Industry News
COGNIS OPENS NEW
SULFATION FACILITY IN MEXICO
Cognis has opened a new SO3
sulfation plant at its site in Ecatepec,
Mexico, which produces ingredients
for use in products used in emulsion
polymers for coatings and adhesives.
commence implementation of a new
production structure in China in
2012. Upon completion, production
capacity should reach 12,000 tons
per year.
U.S. DEMAND FOR SOY
CHEMICALS TO INCREASE
Demand for soy chemicals is forecast
to increase 7.8% per year to $2.7 bil-
lion in 2013 in the U.S., according to
“Soy Chemicals,” a new study from
The Freedonia Group Inc. The success
of the soy chemicals industry is
dependent on the continued penetra-
tion of biodiesel, as well as the adop-
tion of alternatives to traditional,
petrochemical-based materials in the
manufacture of industrial products.
Methyl soyate is by far the most estab-
lished soy chemical. It is finding
greater use as a solvent in a variety of
markets including cleaning products
and paint and coatings. Other soy oil
derivatives, such as polyols, will bene-
fit from corporate initiatives to use
more renewable feedstocks, as well as
from consumer demand for “greener”
products, particularly in the plastics
and paint and coatings markets.
BASF TO SELL SURFACTANTS
MANUFACTURING SITE TO CLEAR
LAKE CHEMICALS
BASF has entered into a definitive
agreement to divest its surfactants man-
ufacturing site in Clear Lake, TX, in an
asset sale to Clear Lake Chemicals LLC
(CLC) of Pasadena, TX. CLC is a wholly-
owned subsidiary of Gulf Bayport
Chemicals LP. Completion of the divesti-
ture is subject to certain conditions and
approvals, and was expected to be com-
pleted by Dec. 31, 2009.
SUN CHEMICAL ISSUES FIRST
REPORT ON SUSTAINABILITY
Sun Chemical released its first sustain-
ability report which provides data-driv-
en performance measurement for seven
key sustainability metrics to help cus-
tomers and consumers understand the
company’s environmental impact. The
first of its kind report shows data col-
lected since 2005 from approximately
170 Sun Chemical sites in over 25
countries. The key sustainability met-
rics measured in the data include: ener-
gy consumption/conservation at pro-
duction and non-production sites, the
energy carbon footprint at the produc-
tion sites, process waste reduction,
water consumption, materials safety,
and employee safety. CW
UNIVAR EXPANDS BUSINESS IN
THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
Univar have announced plans to
expand its business in the Middle
East and Africa. With the company’s
soon-to-be-opened facility in Dubai’s
Jebel Ali Free Zone, Univar aims at
better serving existing and potential
customers and suppliers in this
dynamic growth region.
PERSTORP TO INCREASE
ALIPHATIC ISOCYANATES
PRODUCTION CAPACITY IN CHINA
Perstorp plans to increase its production of aliphatic polyisocyanates
in response to growing market
demand in Asia. The company will
POSITIVE RESULTS RECORDED WITH
VOLUMETRIX PAINT DISPENSER AT DAIMLER
Four-year results with a Volumetrix Fluid Dispense system at Freightliner
truck plants in Cleveland, OH and Mt. Holly, NC indicate both significant
reductions in repaints as well as a reduction in color-match issues at those
plants. Mike Darminin, senior process engineer for DuPont, which supplies
paints to those facilities, estimates productivity has been increased by over 50%
with repaints reduced by 16% at Cleveland and slightly less at Mt. Holly.
Increased productivity is due in part to color accuracy problems that are a
fraction of what was encountered with the [mix] system that preceded the
Volumetrix system. Matt Stratton, Freightliner Manufacturing Engineer at the
Cleveland plant, estimates time spent on color-match issues has gone from
“60% with the old machine to [approximately] five percent with Volumetrix.”
The system, billed by Generic Systems as providing “gravimetric accuracy
with volumetric speed,” dispenses all tints and colors at once rather than one
at a time as with a gravimetric system. “We can complete a dispense cycle in
under three-minutes as opposed to 15-minutes with a gravimetric system,” said
Brent Frederick, director of sales engineering for Generic Systems.
Frederick said the system can also deliver accuracy within +/- 1% by weight
on dispenses equal to or greater than five grams as well as accuracy within +/-
.02 grams on dispenses less than 10 grams for most fluids.
A proprietary dispense control system which accounts for variances in fluid
dynamics through the dispense cycle is at the heart of the system and its accuracy, according to Frederick. “Basically, the system control takes into account
the totality of the fluid dynamics in this process and makes adjustments
according. We are therefore able to dynamically control the accuracy of the dispense at all given outputs. This allows the machine to more swiftly dispense the
color at accuracy measurements never seen before in gravimetric dispense systems with unmatched repeatability.”
