Welcome to Subscriber Only Access

Chinaplas 2005, Lanxess Presents High-quality Colorants and Polymer Additives for the Plastics Industry

LANXESS appeared at Asia's biggest international exhibition for the rubber and plastics industry, the Chinaplas 2005 held in Guangzhou, where it will present its comprehensive portfolio for the polymer processing sector. The focus will be on polymer additives such as flame retardants and plasticizers and on inorganic pigments and organic pigments in the form of microgranules for plastics coloration.

LANXESS offers a wide range of flame retardants based on phosphoric acid esters satisfying virtually all chemical and technical product requirements. Areas of use include materials for the construction, electrical and automotive industries. The Levagard® range of flame retardants is particularly suited for use in rigid polyurethane foams and thermoset materials. The halogen-free Levagard® DMPP was developed specifically for use in rigid polyurethane foams. This low-viscosity product with a phosphorus content of more than 20 percent can be used to replace either all or some of the halogen-containing flame retardant typically used in formulations. Applications include composite elements with a rigid polyurethane foam core for hangars, cold stores and cold storage cells and one component foam.

The halogen-free esters of phosphoric acid in the Disflamoll® line are used as flame retardants for all types of polymers. Used in PVC, for example, they can be used to produce various flame-retardant items such as films or coated textile tarpaulins. Conveyor belts, V-belts and cable sheathing made from synthetic rubber are further examples of applications in which Disflamoll® comes into its own as a flame retardant with a plasticizing effect

The plasticizer Mesamoll® is a saponification-resistant ester of alkane sulfonic acid which is particularly compatible with a wide variety of polymers such as polyvinyl chloride, rubber, or polyurethane. This makes Mesamoll® the ideal choice for bonding and sealing systems based on polyurethane and vinyl chloride. Thanks to its excellent resistance to alkaline media - which are often found in the construction industry - Mesamoll® ensures, in such situations, long-lasting elasticity and a reliable seal. The plasticizer also displays excellent gelling properties in PVC and is therefore particularly suitable for making vinyl gloves.

The new plasticizers Ultramoll® IV and Ultramoll® VP SP 51020 NV are approved for use in PVC films that come into contact with food. For such packaging it is very important that the plasticizer remains in the films and does not migrate into the food. The threshold values stipulated by the EU which must be complied with when exporting packaged foodstuffs to Europe can be adhered to when LANXESS plasticizers are used.

