Research and Development

  • MasterEase line of concrete admixtures facilitates processing of high-performance concrete
  • Special technology in labels provides protection against counterfeit crop protection products
  • Optimized for the newest generation of engines: Glysantin® G64® coolants
  • Science symposium in Chicago on sustainability in food chain

The new MasterEase line of concrete admixtures makes it significantly easier to process building materials – especially today’s high-performance concrete, with its lower concentration of water and cement. While this helps shrink a building’s carbon footprint, it can also make the material tough and sticky. Developed by BASF, the polymers in MasterEase reduce the concrete’s viscosity by up to 30%. From mixing and pumping to compacting and smoothing, processing the material is made easier, quicker and more economical.

In China, we have introduced a technology that makes counterfeit crop protection products more identifiable. Our work together with a local partner has resulted in labels with a special watermark that cannot be seen indoors, but is clearly visible in sunlight. The additional use of a customized pigment developed by BASF makes the mark unmistakable. Farmers and retailers can more easily and clearly distinguish genuine BASF products from fakes.

With Glysantin® G64®, BASF has launched a coolant that is specially formulated for the automotive industry’s newest generation of engines. The heat flows generated by downsized engines call for an extremely stable and effective cooling system. Glysantin® G64® provides the required thermal stability together with the high corrosion protection typical for the brand. This new coolant technology has been used by auto manufacturer Volvo since June 2015.

In June, the second of three global science symposia took place as part of BASF’s 150th anniversary activities. Under the banner “Sustainable Food Chain – from Field to Table,” around 400 experts from science and industry convened in Chicago, Illinois, to discuss the challenges of sustainable food production for a growing world population. Some of the central topics included organic synthesis, industrial biotechnology and plant biotechnology as well as agriculture and nutrition science.