said. The investment in this production
scale up follows notification that five
Segetis products have successfully cleared
registration with the U.S. EPA and are eligible for U.S. TSCA listing. Of the five
products, Segetis has commenced commercial manufacture of three biodegradable products, which are now listed on the
U.S. TSCA inventory.
Ferro expands fine silver
production capacity
Ferro Corporation’s electronic materials
business will expand production capac-
ity for electronic grade silver powder and
silver flake at its South Plainfield, NJ fa-
cility. The expansion is the result of the
installation of additional production
lines and new process automation at the
plant, due to be completed by July 2011.
The move is anticipated to increase pro-
duction capacity for electronic grade sil-
ver powder and silver flake by 30
percent. Global demand for electronic
grade silver powder and flake with ultra-
fine particle size is growing in several in-
dustries, including solar panels,
high-definition displays, membrane
touch screens, and semiconductor com-
ponents. The small particle size enables
the printing of extremely fine conductive
lines that help improve performance and
reduce costs.
Benda-Lutz breaks into the
South American market
Benda-Lutz is now represented in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile by
the Argentine company Kemkol SA and in
Brazil by Kalay do Brasil Ltd. The partnerships were formed in early February
with a joint trade show planned for April
9-13 at the Brazil Plant in São Paolo.
Axson Technologies invests in
Asia
Axson Technologies, specializing in the
formulation and manufacture of epoxy
and polyurethane resins, is opening a
new production plant in China for the
dielectrics and wind turbine market. The
new plant will triple production com-
pared to the facilities already in Shang-
hai, the company said. Axson is also
planning to open a new site in India by
the end of 2011. The opening is part of
the company’s international development strategy launched in 1994 when
the company was acquired through
an LBO. The company has six R&D
centers throughout the world, six
production units in France, Slovakia,
Mexico, the United States, Japan, China
and soon India, and a network of
subsidiaries and exclusive distributors in
over 30 countries.
EPA awards $5.5 million to
support nanotechnology
research
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) has awarded $5.5 million
to three consortia to support research on
nanotechnology. EPA, in collaboration
with the United Kingdom’s Natural Environment Research Council, is leading
this scientific research effort to better
understand the potential risks to people’s
heath and the environment. The scientific information developed from the research can help guide EPA and other
agencies in decisions about the safety of
new materials and products that are
made using nanotechnology.
“The responsible development of nanotechnology can play a major role in sustaining a positive, healthy environment, a
vibrant and growing economy, and a high
standard of living,” said Paul Anastas, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of
Research and Development. “
Understanding the risks posed by engineered
nanomaterials is a global challenge that is
best met through international collaboration, drawing on the combined expertise
of researchers from diverse backgrounds.”
Nanotechnology is the science of very
small matter called nanomaterials, which
are structured in size between one to 100
nanometers. A nanometer is 100,000
times thinner than a strand of hair. At
extremely small sizes, the laws of physics
change, and nanomaterials can exhibit
unique properties different than the
same chemical substances in a larger
size. This opens up new opportunities for
the development of innovative products
and services.
The grants EPA has awarded will help
researchers determine whether certain
nanomaterials can leach out of
products such as paints, plastics
and fabrics when they are used
or disposed of and whether they
could become toxic to people and the environment. Many U.S. industries can
benefit from the positive applications of
nanotechnology, including environmental remediation, pollution prevention, innovative drug delivery and therapy,
efficient renewable energy and effective
energy storage.
In addition to EPA’s $5.5 million, the
Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC) has contributed $500,000
through a new research partnership between the two agencies. Grant awards
were made to three consortia consisting of
researchers from the United States and the
UK. Each U.S. team of researchers received $2 million from EPA and CPSC for
a total of $6 million. Each UK team also
receives $2 million from the UK agencies,
resulting in a grand total of $12 million to
conduct the research.
Buhler Technology Group
marks milestone in 2010
The Buhler Technology Group can look
back on an encouraging business year in
2010. For the first time in the group’s
150-year history, order intake exceeded
the mark of two billion Swiss francs.
Sales and operating result (EBIT) for the
company also continued to grow. The
anniversary year will be known as one of
the best in Buhler’s history. With CHF
2160 million or 21 percent more than a
year ago, the order intake passed the
mark of two billion Swiss francs, al-
though the first quarter was still charac-
terized by the turmoil in the global
economy. All three divisions contributed
to the growth. Advanced Materials
achieved the greatest leap of 48 percent,
followed by Food Processing ( 27 per-
cent) and Grain Processing ( 15 percent).
The increase in order intake was due to
the emerging markets in Asia ( 39 per-
cent), North and South America ( 19 per-
cent) and the Middle East ( 96 percent).
Thus, business is now spread evenly
across the four main regions: Europe,
Middle East/Africa, Asia, and North and
South America. CW
