Linking plants, as well as the flow of energy and waste products and relying on a common logistical network and infrastructure is both economical and ecological. The by-product of one plant can be used as a precursor in another, while surplus heat from a reaction can serve as a source of energy in a neighboring plant. BASF has developed this concept to a high level of efficiency. The production Verbund means using a small number of raw materials, such as naphtha, natural gas, rock salt and sulfur, to produce a few dozen basic products, which in turn are used to produce several hundred intermediates, from which stems a complex tree of value-added production leading to some 8,000 different products. At Ludwigshafen alone, some 30 million metric tons of feedstock and energy sources are piped around the site, arriving at their destinations quickly and safely.
Pipelines are both a safe means of transport and easy on the environment.
They can also be used for raw materials, such as acetylene, hydrogen and synthesis gas, which are difficult to transport in other ways. From process step to process step, from plant to plant, products are continuously upgraded until they arrive at the end of the value chain as, for example, plastics, vitamins or antifreeze. But the apparent chaos conceals a sophisticated system for trans porting chemical products and energy. Top Sustainability through Verbund structures By setting up various production and service units close together at our Verbund sites, we achieve substantial synergies in logistics, energy and waste management, enabling us to use resources as efficiently as possible and to significantly reduce emissions and waste. Since the early 1970s, production at the Ludwigshafen site has increased by nearly 50 percent, yet at the same time the use of fossil fuels for power and steam has fallen by half.