BASF presents a broad product range of innovative coatings

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF has developed a broad portfolio of raw materials for coatings destined for the paints, construction, furniture and flooring coatings as well as automotive and industrial coatings industries, reported the company on its site.

Thus, BASF presents its hybrid pigments Paliotan Yellow EH 1560 (L 1631), Yellow EH 1561 (L 1921) and Red EH 1604 (L 3131), which are combinations of high-quality organic and inorganic pigments and designed for industrial coating applications. The series is an economical alternative to lead-free formulations and convinces customers due to its weather fastness, good hiding power and high levels of color saturation ("chroma"). Hence, the pigments are the ideal solution for coatings and powder coatings used on construction and agricultural vehicles, trucks, busses and railcars.

In addition, BASF has developed new effect pigments. The Lumina Royal pigment family, for example, offers stunning levels of brilliance and reflection, in particular in the blue, aqua, violet and copper color spectrum. Hence, reduced amounts of these pigments can be used in standard effect shades.

Interior designers looking for an antique finish are going to love BASF‘s innovative range of pigments for decorative paints. In spite of their matt appearance, products from the Firemist Velvet line add a slight sparkle to paints when exposed to direct light. Furthermore the products are easy to use.

Another highlight are the Luconyl NG and Xfast pigment preparations, that have been developed especially for the formulation of VOC-free paints for the architectural and construction industry. Plasters, facade and interior paints, wood glazes and many other water-based coating systems can be colored with these products.

The BASF experts have also been innovative in the field of resins such as the UV-curable amino-modified polyether acrylates of the Laromer product range. Due to their low viscosity and high reactivity, they help significantly to adjust the right application viscosity while the curing speed is increased. Newly developed aqueous UV dispersions are in particular used for spray applications in the furniture and automotive industry.

Water-based coatings offer an array of benefits but also pose technical challenges. Water-based coatings for example, which are applied directly to metal substrates – also known as direct-to-metal (DTM) coatings – tend to produce defects, especially when exposed to low temperatures and/or high levels of humidity. To solve this problem, BASF has recently developed a new acrylic dispersion technology that is specifically targeted at DTM coatings: Joncryl PRO 1522. It allows a single water-based coating to be applied to metal surfaces, providing enhanced resistance to water, humidity and overall corrosion.

Copper-based pthylalocyanines belong to the most important classes of organic pigments used for industrial coatings. However, these pigments are not always easy to disperse. With Efka PX 4350 and Efka PX 4751 BASF is presenting two new dispersing agents for Cu-phthalocyanines. Not only are they suitable for use in solvent-based systems but also for systems containing a high percentage of solids ("high-solid coatings"). Due to the novel BASF technologies that offer a tailor-made polymer structure, the dispersing agents are top performers and reduce the need to use additional pigment synergists.

As MRC wrote before, in February 2014, BASF signed a contract to divest its liquid masterbatch business in Clermont de l’Oise, France, to Audia International, a large global supplier of polyolefins and color masterbatches. The transaction is expected to close in mid 2014.

The Dispersions & Pigments division of BASF develops, produces and markets a range of high-quality pigments, resins, additives and polymer dispersions worldwide. These raw materials are used in formulations for coatings and paints, printing and packaging products, construction chemicals, adhesives, fiber bondings, plastics as well as for electronic applications such as displays.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Reliance Industries (RIL) is planning to shut down one of its four crude distillation units for maintenance and inspection (M&I) activities later this month, reported Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The maintenance work is scheduled to begin on March 20 and last for about three-and-a-half weeks.

Reliance says the work will enable it to carry out necessary modifications to improve the reliability and performance of the unit.

This planned shutdown period will also be utilized for catalyst replacement in VGO and the naphtha hydrotreater. The rest of the refinery will continue at normal levels of operations, according to company officials.

We remind that last year, as MRC informed previously, RIL announced that it would invest over Rs 100,000 crore in expansion of its petrochemical capacities and adding value to its refining business. Besides, in October 2012, the company unveiled its plans to expand capacity at its refineries in the western state of Gujarat.

