MOSCOW (MRC) -- Ashland has declared a force majeure in Europe on 1.4-butanediol (BDO), tetrahydrofuran (THF) and formaldehyde as a result of a fire at its manufacturing facility in Marl, Germany, that led to the shutdown of production operations on 10 August 2017, reported GV.
According to the company, production has been suspended while an investigation into the cause and extent of the fire takes place. As a result, the Marl facility is currently unable to produce any 1.4-BDO, THF or formaldehyde, and the availability of product is significantly reduced, said the company.
Ashland said it is working with affected customers to minimise the impact to their respective businesses, and will continue to provide updates regarding supply capability.
As MRC informed before, as of 1 June 2017, or as existing contracts permit, BASF SE increased its European selling prices for a number of petrochemical products, as stated below:
- 1,4-Butanediol (BDO) - by EUR200/mt;
- tetrahydrofuran (THF) - by EUR150/mt;
- polytetramethylene ether glycol (PolyTHF) - by EUR300/mt;
- N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) - by EUR150/mt;
- gamma butyrolactone (GBL) - by EUR150/mt.
BDO and its derivatives are used for producing engineering plastics, polyurethanes, solvents and elastic spandex fibers. PolyTHFa is a registered trade mark of BASF Group in many countries.
MRC