BASF has commenced work on a methyl glycol factory at its Verbund facility in Zhanjiang, China. The new plant has an annual capacity of 46,000 metric tonnes and intends to address the region’s constantly increasing need for brake fluids. The facility is slated to begin operations by the end of 2025.
Bir Darbar Mehta, Senior Vice President, Petrochemicals Asia Pacific, BASF, said, “The new facility will be the only fully backward integrated methyl glycol plant into a steam cracker in China, serving the fast-growing brake fluids market. Utilising BASF’s unique process technology, the plant will deliver reliable, competitive, and high-quality products to cater to the needs of our downstream business and customers.”
Matthias Lang, Vice President, Business Management Fuel & Lubricant Solutions Asia Pacific and Performance Chemicals Greater China, BASF, said,As a strong player in the automotive fluids industry, BASF has built a reputation for delivering high-performance products and exceptional services to our valued partners in the brake fluid industry. The capacity expansion demonstrates our commitment to the emerging Asian automotive industry, especially in China, where the demand for high-quality products is continuously increasing.”
The new methyl glycols plant will produce methyl diglycol (MDG), methyl triglycol (MTG), and methyl tetraglycol (MTEG) from methanol and purified ethylene oxide (PEO). Methyl triglycol is the primary raw material for the production of modern brake fluids used in the automotive industry.
