Lanxess introduces two new PA 6 grades for lightweight construction

MOSCOW (MRC) -- German specialty chemicals company Lanxess has added two new polyamide 6 (PA 6) grades to its already wide range of injection molding materials for lightweight construction, as per the company's press release.

Polyamides and polybutylene terephthalates reinforced with a glass fiber content of 50% and more are ideal for applications in lightweight construction thanks to their strength and stiffness. They frequently are a lightweight and economical alternative to sheet molding compounds (SMC) and other reinforced thermosets, as well as to metals like steel, aluminum and die cast zinc.

Durethan BKV 60 XF is an advancement of Durethan DP BKV 60 H2.0 EF, which already is established in mass production for articles such as lightweight front ends, spare wheel recesses and large transmission oil pans. The new product is also reinforced with 60% glass fibers, but with a comparably high-quality set of mechanical properties, it displays better melt flow by 30%.

The new polyamide results in smooth surfaces with virtually no protruding glass fibers. This excellent surface quality is based on an optimized crystallization process and higher injection rates, which are possible thanks to the high flowability of the melt. Another advantage of this engineering material - which also permits laser marking - is its improved resistance to thermal aging. For example, the tensile stress at break of test samples was still above 200 MPa after over 3,000 hours of hot-air aging at 180 C.

The second material innovation is a polyamide 6 that is to be marketed under the name Durethan BG 60 X XF. It is reinforced with 60% of a special mixture of glass fibers and glass microspheres. Its stiffness and strength are similarly high to those of Durethan DP BKV 60 H2.0 EF.

"The unique feature of this material is that its shrinkage is significantly more isotropic, and components therefore hardly tend to warp at all. We see major application opportunities in thin-walled, high-stiffness back shells for tablet PCs, but also in automotive interiors. Another contributing factor for these applications is the excellent surface qualities that can be achieved with this material," says Dr. Stefan Theiler, specialist for highly reinforced polyamides at Lanxess. Initial manufacturing trials with mass production molds already have confirmed that the material can deliver these advantages.

As MRC informed before, in March 2014, Lanxess and Korean Hankook Tire signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to co-develop synthetic rubber technologies for high-performance tire. Under the agreement, the two companies will jointly study the development of new high-performance synthetic rubber grades and applications that increase the performance of tires from early stages of product development.

Lanxess is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 8.3 billion in 2013 and roughly 17,300 employees in 31 countries. The company is currently represented at 52 production sites worldwide. The core business of Lanxess is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Occidental Petroleum Corporation announced that its Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend, authorized the spin-off of its California oil and gas business and increased the company’s share repurchase program, said the company in its press release.

The Board declared a regular quarterly dividend of USD.72 per share on common stock payable on January 15, 2015, to stockholders of record as of December 10, 2014. Occidental has paid quarterly dividends continuously since 1975 and has increased its dividend each year since 2002. The current annual rate is USD2.88 per share.

The Board approved the spin-off of subsidiary California Resources Corporation through the distribution of approximately 80.1% of the outstanding shares of California Resources to holders of Occidental common stock. Subject to the satisfaction of the conditions to the spin-off, the distribution is expected to occur on November 30, 2014.

The Board also authorized the repurchase of an additional 60 million shares of the company’s common stock, leaving the program with 76 million shares, as of September 30, 2014. Share repurchases will continue to be funded from available cash from operations, excess cash on hand and proceeds from asset sales as part of the previously announced strategic review, including a dividend of approximately USD6 billion from California Resources to Occidental. The program does not require purchases to be made within a particular timeframe.

As MRC wrote before, Ingleside Ethylene, the 50/50 joint venture between Occidental Chemical (OxyChem) and Mexichem, announced that it received the necessary permits for its new ethylene cracker in Ingleside, Texas. Issuance of the permits, combined with the already completed front-end engineering and design study, will enable Ingleside Ethylene to construct the 550,000 tpy cracker and start commercial operations in the first quarter of 2017.

Occidental Petroleum Corporation (Oxy) is a California-based oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in the United States, the Middle East, North Africa, and South America. Oxychem is Oxy"s Texas-based subsidiary which manufacture polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins, chlorine and caustic soda used in plastics, pharmaceuticals and water treatment chemicals.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Linde is nearing completion of its first retail hydrogen fueling station in the US, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The station, which is expected to be online before the end of the year, is being installed at the Ramos Oil Company multi-fuel station in West Sacramento, California, where Ramos currently retails gasoline, diesel, bio-diesel, ethanol-85, methanol, and racing fuels.

