Special chemicals company LANXESS has doubled its production capacity for benzyl alcohol at its site in Kalama/Washington, USA, to support the growth of its established customer base in the Americas. The capacity expansion is the result of various technical upgrades.

 

“With our innovative purification process, LANXESS is the world’s leading producer of benzyl alcohol. The Kalama site now serves as the central hub in our global plant network of four sites producing high-purity benzyl alcohol”, said Holger Hueppeler, Head of LANXESS’ business unit Flavors & Fragrances. “By doubling Kalama’s production capacity we can provide fast international deliveries and offer a resilient supply chain that can cope with increasing geopolitical uncertainties.”

 

Benzyl alcohol is used as preservative, solvent, fragrance fixative and intermediate and is highly valued due to its low volatility and low toxicity. The colorless liquid with a pleasant, mild aroma is suitable for all customer needs. The parenteral grade has a purity of 99.9 percent, ensuring the highest quality for pharmaceutical products such as preservatives for injection solutions. The NF/FCC grade, given to chemicals that meet the requirements of the United States National Formulary (NF) and the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC), is an effective, high purity preservative for personal care products and cosmetics. The stable odor profile is beneficial in the production of fragrances and food flavorings. It can also be used as a solvent in technical applications. The technical grade benzyl alcohol is an excellent solvent and starting material in chemical synthesis.

 

LANXESS also produces benzyl alcohol at its sites in Krefeld-Uerdingen (Germany), Botlek (Netherlands) and Nagda (India).

 

The LANXESS business unit Flavors & Fragrances develops and produces the world’s broadest portfolio of fragrances and flavors, preservatives and animal nutrition products. Its substances are found in various everyday consumables, such as cosmetics and personal care products, detergents and cleaning agents, beverages, baked goods, candles, oils and animal feed. The portfolio also includes specialty chemicals for industrial applications, including pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals or the construction industry.

 

The business unit operates production sites in five locations on three continents. The sites are “ISCC Plus” certified. Through the use of green electricity and sustainable raw materials, these sites will produce mass balance certified renewable alternatives for the entire product portfolio by the end of 2023, reflecting the business unit's strong commitment to sustainability.

 

The business unit has around 750 employees and is part of LANXESS' Consumer Protection segment which generated sales of about EUR 2.4 billion in 2022.