our customers in the Asia Pacific region, so that we can better support
their growth, operate more efficiently
and collaborate more closely. BASF intends to grow two percentage points
above the market in Asia Pacific and
maintain our commitment to environmental protection as well as ensuring
a positive contribution to society for a
sustainable future,” said Albert Heuser,
president and chairman Greater China
and Functions Asia Pacific.
The BASF wholly owned plant will be
built at the Shanghai Chemical Industry
Park in Caojing which is also home to
a world scale facility for integrated isocyanates, operated by BASF and partners.
bAt this location, BASF also has production plants for polytetrahydrofuran
(Poly THF) and polyisocyanate (Basonat)
for the coatings and furniture finishing
industry and precious metal solutions for
automotive catalysts.
Clariant Signs Up to UN
Global Compact
Clariant has signed the declaration of
membership of the UN Global Compact.
In doing so, the company is emphasizing
its all-round commitment to sustainable
development and being a good corporate citizen based on the UN initiative’s
stat general principles in human rights,
labor, environmental protection and
anti-corruption.
Clariant reported that participating in
the UN Global Compact signifies a logical complement to and consistent continuation of its sustainability activities and
reporting. Membership also permits a
dialogue with other stakeholders toward
further developing their own sustainability performance.
Showa Denko to Build Ethyl
Acetate Unit in Oita
Showa Denko KK will build a 100,000-
tons/year ethyl acetate plant at its Oita
complex in Japan, based on its own recently developed technology.
Ethyl acetate is used in wide-ranging
applications, including printing ink and
paint. Demand for the product is ex-
pected to continue growing inside and
outside Japan. Meanwhile, the business
environment is changing rapidly due to
the changes in the supply of raw materi-
als and expansions in production capaci-
ties in neighboring countries.
SDK’s production process technol-
ogy, which uses a solid heteropolyacid
catalyst developed by SDK, adds ethylene
directly to acetic acid, enabling efficient
production of high-quality ethyl acetate,
the company explained. The technology
is already being used at SDK’s production
site in Indonesia.
SDK positions its ethyl acetate opera-
tion as a core business in the petrochemi-
cals segment. By building the new ethyl
acetate plant, SDK aims to better meet
diversified and sophisticated customer
requirements and strengthen its status as
a stable supplier of high-quality product.
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade
and Industry are subsidizing the plant as
an “investment in leading-edge-technolo-
gy-based plant and equipment.”
The project is due to start commercial
production in June 2014.
Emerald Kalama Chemical
Announces Further K-Flex
Expansion Plans
On the heels of a two-day ribbon cutting
event to inaugurate its newly expanded
facility in Kalama, WA, Emerald Kalama
Chemical - a business group of Emerald
Performance Materials – announced
further plans to increase capacity for its
K-FLEX non-phthalate plasticizers and
coalescents. The company has already
doubled its U.S. capacity for the K-FLEX
line at its Kalama facility since 2011 and
will dedicate an additional reactor for
production and R&D this fall to accommodate needs for increased manufacturing and product development.
K-FLEX plasticizers and coalescents
are low-VOC, phthalate-free ingredi-
ents used in adhesives, PVC compounds,
coatings and other latex polymer appli-
cations. In these applications, K-FLEX
products are known for enhancing film
formation and adhesion, processing char-
acteristics and improving the resistance
of the end-product to oil, grease and wa-
ter. Other important benefits include im-
proved scrub resistance, gloss retention in
coatings, stain resistance and toughened
wear layers in plastisols when
compared with other materials.
Emerald Kalama Chemical
also produces sodium and potas-
sium benzoate, benzoic acid and interme-
diates and specialty flavor and fragrance
ingredients, which the company sells
globally through its distribution partners.
The business has manufacturing opera-
tions in Kalama, WA and in Rotterdam,
The Netherlands.
Momentive Specialty
Chemicals’ Opens Coating
Resins Plant in Thailand
Constructed to minimize its potential impact on the surrounding area, Momentive
Specialty Chemicals recently announced
the successful start-up of its new plant
in Chonburi, Thailand. The plant significantly increases the company’s capacity
to produce acrylic-based resins and service customers locally.
“The engineering design delivers en-
hanced energy preservation through
high-efficiency heating and cooling sys-
tems,” said Julia Harp, senior vice presi-
dent, Momentive Specialty Chemicals.
“Improvements gained through auto-
mation and the utilization of the latest
generation of technologies allow us to
deliver both consistent product quality
and achieve emission levels that are well
within regulatory guidelines.”
The site produces a broad range of
acrylic resins designed for use primarily
in coatings, adhesives and building and
construction applications. The manu-
facturing design and operations of the
Chonburi site are aligned with the com-
pany’s overall sustainability initiatives.
These initiatives drive an integrated busi-
ness approach that creates long-term
stakeholder value through responsible
stewardship of assets and products, the
environment and a commitment to social
responsibility, according to the company.
Momentive recently announced the
publication of its latest sustainability
report entitled “Sustainability: A Top to
Bottom Approach.” The report provides
expanded metrics related to environmental and safety performance, as well as an
update on a number of ongoing sustainability initiatives. CW
