The WeylChem Group has announced that it is building the largest potassium-fluoride (KF)-based plant for halogen exchange (Halex) reactions in the Western world, at its Allessa site in Fechenheim Industrial Park in Frankfurt. This is the largest investment in Allessa since it was incorporated into WeylChem eight years ago. The project will take two years to complete.

WeylChem has announced a “larger scale” investment in a new production facility for aromatic ring chlorination at its Frankfurt-Höchst site in Germany. The company said that this will offer both increased capacity and high flexibility under European production standards. Production is due to start in Q2 2022.

The new plant will be able to refine 4-chlorobenzotrichloride, a by-product of the process, to 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorobenzoyl chloride, thus reducing the site’s waste footprint. At present, it goes to disposal. All the other by-products are already being refined or sold.