LUDWIGSHAFEN, Germany - BASF will increase its annual global capacity for manufacturing 1,6-hexanediol (HDO) to more than 50,000 tons per annum by 2014, an increase of more than 20 percent. To support the capacity increase, the company is optimizing its production and logistics processes and is carrying out various infrastructure projects, investing more than EUR 30 million. BASF operates HDO production facilities at its Verbund sites in Freeport, TX, and Ludwigshafen, Germany.

BASF’s customers use the intermediate to manufacture industrial coatings with lower VOC formulations, polyurethane plastics, adhesives and cosmetics. HDO also serves as a reactive thinner in the formulation of epoxy systems, which are used for the efficient production of rotor blades for modern wind turbines as well as construction components for automotive lightweight applications.