Basell announces expansion of its polybutene-1 plant in The Netherlands

Basell announced today that it plans to debottleneck its four year-old, 45 KT per year PB-1 plant located in Moerdijk, The Netherlands, which will increase its nameplate capacity to 67 KT per year in 2008.

“Basell will reinforce its leadership and commitment to this high performance polyolefin and to the markets that benefit from this versatile material,” said Paul Yeates, president of Basell’s Advanced Polyolefins business. “We will continue to strengthen our capability and assets in the markets where our customers are investing and where we see high demand for our resins and services. As part of our overall strategy, we are also finalizing a study regarding construction of a further PB-1 production asset, and expect to announce more details in the near future.”

Basell uses its proprietary manufacturing process to produce PB-1 products, which possess outstanding properties that combine flexibility and excellent creep resistance. PB-1 is selected by customers for use in a wide range of applications, including easy-opening packaging, hot melt adhesives, polyolefin modification, sanitary pipe, as well as surface heating and cooling systems. As an all-polyolefinic resin, PB-1 is also recyclable.

“For more than 40 years, architects have specified PB-1 as the material of choice for use in hot water systems. Pipe producers in Europe and Asia benefit from its outstanding technical properties and environmentally sustainable performance, including ease of installation, durability, energy efficiency and recyclability,” added Yeates.