Bayer invests six million euros in Spanish facility
Official launch of new production unit for PHBS in La Felguera
Leverkusen - In the presence of the President of the Spanish principality of Asturias, Vicente Álvarez Areces, the Bayer Group officially launched a new unit for the manufacture of PHBS (p-hydroxybenzoic acid) at its site in La Felguera/Barcelona on September 20, 2002. PHBS is used to produce the antimicrobial PHB esters and their salts which Bayer has been successfully marketing under the brand name Solbrol® since 1928. Also sometimes known as parabenes, these products are among the most frequently used preservatives for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, and also for certain foodstuffs categories. PHBS is also the starting product for special products that play an important role in Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP) and Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD). PHBS is exported all over the world. With the addition of this new production unit the Bayer Group's Spanish site will become an international competence center. Acetylsalicylic acid, the active ingredient in Aspirin®, is also produced here.
The total investment came to six million euros and financed the engineering of the PHBS unit, process development and various environmental protection measures. Special mention should be made of the wastewater treatment plant, which uses a method known as "Biocolumna" which Bayer itself developed. Current capacity is 300 m3/day, but the unit is already prepared for future expansion.
PHBS and its esters also occur naturally, e.g. in raspberries, alkaloids, vegetable pigments and cheese. PHBS is a derivative of phenol and is produced in the form of small, colorless crystals through the synthesis of phenol. This acid is an intermediate in various chemical synthesis processes, e.g. in the manufacture of preservatives and dyestuffs.
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Topic world Synthesis
Chemical synthesis is at the heart of modern chemistry and enables the targeted production of molecules with specific properties. By combining starting materials in defined reaction conditions, chemists can create a wide range of compounds, from simple molecules to complex active ingredients.
Topic world Synthesis
Chemical synthesis is at the heart of modern chemistry and enables the targeted production of molecules with specific properties. By combining starting materials in defined reaction conditions, chemists can create a wide range of compounds, from simple molecules to complex active ingredients.