BASF breaks ground on methyl glycols plant in China, aims to meet demand for brake fluids

BASF has broken ground on a methyl glycols plant at its Verbund site in Zhanjiang, China. The new facility is designed with an annual capacity of 46,000 metric tons and aims to meet the rapidly growing demand for brake fluids in the region. The plant is scheduled to commence operations by the end of 2025.

“The new facility will be the only fully backward integrated methyl glycols plant into a steam cracker in China, serving the fast-growing brake fluids market,” said Bir Darbar Mehta, Senior Vice President, Petrochemicals Asia Pacific, BASF. “Utilizing BASF's unique process technology, the plant will deliver reliable, competitive and high-quality products to cater to the needs of our downstream business and customers.”

“As a strong player in the automotive fluids industry, BASF built a reputation for delivering high-performance products and exceptional services to our valued partners in the brake fluid industry,” said Matthias Lang, Vice President, Business Management Fuel & Lubricant Solutions Asia Pacific and Performance Chemicals Greater China, BASF. “The capacity expansion demonstrates our commitment to the emerging Asian automotive industry, especially in China, where the demand for high-quality products is continuously increasing.”

The new methyl glycols plant will produce methyl diglycol (MDG), methyl triglycol (MTG), and methyl tetraglycol (MTEG) from methanol and purified ethylene oxide (PEO). Methyl triglycol is the primary raw material for the production of modern brake fluids used in the automotive industry.