BASF said Aug. 8 it will begin producing ethyl acrylate for its methyl acrylate portfolio with 40% bio-based content derived from grain sources.

The company plans to begin product in the fourth quarter of 2024, with the goal of completely phasing out fossil-based ethyl acrylate production, said Reiner Geier, senior vice president of BASF’s industrial petrochemicals division in Europe.

The product will meet the requirements for the European DIN EN 16640 standard for bio-based products, the company said.

The switch to bio-derived content will reduce the product carbon footprint by about 30% reduction of ~30% compared to fossil-based EA. Additionally to regular bio-based ethyl acrylate.

BASF manufactures its bio-based ethyl acrylate in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The chemical and technical specifications of the new bio-based product are identical with the traditional fossil-based version, the company said.

“With bio-based EA (ethyl acrylate) we can offer our customers a readily available drop-in solution for many applications,” Geier said.  “Ethyl acrylate is a well-established product that will support our customers in reaching their sustainability goals. We also want to give a clear signal to the market that we drive our own sustainability transformation.”

Bio-based EA can be used in a wide variety of polymer dispersion applications for the coatings and adhesives industries.