Borealis extends benefits of Daploy HMS PP

(Newswire Today) -- Borealis has pioneered the performance and material-saving capabilities for low density foams with its market-leading high melt strength polypropylene (HMS PP) Daploy product generation and technology.

Daploy HMS PP is unique in offering the highest melt strength in combination with highest melt extensibility. This combination is required in order to allow bubble formation and growth during the foaming process without collapsing. It creates a closed cell structure without failures which ensures a smooth finished surface for the final product.


Daploy HMS PP has a wide mechanical property range, including good rigidity and cushioning performance.


Low density foams based on Daploy HMS PP make a significant contribution towards material savings and therefore weight reduction and lower material usage compared to high density foams or other non-foamed application alternatives.


This enhances both environmental credentials and cost-efficiency advantages for the manufacturer.


Daploy HMS PP materials are non-cross linked, allowing them to be re-molten and recycled. As a mono-material solution, Daploy HMS PP provides straight-forward recycling compared to multi-material or cross linked solutions.

Borealis is a leading provider of chemical and innovative plastics solutions that create value for society. With sales of EUR 4.7 billion in 2009, customers in over 120 countries, and 5,200 employees worldwide, Borealis is owned 64% by the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) of Abu Dhabi and 36% by OMV, the leading energy group in the European growth belt.


MRC


Eastman and Mazzucchelli form joint venture in China

(Plastics News) -- Eastman Chemical Co. has established a joint venture with Mazzucchelli 1849 SpA to manufacture compounded cellulose diacetate in Shenzhen. Terms of the joint venture were not disclosed.


The demand for cellulosic materials will continue to grow in both innovative segments ≈ such as liquid crystal displays ≈ and traditional segments, noted Mark Costa, chief marketing officer and executive vice president for specialty polymers, coatings and adhesives. Eastman cellulosics are produced from 100 percent-renewable softwood materials.


CDA is used in injection molded applications such as ophthalmic frames and tool handles.


Mazzucchelli, based in Castiglione Olona, makes CDA sheet for ophthalmic frames.

MRC


Sunny promise for photovoltaic polymer film

(PRW) -- Some day our homes' windows could double as power producers, say scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in the USA, who have created a thin polymer solar film.


A liquid polymer is combined with fullerenes, electrically conductive carbon molecules shaped like soccer balls, to create a hair-thin film capable of turning sunlight into electricity.


So far only a few square millimeters have been produced, but scientists from LANL and Brookhaven National Laboratory hope that the film's honeycomb configuration will work on much larger surfaces and could be moulded into a variety of shapes.


Andrew Shreve, the thin film project leader from LANL's Materials Physics and Applications Division, said: ⌠Other scientists discovered the combination of polymers and fullerenes did a bang-up job of solar energy harvesting. What we've been working on are methods where we can generate patterns on surfaces with this basic recipe."


Shreve continued: "There is a lot of interest in developing solar cell architecture from polymers like this because everyone thinks it would be much cheaper and easier to process than using things like silicon (with which most solar cells are currently made)."


MRC


PVC imports from China continues falling

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PVC supplies from China to the Russian market considerably fell according to expectations. For the first two weeks they made up about 6.5 KT, MRC analysts say.


Kaustik (Sterlitamak) start-up in the second half of October after the forced outage caused by the ⌠ethylene conflict with Salavatnefteorgsintez relieved definite tension in the Russian PVC market and made the marketers sure about resin offer availability in October-November.


Meanwhile sharp PVC prices rise in the Chinese domestic market under a pressure of high demand influenced exports prices which reached the level of USD 1.100/mt, DAF Dostyk.


High prices for the Chinese resin as well as complicated logistic system made many marketers limit the volumes of resin purchases in China.


Imports supplies from China traditionally take leading positions in total PVC imports volume and, for example, in July they made up more than 18.5 KT. But high level of prices for resin that will start lowering not earlier than in the second half of November, according to experts, as well as sufficient Russian and North American PVC offers resulted in decrease of volumes of Chinese resin imports.


MRC

Olefins producers in Asia unable to compete with counterparts in Middle East

(Plastemart) -- Olefins producers in Asia are finding it increasingly difficult to compete with their counterparts in the Middle East. Ethane-based ethylene production costs in Saudi Arabia are around US$200/MT, US$250/MT in Qatar and US$615/MT in the US while naphtha-based ethylene production costs in Asia currently stand at US$1000/MT.


Ethylene producers in Japan and South Korea have seen depleting margins in the past two weeks. Since their rates are not competitive enough for spot ethylene cargoes, they are directing all their ethylene to downstream plants. As Middle East producers balance domestic demand for natural gas with that in their steam crackers, the feedstock is becoming increasingly costlier for the ethylene producers. However, the feedstock prices still do not compare with those in Asia.


MRC