Coatings World - June 2014

Arkema has opened a new development and application laboratory at its Araçariguama plant in Sao Paulo, Brazil dedicated to the Arkema Coating Resins and Coatex businesses. Arkema Coating Resins is a business unit of Arkema; Coatex is a subsidiary of Arkema Group.

The new facility will focus on innovation and technical customer support across several market segments, including coatings, adhesives, construction, textiles, mineral processing, paper and graphic arts. More than 150 agents, authorities, suppliers and partners were invited to attend an opening ceremony at the new facility.

“We’re very confident that we’ll be able to provide an efficient technical service to both our current and new customers using the resources of our new lab,” Neide Jiuliani, research and development manager for the business units, explained.

Arkema has invested approximately $2.5 million to construct and equip the new lab. Tests performed at the facility will include methods crucial to customer applications, including chromatography, glass transition temperature, metal finishing technology (MFT), rheometer, scrub resistance, washability, peel, shear, tack, elongation, traction and particle size

Additionally, the facility will support the introduction of the ENCOR brand into the Brazilian market. ENCOR products produced at the same site include ENCOR 726, ENCOR 726 Plus and ENCOR 1243 latexes.

BASF Boosts Photoinitiator
Production in Mortara

In 2014, BASF will invest € 4 to 6 million in its facilities in order to ensure the highest standards of safety and environmental protection and to improve the efficiency of the production lines. In addition, BASF extends its production of photoinitiators in Mortara. The site is one of the largest in the world for the production of photoinitiators.

The development, production and marketing of photoinitiators are a core business of BASF. BASF has built up a leading position in the UV coatings and inks market, with a strong portfolio comprising photoinitiators, light stabilizers, formulation additives and UV resins supported by intensive technical service. A dded in very small quantities, photoinitiators speed up the drying process for UV curable coatings, inks and adhesives by triggering chemical reactions upon exposure to UV light.

Clariant Selects Myriant’s
Bio-Succinic Acid for HP
Quinacridone Pigments

Clariant is incorporating renewable raw materials into Quinacridone pigments produced at its Frankfurt-Hoechst facility in Germany. The achievement makes Clariant the first pigment producer to offer high performance pigments that are based on bio-succinic acid solutions.

In 2014, a significant share of Quinacridone pigment production at the plant will use bio-succinic acid supplied by Myriant, a recognized leader in the development of renewable chemicals. Made from renewable raw materials, Myriant’s bio-succinic acid is a reliable substitute for fossil-based succinic acid. Myriant’s bio-succinic acid can directly substitute fossil-based succinic acid, reducing the environmental footprint of the end products being manufactured without any impact on the production process or pigment quality.

Union Process Earns ISO
9001:2008 with Design
Certification

Union Process, Inc., known globally as a manufacturer of particle size reduction and dispersing equipment as well as related services for a broad range of research and industrial applications, has been certified to ISO 9001:2008 with Design.

The quality assurance process was
achieved over several months with the
culmination coming in April of 2014.
The quality management system covers
“the design and manufacturing of size
reduction equipment, the manufacturing
of rubber based ink, and provider of lab
and tolling services for the industrial and
commercial markets.”
ISO 9001:2008 with Design certifi-
cation covers all aspects of a company’s
activities, from initial contact with the
customer through product delivery and
on to customer service.

Verdezyne Produces One
Metric Ton of Bio-Based
DDDA Used to Make
Powder Coatings

Verdezyne, Inc., a privately-held industrial biotechnology company focused on producing renewable chemicals, has produced more than one metric ton of bio-based dodecanedioic acid (DDDA) using its yeast platform and downstream process. The Michigan Biotechnology Institute (MBI) and the Michigan State University (MSU) Bioeconomy Institute (BEI) worked with Verdezyne to run the bio-based DDDA process at the 4,000-li- ter scale. This production confirmed the scalability of Verdezyne’s process and produced polymer-grade material for potential customers and partners.

Dodecanedioic acid is a dicarboxylic acid used to make nylon 6, 12, molding resins, lubricants, adhesives, and powder coatings, as well as end products such as fishing line, toothbrush bristles and fuel lines. This industrial chemical is currently made from petro-leum-based intermediates.