ludwigshafen, Germany will give full play to the existing integrated structure and advanced production technology.