Clariant to establish strategic alliance with Beraca getting 30% of its shares of Health & Personal Care Business

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, and Beraca, a leading player in natural, sustainable and innovative ingredients, has announced a strategic alliance which comprises the intention to acquire a 30% share of Beraca’s Division Health and Personal Care by Clariant, with the possibility of major participation in the future, said the producer on its site.

The transaction will be subject to certain conditions precedent, as well as regulatory approvals.

Beraca is a leading provider of natural and organic certified ingredients sustainably drawn from Brazil’s biodiversity. The company is known and valued by customers worldwide as a reference for sustainable development due to its unique Sociobiodiversity Enhancement Program and full traceability of raw materials from Brazilian biomes, especially the Amazon Rainforest - the world's largest and most diverse rainforest. Beraca works closely with local communities and associations to ensure eco-sustainable standards and practices in its product sourcing and production.

Michael Willome, Head of BU Industrial & Consumer Specialties Clariant, comments: "The investment with Beraca will enhance Clariant’s innovation capabilities in the field of natural ingredients for cosmetics and Personal Care applications and enlarge the range of valuable solutions we offer to customers and end consumers. Both companies are looking forward to jointly developing the new Beraca for the good of our global and regional customers."

"Beraca is a key cornerstone in enhancing Clariant’s portfolio with regards to natural ingredients, biological active extracts and natural emollients, giving our customers unique and exclusive access to cherished ingredients from Brazil," adds Manlio Gallotti, Head of BU ICS Clariant Latin America.

Beraca will remain an independently managed company. Clariant and Beraca will keep their present global distribution channels and industrial operations.

As MRC reported before, in July 2014, CB&I and Clariant announced that their new Ziegler-Natta (ZN) polypropylene catalyst plant in Louisville, Kentucky, is on schedule to begin production in 2015. The plant is part of a long-term strategic partnership between Clariant’s catalysts business and CB&I’s Lummus Novolen Technology business. Based at Clariant’s largest US production hub, the new facility will combine innovative catalysts jointly developed by both companies with high-capacity output.

Clariant AG is a Swiss chemical company and a world leader in the production of specialty chemicals for the textile, printing, mining and metallurgical industries. It is engaged in processing crude oil products in pigments, plastics and paints.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- The global market for medical polymers is expected to reach USD17.05 bln by 2020, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc., reported Plastemart.

Increasing substitution of conventional materials such as glass and metals in medical devices by high performance polymers such as PVC and polypropylene coupled with growing demand for medical devices from the fast developing Asian healthcare market is expected to drive medical polymer demand over the next six years. In addition, growing geriatric population is expected to further boost the demand for polymer based devices in minimally invasive surgeries resulting in increased demand for medical polymers.

Devices and equipments were the largest application markets, accounting for over 2,000,000 tons of medical polymer demand in 2013. Growing medical tourism due to low cost labor and advanced facilitates in emerging healthcare destinations of India, China, Malaysia and Singapore is expected to have positive impact on the market over the forecast period. Medical polymers are also extensively used in medical packaging applications owing to its superior properties and accounted for 2,271,300 tons of demand in 2013.

Further key findings from the study suggest:

- Medical polymer demand was 4,901.1 kilo tons in 2013 and is expected to reach 7,149.8 kilo tons by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 5.6% from 2014 to 2020.
- Fibers & resins were the largest product segment, with demand of 4,254.4 kilo tons in 2013 due to substitution of traditional materials used in devices, equipment and packaging by fibers and resins such as polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyurethane and polystyrene.
- North America was the largest regional market for medical polymers, with revenue exceeding USD 4.18 billion in 2013. The presence of advanced medical and healthcare facility in the region was a key contributor to the high demand. In addition, the region is also expected to witness significant growth at an estimated CAGR of 8.1% from 2014 to 2020.
- Packaging applications are expected to witness fastest growth, at an estimated CAGR of 6.0% from 2014 to 2020. Packaging of syringes, tablets and other drugs takes place using polymers due to superior properties such as low weight, application specific performance and biodegradability which is expected to drive demand in this application.

As MRC informed previously, the global medical polymer market is estimated to grow from USUSD2.3 bln to over USUSD3.5 bln, a rise of more than 52%, between 2013 and 2018, as per NanoMarkets.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Haldor Topsoe A/S, a leader in catalysis, and FLSmidth A/S, a supplier of equipment and services to the global cement and minerals industries, have signed a cooperation agreement to commercialize a newly developed unique catalytic filter bag technology, reported Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The product will be branded as EnviroTex catalytic filter bags and will be capable of removing dust, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in one integrated process. The companies have been working closely for four years to develop, test and prove the technology for several industrial applications including power, biomass, cement, waste incineration and glass and metal production.

The companies said the differentiating factor of the patent-pending catalytic filter bags lies is the three layers of filter fabric, each of which contain a tailored catalyst optimized for the removal of specific kinds of compounds from the off-gas that passes through it. Fabric filters applications are often used as a final purification step to remove particulate matter from the flue gas.

