BASF increases production capacity of Neopor

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF is increasing its global production capacity for Neopor (expandable polystyrene containing graphite) by a total of 40,000 metric tons per year, as per the company's press release.

Adjustments in the plants at the two production sites in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Ulsan, Korea, will take place through the fourth quarter of 2018.

At the Ulsan site in Korea, BASF will switch the plant?s entire 85,000 metric tons capacity from the classic white EPS (expandable polystyrene) Styropor to the improved insulation raw material Neopor (gray EPS) until end of 2018. This will allow the company to meet the growing demand for the gray material in the Asian market.

After a series of debottlenecking measures, the Ludwigshafen plant is now capable of producing 200,000 metric tons of Neopor a year. The annual production capacity for Styropor and Neopor at this location has been increased from 440,000 to a total of 460,000 metric tons.

The raw material is processed into insulation boards, which contribute to substantial savings of heating energy in new construction and renovations. Thus, the demand has risen steadily worldwide. Since introducing the product in 1998, BASF has continuously adapted Neopor?s production capacity. Compared with Styropor, the graphite containing insulation boards offer better insulation performance. Due to the lower density, lighter boards can be produced, making construction more efficient and saving material at the same time.

"With this step, we are offering even more customers a product that has been further developed in economic as well as environmental terms to meet the challenges we face with regard to climate protection and resource conservation. Worldwide, around 45% of total oil consumption and CO2 emissions – 40% in Germany – is caused by the heating and cooling of buildings. This can be significantly reduced by comprehensive, efficient insulation, supplemented by optimized building equipment and the appropriate use of alternative energy sources,” said Klaus Ries, Head of Global Business Management Styrenic Foams at BASF.

BASF invented and patented Styropor, the well-known, white foam granulate, in 1951, and launched Neopor 20 years ago as the first graphite containing EPS. The gray, plastic granulate Neopor is an advanced version of the classic white insulation material Styropor. By adding graphite, which gives the material its gray color, the insulation performance of the boards is increased by up to 20%. The use of raw material drops by up to 40% compared with the white material. This enables the processor to produce insulation boards with a lower mass but better insulation performance. The finished insulation products made of Neopor can be used in a range of applications, particularly for insulating exterior and interior walls and flat roofs.
MRC

Huntsman launched new TPU grades for footwear and films

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Huntsman has showcased several new TPU technologies at Chinaplas 2018, which can be used to engineer film and sheet products: Krystalgran TPU is a family of aliphatic-based resins that can be extruded to create durable, light stable, protective films and barrier layers, reported GV.

Offering benefits in both optical and non-optical applications, films made from Krystalgran TPU can help safeguard display screens found in tablets and smartphones. They are also widely used to protect car paintwork from chips and scratches; and in construction, flooring, footwear, graphic and textile applications.

Krystalflex TPU is used for interlayer laminating films within the glass to create tough, hardwearing, glass and plastic laminates with better performance properties than pure glass systems. Compatible with glass, acrylic and polycarbonate, the TPU is said to offer good bonding between dissimilar substrates as well as good physical properties over a wide temperature range. Typical applications include containment and security glass plus ballistic resistant laminates.

Huntsman’s latest elastomer developments for the footwear industry are Avalon 55 AHG TPU and Avalon ABDI TPU. Avalon ABDI TPU is a new material with a fast cycle time, which is easy to demould while Avalon 55 AHG TPU is a new, soft soling material that offers improved slip-resistance on both wet and dry surfaces. With a nominal hardness of 55 Shore A, Avalon 55 AHG TPU can be used to make soft, thin, high definition, high grip parts, in a variety of colours.

Other products presented at Chinaplas included Irogran K TPU, a family of polycaprolactone and polyether-based grades, Suprasec prepolymers, and Technothane hot-cast PU elastomer systems.

As MRC informed previously, Huntsman has showcased its polyurethane solutions for automotive, construction and footwear applications, including the low emission sustainable car seat technology at Utech Europe 2018. Seven of Huntsman’s systems houses exhibited together for the first time, including: HAPC (Saudi Arabia), Huntsman EMA (Turkey), Huntsman Gomet (Italy), Huntsman IFS (UK), Huntsman NMG (Russia), Huntsman Tecnoelastomeri (Italy), and Huntsman PUR-Systems (Germany).

