Lubricants: Evonik invests EUR15 mn in German C4 network; Afton ups GPA blending in Singapore

German chemicals firm Evonik is investing around EUR15 million in its C4 production network in Marl. Targeted debottlenecking measures will increase the local production capacity for so-called isobutene derivatives by well over 50% by December 2021. In addition, logistics will be further expanded in order to further increase the flexibility of supply to customers: both in terms of the quantities requested and the delivery time.

Another advantage of the investment is the purity for the product TMH increases from > 88 % to > 96 %. Evonik adds that in future customers will be able to use TMH directly in their own production process without additional purification - saving time and money.

The products TBA, DiB and TMH are manufactured in the isobutene part of the production network. They are enjoying increasing demand and have high future growth potential.

Hinnerk Becker, market segment manager for specialties at Performance Intermediates, explains: "Evonik has enormous expertise in the production of isobutene derivatives with high product and isomer purity. Our investment supports the high growth dynamics in the field of synthetic high-performance lubricants. We are also developing new applications for our petrochemical specialties. With the broadening of our range of isobutene derivatives, we are able to offer our customers an even better combination of supply reliability, flexibility and product quality."

The background to the investment in the Performance Intermediates business line is the ongoing development of so-called petrochemical specialties. These supplement the well-known classics such as MTBE, 1,3-butadiene or DINP and make a significant contribution to meeting the requirement of 100% material use of all raw material flows.

Background information on the products:

Meanwhile, lubricant/fuel additive maker Afton Chemical Corporation, part of the NewMarket Corporation, is investing in Gasoline Performance Additives (GPA) blending capabilities at its Singapore Chemical additive manufacturing facility. The new blending unit will be operational by the fourth quarter of 2021. This investment complements the blending and terminal operations in the Americas and Europe.

The demand for GPA in Asia Pacific is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4% through 2024. Afton has invested approximately S$400 million in the Singapore facility. The decision to continue Phase 3 investment is due to the integrated petrochemical hub in Singapore and trade connectivity to all parts of Asia and the Middle East.

Afton says the investment is part of its “Made In” strategy that focuses on globally lean supply chain solutions that enable quicker support and more effective supply to its customers in Asia. It will also provide the additional infrastructure required to support the company’s long-term global growth plans. The Singapore government and Economic Development Board has been providing strong support to Afton from the start of its “Made In” investment in the region.

In Asia Pacific, Afton has established two fuel and lubricant additive Technology Centres in Suzhou, China, and Tsukuba, Japan, to provide increased customer support to the fast-growing GPA business in Asia Pacific.

The new unit will help Afton by:

Afton says its GPA solutions help fuels burn cleaner and more efficiently, enabling engines to perform as designed during their equipment lifetime on fuel economy, power and acceleration.

(PRA)

---

Subscribe to Get the Latest Updates from PRA  Please click here