BASF set to offer 'low carbon' butanediol, polyTHF

Ludwigshafen, Germany – BASF is set to start the supply of low product carbon footprint (LowPCF) 1,4-butanediol (BDO) and polytetrahydrofuran (PolyTHF) as of early 2024.

According to BASF, the PCFs of the two products are “significantly below” the global average of corresponding third-party chemicals, produced from fossil-based raw materials.

The chemicals maker linked the low carbon footprint to its “production setup” as it prepares to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

Among contributing factors to the low PCF is energy-generation at BASF’s own gas-fired combined heat and power plants, the German group said 5 Dec.

The process, according to BASF, generates “significantly less” greenhouse gas emissions compared to other conventional energy-generation methods.

In addition, BASF’s integrated ‘verbund’ system provides “high production efficiency” in terms of energy and raw material consumption, the Ludwigshafen-based group added.

BASF also noted that the use of oil, natural gas or verbund by-products instead of coal as primary raw materials contributed to a lower PCF for the intermediates.

“Company CO2 emission reduction targets are playing an increasingly important role in the value chains we serve,” said Ketan Joshi, head of BASF’s Intermediates operating division.

The LowPCF intermediates, he added, support customers to achieve their sustainability targets.

BDO is used for the production of PolyTHF, which is generally used to produce elastic spandex and elastane fibres for a wide range of textiles.

PolyTHF also serves as a building block for the production of thermoplastic polyurethanes, for applications such as automotive hoses, films and cable sheathing.