AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands - AkzoNobel's Specialty Chemicals business recently broke ground on a new alkoxylation facility in Ningbo, China, bringing the company's total investment in the strategic multi-site to more than €400 million.

The Ningbo multi-site covers around 50 hectares and accommodates production for chelates, ethylene amines, ethylene oxide, organic peroxides and Bermocoll cellulose derivatives. Surface Chemistry's latest investment will increase annual capacity by nearly 18,000 tons, mainly catering to domestic demand in China.

The new facility also creates a more sustainable footprint in the region. The added alkoxylation capacity (the process of reacting a fatty amine with ethylene oxide to make ethoxylated amines) will enable the company to better serve its customers in the agrochemical, oilfield and personal care markets.