Tasnee Petrochemicals and Basell to build an integrated polyethylene complex in Saudi Arabia
National Petrochemical Industrialization Company (also known as Tasnee Petrochemicals) and Basell have signed an agreement with respect to building a new integrated polyethylene complex at Al-Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia.
The complex will consist of a gas cracker and two 400 KT polyethylene plants. One plant, based on Basell’s Hostalen process, will produce high-density PE; the second, based on Basell’s Lupotech T technology, will produce low-density PE. Scheduled to start up in 2008, the units will be the largest Hostalen and Lupotech T plants in existence.
The agreement reflects Basell’s intention to take a 25% equity share in the project, while Tasnee Petrochemicals and other Saudi investors, including SIPCHEM and Sahara Petrochemical Company, will take the remaining equity. Project development will be led by Tasnee Petrochemicals.
Comments: National Industrialization Company (NIC) was established in as the first industrial joint stock holding company wholly owned by the private sector. The company is diversified into various chemicals, plastics, and industrial businesses. Its participation in the polyolefins sector began in 2001 when it established the National Petrochemical Industrialization Company (NPIC) which in turn has established Saudi Polyolefins Company (propylene and polypropylene joint venture with Basell) and National Industrialization Company for Petrochemicals Marketing. Basell is responsible for marketing 75% of the production from Saudi Polyolefins Company in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The remainder will be handled by the National Industrialization Company for Petrochemicals Marketing.
The recent announcement diversifies the NIC profile to include polyethylene products (HDPE and LDPE). Such products have been, for the most part, dominated by SABIC and its affiliated companies.
Feedstock for this venture will be supplied by Saudi Aramco. Future projects for NPIC include methanol and acetic acid, and the vinyl derivatives project. This project is expected to start production in 2007. The project will produce 1.6 million tons of methanol and 700,000 tons of acetic acid annually.
Basell launches new Hostalen® HDPE resin for use in closures and collapsible tubes
Basell developed a new HDPE resin, Hostalen GX4027 using its proprietary Hostalen® Advanced Cascade Process (ACP) technology with a good combination of environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR) and high throughput which converters and end-users require for carbonated soft drink and mineral water beverage closures and collapsible tubes.
According to Basell, customers continue to seek higher-performing materials in these markets.
Beverage closures need to withstand extreme climate conditions, long shelf life, and high carbonation levels, while collapsible tubes need to resist extreme stress in use.
Basell test results show that Hostalen GX4027 can have an ESCR performance several times greater than the current HDPE MFR2 industry standards.
Industrial trials of Hostalen GX4027 conducted by converters have shown that significant savings in total cycle times are possible with melt temperatures reduced by 40°C and with no mold-filling issues. Additionally, independent sensory tests have shown the material to exhibit good organoleptic that are generally required in beverage applications.
Comments: Plastics, especially polyolefins, have come to dominate the caps & closure industry. Approximately 80% of caps and closures used in North America are produced from plastic resins (including thermoplastics and thermosets). The remaining 20 % of caps and closures are still manufactured from non-plastic materials, such as metals, rubber, glass, cork, etc. Metal closures are still being used due to the continued use of glass containers and bottles for some of the applications such as food, and beverages. Polypropylene accounts for almost 65% of the resin consumed for this application due to its combination of attributes including, but not limited to, (1) high heat distortion temperature, (2) high creep resistance and low shrinkage, (3) excellent stiffness and impact strength balance, (4) high gloss and low warpage, (5) good environmental stress cracking resistance, and (6) good impact resistance at low temperatures.
High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) commanded 18% of the market share, followed by Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) (7%), Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), and others (6%). Other resins included PVC, Thermoset resins (Phenolics, Melamine, Urea Compounds, PMMA, SMMA, etc.).