Huntsman Corporation is a publicly traded global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated and specialty chemicals with 2017 revenues of more than USD8 billion. Its chemical products number in the thousands and are sold worldwide to manufacturers serving a broad and diverse range of consumer and industrial end markets. The company operate more than 75 manufacturing, R&D and operations facilities in approximately 30 countries and employ approximately 10,000 associates within its four distinct business divisions.
MRC

PP production in Russia dropped by 0.4% in January-May 2018

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Russia's overall production of polypropylene (PP) fell in January-May 2018 by 0.4% year on year, totalling 589,400 tonne. At the same time, only two Russian producers reduced their PP output, according to MRC ScanPlast report.


SIBUR Tobolsk, Russia's largest PP producer, shut down its production capacities for maintenance in May, leading to the local producer's lower PP output of 93,300 tonnes versus 130,000 tonnes a month earlier. Russia's overall PP production reached 589,400 tonnes in the first five months of 2018, compared to 591,000 tonnes a year earlier. Neftekhimiya accounted for the greatest increase in the output, whereas Nizhnekamskneftekhim and SIBUR Tobolsk reduced their production.

The structure of PP production by plants looked the following way over the stated period.


SIBUR Tobolsk shut down its production for almost a 30-day turnaround in the first decade of May, as a result, the plant's PP output was 12,700 tonnes, compared to 46,800 tonnes a month earlier. The Tobolsk plant's total PP production exceeded 186,000 tonnes in the first five months of 2018, down by 16% year on year.

Poliom (Titan Group) produced 18,900 tonnes of PP last month, compared to 18,500 tonnes in April. Overall, the Omsk plant produced 92,100 tonnes of PP over the stated period, up by 4% year on year.

Nizhnekamskneftekhim produced 18,500 tonnes of propylene polymers in May versus 18,200 tonnes a month earlier. Overall output of polymer at the Nizhnekamsk plant decreased in January-May 2018 by 3% year on year to 88,100 tonnes.

Tomskneftekhim produced 12,600 tonnes of propylene polymers last month, which equalled the figure of April. The Tomsk plant's PP output exceeded 61,600 tonnes in the first five months of 2018, compared to 58,900 tonnes a year earlier.

May total PP production at Ufaorgsintez was 11,100 tonnes versus 11,200 tonnes a month earlier. Overall output of polymer at the Ufa plant rose to 56,000 tonnes in January-May 2018, compared to 52,200 tonnes a year earlier.

Stavrolen (LUKOIL) shut down its production for a short maintenance last month, as a result, the output decreased to 8,800 tonnes from 10,800 tonnes in April. Overall production of propylene polymers at the Budenovsk plant reached 49,800 tonnes in the first five months of 2018, up by 2% year on year.

Neftekhimiya (Kapotnya) also reduced its capacity utilisation in May, the overall output was10,600 tonnes versus 12,000 tonnes a month earlier. The plant's overall PP output reached 55,800 tonnes over the stated period, up 76% year on year. The last year's low figure was caused by a long scheduled maintenance in March-April.

MRC

Production of HDPE in Russia increased by 2.2% in January-May

MOSCOW (MRC) - Production of high density polyethylene (HDPE) in Russia reached about 414,200 tonnes in January-May of this year, up 2.2% year on year. Not all producers increased the output, as per MRC ScanPlast.

Total production of HDPE in Russia fell to 86,800 tonnes in May, while a month earlier this figure barely exceeded the level of 92,000 tonnes.
The decrease in production volumes was a result of the resumption of linear polyethylene production by Nizhnekamskneftekhim. In general, total output of HDPE reached 414,200 tonnes in the first five months of the year against 405,300 tonnes a year earlier, the production volumes of two Tatar producers - Kazanorgsintez and Nizhnekamskneftekhim - reduced.

The structure of polyethylene production in the context of enterprises for the period under review was as follows.
HDPE production at Kazanorgsintez increased to 48,400 tonnes in May against 40,400 tonnes a month earlier. Total output of HDPE at the Kazan enterprise reached 219,300 tonnes in January - May of this year, down 2% than the same time in 2017.

Stavrolen produced about 25,600 tonnes in January in May against 25,800 tonnes in April. Total production of HDPE at Stavrolen reached 127,700 tonnes during the period under review, up 10% year on year.