"We have created a unique product that will allow customers to meet increasingly stringent environmental legislation at a fraction of the operating cost that even the best available technologies offer today," said Bjerne S. Clausen, CEO of Haldor Topsoe."The three-layer structure is unique because it allows the flexibility to tailor different catalytic combinations for different industries".

Thomas Schulz, CEO of FLSmidth, said, "Initially, we believe the US market will benefit from the product because cement producers here face challenges to meet new regulatory requirements that have been issued by the US EPA that take effect in September 2015. In the longer term, China may hold an even greater market potential as stricter emission legislation is being imposed there."

The goal is to complete construction of this facility by the end of 2015.

As MRC wrote previously, a German multinational company, BASF Lanka Pvt. Ltd., supported by supplying Ecovio raw material, will produce certified compostable plastic bags which completely degrade within 5 weeks. The trials were successfully completed at "Mihisaru", Nagoda - Kalutara, composting plant.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The MAAS Profile/BEMO Systems GmbH company group has teamed up with BASF in developing the first bracket for ventilated facades made of the thermoplastic Ultramid to be awarded a DIBt (Deutsches Institut fur Bautechnik) national technical approval, as per BASF's press release.

The plastic, an extra high-strength polyamide compound, is already in successful use in the automotive industry, e.g. for engines mounts, and is now being launched as an innovative material for ventilated facades in the construction sector. Similar materials have already been performing impeccably in the thermal separators of aluminum facades and windows for decades.

These days, most office, commercial and industrial buildings with ventilated facade systems are very well insulated. However, often only between 60% to 80% of the desired insulation performance and hence energy savings are achieved. This is because the load-bearing elements for mounting the facade elements are made of metal and - counteracting the insulation's effect - allow heat to be transferred between the facade and the wall. Newly developed Ultramid brackets eliminate thermal bridges. The system has been awarded a DIBt national technical approval. Armed with this plastics component, building owners and architects can meet the tougher requirements of the Energy Efficiency Ordinance (EnEV). The load-bearing mounting system features not only extremely low thermal conductivity, but also outstanding and long-term strength.

"We were looking for a long time for a product that insulates our high-quality facades much better. And this was only possible with a radically new approach to the bracket," explains Wolfgang Maas, Managing Director of MAAS and BEMO. For this project, MAAS-BEMO and BASF have pooled their expertise and developed the bracket of glass-fiber-reinforced Ultramid through to market maturity.

The bracket consisting of 50% glass fibers in the polymer compound withstands high temperatures and displays outstanding insulation efficiency with a thermal conductivity of 0.37 W/(mK). By comparison, aluminum is a roughly 500-times better conductor. The plastics bracket penetrates right through the insulation and thus helps to effectively insulate the building against heat and cold.

As MRC reported earlier, in May 2014, BASF offered high performance Ultramid (polyamide), which is derived from renewable raw materials with certified biomass. The share of renewable raw materials in the sales product is then indicated in the respective quantity. The resulting Ultramid, which is produced according to the so called mass balance approach, is identical in terms of formulation and quality but associated with lower green house gas emissions and saving of fossil resources . Also, existing plants and technologies along the value chain can continue to be used without changes.

BASF operates Ultramid polymerization plants in Ludwigshafen, Germany; Antwerp, Belgium; Freeport, Texas and Sao Paulo, Brazil. The production of polyamide for film, textile and carpet fiber as well as for engineering plastics applications is integrated into BASF’s global Verbund structure with polyamide intermediates (i.e. adipic acid, anolon, caprolactam), chemical raw materials (i.e. ammonia, cyclohexane, sulfuric acid), energy, by-product recovery, logistics and other services.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Atlanta-based chemical and construction product manufacturer, Axiall, has secured a USD600m credit facility from GE Capital to support the its ongoing growth, reported The Manufacturer.

Commenting on the credit facility, Tom Donahue, VP & corporate treasurer at Axiall said: "GE has been a supportive and responsive lender for Axiall since the relationship began five years ago. They have a strong understanding of our business, and have worked with us and the bank group to add flexibility and increase the size of our revolving credit line to help support our growth."

GE Capital Markets served as co-lead arranger and joint book runner on the facility.

"Expanding Axiall’s credit facility helps support the company as they continue to grow," said Bob McCarrick, chief commercial officer lending at GE Capital, Corporate Finance. "We look to customize our financial solutions to meet the unique needs of our mid-size customers."

As MRC wrote before, in late December 2013, Axiall Corp. said it was considering building a USD3 billion ethane cracker and chemical plant somewhere in Louisiana. Axiall would invest USD1 billion of its own money, while an unnamed partner would put in USD2 billion. The plant could open in 2018, creating 225 permanent jobs.

The company currently has Louisiana plants in Lake Charles and Plaquemines. Axiall was formed in 2013 when Georgia Gulf merged with part of PPG's chemicals business.
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