Siemens made green substitute for ABS

(plasteurope) -- A new polymer made from exhaust gas containing CO2 holds promise as a "green" substitute for ABS, says German E&E giant Siemens.

In an ongoing project funded by the German federal research ministry, BMBF, to find industrial applications for CO2, Siemens is cooperating with academic and industrial partners such as universities in Hamburg and Munich as well as chemical and plastics giant BASF.

The new composite material is being touted as a competitive ecological alternative to ABS, for example in household appliances. The polymer mixture contains polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) made from renewable raw materials such as palm oil and starch.

As PHB is brittle, polypropylene carbonate (PCC) manufactured by BASF is used in the process to make the mixture softer. The PPC input, consisting of 43% of CO2 by weight, is being obtained from power plant emissions. Along with being transparent, biodegradable and resistant to light, the polymer is easily processed, the researchers say.

MRC

(celanese) -- Celanese Corporation , a global technology and specialty materials company and a global leader in emulsion polymers, announced it will raise the price of all emulsions sold in Europe, the Middle East and Africa by up to EUR 80/MT effective June 1, 2012, or as contracts allow.

This price increase includes all vinyl acetate and acrylic based emulsions and affects applications including, but not limited to, adhesives, paint and coatings, building and construction, nonwovens, glass fiber, carpet, paper and textiles.

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of specialty materials and chemical products which are used in most major industries and consumer applications.

MRC

(plastemart) -- Formosa Plastics Corp. plans to inject USD2 billion into its Texas plant in the U.S. to boost production capacity and output, according to an interview with the company's chairman, Lee Chih-tsuen, published by the Commercial Times.

The expanded capacity of the plant in Point Comfort is expected to increase the plant's annual production of propylene and ethylene to 2.46 mln and 1.34 mln metric tons respectively.

The company has not revealed a timeline of the investment. Formosa Plastics also has operations in Delaware City and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the U.S.

MRC

(hydrocarbonprocessing) -- LSB Industries said its El Dorado chemical facility in Arkansas suffered significant damage to the DSN concentrated nitric acid plant and surrounding equipment when a reactor exploded Tuesday morning.

There were no injuries to employees or anyone in the El Dorado community, the company said, adding that it believes there was no environmental release.

LSB is investigating the cause of the event and the extent of the damages, it said.

LSB said it does not have an estimate on the extent of the damages or the repair time. However, the El Dorado facility is out of operation at the present time due to the damage.

It is unknown how long the facility will be out of production.

The El Dorado complex produces and sells about 470,000 tpy of nitrogen-based products, including nitric acid in concentrations up to 98%, sulfuric acid, ammonium nitrate solution, and both high and low-density ammonium nitrate prills.

MRC

(plastemart) -- Italian moulding and compounds company Finproject is making new investments to the tune of EUR8m at facilities in India and Mexico as part of its international expansion strategy.

The company produces more than 30,000tpa of vinyl and polyolefin compounds for various sectors, but it is most closely associated with footwear, in particular Crocs EVA foam clogs. Finproject's moulding division also makes soles, sandals and boots with polyolefin compounds bearing its own brand name XL Extralight for customers such as Hugo Boss and Samsonite.

The company expects a new moulding and compounds plant in Rajasthan, India to be completed in September. The new 8,000m facility will take over production from a site it currently rents in Rajasthan. The company is also investing in new technology and machinery at a facility in Mexico which belongs to Foam Creations, part of the Finproject group, based in Quebec, Canada. The facility started operations in 2010, making soles and polyolefin compounds.

The Finproject group now operates eight facilities around the world: three in Italy and one each in Romania, Canada, Mexico, India and China.
MRC