Gazprom neftekhim Salavat reduced the capacity utilisation in May; the enterprise produced about 10,300 tonnes against 11,100 tonnes a month earlier. Total production of HDPE at the Bashkir enterprise reached 49,400 tonnes in the first five months of the year, up 19% than the same time in 2017.

Nizhnekamskneftekhim produced HDPE only in April and May over the period under review. Thus, Nizhnekamskneftekhim produced only 17,700 tonnes of HDPE for an incomplete two months of work versus 24,600 tonnes a year earlier.


MRC

Kraiburg offers a broad portfolio of halogen-free thermoplastic elastomers that comply with the UL94 V0 standard

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Kraiburg TPE is responding to the increasing demand for flame-retardant thermoplastic elastomers by providing a diversified portfolio of THERMOLAST K types to meet the highest fire protection requirements, as per the company's press release.

Elmia Polymer, held in Sweden in May 2018, and Plast 2018, held in Italy, are among the trade fairs at which the manufacturer presented its wide portfolio.

If even only a few kilograms of a thermoplastic material catch fire, the spreading flames can easily cause tremendous damage. Flame retardants (FR) containing halogens were therefore frequently used in the past - but if a fire breaks out, these can have serious negative effects on people, furniture and equipment, and the building involved. The effects are primarily due to thick billows of smoke that make people lose orientation on the escape routes, as well as toxic fumes and corrosive conflagration gases, which are detrimental to health and can be dangerous to the fabric of a building. The halogens’ corrosiveness is also considered to be a problem for maintaining a material’s properties during recycling of waste materials such as old vehicles.

Kraiburg TPE is therefore continually working on consistently expanding its range of self-extinguishing thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) that provide halogen-free flame-retardant properties (HFFR). The materials meet the requirements of the UL94 V0 standard, i.e. they extinguish themselves in case of fire and don’t form into burning drops. The certification applies to all degrees of hardness available and all color variations produced at KRAIBURG TPE.

Being free of halogen in accordance with IEC 61249-2-21 also means that the material contributes to a significant reduction of harmful fire gases. KRAIBURG TPE’s flame-retardant compounds thus meet the highest fire protection requirements, including those of the European Construction Products Regulation (EU-CPR) and the EN 45545 standard regulation for fire protection on rail vehicles.

The following series are the highlights of THERMOLAST K’s HFFR types:
- FR1 compound series: injection molding and extrusion compounds providing good adhesion to polypropylene and with UL94 V0 classification, starting from wall thicknesses of 3 mm;
- FR2 compound series: specially developed for thin-walled components providing UL94 V0 classification, starting from wall thicknesses of 1.5 mm, and with good adhesion to polypropylene;
- In addition, KRAIBURG TPE offers a series of special HFFR compounds that is targeted towards direct adhesion to polar thermoplastics such as ABS, PC and selected types of polyamides.

"Our halogen-free flame-retardant TPEs provide plenty of possible applications for flame-retardant multi-component parts with attractive tactile properties such as soft touch and a good grip," emphasizes Dirk Butschkau, Product Marketing Manager EMEA at Kraiburg TPE.

Typical applications are in the fields of electrical engineering and electronics, such as connectors, switch boxes and flush-mounted sockets. The materials are also ideal for use in manufacturing cable coatings, cable bushings and cable clips, as well as for furniture components and door and window gaskets. The natural-colored compounds can easily be colored and provide excellent color stability. All products are manufactured at all KRAIBURG TPE sites in the USA, Germany and Malaysia and are available worldwide.

"The diversified portfolio of our halogen-free flame-retardant TPEs demonstrates our market-driven and customer-oriented competence in developing materials, which is targeted to implementing innovative product ideas of the highest quality," says Franz Hinterecker, CEO of KRAIBURG TPE. "One excellent example of these is the trendsetting cable bushing system from our customer CONTA-CLIP."

As MRC reported earlier, in December 2017, Kraiburg TPE presented a new series of thermoplastic elastomers from its Thermolast K family that was specially developed for excellent adhesion and UV resistance in two-component applications with ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM). The new compounds are intended for automotive applications such as EPDM window trim and sealing profiles with moulded TPE corner joints and end elements.
MRC