BASF is to quadruple capacity for the Hexamoll Dinch plasticiser, which it introduced for use in sensitive applications such as toys and medical applications. The project, due for completion by the second quarter of next year, will lift capacity from its current figure of 25,000tpa to 100,000tpa.
The company introduced Hexamoll Dinch in 2002 and says the existing plant at Ludwigshafen is now sold out. With its new capacity the market coverage is being extended to food contact applications such as cling film or sealants.
BASF began its search for “Sustainable Plasticisers” in 1997 and from the outset subjected Hexamoll Dinch to rigorous toxicological tests, committing ˆ5m to make the product the best researched plasticiser on the market. The product’s low migration rate has been confirmed by comprehensive tests by the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging.
In October, it received a positive review from the European Food Safety Authority, complementing an approval from the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment.
Compliant with new EU regulations on restriction on phthalates in toys and children’s articles, the product is already widely used by the toy industry in both Europe and Asia.
An ester, based on phthalic anhydride and isonanol, Hexamoll Dinch has totally different toxicological properties from phthalates.