Although accounting for a lower share of the market, HDPE resins bring the following advantages: (1) ease of processing through compression molding, (2) better organoleptic properties, (3) no need for liners in some applications, and (4) provide softer opening with less use of lubricants. Please refer to Volume 9 Issue 6 of New Generation Polyolefins Bimonthly Review for a detailed analysis of caps & closure applications.
ExxonMobil’s patent on plasticized polyolefins
ExxonMobil received a patent on plasticized polyolefin compositions. The invention relates to articles made from plasticized polyolefin compositions comprising a polyolefin and a non-functionalized hydrocarbon plasticizer.
A plasticized polyolefin with improved softness, better flexibility (especially lower flexural modulus), a depressed glass transition temperature, and or improved impact strength especially at low temperatures (below 0°C), where at the same time the melting temperature of the polyolefin, the polyolefin crystallization rate, or its optical properties (especially clarity and haze) are not influenced, and with minimal migration of the plasticizer to the surface of articles made therefrom, is desirable.
For further information go to the website: http://www.freshpatents.com/Exxonmobil-Chemical-Company-cndire.php December 2004 patent on Articles made from Plasticized Polyolefins
Comments: Polyolefins competed with flexible PVC purely based on providing flexural characteristics via blending with the thermoset rubbers. This process, however, proved to be cumbersome and can only achieve one grade at a time.
PVC can be compounded to any flexural modulus by compounding it with a plasticizer. Compounding has become an integral part of the PVC industry, thus preventing other thermoplastics from penetrating end-use applications.
The polyolefins, due to their Tg characteristics are not suitable for the use of plasticizers. This groundbreaking patent from ExxonMobil addresses the issues of Tg of polyolefins, thus opening up plasticizer use as a potential for the future.
Over the past couple of decades, many polyolefins companies have attempted to compete directly with flexible PVC with little to no success. Factors contributing to the lack of PVC replacement by polyolefins include (1) versatility of compounded PVC, (2) industry structure and level of vertical integration, (3) performance at low cost, (4) good track record in a variety of applications including medical and wire & cable. Among the thermoplastic materials, PVC shares the properties of all the others yet provides the flexibility of compounding to suit the end users’ needs via simple compounding. The other plastics (PE, PP, PS, etc.) require manufacturing individual grades and or blending with rubbers to meet the specific flexibility requirements.
On the other hand, PVC’s flexibility can be tailor-made by just varying the plasticizer level. The development of a comparable compounded or plasticized polyolefin-based material may provide the needed attribute to better compete against flexible PVC. Please refer to CMR’s recent paper entitled A Decade in Review of PVC Influenced Polyolefin Activities (SPE Polyolefins 2005 Conference) for a more thorough review of these issues.
New technology for metal-reinforced Santoprene TPV developed by AES
ExxonMobil Chemical affiliate Advanced Elastomer Systems and NV Bekaert SA have developed a new technology that results in excellent adhesion of Santoprene thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) to metal.
The technology is based on an effective primer for steel wire and/or cord in combination with an adhesive tie layer, both pre-applied by Bekaert. No other treatment is required while processing the Santoprene TPV. The technology lowers production costs and improves the mechanical properties of the finished product, including strength, flexibility, and resistance to fatigue and corrosion. Key to the success of the technology is good coating penetration of the primer.
The new technology is suited for many industrial and engineering applications including reinforced hoses, transmission belts, conveyor belts, hoisting strips, and drive cables.
Bekaert can supply steel cord-reinforced belts, strips, and fabrics made with Santoprene™ TPV in a variety of formats per customer requirements. Custom-made wire and cord are available coated with the primer or with the primer and tie layer adhesive polymer. Virtually any Bekaert metal product can be coated with the newly developed primer and adhesive enabling customers to offer tailor-made products that combine the strengths of steel and Santoprene TPV.
Comments: Bekaert is a technology-driven company that produces and markets a wide range of products based on metal-forming and coating technologies. Bekaert major products include steel cords for radial tire reinforcement, wire, and advanced material technology. The group’s current activities are built around four business units (1) Wire, (2) Merchant Products Europe, (3) Steel Cord, and (4) Bekaert Advanced Materials.
Thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV) generally have good chemical resistance and mechanical property but poor adhesive properties in dissimilar substrates and generally require adhesive or primer. The ability of the new TPV will allow the material to be over-molded to a wide variety of materials allowing for a wider range of applications. TPV is already being used with harder materials in applications that require the soft touch and feel properties. This new property will enhance AES’ use in this rapidly growing market.
For more information, please refer to our biweekly newsletter, Global Polyolefin, and Elastomers, Volume 3, Issue 4.
ExxonMobil sells its 3.7% stake in Sinopec shares
Exxon Mobil Corporation announced that it has completed the sale of its 3.7 percent stake in China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec).
The selling process commenced after the close of the Hong Kong market and placed the shares on the public markets for HK$3.38 per share, raising approximately HK$10.7 billion (US$1.37 billion). Merrill Lynch is the Placing Agent for the Sinopec shares. The positive earnings impact from this transaction will be reported in the first quarter of 2005.
ExxonMobil had acquired approximately 3.2 billion ‘H’ shares in Sinopec for HK$1.61 per share when 20 percent of the company was floated on international markets in October 2000.
Comments: When Sinopec went public in 2000 in an IPO, the three super major oil giants bought into the IPO; Shell, ExxonMobil, and BP. The purpose of these investments was to show support and commitment to China and Sinopec. In 2004, BP and Shell sold their stakes in Sinopec for roughly $740 million each. ExxonMobil waited longer and got a better price as Sinopec’s shares outperformed the Hong Kong H-share market for mainland stocks by 16% over the past 12 months as refining margins soared. Sinopec, which also produced 20% of China’s domestic crude oil production last year also operates 33,000 gas stations and increased its oil imports by 37% last year.
ExxonMobil said it satisfied its original objectives in owning the IPO shares, the sale of which yielded about $1.4B in cash, the largest “cash out” of any Western company so far in the China market.
However, even with this cash-out, ExxonMobil is investing heavily in China in at least two mega projects; a refinery complex in Fujian and a related 1,000k ton/yr naphtha ethylene cracker-related complex. The refinery is roughly tripling the size of a current 80,000 BPD refinery to 240,000 BPD and will include up to 600 gasoline/fuels marketing outlets located throughout the South of China. The investment in the refinery has not been specified but the ethylene cracker project and derivatives are likely to exceed $3B. So, despite taking a healthy profit on the sale of the Sinopec shares, ExxonMobil remains committed to investing several orders of magnitude more capital in the growing China market for fuels and petrochemicals. These markets are expected to grow at a rate of more than 8% in 2005 as new power generation capacity comes onstream and chemicals continue their cyclical peak growth. In addition to the Fujian project, ExxonMobil also recently announced that talks have begun on a second project of similar scope to be located in the Guangdong province. The Sinopec shares sold by ExxonMobil represent 3.7% of the outstanding shares of Sinopec.
PIC and Dow Complete Groundbreaking Ceremony for Olefins II
Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) of Kuwait, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, and Dow Chemical entered the next phase in the construction of their new ethylene and derivatives complex in Shuaiba, Kuwait.
The executives from both the companies laid the foundation for the construction phase of the project, also referred to as Olefins II. The project builds on the successful business relationship in EQUATE Petrochemical Company between PIC and Union Carbide Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow.
Olefins II is planned to have an 850,000 metric ton per annum ethane cracker and a world-scale 600,000 metric ton per annum ethylene oxide/ethylene glycol plant using METEOR™ ethylene oxide technology. The existing capacity of 600,000 metric ton per annum for polyethylene will be expanded to utilize the additional ethylene.
In addition to Olefins II, PIC and Dow expect to build an ethylbenzene/styrene unit of 450,000 metric ton per annum supplied with ethylene from Olefins II and benzene from the Aromatics Project, to be built simultaneously on the site adjacent to EQUATE. EQUATE will manage, operate and maintain the Olefins II facilities.
