BASF SE has awarded a contract to engineer and supply its proprietary 2 R process for the BASF Ecoflex® project to Uhde Inventa-Fischer. The plant will be built in Ludwigshafen (Germany) and will have an annual capacity of 60,000 tons of Ecoflex® polymer. It is scheduled to start production in 2010. Ecoflex® is a biodegradable Co-Polyester polymer developed by BASF.
Uhde Inventa-Fischer’s scope of supplies and services comprises the basic and detail engineering, supply of equipment, construction supervision and commissioning supervision and training of the operating personnel.
The excellent performance of the Uhde Inventa-Fischer 2R process for this sustainable plastic has been demonstrated in Uhde Inventa-Fischer’s pilot facilities in Berlin, which can demonstrate all Polyesters and PLA technologies. The production process for the Ecoflex® prepolyester will use this proprietary 2 Reactor technology involving the patented ESPREE® and DISCAGE® reactors to perform the desired chemical reactions and polymer chain build-up. The final process steps, though, are proprietary know-how of BASF.
As per BASF, Ecoflex® is a petrochemicals-based plastic which has the properties of conventional polyethylene, but which is fully biodegradable in accordance with DIN EN 13432 requirements. Ecoflex® polymer is further used for the production of Ecovio®, which contains 45% by weight of the sustainable raw material polylactic acid (PLA). PLA is made from renewable resources such as sugar.
Uhde Inventa-Fischer is a leader in technology and equipment for the production of polyester and polyamide polymers like PET, PBT, PA-6 and PLA. Uhde Inventa-Fischer supplies plants for all applications, from filaments and yarns to film, to engineering plastics and bottle-grade PET. A proprietary and patented PLA resin process is also available from the Uhde Inventa-Fischer portfolio of technologies, but PLA is not part of the current project.
| Andreas Grundmann Vice President Sales & Marketing +49 30 435 67 5 |
