BASF officially opens its new acetylene plant at the Ludwigshafen site. The plant starts operations with a capacity of 90,000 metric tons per year. After a transition period of several months, it will finally replace the previous plant, which went into operation in 1964.
The production and processing of acetylene is closely connected with the name Walter Reppe (1892-1969), a BASF chemist who is considered the founder of modern acetylene chemistry. His goal was the large-scale use of acetylene for plastic production. Working towards this goal, he first found a way to work safely with the highly flammable and reactive acetylene gas under high pressure. Based on this, he conducted research in the 1930s on four fundamental chemical reactions with acetylene that can create a wide variety of chemical compounds. This chemistry pioneer thus paved the way for the production of countless products that contribute to today’s quality of life.
