BASF to build a global R&D and technology centre

(BASF) -- BASF has signed a long-term agreement with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to lease laboratory and office space at the Australian Minerals Research Centre in Perth. Starting in January 2012, BASF will build a global R&D and technology centre, employing six researchers and developers by the end of 2012.


In first projects, scientists will be studying mineral processing specific innovation needs such as advanced rheology modifiers for the improvement of the thickening process for valuables and tailings or modification of the crystallization process in alumina production.

BASF also agreed to sponsor research undertaken by the Parker Centre starting from July 2012. For five years, BASF will make a substantial financial contribution to participate in collaborative research in the areas of breakthrough technologies and process fundamentals primarily focused on alumina, base metals (particularly cobalt, copper, nickel and zinc), gold and uranium.


The Parker Centre is a collaborative research organization focused on hydrometallurgy R&D, involving three research institutions (CSIRO, Curtin University and Murdoch University) and strongly supported by 20 mineral processing companies.

With the participation at the Parker Centre in Perth and the agreement with CSIRO, BASF intends to strengthen its R&D capabilities in proximity to industrial research centers and key customers. This creates the opportunity to connect BASF technologies and research and development platforms with opinion leaders in academia and industry and thereby jointly address new developments for mineral processing. ⌠Our research will greatly benefit from the intellectual property generated from the Parker Centre and from our interactions with the participant research groups, explained Gregor Brodt, Global Development, Oilfield and Mining Chemicals.

MRC

(ICIS) -- Spot prices of monopropylene glycol (MPG) in Asia are expected to be stable, with a downside bias, as producers unload inventory amid uncertainty in the global economic outlook, market sources said on Monday. ⌠Everybody wants to keep low stocks these days, said a Malaysian buyer.

On 2 December, MPG industrial grade (PGI) bulk cargoes were assessed at $1,700-1,730/tonne (┬1,275-1,298/tonne) CFR (cost and freight) northeast (NE)/southeast (SE) Asia, unchanged from last week, according to ICIS data.

For MPG pharmaceutical grade (PG USP) drummed cargoes, prices were assessed at $1,900-1,930/tonne CFR NE Asia and $1,920-1,940/tonne CFR SE Asia in the week ended 2 December, according to data from ICIS. Producers tend to maintain low inventory levels towards the end of the year to reflect better profits in their accounting books, a PG USP maker said.

MPG's downstream sectors, including the unsaturated polyester resins (UPR) industry, are mostly procuring cargoes on a hand-to-mouth basis to control and keep levels of finished goods low, market sources said. Concerns about global demand amid the eurozone debt crisis, a weak US economy and a slowing down of China's growth have been keeping market players in the MPG markets sidelined.

A major US -based MPG producer, meanwhile, experienced a 20% month-on-month decline in sales over the same period. The producer is considering cutting its PGI bulk offers by $30/tonne in December to about $1,700-1,730/tonne CFR NE/SE Asia, market sources said. UPR is used in products like sink, pipes and water tanks.

For PG USP, demand has been mainly stable throughout the year. PG USP is used in the food and additives, pharmaceutical and personal care sectors. Offers for PGI from Singapore were slightly below $1,700/tonne CFR SE Asia, said the northeast Asian producer.

MRC

(PlastEurope) -- With a per capita plastics consumption of 46 kg in 2009, China's appetite for plastics was higher than that year's global per capital average of 40 kg, but still significantly lower than the developed world's 120 kg per capital plastics consumption, data published by the China Plastics Processing Industry Association (Beijing) indicate.

And if those figures held true almost two years ago, amid rising income levels and with a population of 1.3 bn and counting, plastics pollution is turning into a serious problem in the People's Republic. The government has been acting to curb the use of conventional plastics in a number of ways since the beginning of this millenium, including by promoting the use of bioplastics to replace disposable shopping bags and food packaging, among others.

In 2008, for instance, China banned the use of plastic bags with a thickness of less than 0.025mm, promoting both reusable as well as biodegradable alternatives instead. Three years after the prohibition was first introduced, an investigation by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC, Beijing / China) found that China's major retail outlets had reduced shopping bag consumption by more than 24 bn individual bags, equivalent to about 600,000 t of plastics. Nevertheless, industry experts point out that enforcement of the ban has proven difficult.

The prohibition coincided with the introduction of state council-approved national policies to promote biotech industries, which include the development of biodegradable plastics. Industrial circles expect the government to implement a range of incentives, including tax exemptions, by 2012. The 2008 Beijing Olympics constituted an important testcase, as China claims to have distributed no less than 5m bioplastic carrier bags during the event, showcasing its commitment to protecting the environment.

MRC

(Lanxess) -- German specialty chemicals company LANXESS and South Korea's tier-one automotive supplier, Hwaseung Corporation, have further strengthened their business partnership. Both companies have signed a long-term agreement under which LANXESS will supply Hwaseung with premium EPDM rubber. Financial details were not disclosed. Furthermore, both companies will deepen their research and development efforts on specialty rubber applications.

An agreement was signed at LANXESS' ⌠Rubber Day Korea in Jeju by Guenther Weymans, Global Head of LANXESS' Technical Rubber Products business unit, and Yoohwi Choi, Senior Vice President of Hwaseung Networks - a subsidiary of Hwaseung Corporation.

⌠This new agreement will further strengthen the already successful partnership between Hwaseung and LANXESS, said Weymans. ⌠It is also another milestone in the successful integration of the recently-acquired EPDM business.

Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) synthetic rubber, sold under the brand name Keltan, is used above all in the automobile industry for door sealants. It is also used in the plastics modification, cable and wire, construction and oil additives industries. Its properties include very low density, good resistance to heat, oxidation, chemicals and weathering as well as good electrical insulation properties.

Hwaseung Corporation is a leading supplier of rubber components and other materials to global automobile producers, including the Korean manufactures Hyundai and Kia. South Korea is already one of the top five automobile producers in the world.

MRC

(PlastEurope) -- Another Chinese producer has selected technology from UOP (Des Plaines, Illinois / USA) for its propylene project. Zhejiang Shaoxing Sanyuan Petrochemical (Shaoxing, Zhejiang/China) plans to build a propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant in Shaoxing, Zhejiang/China based on UOP's ⌠Oleflex technology.

UOP, a subsidiary of Honeywell, said the 450,000 t/y plant is expected to start up in 2013. In addition to technology licensing, UOP will provide engineering design, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, staff training and technical service for the project.

UOP said this is the sixth time this year its technology has been selected for a propylene project. Four have already been announced in China and one in Abu Dhabi. Zhejiang Shaoxing Sanyuan Petrochemical is a subsidiary of Zhejiang Fuling Holding Group (Shaoxing/China).

MRC