BASF invests in a new cyclododecanone plant
BASF is building a production plant for the chemical intermediate cyclododecanone (CDon) at its integrated Verbund site at Ludwigshafen/Germany. Some 40 new jobs will be created at BASF to man the new plant, which is due to come on stream in 2009. BASF has signed a long-term supply contract for most of the output of the new facility with EMS-CHEMIE, a company of Domat-Ems in Switzerland.
CDon is the key raw material for making laurolactam, an intermediate used to produce the high-performance plastic polyamide 12 (PA 12). At present, CDon is processed to laurolactam at a plant EMS operates in Japan in collaboration with the Japanese UBE Industries as a joint venture company. CDon also serves as an intermediate for fragrances.
BASF's plant in Ludwigshafen will use an innovative three-stage process, whereas conventional CDon production processes require five steps. BASF utilizes butadiene and laughing gas as raw materials, two products available in its Verbund. The process also stands out for improved final product yields. BASF filed a patent application for its proprietary butadiene-based process in the fall of 2004.
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