Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based chemical maker Albemarle Corp. is helping the Sichuan Fire Research Institute (SCFRI) to restore work by housing SCFRI's research projects at the company's technical center in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.

Several buildings at SCFRI collapsed or were seriously damaged during the May earthquake, and some testing equipment was ruined, a news release said.

Albemarle's Nanjing technical center is an official Flame Retardant Products Test Center certified by Beijing-based China Plastics Processing Industry Association. The center is providing SCFRI with testing and research support. This way, "the issuing of flame retardant certification labels will not be affected by the damage caused to the institute," the company said.