Dow introduces revolutionary flashing and sealant for commercial building industry

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Dow Building Solutions, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, has introduced LIQUIDARMOR - CM Flashing and Sealant, an innovative, patented liquid flashing solution designed to provide commercial buildings advanced moisture and air sealing protection, reported Dow on its site.

An innovative alternative to flashing tape, the elastomeric spray forms a tight, seamless barrier along the rough openings of windows and doors while helping to significantly reduce labor time. The new product offers an excellent alternative sealant solution to conventional flashing and sealing products for installation of THERMAX or the Ultra Air Barrier Wall Systems.

LIQUIDARMOR - CM Flashing and Sealant covers and seals hard-to-reach gaps up to a quarter inch wide and offers a reliable replacement to peel-and-stick flashing tapes commonly used on board joints of commercial buildings. The versatile, water-based coating works on a wide range of surfaces, including foam boards, steel studs, concrete masonry units, tapes, wood buck, and wraps. With sprayable, aqueous technology, it facilitates a consistent application using commonly available airless paint sprayers, such as those sold through Titan and Graco, without measuring, cutting or special accessories. Additionally, the non-hazardous, liquid flashing solution can be safely sprayed without a respirator or extra ventilation required.

"Dow Building Solutions has been and always will be committed to providing the industry with the most innovative products," said Tim Lacey, commercial director for Dow Building Solutions. "Today, we are continuing to innovate for all construction professionals with the launch of our LIQUIDARMOR - CM Flashing and Sealant, which is as much as three times faster than traditional flashing tapes, and helps cut down on overall installed labor time and costly call backs by getting the job right the first time. We believe this product will help make commercial jobs easier while providing unmatched results, enhancing the reliability of our high performance wall systems even more."

Dow’s liquid flashing solution seals around screws, veneer anchors and penetrating fasteners, resulting in a durable and resilient barrier suited to withstand job site variations and long-term building performance. Once the LIQUIDARMOR - CM sealant sets to the final elastomeric solid, the treated area is protected and helps provide superior air leakage and moisture control as part of a joint treatment with Dow’s commercial wall assemblies.

As MRC wrote before, Hanwha Chemical, one of South Korea's leading polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride producers, has picked Credit Suisse to advise on possible purchases from Dow Chemical's chloro-alkali business but its interest is still in the early stages.

The Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational chemical corporation. As of 2007, it is the second-largest chemical manufacturer in the world by revenue (after BASF) and as of February 2009, the third-largest chemical company in the world by market capitalization (after BASF and DuPont). Dow is a large producer of plastics, including polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene, and synthetic rubber.
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Solvay earned Responsible Care certificationfrom the Indian Chemical Council

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Solvay Specialty Polymers, a leading global supplier of ultra-high performance thermoplastics, has announced that its Panoli, India manufacturing facility recently earned Responsible Care certificationfrom the Indian Chemical Council, as per the company's press releaese.

Responsible Care is a voluntary initiative of the global chemical industry to improve health and environmental performance, enhance security, and communicate with stakeholders about products and processes.

"Our company is committed to sustainable development which improves employee safety, the health of the communities in which they operate, and the environment as a whole, moving us toward a safer, more sustainable future," said S. Sankaranarayanan, Panoli plant manager for Solvay Specialty Polymers. "Responsible Care certification further reinforces our dedication to developing and supplying products and services that, throughout their life cycle, involve minimum risk to human beings and the environment, while best meeting the needs of our customers."

Solvay became a signatory to the Responsible Care guiding principles in India in 2013 and later successfully passed an audit inspection by the Indian Chemical Council. The Responsible Care guiding principles are at the heart of the voluntary commitment. Through these principles, member companies pledge to improve environmental, health, safety, and security performance for facilities, processes, and products throughout the entire operating system. Companies also are committed to open and transparent reporting and submit annual data on their progress toward meeting performance measured goals.

Responsible Care goes above and beyond what is legally required in most countries and is typically a condition of membership in industry associations.

At the Panoli site, Solvay manufactures Veradel polyethersulfone (PESU), KetaSpire® polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and related monomers for PESU.

Responsible Care was launched in Canada in 1985 and has expanded into a global movement now practiced in more than 60 countries around the world, and overseen by the International Council of Chemical Associations. Specific Responsible Care practices may vary from country to country as they are determined by each country’s laws, culture, and national industry association requirements.

As MRC wrote before, Solvay unveiled its breakthrough innovation for surface cleaning formulations. While Mirapol Surf S polymers are a well-established range of polymers for hydrophilization of surfaces such as ceramic, glass, stainless steel, Solvay launches a unique technology enabling formulators to deliver the key benefits consumers now expect for even modern plastic surfaces.

