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VW makes the switch from PVC to long fibres
F O C US
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GM approves polyolefins A Schulman says General Motors has approved a portfolio of various Invision soft-touch polyolefins compounds to meet OEM customers’ PVC free initiatives. Chemical Market Reporter, 13 May 2002 (Website: http://www.chemexpo.com/cmronline)
VW makes the switch from PVC to long fibres Volkswagen will be using long glass fibre reinforced thermoplastics as a replacement for PVC plastisol for automobile underbody cladding. The move, which will start in 2005, will allow the automobile maker to comply with the requirements of the EU endof-life vehicle directive. Rieter Automotive will be supplying the cladding. Long glass fibres have been tested by Dow Automotive for polypropylene for three years in cooperation with the Fraunhof Institute in Pforzheim, Germany. The use of the LFT-D process in the underbody cladding for Volkswagen platform is said to be its first application. The method will be applied on the new Polo and the Skoda Fabia. European Plastics News, May 2002, 29 (5), 4
P O LY V I N Y L C H L O R I D E
contract by BorsodChem to construct ethylene dichloride capacity at Kazincbarcika, Hungary. Krupp Uhde will also construct a 225,000 tonnes/y oxy-chlorination unit and a distillation plant. This represents the first stage of a VCM expansion project. VCM capacity will be raised from 185,000 tonnes/y to 250,000 tonnes/y and then 320,000 tonnes/y. The project is scheduled for completion in 2Q 2004. Sibur has sold its 24.8% shareholding in BorsodChem to Milford Holdings of Ireland. The implications of this transaction are not yet clear. European Chemical News, 20 May 2002, 76 (2006), 54 & 6 May 2002, 76 (2004), 7
PLANT CAPACITY BorsodChem to build VCM plant in Hungary Krupp Uhde has been awarded a
JULY 2002
Taiwan approves FPC’s Ningbo PVC Plans by Formosa Plastics Corp for a $119.5 M, 300,000 tonne/y PVC facility in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China, have been approved by the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Taiwan. Asian Chemical News, 27 May 2002, 8 (358), 5
In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a $70 M, 100,000 tonnes/y PVC facility, jointly financed by Petronas (Malaysia) and PetroVietnam, will start operations in Aug 2002. The existing 80,000 tonnes/y facility (Mitsui Vina Plastic & Chemicals) can only supply about half of domestic demand. The plant will use technology from European Vinyls Corp and will import vinyl chloride feedstock from Malaysia.
Hanwha eyes China polyethylene or PVC-vinyl chloride-ethylene dichloride
Japan Chemical Week, 30 May 2002, 43 (2173), 8
High Performance Plastics, May 2002, 7
Nikkei Net, 7 Jun 2002 (Website: http://www.nni.nikkei.co.jp/)
Vietnam: 2nd PVC resin facility to start operation in Aug 2002
Coextruded medical tubing is PVC-free Natvar of Clayton, NC, has produced a multilayered tubing that can replace PVC and PU products. Eastman Chemical Co provided the elastomer used for the new tubing, which is coextruded with the PU and the Edcel elastomer. The elastomer covering allows the tubing to withstand sterilisation with ethylene oxide or gamma irradiation. The new tubing is also said to be easier to process than PVC or PU, and does not change colour like PU. Disposal of the new tubing can be by incineration or landfill, without hazardous byproducts.
producer, and capacity is being increased to meet growing domestic demand for the material, currently estimated at over 100,000 tonnes/y. Tosoh also has plans for a vinyl chloride resin plant in China, which is the largest consumer of the material in Asia, with demand of 5 M tonnes/y.
Negotiations start on PVC plant National Petrochemical CO (NPC), Iran, is to build a 300,000 tonnes/y polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant at Bandar Imam’s Petzone. It is starting negotiations with bidders for the engineering and procurement contract. Earlier the plant was to have been in Assaluyeh, forming part of an integrated chloralkali/PVC complex. European Chemical News, 27 May 2002, 76 (2007), 30
Two Chinese projects are under consideration by Hanwha Chemicals, with one planned to come onstream in 2005. Plans have yet to be finalised. By 2003, the company is due to finalise the product slate, capacity and location. One project under consideration is for polyethylene. This is expected to consist of a standalone unit for LDPE and a swing facility for HDPE/LLDPE. The second project is for PVC/vinyl chloride/ethylene dichloride. These are all core areas for the company. Both projects are expected to be pursued as joint ventures with Chinese companies, but no negotiations have yet started. An office was established in Shanghai in early Apr 2002. Asian Chemical News, 29 Apr 2002, 8 (355), 26
PATENTS MABS-based PVC pipe cement
Tosoh to raise vinyl chloride production in Philippines Tosoh Corp will invest Yen 4 bn in expansion of vinyl chloride resin capacity by 80% to 160,000 tonnes at Philippine Resins Industries Inc. A new production line at the plant should be operative in fiscal 2003. The firm, a joint venture between Tosoh and Mitsubishi Corp, is the Philippines’ only vinyl chloride resin
A new type of PVC pipe cement for joining pipe sections is disclosed. The main advantage is a low volatile content compared with the competition, but the cement forms strong bonds with the PVC. The basis of the cement is a methyl methacrylate polymer, a styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer and a special rubber. US Patent 6,391,950. 21 May 2002. Waldrop, M., BASF Corp, Mount Olive, NJ, USA
