Evonik has expanded production capacity for C13 alcohol isotridecanol, which is used to produce surfactants, at its Marl Chemical Park production site in Germany, the company announced last week. Surfactants can be used in the production of lubricants and metalworking additives.
The Essen, Germany-based specialty chemicals company did not disclose the exact amount of capacity added or the cost of the expansion, but did tell Lube Report several kilotons per year were added at the expense of several million euros.
Evonik cited growing global demand for C13 alcohol isotridecanol, an intermediate in the manufacturing of surfactants, as the reason for the project. Due to the outstanding technical properties and high effectiveness of ITDA, global demand has been growing for years, the company said in a press release issued Sept. 11.
“ITDA is a real petrochemical specialty. With this quality, which contains almost 100 percent C13 alcohols, we offer our customers a particularly high-quality product,” said Hinnerk G. Becker, market segment manager for specialties at Evonik Performance Intermediates.
Marl Chemical Park is Evoniks largest production site and is mainly used to make petrochemicals.