Apr 30 2013
The chemical company Oxea has mechanically completed its new carboxylic acids plant in Oberhausen, Germany. After a construction period of fifteen months, work is now underway to prepare for the start of operations.
Oxea expects the new state-of-the-art plant to go on stream soon and be able to manufacture products to specification in short. Once commissioned, the new facility will boost Oxea's global carboxylic acids production capacity by another 40%. The plant, named “Carboxylic Acids 3”, is Oxea’s fifth production plant for carboxylic acids world-wide.
“The growing global demand for synthetic fatty acids in segments such as energy-efficient lubricant esters and specialty phthalate-free plasticizers is the main driver behind our ongoing capacity increases. Our new plant will be instrumental in helping Oxea meet this rising demand. It further strengthens our position as the global leader and the supplier of the broadest carboxylic acids product portfolio overall,” commented Miguel Mantas, responsible for Sales and Marketing within Oxea’s Executive Board.
“The completion of our latest plant marks another great milestone for Oxea. We made full use of our proprietary advanced technology and have applied our profound experience derived from our carboxylic acids plants at Oberhausen, Marl, and Bay City to the planning and construction of our new facility. In line with Oxea’s sustainability program, we successfully implemented additional measures at our new plant to further optimize heat recovery, the use of energy and to reduce overall waste,“ said Dr. Martina Flöel, spokesperson for the Oxea Executive Board and responsible for Operations and Technology.
Oxea is a global manufacturer of oxo intermediates and oxo derivatives, such as alcohols, polyols, carboxylic acids, specialty esters, and amines. These products are used for the production of high-quality coatings, lubricants, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products, flavorings and fragrances, printing inks and plastics. In 2012, Oxea generated revenue of about EUR 1.5 billion with its 1,406 employees in Europe, the Americas and Asia.