BASF-YPC, a 50-50 joint venture between BASF and Sinopec has announced to undergo capacity expansion at their Verbund site in Nanjing, China. The proposed plant includes capacity addition of several downstream chemical plants and the commissioning of a new Tert-Butyl Acrylate (TBA) plant which would act as an extension to the downstream using Acrylic Acid and Isobutene of the existing plant as feedstock making it the first plant using this technology outside Germany.

The expansion plan includes the capacity additions for various chemicals including Propionic Acid which finds application in preservation of food and feed grains and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, Propionic Aldehyde which acts as a key intermediate for Propionic Acid and n-Propanol, Ethylene Amines and Ethanol Amines which find application in manufacture of crop protection agents and surfactants, and Purified Ethylene Oxide which is used for manufacturing of Ethanol Amines, Glycol Ethers and surfactants. The proposed capacity additions and commissioning of the new plant are expected to be complete by 2023.

The current production capacity of chemicals and polymers at BASF-YPC’s Nanjing petrochemical site stands at around 3 million tons per annum. The products manufactured by the unit find application in various industries including agriculture, construction, electronics, pharmaceuticals, hygiene, and chemical manufacturing.