Ground-breaking was held April 24 at BASF’s Freeport, Texas, chemical complex, where it was announced that BASF and customer American Plant Food Corp. (APF), Galena Park, Texas, will soon begin construction on a joint venture 160,000 st/y ammonium sulfate crystallizer system at BASF’s caprolactum plant.
Once completed, the crystallizer will refine ammonium sulfate, a by-product of the caprolactum manufacturing process. APF markets and sells all of BASF’s North American AS.
Freeport capacity is 710,000 st/y. The new crystallizer will not add extra overall AS capacity, but it will allow more of it to be converted to granular product, which is often priced at a premium.
Construction of the crystallizer is expected to take six months to complete and will cost about $8 million. The project will employ 20 construction personnel and will create 30 jobs off-site for local companies.
“We are excited that BASF sees the value in this project and is able to work with us to make our vision a reality,” said Don Ford, APF president, CEO, and chairman. “With our earlier crystallizer project being such a success, we look forward to what we will both be able to achieve with the new one.”
“BASF and American Plant Food have had a successful partnership for more than 45 years,” said Herman Althoff, BASF senior vice president of the company’s Polyamide and Intermediates global business unit. “This project shows our dedication to having one of the best quality ammonium sulfate products on the market.”
“This provides BASF and American Plant Food with a unique opportunity to gain significant benefits for both parties,” said Chris Witte, BASF senior vice president and general manager of the Freeport site. “It is an excellent example of finding innovative uses for by-products and reducing waste in our manufacturing processes – as well as helping our customers succeed.”
BASF is the world’s largest manufacturer of caprolactum, which is an intermediate for producing polyamide (PA) 6. PA 6 applications range from transparent and flexible food packaging, fishing lines and nets, cable sheathings, textile fibers for outdoor sportswear, and carpets, to lightweight components for cars.