E uropean multinational chemicals producer BASF has signed an agreement to sell its flocculants business for its mining applications to the US-headquartered specialty chemicals producer Solenis.

The divestment of BASF’s flocculants business to Solenis is part of BASF’s portfolio optimisation, aiming to focus on core strategic areas. Pending approval by the relevant merger control authorities, the transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2024, the company says. The parties have agreed not to disclose the financial details of the transaction.

The product portfolio includes products used for solid-liquid separation and materials hand-ling in mining applications under the trademarks Magnafloc, Rheomax, Alclar, Alcotac, Jetwet, Aerowet and Alcotech. With activities across the globe, the company has established a strong presence in key mining regions.

“BASF continuously evaluates its product portfolio to sharpen its strategic focus. The search for strategic partners plays an important role in this. For our flocculants portfolio for mining applications, we have found such a partner in Solenis, and we are confident that the divestiture will further promote and develop the product range in the future to meet customer needs,” says BASF SE executive director Anup Kothari.

“We are convinced that the agreement with Solenis will deliver significant value to our mining customers,” adds BASF mining solutions VP Caren Hoffmann. “At the same time, we will thus be able to further concentrate on the continued development and commercialisation of our flotation reagents and expanding our innovative solutions in the field of solvent extraction and leaching.”

In 2019, BASF transferred its paper, wet-end and water chemicals business to Solenis, creating a leading global solutions provider for the paper and water treatment industries and agreed on mid- to long-term supply agreements and commercial relationships between the two companies. The agreement included supply for polyacrylamide and polyacrylamide-based products, which already involved the divestiture of production sites in Bradford and Grimsby, in England, and in Kwinana, Australia.

Solenis is a global producer of specialty chemicals for water-intensive industries, including the pulp, paper, oil and gas, chemical processing, mining, biorefining, power and municipal markets. The company has 69 manufacturing facilities with 16 000 employees.

BASF’s mining solutions business is part of its performance chemicals division. The division’s portfolio also includes plastic additives, oilfield chemicals and fuel and lubricant solutions. Customers from a variety of industries including chemicals, plastics, consumer goods, energy and resources, and automotive and transportation, benefit from its solutions.

The company notes that its mining business provides sustainable solutions which increase productivity, recovery and flexibility throughout the hydrometallurgical process of mining operations in leaching, solvent extraction and flotation.