OQ Chemicals yesterday declared force majeure for products manufactured at its Oberhausen, Germany, site – including some that can be used as a building block in lubricants – due to a significant disruption at a raw material supplier’s synthesis gas unit.
The company said the problem stemmed from a Feb. 27 accident at a unit that supplies synthesis gas to OQ.
“The site partner produces technical gases, including synthesis gas, which is supplied to OQ Chemicals as raw material for further processing,” OQ explained in a news release. “The affected unit of the raw material supplier was automatically shut down. Four people underwent precautionary medical examinations and were discharged from the hospital the same day.”
The halt in synthesis gas production leads to supply constraints for certain products manufactured by OQ Chemicals in Oberhausen until further notice. “Currently, OQ Chemicals is unable to provide more detailed information on the duration of the situation,” the company stated. “However, the company has already informed its customers and is actively working to minimize the impact on supply chains and resume production as soon as possible.”
Impacted products with applications in lubricant production include neopentyl glycol and isononanoic acid.
Neopentyl glycol can be used in making products such as synthetic lubricants, greases, hydraulic fluids and metalworking fluids. Isononanoic acids are carboxylic acids that can be used to make synthetic polyol ester-based lubricants that are used in industries such as refrigeration and aviation.
Other products impacted by the force majeure declaration include isobutyraldehyde, n-butyraldehyde, n-butanol, i-butanol, 2-ethylhexanol, n-butyl acetate, n-butylamine (all grades), TCD Alcohol DM, n-propionaldehyde, isovaleraldehyde, 2-methylbutyric acid, 2-ethylhexanoic acid, n-butyric acid, isobutyric acid, isopentanoic acid, isovaleric acid, n-valeric acid, OXSOFT 3G8, and OXFILM 351.