OQ Chemicals has begun an optimisation and debottlenecking project for carboxylic acids at its plants in Germany. Structural work has already commenced, with completion planned before the end of the Q1. The acids are used as building blocks for lubricants, cosmetic ingredients and animal feed additives, among other things.

Perstorp plans to roughly double its carboxylic acids capacity by 2024, by adding a second 70,000 tonnes/year facility at its main site in Stenungsund, Sweden. Like the original unit, this will produce acids from C3 to C9 chemistry and will be fully integrated into the company’s oxo production platform.

Greentech firm Afyren has announced the industrial commissioning of its Afyren Neoxy plant on schedule and within budget. The plant at Carling Saint-Avold in eastern France began construction in 2H 2020. It is the first industrial-scale factory for the production of biobased carboxylic acids from sugar beet co-products.