Evonik Industries is currently building a large-scale plant in Marl, Germany, for the production of functionalized polybutadienes. The plant, which will have an annual capacity of several thousand metric tons, is already scheduled for completion in the middle of this year.

The specialty chemicals company’s investment in its largest production site worldwide is in the mid double-digit million euro range and will create 15 new jobs. Functionalized polybutadienes, which Evonik plans to market under the name Polyvest HT, are used mainly in sealing compounds for insulated glass windows and for adhesives used in the automotive and electronics industries, for example.

The new plant can make optimum use of the existing infrastructure and raw materials supplies and utilize synergies with the current polybutadiene plants in Marl Chemical Park. Klaus Engel, Chairman of the Executive Board of Evonik Industries, said: “As one of the world’s biggest specialty chemical companies, we back Germany as an industrial location and, with our long-term investments, we are securing our industrial basis here.” And Ulrich Küsthardt, Head of the Coatings & Additives Business Unit, is convinced that there is great demand for products that help to use resources more efficiently. Especially in Germany and Europe, the market for functionalized polybutadienes is characterized by a high level of dynamic growth, he said. They are used, for example, in double and triple glazed windows and in adhesives for the lightweight construction of vehicles. In the automotive industry, adhesives are increasingly being used in addition to traditional welding processes and as structural adhesives for non-weldable composite materials.

With its new plant, Evonik is extending its existing portfolio of polyesters, polymethacrylates, amorphous poly-alpha-olefins and polybutadienes for the adhesive and sealants industries.