BASF Opens First Bio ACM Production Plant in China

BASF celebrated the opening of has opened a new production plant for biocatalyzed acrylamide at its site in Nanjing Chemical Industrial Park, Nanjing, China. The plant has a capacity of more than 50,000 tons of biocatalyzed acrylamide per year.

Ludwigshafen/Germany and Nanjing/China — With this investment in its wholly-owned Bio ACM plant in Nanjing, the company is strengthening its production set-up for supply of polyacrylamide to customers in Asia Pacific, especially in China. Acrylamide is used in the production of water-soluble flocculation aids that make wastewater treatment and papermaking, as well as mineral processing and enhanced oil recovery, more efficient and less resource-intensive.

The enzyme-based biocatalytic production method results in less waste than conventional high-pressure, energy-intensive copper catalysis. The process takes place at room temperature and under normal atmospheric conditions, resulting in energy savings and greater environmental compatibility. It also generates fewer byproducts.

The manufacturer has been producing biocatalyzed acrylamide in Suffolk, USA, since 2014 and started operations at its European Bio ACM plant in Bradford, England, in 2016. With this successful start-up in China, BASF now has three production facilities located in key markets worldwide.

The construction of a new polyacrylamide production line is currently underway and is expected to go on stream in 2018.