OQ Chemicals, formerly Oxea, has successfully completed a recent expansion project at its Oberhausen, Germany site, resulting in a 30% increase in its global production capacity for isononanoic acid. The project completed at the site is part of the previously announced carboxylic acid expansions in the short and mid-term.

“Isononanoic acid, a higher carboxylic acid, is a key ingredient in next-generation synthetic polyol ester-based lubricants for the refrigeration industry. Demand is driven by changes in new environmental regulations and heightened energy efficiency standards,” said OQ Chemicals’ Marketing Acids, Kyle Hendrix.

“OQ Chemicals is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carboxylic acids. The completion of the expansion project marks an important milestone in our long-term capacity strategy for carboxylic acids, which is based on expanding existing assets and adding production plants. As the expansion projects are completed, work on our projected, sixth world-scale carboxylic acid plant in Oberhausen continues,” said Dr. Oliver Borgmeier, COO at OQ Chemicals. 

“The additional volume will further enhance the flexibility of our production platforms and improve reliability of supply, allowing our customers to grow their business across the whole acid portfolio for the next decade,” he said.

Carboxylic acids from OQ Chemicals are used in the production of synthetic lubricants and as building blocks for the animal feed industry.