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August 28, 2008

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Bayer breaks ground on gas-phase TDI plant in Shanghai

Bayer’s splitter at Shanghai

SHANGHAI (August 26, 2008) -- Bayer MaterialScience has announced that it has gained Chinese government approval for construction of its long-planned 250-kiloton-per-year facility for making toluene diisocyanate (TDI) at its Shanghai production site. The plant will be the first to commercially exploit Bayer’s innovative gas-phase phosgenation process. Annual growth in global TDI consumption of 4 percent is expected in the medium term, with forecasts for China´s growth at twice that, said Bayer. TDI is used to make flexible polyurethane foam, which is used in large quantities in upholstered furniture, mattresses and car seats.

BASF restructuring styrenics businesses
LUDWIGSHAFEN, GERMANY (August 26, 2008) -- BASF AG has decided to add its styrenic copolymer business to the divestment process already announced for a large part of its styrenics portfolio. The Germany-based company also is reorganizing the structure of its global styrenics business, creating new subsidiaries so that they can be run independently of one another. The new companies are expected to be established in January.

Octal invests big in integrated APET plant

Barenberg

DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY (August 26, 2008) -- Octal Holding & Co. SAOC’s 2.05 billion yuan integrated PET resin and sheet plant in Oman is coming on stream this month, making the firm a major supplier of amorphous PET sheet to thermoforming customers. The investment is in line with plans for Octal to become the “largest and lowest-cost polyester company in the Middle East and the largest polyester manufacturer outside China on a single site,” Chief Operating Officer Joe Barenberg told European Plastics News at the Interpack trade show in Düsseldorf. And it positions the firm to target soft drink and bottled-water markets in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East, he added.

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Solutia seeks options for nylon business

Jacobs

AKRON, OHIO (August 26, 2008) -- Solutia Inc. is looking to sell or merge its nylon business. But that doesn’t mean the company has given up on the unit. Its commitment to progress in nylon is evident in plans to add nylon 6/6 resin capacity in 2009. “We’re trying to reinvigorate the business for the new millennium,” Americas nylon sales manager Robert Jacobs told Plastics News at the newspaper’s Akron office. And rather than making a large capital investment, Solutia is opting to grow its compounding business by working with toll compounders, one each in the U.S. and China. The company also is introducing numerous new products.

After delays, plastics futures are on their way in Dubai
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (August 19, 2008) -- After announcing four planned plastics futures contracts more than a year ago, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) and the Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX) are now anticipating a launch date before the end of this year.

Sato unit buys AZ Electronic´s parts business
TOKYO (August 19, 2008) – Tokyo-based PBI Advanced Materials Co. Ltd. has expanded by purchasing the polybenzimidazole parts business of AZ Electronic Materials (Japan) KK. The business includes plants making parts, stock shapes, compounds and coatings. PBI Advanced Materials is part of Sato Group, a Japanese maker of parts for office automation, automotive and household appliances.

U.S.-based Albemarle buys Chinese additives producers
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA (August 12, 2008) -- Specialty chemicals maker Albemarle Corp. now has full ownership of two Chinese joint ventures that produce plastic additives. The two subsidiaries are Ningbo Jinhai Albemarle Chemical & Industry Co. Ltd. in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, and Shanghai Jinhai Albemarle Fine Chemicals Co. Ltd. in Shanghai.

U.S. Congress passes phthalates ban
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 12, 2008) -- A joint U.S. Senate-House conference committee July 28 approved the ban of six types of phthalates -- three of which are banned permanently and three temporarily. The bill’s approval comes on the heels of phthalate bans passed in the states of California, Washington and Vermont in the past nine months.

Japan keen on bioplastics, but implementation slow

Inomata

TOKYO (August 12, 2008) -- In 2002, Japan set an ambitious goal that, by 2020, 20 percent of its plastics should come from renewable feedstocks, rather than traditional petrochemicals. Plastics News sat down with bioplastics industry officials in Japan to take a look at developments. The picture that emerged is of an industry very interested in testing new applications, but one that, in spite of the government’s bold goals, does not seem to be any closer than other countries to seeing bioplastics grow. Bioplastics remain, at most, about 1 percent of the country’s plastics market, said Inomata Isao, adviser to the Japan BioPlastics Association, a figure in line with other estimates of bioplastics use worldwide.

Thailand aims to be a bioplastics leader in S.E. Asia

Temprom

BANGKOK, THAILAND (August 12, 2008) -- Thailand’s cabinet approved funding for a bioplastics “road map” last month that aims to develop local production of polylactic acid (PLA) resin made from cassava and other materials. The Thai government plans to take advantage of its position as Southeast Asia’s largest plastic product exporter and its sizable agricultural industry to turn the country into a regional leader in bioplastics. The decision was welcomed by local industry, which said the funding culminates long discussions with the government. “We think this is a good opportunity,” said Benjaporn Temprom with Thai processor N.R. Rama Co. Ltd.

Ex-GE official creates PC sheet, film business
CINCINNATI, OHIO (August 12, 2008) -- Former GE Plastics executive Richard Filiault launched Optiglass PC LLC, a polycarbonate (PC) sheet and film business, after buying a nearly 20-year-old sheet-coating business. Optiglass now operates a pair of coating lines, coating sheet that it buys from an undisclosed U.S. supplier. Optiglass imports PC film, polypropylene film and some specialty PC sheet from Mianyang Longhua Film Co. Ltd. of Mianyang, Sichuan province. Products imported from Longhua include graphic, nonhalogenated and flame-retardant PC films.

Recycler MBA may expand in U.K. or China

Biddle

RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA (August 12, 2008) -- The United Kingdom and China were mentioned as possible locations for a plant that will recover plastic resin from end-of-life durable goods. MBA Polymers Inc. and European Metal Recycling Ltd. (EMR) are looking for a site for their joint venture and could reach a decision by the end of August or September.

PetroChina licensing tech from two U.S. firms
CHENGDU, SICHUAN (August 5, 2008) -- PetroChina Sichuan Petrochemical Co. Ltd. has several petrochemical-related investments in the works in Chengdu, including a 450,000-metric-ton-per-year polypropylene plant and a 600,000-metric-ton-per-year paraxylene plant. The Chinese chemical giant will license Dow Chemical Co.’s Unipol process technology for the polypropylene facility and plans to use technology and equipment from UOP LLC to build the paraxylene plant. Paraxylene is a building block of polyester fabric and PET resin. UOP said paraxylene demand in China will grow 11 percent a year for the next decade.

Electronics trends power materials choices

Yoshida

PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS (August 5, 2008) -- To gain a competitive edge in today’s global electronics market, molders need to watch the latest consumer trends and take advantage of new material applications. That’s according to Hiroshi Yoshida, global market director for electronics at Sabic Innovative Plastics. At present, the three major trends for the electronics market include miniaturization, design and eco, he pointed out in a recent telephone interview.

Dow, Siam Cement release details of propylene oxide JV
BANGKOK, THAILAND (August 5, 2008) -- The Siam Cement Public Co. Ltd. has entered into a joint venture with Dow Chemical Co. to set up a 390,000-metric-ton-per-year propylene oxide plant in Thailand, and is still working on the economy of its mega petrochemical complex in Vietnam.

BASF gets its foot in the door at the Beijing Olympics

Elastollan helps make athletic shoes flexible and light.

BEIJING (August 5, 2008) -- A range of BASF AG products and solutions will be used for a variety of purposes, including for athletic shoes, in this year´s summer Olympic Games in Beijing, the company announced. BASF touts subsidiary Elastogran GmbH’s Elastollan thermoplastic polyurethane as a “key component” in athletic shoes.

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