Germany-based BASF said on Tuesday it is on schedule to begin a 30-day turnaround at its
The company first confirmed the plans back in January.
BASF will perform preventive maintenance and equipment inspections and will install new equipment, the company has said. Many of the site’s plants will be shut down during the turnaround. The last similar turnaround at the Geismar site was in 2008, according to the company.
The complex includes units that produce 290,000 tonnes/year of methyl di-p-phenylene (MDI); 160,000 tonnes/year of toluene di-isocyanate (TDI); and 135,000 tonnes/year of butanediol (BDO), according to ICIS plants and projects.
The site also produces 160,000 tonnes/year of hydrochloric acid (HCl) as a by-product of its isocyanates production.
TDI consumers are not expecting any disruptions. Sources said BASF’s and processors’ inventories are sufficient to supply requirements for polyurethane (PU) production during the shutdown.
US BDO sources have also said consumers probably will not see any disruptions in filling first-quarter BDO contracts from BASF.
BASF makes the following products at Geismar, accoridng to ICIS plants and projects: