Strong demand and rising raw material costs has led OQ Chemicals (formerly Oxea, Monheim am Rhein / Germany; www.chemicals.oq.com) to announce several price increases for oxo intermediate products and derivates in the Americas, Europe, and other regions, with effect from 1 October 2021.

In Europe, prices are to be raised for:

• 1,3 butylene glycol: The industrial and cosmetic qualities are to increase by USD 150/t (EUR 128/t)
• Amines: Isopropylamine and n-octylamine by EUR 150/t each; n-butylamine, di-n-butylamine and tri-n-butylamine by EUR 200/t each; 2-ethylhexylamine and di-2-ethylhexylamine by EUR 100/t each
• Neopentyl glycol (NPG): Slurry NPG by EUR 90/t, molten and flakes by EUR 100/t each
• Carboxylic acids: n-heptanoic acid and pelargonic acid by EUR 85/t each.

Similar mark-ups have been planned by the company for the Americas and the rest of the world. The German supplier previously hiked the rates for oxo intermediates in January this year (see Plasteurope.com of 16.12.2020).

NPG is used as a main component in polyester resins for paints, unsaturated polyesters, lubricants and plasticisers. Butylene glycol is widely used in cosmetics, for pharmaceutical applications as well as in polymers. Amines have wide-ranging applications as emulsifiers, matrices for composites or pharmaceutical components among others. Carboxylic acids can be used in the manufacture of products such as phthalate-free plasticisers.