Reliance is also building one of the world’s largest ethylene crackers taking advantage of refinery integration at Jamnagar. This project will be commissioned in H2-2016 and would nearly double the ethylene capacity to 3.3 mln tpa.

Reliance Industries is one of the world's largest producers of polymers. The company's polymer production in 2010-11 (polypropylene, polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride) made 4,094 kilo tonnes.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Jilin Petrochemical is in plans to shut its high density polyethylene (HDPE) plant for maintenance turnaround, reported Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the plant is planned to be shut in mid-April 2014. It is likely to remain off-stream for around one month.

Located in Jilin province, China, the plant has a production capacity of 300,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote before, Shanghai Golden Phillips Petrochemical shut its HDPE plant on March 3, 2014. The shutdown has been attributed to high cost of feedstock ethylene. Located in Shanghai, China, the plant has a production capacity of 135,000 mt/year.

Besides, Chinese Wuhan Petrochemicals shut down its HDPE plant in mid-January 2014 owing to technical issues. A restart date for the plant could not be confirmed. Located in Hubei province of China, the plant has a production capacity of 300,000 mt/year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Celanese Corporation, a global technology and specialty materials company, has announced a range of detectable polymer technologies that can help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers ensure products contain components and parts that meet their material specifications, as per the company's press release.

"Celanese is working with customers to help them meet their security and safety needs as they relate to protecting against counterfeiting," said Stefan Kutta, global director, Celanese Transportation industry. "These technologies are especially important today in light of several recalls due to inferior and counterfeit materials."

Engineered materials from Celanese are available with anti-counterfeiting technologies to help assist OEM and Tier suppliers in reducing the potential risk and loss of revenue from counterfeits in automotive parts, consumer products, medical devices, packaging and consumer electronics.

Available anti-counterfeiting technologies include:
- Unambiguous part analysis based on unique engineered material additives;
- Ultraviolet-detectable technologies for enhanced quality control that are primarily used in the production of complex medical devices;
- Printing and laser marking technologies that allow Celanese engineered materials to be marked with a visible barcode, such as manufacturer, batch number and raw material/batch.

As MRC reported earlier, in November 2013, Celanese informed employee delegates in Roussillon, France, and work council in Tarragona, Spain, of contemplated closures of the Roussillon acetic anhydride facility and the vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) production unit in Tarragona. The company said it placed great effort in identifying credible buyers that could ensure sustainable operations, retain employees and meet the financial criteria defined by the company to ensure successful future operations of the VAM production unit in Tarragona and the acetic anhydride plant in Roussillon. However, no credible buyers were identified and no offers for acquiring these facilities were made.

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- ExxonMobil Chemical announced that it will build facilities to manufacture premium halobutyl rubber and Escorez hydrogenated hydrocarbon resin at its recently-expanded petrochemical complex in Singapore, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Engineering and procurement activities have begun, with construction expected to begin in the second half of 2014 and completion anticipated in 2017.

The company is a major supplier of halobutyl rubber to the global tire industry, and this expansion project will add production capacity of 140,000 tpy, according to ExxonMobil officials.

The hydrogenated hydrocarbon resin production unit will be the world’s largest, with a capacity of 90,000 tpy, to meet long-term demand growth for hot-melt adhesives.

"Our expanded steam cracking capability at Singapore provides a platform for growth through a wide range of petrochemical building blocks that can be further upgraded to specialty products,” said Steve Pryor, president of ExxonMobil Chemical. "We continue to invest in expanding capacity at our strategic hub in Singapore, which is an ideal location to efficiently serve the fast growing Asia Pacific market."

As MRC informed earlier, ExxonMobil started operations at its new ethylene world-scale steam crackers in Singapore in early 2013.

ExxonMobil is the largest non-government owned company in the energy industry and produces about 3% of the world's oil and about 2% of the world's energy.

MRC