Butadiene extraction a success for BASF in China
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A new plant brought on stream by Secco Petrochemical Company Ltd. in Caojing, China is using a process developed by BASF for extraction of butadiene from raw C4, a steam cracker by-product. The plant has an annual production capacity of 90,000 metric tons and is part of an industrial complex comprising nine petrochemical facilities that Secco is building in Caojing. Capital investment in the project amounts to some 2,7 billion dollars. More than 30 plants around the world now use the licensed technology for butadiene extraction that has been marketed by BASF's intermediates Division for more than 30 years.
With the technology licensed out to Secco, the company gets highly purified butadiene with purity grades of 99,7 to 99,9 percent. The BASF technology is also appreciated for its high reliability and very low energy consumption. The basis is the non-corrosive solvent N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) and a highly efficient process design. NMP is superior to other competing solvents in terms of higher stability.