German chemicals producer BASF recently inaugurated the Process Catalysis Research & Development (R&D) Center in Shanghai, China that will work to support the Asia Pacific region’s chemical industry, the company announced in a release Tuesday.

“China’s most important growth industries can benefit enormously from innovations in chemistry. Thanks to continuous investment in research and development over the past several years, we are able to support our customers in China and the entire Asia Pacific region as they strive to improve consumers’ quality of life, address the challenges of rapid development, and meet their sustainability goals,” Dr. Stephan Kothrade, president functions Asia Pacific and president and chairman of BASF in Greater China, said in a statement. 

Located at Innovation Campus Shanghai, the site contains several specialized units for testing solid catalyst performance and solids processing facilities. In addition to developing new catalytic materials, BASF also plans to design and optimize a variety of solids processes at the new R&D facility, including solid formation, separation, formulation, thin film coating, drying, and solid handling. 

“At the Innovation Campus Shanghai, we are continuously enhancing our R&D capabilities in advanced materials, chemical process engineering, and catalysts by integrating new technologies and building our teams,” said Dr. Herald Lauke, president, Advanced Materials & Systems Research, and research representative for Asia Pacific at BASF, in the release. “We have invested nearly €180 million here since 2012. More importantly, our R&D experts work closely with our business teams and customers, so as to shorten the time-to market of innovative products.”

BASF’s Process Catalysis R&D Center will assist the regional catalyst market to scale up tailor-made process catalysts and adsorbents. The company said the site complements its existing process catalyst production plant, which is also located in Shanghai. 

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