Comments: Olefins II is part of a much larger picture between Dow and Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) of Kuwait. PIC represents the petrochemical arm of state owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC). PIC is one of six specialized subsidiaries owned by KPC that also produces fertilizers, and other petrochemicals such as a 100 KT/year polypropylene plant. PIC with its two ethylene units also is heavily integrated into ethylene glycol and polyethylene. The Olefins II project which is due to start up in 2008 is a large ethane cracker rated at 850k tons/yr that will feed a 600k ton/yr ethylene glycol facility and the existing 600k ton/yr polyethylene plant that will be expanded to use the additional ethylene produced. The marketing of the venture’s production will be done by two special purpose new entities called MEGlobal and Equipolymers. MEGlobal is a 50/50 joint venture formed when Dow sells 50% of its Canadian ethylene glycol business to PIC. MEGlobal will also market the excess EG produced in Dow’s plants in the US and Europe and may also market the EG produced by Dow and PIC affiliates. Equipolymers is a 50/50 joint venture for the manufacture and marketing of PET and PTA. To form Equipolymers, Dow will sell to PIC a 50% interest in PET/PTA businesses which includes assets in Italy and Germany.
In addition to the Olefins II project and its marketing entities, PIC and Dow expect to build an ethyl benzene/styrene unit of 450k tons/yr supplied by the Olefins II ethylene. The aromatics project producing benzene for the EB/SM unit will also produce 760k tons/yr of paraxylene.
Haldia Petrochemicals considers second naphtha cracker in India
Haldia Petrochemicals Limited (HPL) announced that the company is planning to set up a second naphtha cracker unit in Haldia. The Rs 5,170-crore petrochemical company formed a small in-house team last year to look into the possibility of setting up another unit.
The second unit will need an investment of Rs 2,000 crore. If the associated plants – HDPE, LDPE, PP — are also set up, then the total investments will shoot up to Rs 7,000 crore.
Once HPL is able to complete the Rs 700-crore revamp operations it will not only lead to production of 6.7 lakh tonnes of ethylene but will also make the second cracker a distinct possibility, he said. The revamp is on schedule. To take the company forward beyond 2006 — the revamp would be over by October — the management has started exploring the possibility of setting up another naphtha cracker unit. The company expects to achieve a net profit of Rs 750 crore in the current fiscal and a profit before tax of Rs 900-950 crore. It is also planning an initial public offer in the first quarter of 2005-06.
Comments: In 2004 India’s total capacity of ethylene was 2,775 KT. The major suppliers of ethylene in India include (1) GAIL, (2) Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd., (3) IPCL, (4) NOCIL, (5) Oswal Agro., and (6) Reliance Industries. Reliance is the largest producer of ethylene in India with a total capacity of 900 KT. Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd had a total ethylene capacity of 465 KT. If we look at the cracker operations in India, naphtha accounts for 58% of the ethylene capacity while natural gas accounts for the remaining 42%. The demand for polyethylene has been growing at 8%-10% in India and is projected to grow at similar rates in the future. The demand for polyethylene drives the demand for ethylene.
As natural gas prices have continuously increased in the last few years producers have increasingly relied on naphtha for ethylene.
The prices of naphtha were controlled and artificially inflated till 1997 to offer subsidies to fertilizer manufacturers consuming naphtha. However, today market forces govern the prices of naphtha. This is an added incentive to use naphtha. HPL is looking to set up a naphtha cracker unit in Haldia to supplement the growing demand for ethylene.
Westlake Chemical reports fourth-quarter results
Westlake Chemical Corporation reported a fourth-quarter net income of $47.3 million and an operating income of $81.4 million on net sales of $563.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2004. The improvement in net sales and operating income was primarily the result of increased selling prices, which outpaced higher feedstock and energy costs. In addition, PVC pipe sales increased due to the August 2004 acquisition of the assets of Bristolpipe Corporation.
