Petrochemicals giant BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) has expanded its portfolio of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) and climate-friendly products with the introduction of Lupranat Zero, the company’s first greenhouse gas neutral aromatic isocyanate.

Lupranat Zero (zero emission, renewable origin) has an accounting product carbon footprint (PCF) of zero due to the use of renewable raw materials – biogas from residues and bio-benzene from vegetable (rapeseed) oil – for the manufacturing process and at the beginning of the chemical production chain that is allocated via a mass balance process, says BASF.

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Standards organisation TÜV (www.tuv.at) confirmed that all product-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and the biobased carbon bound in the material results in an emission-free product that does not carry a CO₂ backpack.

The polyurethane feedstock product will be available in the second quarter of 2022, with the first product in the line, Lupranat Zero M 70 R, being used in an application for the production of MDI polyisocyanurate panels and rigid PU foam in the construction industry.