German chemical firm Evonik Industries is further expanding its market lead in C4-based products and investing in the expansion of its production facilities. The Group’s 1-butene capacity in Marl Chemical Park will be expanded by 75,000 tonnes, making Evonik a leading provider of 1-butene worldwide. In Antwerp, the production of butadiene will be expanded by 100,000 tonnes, while in Marl and Antwerp, the capacity of MTBE will be increased by 150,000 tonnes in total.

The investment will run into hundreds of millions of euros. The expansions are scheduled to go on stream in 2015. A sharp rise in the growth rates for 1-butene, butadiene and MTBE is expected. Evonik already operates world-scale C4 production facilities at its sites in Marl and Antwerp. Some 40 new jobs will be created for the operation of the new plants.

1-butene is principally used as a co-monomer in the production of high-value plastics such as polyethylene. It improves the tensile strength of packaging films, for instance. Butadiene is used in the manufacture of synthetic rubber, mainly used in the tyre industry. The fuel component MTBE raises the octane number in gasoline and improves fuel combustion. In this way, MTBE from Evonik also helps to improve air quality.