"As an important starting material for many BASF products at the Ludwigshafen site and for products produced by our customers, acetylene is very important to BASF. Integrating this plant within our Verbund approach offers advantages such as efficient use of resources, excellent production synergies and short supply routes. This will further enhance the long-term competitiveness of our Ludwigshafen site," said Dr. Uwe Liebelt, head of the BASF Ludwigshafen Verbund site.

With its modern production process, the plant will strengthen the BASF Verbund in Ludwigshafen. The process uses raw materials very efficiently.

Furthermore, the heat given off during production will be used to generate energy. The end-product yield is higher and by-products are used efficiently.

As a chemical component, acetylene has a diverse range of applications. It is an important starting material for many everyday products, including pharmaceuticals, plastics, solvents, electronic chemicals and highly elastic textile fibers.

BASF customers use these products in the automotive, pharma, construction, consumer goods and textiles industries. BASF has also operated an acetylene plant at its Verbund site in Geismar, Louisiana, since 2000.

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