Solvay S.A. is a Belgian chemical company founded in 1863, with its head office in Neder-Over-Heembeek, Brussels, Belgium. The company has diversified into two major sectors of activity: chemicals and plastics. Solvay supplies over 1500 products across 35 brands of high-performance polymers – fluoropolymers, fluoroelastomers, fluorinated fluids, semi-aromatic polyamides, sulfone polymers, aromatic ultra polymers, high-barrier polymers and cross-linked high-performance compounds.
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Solvay unveils scond-generation high-performance polyester compound

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Solvay Specialty Polymers has unveiled an enhanced version of its Lavanta High-Performance Polyester (HPP) for production of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for televisions and backlight unit (BLU) applications, as per the company's press release.

The second-generation product – Lavanta 5115 WH 224 – provides significantly improved processability while maintaining its high heat and light stability.

Cupta noted the growing trend among television manufacturers to use fewer LEDs to reduce cost. This is accomplished by sending higher amperage (current) through the LED, resulting in significantly higher junction temperatures above 100°C (212°F) and greater brightness. Previously used materials are unable to withstand the higher heat and light output, discoloring prematurely in applications such as reflector cups.

Lavanta 5115 WH 224 is a 15% glass fiber-reinforced polycyclohexylene terephthalate (PCT) compound developed specifically for LED electronic packaging applications that utilize surface mount technology. The injection molding grade provides enhanced processability versus other available PCTs which results in higher yields and shorter cycle times for molders. It can be molded at a lower temperature (125°C/257°F) than competitive PCTs and still maintains 100% of its maximum crystallinity. Cooler molds enable cycle times to be reduced, resulting in lower energy use and reduced cost.

Lavanta 5115 WH 224 has high reflectivity (greater than 95%) with excellent whiteness retention even after thermal and light aging. This gives it excellent reliability for LEDs that operate at high junction temperatures up to 150°C (302°F). Lavanta 5115 WH 224 replaces competitive materials including polyphthalamides (PPA) like PA6T and PA9T, which can only operate up to 120°C (248°F). The new PCT grade also has lower moisture absorption and excellent dimensional stability compared to PPA.

The second-generation Lavanta HPP also boasts strong mechanical properties including tensile strength of 78 MPa (11,312 psi) and elongation of 1.6%. This mechanical performance allows for easy ejection from the tool and improved yields during assembly.

As MRC wrote before, Solvay has signed an agreement to buy the Ryton PPS (polyphenylene sulphide) business from U.S.-based petrochemical company Chevron Phillips Chemical Company for USD220 million, expanding its offering of high-performance polymers and entering a solid growth market.

Solvay S.A. is a Belgian chemical company founded in 1863, with its head office in Neder-Over-Heembeek, Brussels, Belgium. The company has diversified into two major sectors of activity: chemicals and plastics. Solvay supplies over 1500 products across 35 brands of high-performance polymers – fluoropolymers, fluoroelastomers, fluorinated fluids, semi-aromatic polyamides, sulfone polymers, aromatic ultra polymers, high-barrier polymers and cross-linked high-performance compounds.
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LG Chem to restart BPA plant in South Korea

MOSCOW (MRC) -- South Korean petrochemical company LG Chem is in plans to shut a bisphenol-A(BPA) plant for maintenance turnaround, according to Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in South Korea informed that the plant is likely to be restarted towards end-November2014. It was shut on October 26, 2014.

Located in Yeosu, South Korea, the plant has a production capacity of 150,000 mt/year.

As MRC informed before, LG Chem is in plans to take off-stream its butadiene (BD) plant in South Korea for maintenance turnaround in March 2015. It is likely to remain off-stream for around one month. Located in Daesan, South Korea, the plant has a production capacity of 145,000 mt/year.

LG Chem Ltd., often referred to as LG Chemical, is the largest Korean chemical company and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. According to ICIS report, it is 15th biggest chemical company in the world in 2011. It has eight domestic factories and global network of 29 business locations in 15 countries. LG Chem is a manufacturer, supplier, and exporter of petrochemical goods, IT&E Materials and Energy Solutions.
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Hengli Petrochemical restarts PTA plant in China

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Hengli Petrochemical has restarted its No.2 purified terephthalic acid (PTA)plant following maintenance turnaround, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the plant restarted on November 15. It was shut on November 1.

Located at Dalian in Liaoning province of China, the plant has a production capacity of 2.2 million mt/year.

As MRC informed previously, in October 2012, Hengli Petrochemical commissioned the first phase of a world-scale PTA project in Changxing Island of Dalian, Liaoning Province, China. Hengli Petrochemical which is utilizing PTA technology from Invista, claims that the plant is the world's largest monomer production plant.

According to media reports, the first phase of the PTA plant will have a capacity of 2.2 million tonnes per annum and after the entire project is commissioned, PTA capacity will reach 4.4 million tonnes per year.

PTA is feedstock which is used in production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
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