specification in May of 2013
should indicate to the coating
and corrosion engineering communities the robustness of this
coating,” said Chris Dohl, vice president
of Intech Services.
BP Reveals Three-step
Process to Produce Acetic
Acid for Paints
BP has developed two new technologies
for the production of key petrochemical
feedstocks. SaaBre is a new route for the
production of acetic acid from syngas
and Hummingbird directly converts ethanol to ethylene through dehydration.
SaaBre’s breakthrough is a process
for the conversion of synthesis gas (
carbon monoxide and hydrogen derived
from hydrocarbons such as natural
gas) directly to acetic acid in a proprietary, integrated three-step process
that avoids the need to purify carbon
monoxide (CO) or purchase methanol,
according to the company.
SaaBre is expected to deliver a significant reduction in variable manufacturing costs, and lead to capital efficiencies,
compared to the carbonylation of methanol route which has been the leading
technology for several decades, according
to the company.
Acetic acid is a versatile intermediate
chemical, used in a variety of products,
such as paints, adhesives and solvents, as
well as in the production of PTA, used extensively in polyester manufacture.
Hummingbird is a newly developed
proprietary process by which ethanol is
dehydrated to produce ethylene, a fundamental building block for the plastics
and other petrochemical industries. The
new technology is lower cost and simpler compared to existing ethanol to ethylene technologies.
SaaBre and Hummingbird were developed at BP’s labs at the Hull Research and
Technology Centre (HRTC), alongside its
acetic acid manufacturing site, Europe’s
largest, at Saltend, Hull in the UK. BP
is actively exploring options for commercializing both technologies. SaaBre is
planned for deployment in future acetic
acid investments while Hummingbird is a
licensing play for BP.
Recycled Glass Powder
Plant Completed in
Jackson, TN
Vitro Minerals has announced the completion and start-up of a 40 million pound
per year recycled glass powder plant in
Jackson, Tennessee. The glass powders
are designed to provide a 100 percent recycled, crystalline silica free alternative to
traditional mined mineral fillers and extenders such as calcium carbonate, clay,
silica, and nepheline syenite.
Glass has a fairly low recycling rate
due to collection and processing difficulties. Vitro Minerals has developed a
variety of post-consumer and post-indus-trial glass sources and unique processing
schemes to make glass powders with excellent particle size control and brightness
standards equal to traditional mineral
fillers. The resultant glass powders act as
cost effective functional fillers in coatings,
plastics, adhesives, sealants and concrete.
The powders are available in different
glass chemistries in particle sizes from 0.5
microns to 500 microns.
“Glass powders, in addition to being
free of crystalline silica, offer a lighter
weight, corrosion/abrasion resistant
filler for polymer systems that have the
added advantage of being recycled content,” said Joseph Keating, president of
Vitro Minerals.
Evonik Opens Production
Plant in Shanghai
Evonik Industries is significantly expand-
ing its global isophorone (IP) and isopho-
rone diamine (IPD) capacities by funding
an investment of more than €100 million
in Shanghai, China. The new produc-
tion plants will be completed in the first
quarter of 2014 and will increase the to-
tal capacities of IP and IPD significantly.
“We’re investing in China, because we
are committed to the growth region Asia.
As a world leader in isophorone-based
products, we will continue to further con-
solidate and expand our position in this
chemistry,” said Ulrich Küsthardt, presi-
dent of Evonik’s Coating and Additives
Business Unit. With the Group’s ex-
pansion strategy it aims to support the
growth ambitions of key customers in
Asia and around the world. Proximity to
consumers in this growing market will
translate into improved local service,
shorter lead times, and faster responses to
changes in demand. “Our aim in build-
ing the plants in Shanghai- at the com-
pany’s existing multi-user site-is to supply
our Asian customers with the same high-
quality products they are used to from
our plants in Europe and the USA, now
from a plant in the region,” said Gerd
Brand, senior vice president and head of
Crosslinkers Business Line.
Evonik is a global leader in isophorone chemistry with production facilities in Herne, Marl (Germany), Mobile,
Alabama (U.S.) and Antwerp (Belgium).
Its products are marketed under the
brand names of Vestamin, Vestanat,
Vestagon and Vestasol.
Eastman Recognized for
Environmental Excellence
Employees at Eastman Chemical
Company’s Texas Operations received
recognition for their contributions to
conservation education at the Wildlife
Habitat Council’s (WHC) 25th Annual
Symposium, Celebrating Corporate
Conservation. Eastman demonstrated
its commitment to environmental stewardship by achieving Corporate Lands
for Learning certification at its Texas
Operations. Achieving initial Corporate
Lands for Learning certification in 2013,
Eastman’s Texas Operations’ environmental education program provides
site-based outdoor learning opportunities to numerous groups throughout
both Gregg and Harrison Counties and
beyond. Partnering with environmental entities such as Texas A&M Forest
Service and Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department, the education program
reaches hundreds of students and informal learners each year.
“We are honored to receive this
award for our conservation education
programs,” said Mark Bogle, vice president and general manager, Eastman’s
Texas Operations. “Our Nature Trail and
Demonstration Forest programs have
enhanced our ability to connect with the
community and the education process to
promote Eastman’s commitment to environmental stewardship.” CW
