Arkema to meet demand for medical Pebax elastomer

(plasticstoday) -- Arkema feels confident it can continue to meet demands to medical customers "for life-saving applications" of Pebax elastomer although customers in other markets, such as sporting goods and automotive, will need to use "extremely close" alternatives.

A force majeure on Pebax was declared last month due to the explosion March 31 at an Evonik plant that produced cyclododecatriene (CDT), a raw material used to produce lactam 12. The plant was the largest producer of CDT in the world and is expected to be closed until the end of the year. Lactam 12 is the primary monomer used to make nylon 12 and Pebax elastomers.

Pebax, which is a thermoplastic elastomer made up of block copolymers consisting of a sequence of polyamide and polyether segments, is sole-sourced in the manufacturing of balloon catheters used to open blood vessels close to the heart. Many patients require angioplasty to widen a narrowed or obstructed blood vessel within hours or days of first feeling pain or other symptoms of constricted blood flow to the heart. The alternative would be open heart surgery in many cases.

MRC

(nordson) -- Nordson Corporation announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin-based EDI Holdings, Inc. (Extrusion Die Industries), a leading provider of slot coating and flat polymer extrusion dies for plastic processors and web converters.

The USD200 million purchase price, subject to adjustment as provided in the purchase agreement, will be financed with availability under an existing USD500 million revolving credit facility. The transaction is expected to close during Nordson’s third quarter pending customary closing conditions and regulatory reviews.

EDI employs approximately 317 people, has additional operations in Cologne, Germany and Shanghai, China, and will operate as part of Nordson’s Adhesive Dispensing Systems segment. EDI’s operations include its March 2012 acquisition of Premier Dies Corporation, a complementary provider of slot coating and flat polymer extrusion dies that expands EDI’s product and technology offering. Nordson expects the acquisition of EDI to be accretive to the company's earnings in the first full year of operation.

MRC

(plastemart) -- Proteins are widely used as drugs — insulin for diabetics is the best known example — and as reagents in research laboratories, but they react poorly to fluctuations in temperature and are known to degrade in storage.

Because of this instability, proteins must be shipped and stored at regulated temperatures, resulting in increased costs, and sometimes must be discarded because their "active" properties have been lost. Manufacturers of protein drugs will generally add substances known as excipients, like polyethylene glycol, to the proteins to prolong their activity.

In a new study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, investigators from the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA (CNSI) describe how they synthesized polymers to attach to proteins in order to stabilize them during shipping, storage and other activities. The study findings suggest that these polymers could be useful in stabilizing protein formulations.

The polymers consist of a polystyrene backbone and side chains of trehalose, a disaccharide found various plants and animals that can live for long periods with very little or no water.

MRC

(braskem) -- Braskem Idesa announces that on may 17th, the Board of Directors of the International...

Braskem Idesa announces that the Board of Directors of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), an organization that belongs to the World Bank Group, approved a loan for the amount of USD 300 million to finance the construction of the largest petrochemical project in progress in the Americas: Braskem Idesa- Etileno XXI.

These resources, in conjunction with the amount of US$ 300 million already approved by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in the month of April, will be part of a type "A Loan" in the amount of USD 600 million.

To this loan there will be an addition of an amount supported by the IFC and IDB of USD600 -750 million as a type "B Loan" with the participation of commercial banks which is in its final approval process, and the amount of USD 600 million approved by the Italian credit bureau- SACE. The group of financial institutions shall consist of the development bank of Brazil and Mexico with BNDES, Bancomext and Nacional Financiera (these are in final stages of approval), amongst others.

The loan will be granted to BRASKEM IDESA SAPI, the joint venture formed by the Brazilian Braskem S.A. and the Mexican group IDESA in order to build and operate a plant that will have a capacity of 1 million tons of polyethylene, through an ethane cracker and three polymerization plants (two high density polyethylene and on low density).

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- In April, Russian producers reduced production of large volume polymers to 262,300 tonnes. The decline was seen in the production of all polymers, the only exception made polypropylene, as per MRC analysts.

Last month, the total production of large volume polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene, unmixed polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene and PET) in Russia declined by 10% compared to March and reached 262,300 tonnes. The output of all polymers decreased, the exception made only polypropylene.

The production of polyethylene in Russia fell in April to 102,300 tonnes. The decline in production resulted from the shutdown of Kazanorgsintez capacities for LDPE production. Also worth mention the temporary suspension of Stavrolen and the reduced capacities utilization of Angara ZP.

Russian producers managed to increase the output of PP to 53,000 tonnes. In April, Stavrolen’s output made more than 8,000 tonnes, while other Russian producers, by contrast, reduced the production volumes. In general, the total production over four months reached 203,000 tonnes.

In April, three Russian producers of PVC stopped their capacities on the turnaround (Caustic/Volgograd, Khimprom and Sibur-neftekhim). As a consequence, the total production of unmixed PVC in Russia fell to 49,800 tonnes. In January-April, the production of PVC made about 192,000 tonnes.

The total volume of polystyrene production last month amounted to little more than 23,000 tonnes. Angarsk polymer plant showed a serious decline in production.

The total volume of PET in April fell to 33,800 tonnes. The decline in production resulted from several reasons. Sibur-PETF stopped at the scheduled turnaround, other Russian producers on the back of low seasonal demand also reduced their level of capacity utilization.

MRC