BASF to restart TDI plant

At the end of November 2016, production in the TDI plant at the BASF SE site in Ludwigshafen was idled due to a technical defect. BASF announced that repair work is on schedule and that the impacted part of the plant, a damaged reactor, will be temporarily replaced by a backup reactor. 

 

The TDI plant will be restarted in a few weeks, and will run at a reduced capacity. In the transition period that follows, planned shutdowns will take place. The damaged reactor will be repaired and a new reactor will be ordered. Due to the long delivery time for the new reactor, BASF expects the final repair work to be completed in 2018. The supply to customers is secured via BASF’s global TDI production network.

 

TDI (toluene diisocyanate) is a core component for polyurethanes. It is mainly used in the furniture industry (elastic foams for mattresses, cushions or wood coating) and the automotive industry (seat cushions).