Plastics and chemicals suppliers BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany) and The Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, MI) are conducting a joint feasibility study for the construction of a plant for polyurethane precursor toluene diisocyanate (TDI) at one of their sites in Europe. The proposed plant would have 300,000-tonnes/yr capacity, making it the world’s largest. Should the project prove viable, the facility would start operations in 2011.

As reported earlier this year, Bayer MaterialScience (Leverkusen, Germany) has focused its recent PUR plant activity in Asia, especially China. In September the supplier inaugurated an 80,000-tonnes/yr MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) splitter for purification of crude MDI, a PUR precursor, at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP). A 350,000-tonnes/yr MDI plant will follow in 2008, while a 160,000 TDI plant will be completed in 2009.

Bayer pegs global PUR demand at 10.5 million tonnes in 2005 and forecasts annual growth to average 5.5% through 2010,with the Asia Pacific region, excluding Japan, growing fastest.—[email protected]