BASF to build new methylamines plant in Geismar

BASF SA (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) is building a new plant for the production of methylamines at its integrated Verbund site in Geismar, Louisiana, that is scheduled to start operations in 2011. The methylamines will serve as raw materials for some 20 different specialty amines produced by BASF at existing facilities in Geismar. The company currently operates three methylamine facilities worldwide with a total annual capacity of 169,000 metric tons. These plants are located at BASF’s Verbund sites in Ludwigshafen, Nanjing, China, and at the company’s site in Camaçari, Brazil. The new methylamines plant in Geismar will create 11 new jobs at BASF. In addition, about 250 people will work on the plant in the construction phase. Beate Ehle, president of BASF’s Intermediates Division says, “This plant will strengthen our leading position as a global supplier of standard and specialty amines. With this backward integration, we are reinforcing the integrated Verbund in Geismar and paving the way to continued growth for our business with methylamine derivatives. This is extremely important for us since our customers use these derivatives as key starting materials to manufacture water treatment, gas…