BASF advances aroma ingredients business with new plants in China and Germany
(All image credits: BASF).08 Mar 2023 --- A new citral plant at BASF’s Verbund site in Zhanjiang, China and menthol and linalool downstream plants at its Verbund site in Ludwigshafen, Germany, are expected to boost the company’s aroma ingredients portfolio from 2026 onward.
According to the National Library of Medicine, citral is one of the main components of lemongrass oil and is an important component in manufacturing scents, citrus chemicals and cosmetics products. Additionally, menthol displays antimicrobial and antiulcerogenic properties while linalool can also be used in fragrance compositions.
BASF is expanding its global production footprint with new plants, driven by increased worldwide demand from the flavor and fragrance market.
By expanding and diversifying its citral value chain footprint in Germany and Malaysia, BASF aims to support its customers’ growth opportunities and strengthen its position in key growth regions.
Additionally, the citral plant in China will increase the production of a broad range of aroma ingredients and create further downstream products globally. As a result of this investment, BASF’s annual citral production capacity will increase to 118,000 metric tons.
BASF citral plant in China enables diversification of its production footprint.“The expansion of our global production network benefits our customers in the flavor and fragrance industry by further strengthening supply security,” says Thilo Bischoff, senior VP at BASF Aroma Ingredients.
“Investing in Zhanjiang is also a significant step toward sustainable production and addressing our customers’ demands for products with a lower carbon footprint.”
Environmentally sustainable investments
At the China site, BASF will accelerate its plan to power the entire Zhanjiang Verbund site with renewable electricity and targets to achieve 100% by 2025.
The company will implement advanced automation and process technologies for optimal plant operation at this site, thus reducing energy consumption and emissions. Moreover, integrating the new menthol and linalool downstream plants into the German site leverages existing Verbund structures and advanced production technologies.
“BASF Zhanjiang Verbund site is set to be a role model for sustainable production, which was a key decision factor in the location of the new citral plant,” Bischoff shares.
“Along with integrating our new downstream plants into the Ludwigshafen production Verbund site, our commitment to sustainability is central to our business and investments. Reducing the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in our value chain, the product carbon footprint of our aroma ingredients portfolio and introducing renewable feedstock is of utmost importance for the Aroma business.”
Using the biomass balance approach is one example of how the company addresses customers’ demand for renewable aroma ingredients.
BASF will further develop its leading fermentation-based portfolio at its subsidiary Isobionics, in Geleen, the Netherlands, to meet the growing demand for natural aroma ingredients.
New menthol and linalool plants in Germany enable BASF to use resources optimally.
Related developments
BASF advanced carbon capture tech earlier this month for Japan’s 2050 carbon neutrality goal. BASF Japan announced that its HiPACT technology would be used by Inpex Corporation..
HiPACT will be used for Inpex’s Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage project, where CO2 capture and compression costs are expected to be reduced by up to 35%. Meanwhile, it will also support clean energy production with reduced CO2 emissions.
Curbing CO2 levels provides new opportunities to industry players aiming to reduce their carbon footprint and reach their climate goals.
Earlier this month, UK industry giants, universities and NGOs, including Unilever, Society of Chemical Industry, BASF and 12 others, initiated a two-year program worth £5.4 million (US$6.5 million) dubbed Flue2Chem, aimed at converting industrial waste gasses into environmentally sustainable materials for use in consumer products.
Edited by Radhika Sikaria
