With its first biomass-balanced (BMB) ammonia and urea products, BASF now offers BMB options within its ammonia value chain.
The wide range of products includes ammonia anhydrous BMBcert, ammonia solution 24.5 per cent BMBcert, urea prills BMBcert, urea solution 40 per cent BMBcert, and urea solution 45 per cent BMBcert.
BASF applies a biomass balance approach to replace fossil resources at the beginning of the production process with certified biowaste raw materials, which are attributed to the products.
The mass balanced products are certified according to ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) PLUS standards. In addition, BASF is using electricity from renewable sources for the manufacturing of the ammonia and urea products, further reducing their production-related emissions.
These measures lower the product carbon footprint (PCF) of these products by at least 80 per cent versus the average PCF of conventional fossil ammonia derivatives* without compromising on quality and performance.
The certified BMBcert products enable customers to reduce their scope three emissions as well as the product carbon footprint of their products.
BASF business management ammonia value chain and operations amino resins vice-president Dr Jens Aßmann said BASF was the first company to develop both an industrial ammonia as well as an industrial urea process.
“Today, we are the first company that offers such biomass balanced options as part of the regular ammonia and urea portfolio,” he says.
“With this portfolio we meet the rising request in industry and help our customers reach their sustainability targets.”
The BMB ammonia derivative portfolio is a further step on the sustainability roadmap of BASF’s Monomers division which was announced last year.
This envisages developing at least one circular or lower PCF option for every major product line by 2025.
The division’s sustainable offerings are an essential part of BASF’s path to climate neutrality and net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
BASF will further expand its biomass balance offering to include BMBCertTM 1,4-butanediol (BDO), tetrahydrofuran (THF), polytetrahydrofuran (PolyTHF) and 3-(dimethylamino)propylamine (DMAPA).
In addition to the production site in Ludwigshafen, Germany, the site in Geismar, Louisiana, has also achieved certifications for all these products.
The Ulsan site in South Korea has obtained certification for PolyTHF.
With these certifications, BASF says it can now offer its customers regionally produced ISCC PLUS and REDcert²-certified products for which renewable resources replace fossil feedstock and additionally reduce the cradle-to-gate product carbon footprint (PCF).
