Solenis to Acquire BASF’s Flocculant Business for Mining Applications

WILMINGTON, Delaware (USA) — Solenis, a leading global producer of specialty chemicals has signed an agreement to acquire BASF’s flocculants business for mining applications, ensuring a complete solution for Solenis’ mining and mineral processing customers. Pending approval by the relevant merger control authorities, the transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2024. The parties have agreed not to disclose the financial details of the transaction.

The BASF product portfolio includes flocculants and other products used for solid liquid separation and material handling in mining applications under trademarks Magnafloc®, Rheomax®, Alclar®, Alcotac®, Jetwet®, Aerowet® and Alcotech®. With business activities around the world, the business has established a strong presence in key mining regions.

“The acquisition of BASF’s paper wet-end and water chemicals business in 2019 escalated Solenis’ position as a leading global solutions provider for the paper and water treatment industries,” said Jacques Herber, Chief Business Officer, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia, Solenis. “We’re extremely excited to welcome a great team of commercial and industry professionals in the mining area to the expanding Solenis family. The highly competent and well-trusted sales teams will allow us to develop closer relationships with our customers by providing more solutions and added value to their operations and will eliminate supply agreements between BASF and Solenis allowing us to streamline our product and service offering for our mining and mineral processing customers.”

“BASF continuously evaluates its product portfolio to sharpen our 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 Anup Kothari, member of the Board of Executive Directors, BASF SE. “We are convinced that the agreement with Solenis will deliver significant value to our mining customers,” adds Caren Hoffmann, Vice President, heading BASF’s mining solutions business. “At the same time, we will thus be able to further concentrate on the continued development and commercialization of our flotation reagents and expanding our innovative solutions in the field of solvent extraction and leaching.” 

BASF’s mining solutions business provides sustainable solutions which increase productivity, recovery and flexibility throughout the hydrometallurgical process of mining operations in leaching, solvent extraction, and flotation.