BASF construction of new ammonium sulfate crystallizer system

Officials at BASF’s Freeport, Texas, site today announced during a groundbreaking ceremony that the site will soon begin construction of a new, 160,000 ton per year ammonium sulfate crystallizer system at its caprolactam plant. This is a joint project with American Plant Food Corporation (Galena, Texas), a customer of BASF. The crystallizer will refine high-quality ammonium sulfate, a by-product of the caprolactam manufacturing process and a key component in plant fertilizer sold by American Plant Food. BASF is the world’s largest manufacturer of caprolactam, which is an intermediate for producing polyamide (PA) 6. PA 6 applications range from transparent and flexible food packaging, fishing lines and nets, cable sheathings, textile fibers for outdoor sportswear and carpets to lightweight components for cars. Construction of the crystallizer system is expected to take six months to complete and will cost about $8 million.