BASF increase formic acid production

BASF are raising their formic acid production capacity at the Ludwigshafen site by 25,000 metric tons annually with effect during the course of 2007. The move comes in response to a continually increasing demand for this versatile chemical intermediate. With a current annual capacity of 230,000 metric tons, BASF are the world's leading manufacturers of formic acid with production plants at their integrated Verbund sites in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Nanjing, China. BASF's customers use formic acid in multiple applications. The acid helps to keep certain feeds fresh and free of salmonellae, removes paints and rust from metallic surfaces and scale from kettles and boilers. In breweries and wineries, it disinfects kegs, casks and barrels; applied as an auxiliary in the pharmaceutical and crop protection industry it regulates pH values; in cleaning it acts as dirt remover and disinfectant. Formic acid salts, the so-called formates, serve as high-class de-icing agents and valuable auxiliaries in oil production.