SABIC Innovative Plastics found benefits of Lexan PC glazing

(SABIC) -- At the VDI conference SABIC Innovative Plastics has announced compelling new findings on the benefits of Lexan polycarbonate (PC) glazing. Lexan PC automotive glazing has already established itself as a weight reducing technology that can result in lower fuel consumption and lower carbon dioxide emissions. Now, advanced computer analyses of the thermal insulation benefits of Lexan PC automotive glazing have quantified the material's potential to reduce the load on heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems based on the significantly lower thermal conductivity of PC vs. glass. The new findings underscore the value of using Lexan PC glazing to help drive improved efficiency for conventional, hybrid and electric vehicles. The findings come from the research and development team of Exatec, LLC, SABIC Innovative Plastics' dedicated automotive glazing subsidiary.

MRC

(Automotive Newswire) -- Ticona, the engineering polymers unit of Celanese, Florence, Ky., announced today that it plans to nearly double manufacturing capacity for its Celstran long fiber reinforced thermoplastic (LFRT) at Nanjing, China.

Ticona produces LFRT at the Celanese Nanjing Integrated Chemical Complex that has grown to become the company's largest integrated chemical facility in China.

The LFRT plant came on stream in 2008 with a nameplate capacity of 5ю000 m. tons/yr. and by the end of this year Ticona plans to nearly double that capacity to meet growing demand.

MRC

(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia's non-oil exports to China reached 1.75 billion Saudi riyals (USD 467 mln) in March, up 34 percent from a year earlier, according to data posted today on the Department of Statistics and Information's website. The value of non-oil exports to China increased as prices for petrochemicals benefited from high oil prices, as well as the introduction of new products.

China, Singapore and India accounted for one-quarter of Saudi non-oil exports in March, the department's data showed. Saudi Arabia's non-oil exports by value increased by 33 percent to Singapore and by 5.8 percent to India.

Petrochemical exports made up 34 percent of non-oil exports from Saudi Arabia in March, while exports of plastics such as Polyethylene terephthalate comprised 33 percent, the data showed. Polyethylene terephthalate is used to make plastic bottles.

China was the largest importer of Saudi petrochemicals and plastics in 2010 in terms of volume, according to the Department of Statistics and Information. China imported 5.9 million tons of non-oil exports in 2010 from Saudi Arabia, mainly comprised of petrochemicals and plastics.

MRC

(ICIS) -- The US Gulf caustic soda market is bracing for record high water levels on the lower Mississippi river in the next few weeks as ongoing flooding in the US midwest makes its way south, sources said on Friday.

The US Coast Guard on Friday closed part of the river at Caruthersville, Missouri, because of the risk that the wakes from vessels could force water over the riverfront floodwall there.

One market source estimated flood levels would reach the lower Mississippi river by the middle of next week.

In addition, the stranded barges already on the river that were unable to offload were likely to incur additional charges, the source said.

A caustic soda producer said high river levels were expected to disrupt barge traffic by the third week of May, which would halt barge loading and offloading. As a result, more caustic-soda railcars were being loaded in order to distribute to US midwest customers.

US Gulf caustic soda producers include Shintech, Formosa, Dow Chemical, PPG Industries and Occidental Chemical (OxyChem).

MRC

(PlasticsToday) -- Turkish PET perform processor Koksan has contracted plant construction engineering firm Uhde-Fischer to build the processor a new 216 KTa plant for the production of PET in Gaziantep, Turkey. The plant will be based on Uhde-Fischer's Melt-to-Resin technology, which does away with solid state polymerization to save energy and to realize other benefits.

A further investment for a second identical line is expected soon. The first plant is designed to produce various grades of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). With the new plant, which will be built next to Koksan's existing PET preform molding and bottling facilities in Gaziantep, the company aims to become the leading supplier of PET in Turkey. Koksan was a metal packaging processor for almost four decades before it began stretch blowmolding PET bottles and jars in 1997; in 2004 it took its perform molding in-house.

MRC