15 June 2018
DETAILS
- Global capacity expansion for Neopor
by 40,000 metric tons per year - In Korea, BASF´s white foam granulate Styropor
will be replaced with the gray Neopor - Strong demand in all regions
for the high-performance, gray insulation material
BASF is increasing its global production capacity
for Neopor® (expandable polystyrene containing graphite)
by a total of 40,000 metric tons per year.
Adjustments in the plants at the two production sites
in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Ulsan, Korea,
will take place through the fourth quarter of 2018.
At the Ulsan site in Korea, BASF will switch
the plant´s entire 85,000 metric tons capacity from
the classic white EPS (expandable polystyrene) Styropor®
to the improved insulation raw material Neopor (gray EPS)
until end of 2018.
This will allow the company to meet
the growing demand for the gray material in the Asian market.
After a series of debottlenecking measures,
the Ludwigshafen plant is now capable
of producing 200,000 metric tons of Neopor a year.
The annual production capacity for Styropor and Neopor
at this location has been increased
from 440,000 to a total of 460,000 metric tons.
Inventor of white and gray EPS
BASF invented and patented Styropor, the well-known,
white foam granulate, in 1951,
and launched Neopor 20 years ago
as the first graphite containing EPS.
The gray, plastic granulate Neopor
is an advanced version
of the classic white insulation material Styropor.
By adding graphite, which gives the material its gray color,
the insulation performance of the boards
is increased by up to 20%.
The use of raw material drops by up to 40%
compared with the white material.
This enables the processor to produce insulation boards
with a lower mass but better insulation performance.
The finished insulation products made of Neopor
can be used in a range of applications,
particularly for insulating exterior and interior walls
and flat roofs.
Klaus Ries,
Head of Global Business Management
Styrenic Foams at BASF
“With this step, we are offering even more customers
a product that has been further developed in economic
as well as environmental terms to meet the challenges
we face with regard to climate protection
and resource conservation.
Worldwide, around 45% of total oil consumption
and CO2 emissions – 40% in Germany –
is caused by the heating and cooling of buildings.
This can be significantly reduced by
comprehensive, efficient insulation, supplemented by
optimized building equipment and
the appropriate use of alternative energy sources,”.
WWW.CHEMWINFO.COM BY KHUN PHICHAI
