OBERHAUSEN, Germany – The chemical company Oxea has successfully increased its capacity by 20 percent for specialty esters at its Amsterdam Esters Plant (AEP) by implementing several optimization measures.

Oxea produces several phthalate-free plasticizers at AEP, including Oxsoft TOTM (trioctyl trimellitate) and DOTP (dioctyl terephthalate), marketed under the brand name Oxsoft GPO. This capacity upgrade will specifically benefit producers of medical devices and flooring that are looking for alternatives to replace the conventional plasticizers, dioctyl phthalate (DOP) and diisononyl phthalate (DINP).

“At the end of last year, a leading flooring company announced its decision to switch to phthalate-free products. Shortly after, the main European DOP producer announced that it would discontinue production of this plasticizer, which is also still widely used in medical applications,” said Jacco de Haas, Global Marketing Manager Specialty Esters at Oxea. “Our successful capacity expansion will enable our customers to make a timely switch from DOP to alternative products such as TOTM and DOTP.”