BASF to invest Euro 56 mn to expand polyvinylpyrrolidone capacities

BASF is planning to invest about Euro 56 million for the expansion of its polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) value chain over the next four years. PVP is a polymer which is used in diverse industries, such as pharmaceutical, personal and home care, mainly due to its binding properties. Through revamping existing plants in Ludwigshafen, Germany and Geismar, Louisiana and introducing the PVP technology at BASF’s site in Shanghai, China, the company will increase its global PVP production capacities by up to 6,000 metric tonnes. All plants will operate under the highest possible quality standards (current Good Manufacturing Practice). BASF is the inventor and one of the market leaders for polyvinylpyrrolidone.
 
“With this investment we are actively participating in the strongly growing PVP market, especially within the pharmaceutical industry,” added Saori Dubourg, president of BASF’s Nutrition & Health division.
 
The polymer PVP can be used in a broad range of applications due to its varied features. A majority of BASF’s polyvinylpyrrolidone capacities are destined for the pharmaceutical industry. Under the name Kollidon, PVP is mainly used as an excipient in tablets with binding and disintegrant functionality. As a binder, it enables the individual active ingredients of a tablet to form a homogenous entity and as a disintegrant it ensures that the tablets break up in liquid and release the active ingredient quickly. The excipient can furthermore be deployed as lyophilisation agent, suspension stabiliser and thickener.
 
In addition to the pharmaceutical industry, PVP-based products are used in the cosmetic, detergent and food sector as well as for technical applications. With regard to the food sector, polyvinylpyrrolidone can be used for the filtration of beer and the treatment of wine (Divergan).