BASF Corporation’s catalyst division (Iselin, N.J., www.catalysts.basf.com) has initiated several capital investment projects to enhance the company’s manufacturing operations for copper-chrome catalysts at its production sites in Erie, Pa. and Elyria, Ohio.
The multimillion-dollar investments are aimed at re-engineering, retrofitting and further automating catalyst manufacturing at both sites. BASF says the capital improvement projects will be completed in phases through the early part of 2011. The company also says the projects will reduce material handling requirements at both sites.
The two BASF sites produce a wide variety of base-metal catalysts, primarily used in petrochemical and oleochemical processing. Typical catalyst operations include guard beds, hydrogenation processes, such as solvent and gasoline dearomatization, dehydrogenation processes, monomer production and manufacturing of specialty and detergent alcohols.