For the year ended December 31, 2004, net income was $120.7 million, as compared with 2003, net income of $14.8 million. Operating income was $243.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2004, as compared to $65.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2003. These increases were primarily due to higher selling prices and volumes, which more than offset higher raw material and energy costs.
OLEFINS SEGMENT
Income from operations for the Olefins segment increased by $46.5 million to $65.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2004 from $18.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2003. This increase was primarily due to higher selling prices for our products and higher sales volumes in ethylene, which were partially offset by lower sales volumes in polyethylene and styrene and higher raw material costs for ethane, propane, and benzene.
Income from operations for the Olefins segment increased by $124.3 million to $179.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2004, from $55.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2003. This increase was primarily due to price increases and higher sales volumes for ethylene, polyethylene, and styrene, partially reduced by higher raw material costs of ethane, propane, and benzene.
Income from operations for the vinyl segment increased by $13.9 million to $18.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2004 from $4.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2003.
Huntsman Corp. completes IPO
Huntsman Corp. sold 60.23 million shares of common stock for $23 per share. Underwriters increased the size of the IPO by around 4.5 million shares and priced the deal at the high end of the estimated range of $21 to $23. Huntsman also sold 5 million shares of convertible preferred stock at $50 per share.
Huntsman will receive net proceeds of around $1.45 billion from the sale of 55.68 million common shares and the preferred stock, while shareholder MatlinPatterson Global Opportunities Partners is selling 4.55 million shares of stock for gross proceeds of $105 million.
MatlinPatterson has also granted underwriters a 30-day option to buy an additional 9.03 million shares, which if exercised, would up its proceeds to $312 million. Huntsman has granted an option to buy an additional 750,000 shares of convertible stock.
After the IPO, the Huntsman family and MatlinPatterson will retain about a 65 percent stake in Huntsman Corp.
Comments: Jon Huntsman founded his chemical empire in the 1970s to make foam “clam shells” for Mcdonald’s. A lot has happened since then to form what was until very recently the world’s largest privately held chemical firm. All that changed with the IPO of February 10th, 2005 when approximately 35% or 60 million shares of the company were offered and strongly subscribed. The strong market reception gained momentum and by the end of the first days, the price of shares had risen from the initial offering price of $23/share to $24.50/share or a gain of 7%. This performance came out at the top of the expected price range. By the close of the market Friday, March 4th, the newly minted shares of Huntsman (symbol “Hun”) were trading at more than $28.00/share up more than 20% from the offering price.
The Huntsman IPO sets some standards in other ways also, it is the second largest chemical IPO on record at $1.45B after Conoco’s 1998 debut at $4.4B. China’s Sinopec raised $1.4B in 2001 and Turikye Petrol raised $1.23B in 2000. Huntsman’s results stem from a further improvement in the chemical business cycle since past years and play well for the firm’s future because substantially all the IPO proceeds will go to pay down the current debt of $6.2B carrying interest rates as high as 15%. More analysts are following Huntsman in recent weeks and now give the firm a “2” by rating which is above average. This strong performance, according to analysts, has taken some on Wall Street by surprise, since the other large chemical IPO from last month – Celanese rolled out at a discount.
BP’s petrochemicals business reports losses & details on the new Olefins & Derivatives Company
BP’s petrochemicals business reported a pretax loss of $1.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2004, compared with a $41-million profit in 2003, on sales up 70%, to $6.5 billion. The earnings figure includes exceptional charges totaling $1.5 billion related mainly to asset write-offs and restructuring, according to the company.
In April of 2004, BP announced that it would consolidate the Olefins and Derivatives (O&D) division of its petrochemicals business as well as some of its joint venture assets into a stand-alone company and, in 2005 sell at least a portion of the new company via an Initial Public Offering (IPO).
On January 6th, 2005, BP Olefins & Derivatives became a separate company employing 7,500 people in 26 locations worldwide with assets in virtually every corner of the globe. The headquarters of the new company will be located in League City, TX.
