Sinopec and BASF recently inaugurated the downstream expansion of their petrochemicals joint venture in Nanjing, China – a project that added production of several types of chemicals, including ethanolamines, which are used among other things as intermediates in the production of lubricants and lubricant additives.
Announced in 2021, the project also gave the site capacity to make purified ethylene oxide, propionic acid, propionic aldehyde, ethyleneamines and tert-butyl acrylate. The local government previously stated that the ethanolamine capacity would be 55,000 metric tons per year.
The 50-50 joint venture, which operates as BASF-YPC Co., opened in 2000 and was designed on BASF’s Verbund concept, which integrates production of basic and specialty chemicals in order to increase efficiency and profitability.
The companies did not disclose costs of the latest expansion, which was inaugurated Nov. 10.
Ethanolamines are used for a variety of applications, including as intermediates in the preparation of water-soluble lubricants, emulsifiers, corrosion inhibitors and biocides.