Germany: Organic Acids BASF Increases Global Capacity for Methane Sulfonic Acid to 50,000 Tons Per Year

BASF plans to increase their production capacity for methane sulfonic acid (MSA) at its Ludwigshafen site by around 65 %, thus increasing their global capacity to 50,000 metric tons per year.

Related Vendors

EDL Anlagenbau Gesellschaft mbH

Maag Pump Systems AG

Italvacuum, Srl

BASF SE

Ludwigshafen/Germany — With the investment the company intends to strengthen its position as a global producer of MSA. The volumes from the additional capacity are expected to be available late in 2021 for customers in all regions.

The demand for MSA increased strongly across industries, says Martin Widmann, Global Strategic Marketing and Development, Care Chemicals division. This expansion would allow them to support the rapid growth of their customers, especially in Asia, he added. Beyond the increase in Ludwigshafen, the company evaluates investment options outside of Europe to continuously expand MSA capacities.

Germany: Business Strategy

BASF Presents New Strategy and Aims at Sustainability and Digitalization

Sustainable Alternative to Conventional Acids

Methane sulfonic acid is a strong organic acid used in numerous applications ranging from chemical and biofuel synthesis to industrial cleaning and metal surface treatment in the electronics industry. The expansion is in line with the trend for top-performance and at the same time environmentally friendly technologies in various industries, the company claims. The manufacturer’s proprietary process enables the production of Lutropur MSA — a high-purity methane sulfonic acid. Lutropur MSA is a sustainable alternative to other acids such as sulfuric, phosphoric or acetic acid. As part of the natural sulfur cycle MSA is readily biodegradable. Further benefits in practical applications come, for example, from its nonoxidizing nature, the high solubility of its salts and the absence of color and odor.

(ID:45667460)