Clariant buys BASF’s US attapulgite business for $60M cash

In Germany, Clariant has signed definitive agreements to acquire BASF’s U.S. Attapulgite business assets for $60 million in cash, including the signing of a long-term supply agreement for attapulgite-based products to BASF. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in summer 2022.

BASF’s Attapulgite business is one of the largest attapulgite miners and producers in North America, with mining operations in Georgia and Florida and processing operations in Quincy, Florida. The business produces attapulgite-based products for a wide range of applications and end-markets. BASF’s business is well recognized in the industry for its unique combination of mineral quality, mine reserve size and strategic location.

Clariant is a technology leader in the purification of edible oils and renewable fuels. The transaction will substantially increase the Business Unit’s production capacity in North America, thereby enhancing the ability to participate in the attractive North American market. Clariant offers unique technology for the purification of biodiesel, which reduces greenhouse gases in road transportation, and for the purification of pyrolysis oil, which enables the chemical recycling of plastics.