and one of the fastest growing conglomerates achieving sales of more than $40 billion in 2011. Odebrecht’s contributions in
the world of chemistry are evident through
Braskem, which is the Americas’ top thermoplastic resins producer and the world’s
fifth petrochemical producer. With 36 industrial plants spread across Brazil, the
U.S. and Germany, the company produces
more than 35 billion pounds of thermoplastic resins and other petrochemicals per
year. Braskem is also the world’s leading
biopolymers producer with its 440 million
pound green PE plant that produces polyethylene from sugarcane-based ethanol.
Clariant To Build Pigments
Plant in Indonesia
Clariant plans to build a new pigment
preparations plant in Indonesia in a
series of investments to strengthen on-the-ground support for customers in
China, India and Indonesia. The announcement marks another step in
Clariant’s significant commitment to
support customers in the emerging markets with high quality low VOC pigment preparations complying with eco
labeling schemes such as blue angel and
equivalent schemes in other regions,
according to the company. The company is investing approximately CHF
8 million to enhance its capabilities in
the region. The investments include the
construction of a new pigment preparations plant at Clariant’s Tangerang site
in Indonesia that will double capacity
to support the strong market growth in
the country. Production is scheduled to
commence in September 2013.
Clariant is also finalizing the feasibility for expanding the capacity at its
azo pigments and pigment preparations
plants in Roha, India by 50%. In order
to increase market coverage, provide
more intimate customer service and support and enhance market knowledge
Clariant’s marketing and sales organization in China, India and Indonesia will be
doubled throughout 2013. Additionally,
technical service capabilities in China will
be strengthened by increasing the number
of technical professionals in Clariant’s
STAR application laboratory in Shanghai
by nearly double.
Finally, Clariant will also expand its
development capabilities in Roha (India),
Shanghai and DaGang (China) to provide
a faster response to requests for product
development tailored to the needs of the
local markets. The addition of regional
product managers for both azo pigments
and pigment preparations will strengthen
this support.
Atlas Launches New
Flammability Website
Atlas Material Testing Technology has
launched a new site at www.flammability.
atlas-mts.com. The new page focuses exclusively on the group of flammability chambers Atlas provides – the HVUL2, HVFAA
and HMV. In many industries the risk of
uncontrolled flammability must be avoided for a variety of products and materials.
Atlas’ flammability instruments provide
accuracy, repeatability and safety when
performing qualification testing to determine the burn rates and resistance of
products.
ASTM Paint Committee
to Developing Standard
for Evaluating Weathering
Performance Characteristics
of Architectural Coatings
A proposed new ASTM International
standard will offer guidelines for selecting wood substrates for the evaluation
of the weathering performance of architectural coatings, such as exterior paints,
primers and deck finishes.
The proposed standard, ASTM
WK32654, Practice for Selecting Wood
Substrates for Weathering Evaluations of
Architectural Coatings, is being developed
by Subcommittee D01.42 on Architectural
Coatings, part of ASTM International
Committee D01 on Paint and Related
Coatings, Materials and Applications.
According to D01 member Marek
Gnatowski, the need for the proposed standard is the result of the growing complexity
of wood-based materials used in architectural applications, techniques of architectural product finishing and the demand for
high quality coatings capable of performing
on a wide variety of wooden substrates.
“Properly designed and tested coatings
increase the longevity of architectural
elements and reduce maintenance
costs to building owners,” said
Marek Gnatowski, technical di-
rector and president, Polymer
Engineering Co. Ltd. “On the other hand,
forest resources that supply high quality
old growth solid wood to the construc-
tion industry for architectural applica-
tions are becoming scarce.”
In order to meet market demands, a
variety of wood composite products have
entered the market, such as gluelams, a
variety of wafer boards, finger joint sid-
ing and composite trims. In addition,
younger trees are now being used to
make home sidings. Gnatowski said the
proposed standard will aid in the devel-
opment of paint for these new lines of
architectural products.
BASF Receives European
Water Stewardship
Certificate
BASF is the first chemical company to
achieve gold-level certification according to the European Water Stewardship
(EWS) standard for its production site in
Tarragona, Spain. In order to attain this
certificate, auditors of third party certification body TÜV Nord Integra assessed the
entire water management performance of
BASF’s production site, from extraction of
water at its source to its reintroduction in
downstream water bodies. The European
standard was developed by governments,
businesses and NGOs under the leadership
of the independent organization European
Water Partnership (EWP) and became effective at the end of 2011.
BASF uses water as a coolant, solvent
and cleaning agent, as well as directly in
chemical production. The company has
implemented the standard in order to
promote its global water goals. By 2020,
BASF wants to reduce the withdrawal of
drinking water from supply sources for
production by half compared with 2010.
The emissions to water of organic substances and nitrogen are to be reduced by
80 percent, the emissions of heavy metals
by 60 percent, compared with 2002.
Arsenal Acquires Arnco
Arsenal Capital Partners has acquired
Arnco, one of the world’s largest suppliers
