BASF plans to invest up to €56 million in the expansion of its polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) value chain over the next four years. PVP is a polymer used in diverse industries mainly for its binding properties. Through revamping existing plants in Ludwigshafen, Germany and Geismar, Louisiana and introducing the PVP technology at BASF’s site in Shanghai, China, the company will increase its global PVP production capacities by up to 6,000 metric tons. BASF is the inventor and one of the market leaders for PVP, according to the company.
PVP has a long tradition at BASF: 75 years ago, chemist Walter Reppe, working in a BASF laboratory in Ludwigshafen, invented and patented the production process for this multi-industry polymer. The precursor of PVP, N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP), has been produced in Ludwigshafen since 1939 and at BASF’s Geismar site since 1992.
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