The new company will have its offices in Marina View Tower, a newly constructed office building adjacent to South Shore Harbour Hotel. The company will be leasing office space on the top two floors of the building from the building’s owner, American General Insurance.
BASF to strengthen its engineering plastics business in Asia
BASF announced its plans to significantly expand its compounding capacities for engineering plastics in the Asia-Pacific region in the next two years.
The company will build a new compounding plant at its existing Pudong site in Shanghai, China. Construction of the new facility will start in the first quarter 2005. The plant will have an annual capacity of about 45,000 metric tons, scheduled to come on stream by the end of 2006.
In addition, BASF is expanding its compounding facility in Pasir Gudang, Malaysia. The expansion from 30,000 metric tons to about 45,000 metric tons annual production capacity will be completed by the second quarter of 2005. Together with the plant in Pudong, the total investment will range in the double-digit million Euro area. Both plants produce Ultramid® (polyamide PA) and Ultradur® (polybutylene perephthalate PBT) compounds.
Raw materials for the plants in Pudong, Shanghai, and Pasir Gudang, Malaysia, will be partially supplied from BASF ́s 50-50 joint venture with Toray in Kuantan, Malaysia. The joint venture is designed for an annual production of 60,000 metric tons of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) base resin.
After the two investments in Pudong and Pasir Gudang have been completed, BASF ́s compounding capacity for engineering plastics in the Asian region will exceed 100,000 metric tons per year.
Comments: The trend to move/start new facilities to Asia started in the last few years and is expected to continue for the next few years. The players in the industry are continuously looking to lower costs and the option of moving to Asia is always attractive. A facility in Asia gives the suppliers access to both cheap labor and the large Chinese market. BASF will be able to satisfy the faster-growing Chinese market from its compounding facility in Shanghai while supplementing the needs of other regions across the globe.
The majority of the corporations in the US and Europe are trying to increase their participation in different regions of the world. The major chemical companies are trying to increase the share of revenues generated from regions such as Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. We will see more and more companies either start new facilities or move their existing facilities to high-growth and low-cost regions.
London Metal Exchange adds new PP deliverable grades
The London Metal Exchange (LME) has introduced two new deliverable grades to the polypropylene (PP) contract specification, in advance of the launch of plastics futures contracts on 27 May 2005.
In addition to the MFR 12 general-purpose injection molding grade, the LME has added the following additional grades for PP:
(1)MFR 3.4 (+/- 0.5) ‘raffia’, or fiber extrusion grade, delivered ‘barefoot’ with no additives. This grade will only be deliverable against the LME contract in the Singapore / Johor PTP location, and,
(2)MFR 20 (+/- 3) general purpose injection molding grade, delivered ‘barefoot’ with no additives. This grade will only be deliverable against the LME contract in the Houston, USA location.
Both additional grades will be deliverable without premium or discount to the MFR 12 grade. In Europe (Antwerp / Rotterdam area), only the MFR 12 grade will be deliverable.
Comments: The London Metal Exchange will continue to add new products/grades and enhance the system. With the addition of polypropylene and Linear Low-Density Polyethylene, LME has included plastics. This service will be launched by the end of May 2005. Technological developments and ease of information sharing should help in the smoother functioning of the exchange.
The advancement of technology and information flow seems to helping London Metal Exchange to overcome the problems of previous attempts (e.g. Chicago Mercantile Exchange). If this trend continues the London Metal Exchange could become an important part of the chemical industry.
NatureWorks LLC is the new name for Cargill’s corn-based plastic business
The new name for a company producing polylactic acid-based products will be NatureWorks, LLC. The name change follows Cargill’s decision to acquire The Dow Chemical Company’s interest in Cargill Dow LLC. The newly named company will function as a stand-alone entity owned by Cargill.
