Global chemicals company BASF is to expand production of a number of its biomass-based raw materials, key ingredients in the manufacture of elastane fibres. The chemical giant is to ramp up the bio-based production of tetrahydrofuran (THF), 1, 4-butanediol (BDO), and polytetrahydrofuran (PolyTHF), all of which are used as raw materials in elastane production, at its flagship plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany, as well as at its facility in Geismar, Louisiana. The BASF plant is South Korea has also been certified for the production of PolyTHF.
BASF said the increase in production followed the receipt of BMB certification, ISCC Plus and REDcert2 accreditation for which renewable resources are shown to replace fossil-based feedstock, while also reducing the ‘cradle-to-gate’ product carbon footprint.
Ketan Joshi, President of BASF’s Intermediate division, commented: “The new certifications for key products in our portfolio demonstrate our commitment to sustainability and our vision to be the preferred partner for sustainable intermediates. “With our biomass balance portfolio, we are helping our customers achieve their sustainability goals by replacing fossil-based raw materials and reducing the cradle-to-gate carbon footprint.”
REDcert2 and ISCC Plus are sustainability certification schemes for the use of sustainable biomass as raw materials in the chemical industry. A certification according to these certification schemes confirms that the biomass used is sustainable and has been fed into the production system in the required amount. It also confirms that the sustainable biomass has been correctly attributed to the corresponding sales products.
BMB confirms that BASF has replaced 100% of the fossil raw materials which are normally needed to produce the product with renewable resources. The renewable carbon cannot be physically identified in the final product, BASF explained, but the renewable share is fully attributed to it via a certified mass balance approach.
For example, according to BASF customer Asahi Kasei, using BMB-certified THF to produce its mass balance grade Roica fibre could lead to an approximate 25% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to its existing products.
The mass balance approach is a process for determining the use of chemically recycled or bio-based feedstock in a final product when both recycled and virgin feedstock or bio-based and conventional feedstock have been used in the process. Depending on the feedstock used, the output is a mix of products (primary and recycled or fossil and bio-based) which are not distinguishable based on their composition or technical characteristics.
