Coatings World - November 2014

has won the ICIS 2014 Award for Best Innovation by a Small- or Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME) in recognition of its novel method of producing titanium dioxide pigment.

With this award, the ICIS judging panel of leading industry experts identi-fies companies which have made significant steps forward in technological and business innovation, with tangible results emerging during 2013 and the early part of 2014.

Argex has developed an advanced chemical process for the volume production of titanium dioxide for use in paint, plastics, cosmetics and other applications. The company’s unique technology turns relatively inexpensive and plentiful source material into high-grade TiO2 along with other valuable by-products. The Argex process provides a substantial cost and environmental advantage over legacy TiO2 production methods.

“This prestigious award honors the
hard work and dedication of our re-
search and development teams,” said Roy
Bonnell, president and CEO of Argex
Titanium. “It validates the disruptive na-
ture of our technology and affirms the
strong progress we’ve made over the last
year to bring this valuable product to
market in collaboration with some of the
largest players inthe industry.”
The ICIS awards address a total of
five categories: Innovation with Best
Environmental Benefit, Best Product
Innovation, Best Innovation for
Sustainability, Best Innovation by an
SME, and Best Business Innovation.

ICIS is one of the leading global providers of news and information for the chemical and energy sectors, and the awards are sponsored by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and U.S. Chemicals.

BASF Sells Global Textile
Chemicals Business to
Archroma

BASF and Archroma have agreed on the sale of BASF’s global textile chemicals business to Archroma, a supplier of specialty chemicals to the textile, paper and emulsions industries. Archroma is a portfolio company of SK Capital Partners, a private investment firm with focus on the specialty materials, chemicals and health-care sectors. It is planned to integrate the business into the Archroma Textile Chemicals Specialties business. Currently, the textile chemicals business is part of BASF’s Performance Chemicals division. The transaction is subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities and the closing is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2015. The parties have agreed not to disclose financial details.

The transaction comprises the global textile chemicals business, as well as the legal entity BASF Pakistan (Private) Ltd., Karachi. Approximately 290 positions globally are in the scope of the transaction, thereof approximately 230 in Asia.

INIC Researchers
Enhance Anti-corrosive
Coatings with Modified
Nanoparticles

Researchers from the Institute for Color
Science and Technology (ICST) in Iran
have tried to improve the quality
of anti-corrosive coatings by us-
ing modified nanoparticles.

Results of the research will reduce the loss caused by corrosion in various industries, including power plant installations, oil reservoirs, marine installations and oil and gas pipelines.

The researchers proposed the application of impure zinc oxide nanoparticles doped with cobalt and manganese to overcome the corrosion problem in coatings and to improve their quality.

Dr. Bahram Ramezanzadeh, a mem-
ber of the Scientific Board of ICST,
stressed the necessity of application of
these nanoparticles, “In this research,
we tried to create corrosion prevention
behavior in addition to blocking prop-
erties by doping zinc oxide nanopar-
ticles with cobalt and manganese. In
addition, their surface was modified
with silane agent to obtain appropriate
distribution of nanoparticles in the ma-
trix of the epoxy coating.”
Zinc oxide nanoparticles doped with
cobalt and manganese are able to im-
prove anti-corrosive properties of the ep-
oxy coating through the two mechanisms
of improving blocking and corrosion pro-
hibition properties.

The nanocomposite coating is passing laboratorial tests and can be used as an anti-corrosive agent on industrial metallic structures to protect them against corrosion and other damaging environmental threats.