BASF to commence fine chemical catalysts production at Mangalore in October

BASF has announced that BASF Catalysts will start a production line for precious metal-based fine chemical catalysts, which are important for the efficient production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), at its manufacturing site in Mangalore in October 2013. This is BASF’s first manufacturing operation for chemical catalysts in Asia Pacific. With this new manufacturing line, BASF enhances its proximity to customers in the Asia Pacific region and expands its offerings to meet the needs of local pharmaceutical and fine chemical producers.
 
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Among the technologies used in Mangalore for the production of precious-metal based catalysts will also be BASF's innovative NanoSelect platform technology. The NanoSelect technology already resulted in the development of the lead-free palladium (Pd) catalysts as a replacement for Lindlar catalysts. More recently highly efficient platinum-based catalysts were also developed which show, for example, high nitro group hydrogenation activity with lower platinum requirements. In addition, BASF's NanoSelect platform technology has enabled the production of modified platinum catalysts with good selectivity in halo nitro aromatic hydrogenation reactions.