BASF's monomeric HALS registered for food contact

(BASF) -- BASF's Uvinul 4050 FF is the first monomeric hindered amine light stabilizer (HALS) registered for food contact in polymer applications. The product is compliant with EU Directive 2002/72/EC as last amended in Regulation (EC) No. 975/2009 and with Food-Contact Notification (FCN) 647 in the US.

⌠Uvinul 4050 FF is the low-molecular-weight HALS with the broadest food contact approval in plastic applications. Consumers benefit from longer-lasting end products, while plastic converters no longer risk any non-food contact cross-contamination, says Klaus Koch, Global Product Manager for Light Stabilizers at BASF.

The specific light-stabilizing properties of Uvinul 4050 FF, together with food contact approvals, make it the product of choice for all appliances made from ABS. It can also be used in packaging applications that require food contact approval, such as polypropylene (PP) food crates and bulk bags made of PP tapes.

MRC

(Bayer) -- Bayer MaterialScience plans to invest roughly USD 100 mln in the expansion of the high-tech production plant for MDI (diphenylmethane diisocyanate) at the Bayer Brunsbuttel Industrial Park in Germany. The project is part of the phased optimization concept announced previously for isocyanate production in Europe. The first of the coordinated phases is the construction of a new high-tech production plant for TDI (toluene diisocyanate) in Dormagen with an annual capacity of 300 KTa. The facility is scheduled to come on stream in 2014.

Somewhat later, the annual capacity of the existing MDI plant in Brunsbuttel will be expanded from 200 KT to a total of 420 KTa. The TDI plant at the site will be converted to MDI as part of this measure.

MRC

(PepsiCo) -- PepsiCo announced it has developed the world's first PET plastic bottle made entirely from plant-based, fully renewable resources, enabling the company to manufacture a beverage container with a significantly reduced carbon footprint.

PepsiCo's "green" bottle is 100 percent recyclable and far surpasses existing industry technologies. The bottle is made from bio-based raw materials, including switch grass, pine bark and corn husks. In the future, the company expects to broaden the renewable sources used to create the "green" bottle to include orange peels, potato peels, oat hulls and other agricultural byproducts from its foods business. This process further reinforces PepsiCo's "Power of One" advantage by driving a strategic beverage innovation via a food-based solution.

PepsiCo will pilot production of the new bottle in 2012. Upon successful completion of the pilot, the company intends to move directly to full-scale commercialization.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Import supplies of PVC-S to Russia doubled in February compared to January and exceeded 33 KT, according to MRC DataScope. The absence of sufficient financial resources at some even big converters still defines the structure of resin supplies by types of companies. About 70% of total imports fell at trade companies.

Serious structure changes in PVC-S supplies are not marked. Still low level of prices for North American resin defines it high share in total imports - about 66% at the end of February.

Recently export quotations for resin from USA grew to record USD 1.100 - 1.150/mt, CFR Saint-Petersburg for March deliveries.

Catastrophe in Japan still supports uncertainty in the market. Many suppliers keep from declaring prices for April deliveries from USA because of incomplete estimation of catastrophe influence on balance of PVC market in Asia. It is expected that April level of prices will be declared only next week.

Launch of PVC production in Kalush (Lukoil Group) is postponed for April but this fact isn't disturbing. Trade companies now have sufficient stocks of resin, also significant volumes of North American suspension have been contracted for March-May deliveries. It allows to pass through scheduled maintenance in Volgograd and Sajansk as well as possible absence of PVC offer from North American suppliers.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Earthquake in Japan, whose economy is the third biggest in the world, resulted in serious consequences. In particular, the earthquake forced to shutdown some petrochemical plants, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

Operation at some crackers with total capacity 1.8 mln tpa has been suspended, other enterprises have lowered their loading. On the one side, suspension and lowered loading at crackers resulted in reduced demand for naptha in the region that immediately resulted in decreasing quotations for naptha for the first time over a few weeks.

On the other hand, it is not excluded that the absence of ethylene and propylene supplies in the region from some Japanese producers may result in deficit in the market and, as a consequence, in growing quotations for olefins/polyolefins. Now many market players expect complete estimation of the Japanese catastrophe consequences for a whole Asian region.

The earthquake in Japan, though, won't have a direct effect on polymers market in FSU. Polymers supplies form this country are single for a whole FSU region and have no effect on market balance. At the same time this fact may have an indirect influence through Chinese and South Korean producers whose share in the markets of FSU by some products makes 30-50% (pipe polyethylene and polypropylene, PVC, EPS, etc).

MRC