Cargill is the original inventor of polylactic acid (PLA), a polymer derived from natural plant sugars and marketed as NatureWorks PLA and Ingeo fibers. NatureWorks PLA is used in a broad range of packaging applications by companies seeking the benefits of plastics made from an annually renewable resource.
Comments: Recently, Cargill, Inc announced that it will acquire Dow Chemical Company’s interest in Cargill Dow LLC, the 50:50 joint venture formed in 1997 to commercialize polylactic-acid-based biopolymers.
Cargill, Inc, the new sole owner of Cargill Dow LLC is in a comfortable situation being a leader in biopolymers and having the right skills to manage the business. The PLA business will be now operated under NatureWorks LLC.
For more information, please refer to our analysis on “Cargill to buy Dow Chemical’s interest in Cargill Dow”.
Zyvex and Arkema announce partnership in nanomaterials
Arkema announced their nanotechnology development efforts with a process to produce and distribute high-quality, multifunctional MWNTs. Their production capabilities currently enable them to manufacture 5,000 kg per year of high-purity nanotubes at their Lacq site (France).
Zyvex commercializes nanomaterials with their NanoSolve™ product line, providing additives and concentrates with exfoliated and dispersed nanomaterials, with adhesion to various polymers. Zyvex NanoSolve can deliver enhanced thermal, electrical, or mechanical properties by selectively transferring the superior intrinsic properties of carbon nanotubes into composite materials for the Sporting Goods, Aerospace, and Automotive industries.
The Supply Chain Certification process is an integral part of Zyvex’s ability to provide high-quality nanomaterials solutions for customer applications. Companies that maintain the consistent level of quality necessary for their products to be used in Zyvex’s commercial applications can qualify for Level II Certification. Arkema is the first company to meet these requirements.
Comments: Carbon nanotube has some exceptional physical properties. For example, its tensile strength is fifty times that of stainless steel (100GPa vs. 2 GPa) and its thermal conductivity is five times that of copper. Therefore, the carbon nanotube is ideal to be used as an additive to polymers to improve mechanical properties and conductivity. In practice, however, it is very difficult to incorporate nanotubes into a polymer matrix due to its unique structure. Zyvex’s Kentera™ technology functionalizes the surface of the nanotubes to enhance the interaction between the nanotube and the polymer matrix.
The target applications of Zyvex’s Nanosolve product include aerospace, defense, telecommunication, biomedical, and so on. The most recent commercial application of Nanosolve product is nanocomposite hockey sticks made by Easton Hockey. The new nanocomposite stick technology increases strength while reducing weight. According to the vice president of Easton Hockey, Ned Goldsmith, “Peter Forsberg has already adopted this new design while playing in Sweden for Modo.”
Arkema is one of the largest suppliers of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). Another type of carbon nanotube, single wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) is supposed to have better properties. However, SWCN is much more expensive than MWCN, which has limited its commercialization.
Rohm and Haas selects site for new China research and development center
Rohm and Haas Company announced that it has selected the site for its new China Research and Development Center in Shanghai. Located on over eight acres (33,000 square meters) in the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Pudong New Area District, the new site will anchor the company’s research and commercial presence in one of the fastest-growing markets in the world.
The new site, expected to open in mid-2006, will initially employ about 300 Rohm and Haas researchers, technical service personnel, commercial and sales professionals, and functional staff. The company will design and construct a five-story administration building, featuring offices, customer meeting rooms, a training and conference auditorium, and a customer reception area. A four-story research building will be constructed concurrently, providing modern laboratory and technical service facilities for scientists, technical service professionals, and support staff.
Comments: Rohm and Haas have had a presence in China since 1979 when the company opened a small facility to support their Electronic Materials business in Hong Kong.
The new center will strengthen the company’s resources in basic research, application development, and technical support. It will bring the company much closer not only to a growing customer base but also to impressive new technologies, potential new research partners, and talented scientists throughout the Asia Pacific region.
Contact us at ADI Chemical Market Resources to learn how we can help.