	Chinaplas 2005, Lanxess Presents High-quality Colorants and Polymer Additives for the Plastics Industry LANXESS appeared at Asia's biggest international exhibition for the rubber and plastics industry, the Chinaplas 2005 held in Guangzhou, where it will present its comprehensive portfolio for the polymer processing sector. The focus will be on polymer additives such as flame retardants and plasticizers and on inorganic pigments and organic pigments in the form of microgranules for plastics coloration. LANXESS offers a wide range of flame retardants based on phosphoric acid esters satisfying virtually all chemical and technical product requirements. Areas of use include materials for the construction, electrical and automotive industries. The Levagard® range of flame retardants is particularly suited for use in rigid polyurethane foams and thermoset materials. The halogen-free Levagard® DMPP was developed specifically for use in rigid polyurethane foams. This low-viscosity product with a phosphorus content of more than 20 percent can be used to replace either all or some of the halogen-containing flame retardant typically used in formulations. Applications include composite elements with a rigid polyurethane foam core for hangars, cold stores and cold storage cells and one component foam. The halogen-free esters of phosphoric acid in the Disflamoll® line are used as flame retardants for all types of polymers. Used in PVC, for example, they can be used to produce various flame-retardant items such as films or coated textile tarpaulins. Conveyor belts, V-belts and cable sheathing made from synthetic rubber are further examples of applications in which Disflamoll® comes into its own as a flame retardant with a plasticizing effect The plasticizer Mesamoll® is a saponification-resistant ester of alkane sulfonic acid which is particularly compatible with a wide variety of polymers such as polyvinyl chloride, rubber, or polyurethane. This makes Mesamoll® the ideal choice for bonding and sealing systems based on polyurethane and vinyl chloride. Thanks to its excellent resistance to alkaline media - which are often found in the construction industry - Mesamoll® ensures, in such situations, long-lasting elasticity and a reliable seal. The plasticizer also displays excellent gelling properties in PVC and is therefore particularly suitable for making vinyl gloves. The new plasticizers Ultramoll® IV and Ultramoll® VP SP 51020 NV are approved for use in PVC films that come into contact with food. For such packaging it is very important that the plasticizer remains in the films and does not migrate into the food. The threshold values stipulated by the EU which must be complied with when exporting packaged foodstuffs to Europe can be adhered to when LANXESS plasticizers are used.
	'DIOPLEX’ Polymeric Plasticiser Launched by Hyperlast, PVC Plastisol 'DIOPLEX' ® VLV is a new polymeric plasticiser from Hyperlast, the speciality plasticiser manufacturer. Characterised principally by its very low viscosity (50 – 100cPs at 25°) 'DIOPLEX' VLV is a versatile and highly efficient product that is very easy to process. It offers similar handle-ability to standard monomerics yet provides an improvement in the level of resistance to extraction by various media when compared to monomeric counterparts such as DOP, DINP and linear phthalates. The new product offers excellent Cold Flex properties that compare favourably with most phthalates and trimellitates. Indeed, the benefits of this newly-launched plasticiser do not stop there: with its benign environmental and legislative profile, low viscosity 'DIOPLEX' VLV becomes an essential ingredient in plastisol formulations as a non-phthalate. In application, 'DIOPLEX' VLV is likely to be considered wherever a non-phthalate plasticiser is sought or where there is a need to improve the performance of non-polymerics. Applications will include any PVC plastisol use (coated fabrics or steel), PVC spray application such as under-body coating and other non-PVC, non-phthalate applications. Flotation buoys, tarpaulins and tenting, pigment masterbatch, printing inks, gaskets and closures, industrial gloves (dip coating), protective clothing, technical coatings and low toxicity compounds all lend themselves to 'DIOPLEX' VLV application. 'DIOPLEX' VLV is available in commercial quantities throughout the world. Westlake Appoints Bender as Vice President and Treasurer Westlake Chemical Corporation announced that it has named Steven Bender as Vice President and Treasurer. Mr. Bender will be responsible for all treasury activities to include, finance, credit, cash management, risk management, banking and investments. Additionally, he will assist with a variety of activities related to business development and investor relations. "We are delighted that Steve has joined our management team and believe his extensive industrial experience in finance and treasury provide an ideal background to make an immediate and positive impact on our organization and business," said Ruth Dreessen, Sr. Vice President and CFO of Westlake Chemical Corporation. Mr. Bender has over 27 years of treasury and finance experience and most recently served as the Treasurer of Kellogg, Brown and Root, Inc., a subsidiary of Halliburton. He previously held the positions of Assistant Treasurer and Director, International Treasury with the parent company. Additionally, he was employed by Texas Eastern Corporation for over a decade in a variety of increasingly responsible audit, finance and treasury positions. Mr. Bender holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Texas A & M University and an M.B.A from Southern Methodist University.
	Tosoh evaluates chlorine, VCM and Power expansions Tosoh Corp. is evaluating the possibility of expanding its chlorine capacity in Japan by 150,000 metric tons per year, says company officials. Tosoh's annual chlorine capacity in Japan is now 1.2 million metric tons. The expansion is currently being studied, and no start-up date has been decided. The extra chlorine is intended to support an EDC expansion to feed Tosoh's proposed new 400,000 metric ton-per-year VCM plant in Nanyo, Japan, which is scheduled to start up later this year. The VCM capacity could be expanded to 600,000 metric tons by 2006. The additional VCM capacity would feed a new 220,000 metric ton-per-year PVC plant Tosoh and its joint venture partners plan to bring on stream in Guangzhou, China, by the end of 2006. To support the expansions, Tosoh is considering a new power plant, but it first must complete a three-year environment-assessment study, which is a prerequisite for all power projects in Japan. Once the study is completed, another two years would be needed for construction, making 2008 the earliest for commissioning a new power plant. Formosa will merge US units for an IPO Formosa Plastics Group is planning to merge four of its US-based companies into one entity in preparation for an IPO in the US in 2006. The four companies to be merged are Formosa Plastics Corp. USA; Formosa Plastics Corp. America, Nan Ya Plastics Corp. USA; and Nan Ya Plastics Corp. America. They had combined sales of about $5 billion in 2004. The company has been considering an IPO for about 3 years. The US division of Formosa Group, the largest diversified industrial conglomerate in Taiwan, has business in PVC and chloralkali, among other polyolefins-based products. Formosa Group also plans to cut its workforce by 4,000 over the next three years with most of the reduction coming from the plastic and polyester fiber divisions. Nan Ya Plastics will cut 1,000 jobs this year and downsize its plastic processing business.