At the heart of the hydrogen fueling system is the Linde IC 90 ionic compressor -- the next generation of hydrogen compression technology. Linde says this will enable higher throughput and enhanced back-to-back fueling.

Unlike conventional piston-operated compressors, the IC 90 works with ionic liquid. Because these ionic liquids essentially have no vapor pressure, they do not evaporate or mix with the hydrogen gas. They also eliminate mechanical wear-and-tear and sealing problems inside the cylinders.

"With this compressor, Linde has made a valuable contribution to the ongoing enhancement of today's hydrogen fueling infrastructure," said Mike Beckman, head of the H2 fueling business at Linde North America.

Linde is handling the design and fabrication of the Linde 900 bar Ionic Compressor. In addition, several companies will also be involved in the hydrogen station installation: Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide (QTWW) for the dispensing system; FIBA Technologies will supply some of the hydrogen gas storage tubes; and Chart Industries will supply the hydrogen storage tank.

As MRC wrote before, SIBUR, a Russian gas processing and petrochemicals company, and Linde Group, a German Technology company, have signed agreements to build and operate new air separation units in Dzerzhinsk, the Nizhny Novgorod Region. On a long-term basis, SIBUR will provide Linde with a leased site and power supply while Linde, in its turn, will supply technical gases to SIBUR.

The Linde Group is a world-leading gases and engineering company with around 62,000 employees in more than 100 countries worldwide.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Kaustik (Volgograd) has resumed its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production after a scheduled outage for maintenance, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

A source in the company said the Volgograd plant resumed its PVC production on Wednesday, 22 October, after a scheduled turnaround. The plant with the annual production capactiy of 90,000 tonnes was shut down for maintenance works on 3 October.

The outage at Kaustik was the lastest in a series of scheduled shutdowns for maintenance of Russian PVC producers in 2014.

As reported earlier, Bashkir Soda Company (its annual capacity is 230,000 tonnes) resumed its PVC production on Monday, 20 October, after a two-week turnaround.

JSC "Kaustik" is one of the largest industrial enterprises in Russia, Russia's market leader in the Russian chemical industry for the production of synthetic hydrochloric acid, commercial chlorine, liquid and solid caustic soda. It is part of NIKOCHEM group. The plant's PVC production totalled 71,900 tonnes over the first nine months of 2014.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Styron, the global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex and rubber, is showcasing its plastics for the LED Lighting industry at Strategies in Light Europe 2014 in Munich, Germany from October 21-23, 2014, as per the company's press release.

Styron also launches its EMERGE 8830 Advanced Resins, an innovative material that balances transparency, flame retardancy and thickness - three key performance properties necessary as the market continues to move toward thinner gauge applications. The material is UL94 rated V-0 at 1.0mm and 5VA at 2.5mm and is the next generation advancement in Styron’s EMERGE 8000 series.

Styron offers a broad portfolio for LED Lighting Applications under the CALIBRE Polycarbonate Resins and EMERGE Advanced Resins brands. This includes transparent, light diffusion and ignition resistant grades used in lenses, optics, diffusers, reflectors and housings.

"Styron’s global footprint is truly an advantage in the LED Lighting market," said Global Business Director, Philippe Belot. "We have technical and production resources that allow us to coordinate application development, product availability and technical support worldwide and this is especially critical since applications are often specified in one region and manufactured in another."

Styron previously announced plans to change the name of all Styron affiliated companies to Trinseo. Some, but not all, of the Styron companies have completed the name change process and are currently known as Trinseo; Styron companies that have not completed this process will continue to do business as Styron until their respective name changes are complete. Styron's operating companies also continue to do business as Styron at this time.

As MRC reported earlier, in February 2014, Styron announced that it would be doubling its Solution Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SSBR) production capacity of one train, after reaching an agreement with material supplier JSR, to acquire its current production capacity rights at Styron’s world-scale rubber production hub in Schkopau, Germany.

Styron, the global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex and rubber, announced today that it will be doubling its Solution Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SSBR) production capacity of one train, after reaching an agreement with material supplier JSR, to acquire its current production capacity rights at Styron’s world-scale rubber production hub in Schkopau, Germany. As from April 1, 2014 Styron had full capacity rights to this train, enabling it to increase its capabilities to serve the global tire market.

Styron is a leading global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex and rubber, dedicated to collaborating with customers to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions. Styron’s technology is used by customers in industries such as home appliances, automotive, building & construction, carpet, consumer electronics, consumer goods, electrical & lighting, medical, packaging, paper & paperboard, rubber goods and tires. Styron had approximately USD5.3 billion in revenue in 2013, with 19 manufacturing sites around the world, and approximately 2,100 employees.
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