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O N
GM approves polyolefins A Schulman says General Motors has approved a portfolio of various Invision soft-touch polyolefins compounds to meet OEM customers’ PVC free initiatives. Chemical Market Reporter, 13 May 2002 (Website: http://www.chemexpo.com/cmronline)
VW makes the switch from PVC to long fibres Volkswagen will be using long glass fibre reinforced thermoplastics as a replacement for PVC plastisol for automobile underbody cladding. The move, which will start in 2005, will allow the automobile maker to comply with the requirements of the EU endof-life vehicle directive. Rieter Automotive will be supplying the cladding. Long glass fibres have been tested by Dow Automotive for polypropylene for three years in cooperation with the Fraunhof Institute in Pforzheim, Germany. The use of the LFT-D process in the underbody cladding for Volkswagen platform is said to be its first application. The method will be applied on the new Polo and the Skoda Fabia. European Plastics News, May 2002, 29 (5), 4
P O LY V I N Y L C H L O R I D E
contract by BorsodChem to construct ethylene dichloride capacity at Kazincbarcika, Hungary. Krupp Uhde will also construct a 225,000 tonnes/y oxy-chlorination unit and a distillation plant. This represents the first stage of a VCM expansion project. VCM capacity will be raised from 185,000 tonnes/y to 250,000 tonnes/y and then 320,000 tonnes/y. The project is scheduled for completion in 2Q 2004. Sibur has sold its 24.8% shareholding in BorsodChem to Milford Holdings of Ireland. The implications of this transaction are not yet clear. European Chemical News, 20 May 2002, 76 (2006), 54 & 6 May 2002, 76 (2004), 7
PLANT CAPACITY BorsodChem to build VCM plant in Hungary Krupp Uhde has been awarded a
JULY 2002
Taiwan approves FPC’s Ningbo PVC Plans by Formosa Plastics Corp for a $119.5 M, 300,000 tonne/y PVC facility in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China, have been approved by the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Taiwan. Asian Chemical News, 27 May 2002, 8 (358), 5
In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a $70 M, 100,000 tonnes/y PVC facility, jointly financed by Petronas (Malaysia) and PetroVietnam, will start operations in Aug 2002. The existing 80,000 tonnes/y facility (Mitsui Vina Plastic & Chemicals) can only supply about half of domestic demand. The plant will use technology from European Vinyls Corp and will import vinyl chloride feedstock from Malaysia.
Hanwha eyes China polyethylene or PVC-vinyl chloride-ethylene dichloride
Japan Chemical Week, 30 May 2002, 43 (2173), 8
High Performance Plastics, May 2002, 7
Nikkei Net, 7 Jun 2002 (Website: http://www.nni.nikkei.co.jp/)
Vietnam: 2nd PVC resin facility to start operation in Aug 2002
Coextruded medical tubing is PVC-free Natvar of Clayton, NC, has produced a multilayered tubing that can replace PVC and PU products. Eastman Chemical Co provided the elastomer used for the new tubing, which is coextruded with the PU and the Edcel elastomer. The elastomer covering allows the tubing to withstand sterilisation with ethylene oxide or gamma irradiation. The new tubing is also said to be easier to process than PVC or PU, and does not change colour like PU. Disposal of the new tubing can be by incineration or landfill, without hazardous byproducts.
producer, and capacity is being increased to meet growing domestic demand for the material, currently estimated at over 100,000 tonnes/y. Tosoh also has plans for a vinyl chloride resin plant in China, which is the largest consumer of the material in Asia, with demand of 5 M tonnes/y.
Negotiations start on PVC plant National Petrochemical CO (NPC), Iran, is to build a 300,000 tonnes/y polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant at Bandar Imam’s Petzone. It is starting negotiations with bidders for the engineering and procurement contract. Earlier the plant was to have been in Assaluyeh, forming part of an integrated chloralkali/PVC complex. European Chemical News, 27 May 2002, 76 (2007), 30
Two Chinese projects are under consideration by Hanwha Chemicals, with one planned to come onstream in 2005. Plans have yet to be finalised. By 2003, the company is due to finalise the product slate, capacity and location. One project under consideration is for polyethylene. This is expected to consist of a standalone unit for LDPE and a swing facility for HDPE/LLDPE. The second project is for PVC/vinyl chloride/ethylene dichloride. These are all core areas for the company. Both projects are expected to be pursued as joint ventures with Chinese companies, but no negotiations have yet started. An office was established in Shanghai in early Apr 2002. Asian Chemical News, 29 Apr 2002, 8 (355), 26
PATENTS MABS-based PVC pipe cement
Tosoh to raise vinyl chloride production in Philippines Tosoh Corp will invest Yen 4 bn in expansion of vinyl chloride resin capacity by 80% to 160,000 tonnes at Philippine Resins Industries Inc. A new production line at the plant should be operative in fiscal 2003. The firm, a joint venture between Tosoh and Mitsubishi Corp, is the Philippines’ only vinyl chloride resin
A new type of PVC pipe cement for joining pipe sections is disclosed. The main advantage is a low volatile content compared with the competition, but the cement forms strong bonds with the PVC. The basis of the cement is a methyl methacrylate polymer, a styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer and a special rubber. US Patent 6,391,950. 21 May 2002. Waldrop, M., BASF Corp, Mount Olive, NJ, USA
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