OQ Chemicals, formerly Oxea, based in Monheim am Rhein, Germany, has successfully started up its new pilot plant for esters in Oberhausen, Germany.

This state-of-the-art test facility enables the company to manufacture small quantities of esters that are tailored to customer needs for test purposes.

The new products can later be produced on a large scale at OQ Chemicals’ industrial plants. The pilot plant is part of OQ Chemicals’ investment in research and development and strengthens the company’s position in the field of Oxo Performance Chemicals.

Esters can be used either as base fluids or additives in many applications, especially in the plastics and lubricants industries.

“In our pilot plant, we manufacture esters according to specific customer requirements to achieve the desired chemical and physical properties. Many customers require pilot quantities of more than 20 kg for their approval processes. The pilot plant fills the gap between laboratory and large-scale production,” said Dr. Claudia Fischer, director of Global Business Development at OQ Chemicals.

“Esters are used in a wide variety of applications, including electromobility, due to the ester’s high thermal stability, lubricity, oxidation resistance, and environmental friendliness. The new plant will also produce pilot quantities of chemical cleaning agents,” said Fischer.

“With our new pilot plant, we can offer customers innovative solutions that are specifically tailored to their requirements. We are leveraging our production knowledge as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of Oxo Performance Chemicals and continuing to invest in research and development to create added value for our customers. This enables us to respond quickly and flexibly to changing market needs and deliver newly developed ester products through our global production platform,” said Dr. Christoph Balzarek, EVP, Corporate Development, Sustainability & Innovation, OQ Chemicals.