BASF builds world-scale plant for methanesulfonic acid at Ludwigshafen

05-Dec-2001

BASF is constructing a new plant at its Ludwigshafen site for the production of methanesulfonic acid, which will come on stream at the beginning of 2003. This world-scale plant will produce methanesulfonic acid by a cost-efficient and safe new process that makes optimum use of the site's Verbund structure and yields a product of very high quality. The acid from the new plant will therefore be suitable for all methanesulfonic acid applications and will help meet the growing demand of customer industries for high-purity products.

Methanesulfonic acid is an organic acid with a particularly high capacity as solvent for numerous heavy metals and their salts. It serves mainly as a standard acid in electrolytic baths. For example, electrolytes based on methanesulfonic acid are replacing older, less environmentally friendly systems in tinplate manufacture. The product will also be a key element in all future electrodeposition processes using lead-free soldering alloys in the electronic and automotive industries. Worldwide demand for these alloys is growing as current soldering processes are super seded. In addition, methanesulfonic acid finds application as an esterification and polymerization catalyst, in the manufacture of coatings and colorants, and in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals.

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