By Liz White, UT staffDüsseldorf, Germany-Under a new partnership between Degussa AG and BASF AG, Degussa's Goldschmidt Polyurethane Additives Business in Essen, Germany, is to take over the worldwide sales and technical service of triethylene diamine (TEDA) for the two firms.This product, sold as Tegoamin, is an essential catalyst in manufacturing many types of high-grade polyurethane foams, pointed out a joint statement from the two firms. The cooperation with BASF strengthens our PU product portfolio, explained Dr Georg Burkhart, global vice president of Degussa Goldschmidt Polyurethane Additives, in the statement. Our leadership position in polyurethane additives is based on top class quality products. That is why BASF fits us particularly well as a partner," Burkhart added. Degussa claims to be the world's leading producer of additives for polyurethane foam manufacturing," with an extensive product line which includes stabilisers, tin and amine catalysts, mould-release agents and other additives, such as colour pastes, crosslinkers, antioxidants and antistatics. As well as integrated production sites for stabilisers in Essen, Germany and Hopewell, Virginia, Degussa has service centres in Essen, Hopewell, Shanghai (China) and Sao Paulo (Brazil). Degussa brings an excellent sales network and comprehensive services into our cooperation, said Dr Walter Gramlich, president of BASF's Intermediates Division. We are the first TEDA producer in Europe and work with the most innovative manufacturing process. With its product portfolio of amine-based PUR catalysts, BASF said it has been one of the world's leading manufacturers in this sector for many years. To further strengthen this position, the company has built a new plant to make TEDA at its integrated production site in Antwerp, Belgium. BASF says this facility, which began operation in April 2005, uses an innovative and particularly efficient process." Besides Antwerp, BASF also has production sites for PU catalysts in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Geismar, Louisiana. Amine catalysts such as Tegoamin are needed to make polymerisation of urethane foam commercially practical by increasing the reaction speed of the starting components -isocyanate and polyol. "
