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Clariant – plastics colorants
F O C US this total, 22,500 tonnes/y is accounted for by plants that are wholly- or partlyowned by foreign companies. Shenyang Chemical is the most prominent Chinese company and it is the only one that has developed proprietary technology for making highgrade fumed silica, with a specific area of more than 200 sq m/g. China Chemical Reporter, 6 May 2009, 20 (13), 20
India imposes anti-dumping duties on carbon black imports Phillips (part of the RP Goenka group), Hi-Tech Carbon (part of the Aditya Birla group) and Continental Carbon India (CCI, which is majority controlled by China Synthetic Rubber of Taiwan) jointly filed an official complaint last December about foreign suppliers selling carbon black in India at “less than normal value.” (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Feb 2009, 4-5). Investigation by the Directorate General of Anti-dumping & Allied Duties revealed that during the year to end-March 2006, imports of carbon black from Australia, China, Russia, Iran, Malaysia and Thailand amounted to only 20,746 tonnes. They more than doubled over the next two years, reaching 53,652 tonnes in 2007/08. The Directorate General determined that dumping by suppliers from these six countries had occurred and had caused material injury to Indian carbon black producers. Therefore, anti-dumping duties ranging from $78 to $195 per tonne should be levied on imports of carbon black from Australia, China, Russia, Iran, Malaysia and Thailand. Business Line, 6 Jun 2009, 16 (156), 10 & Chemical Weekly, 16 Jun 2009, 54 (44), 132
PLANTS Australia: Tronox & Exxaro – TiO2 During 2Q 2009, Tiwest began construction of the fifth line at its Kwinana TiO2 pigment plant in Western Australia. This will raise capacity here from 110,000 tonnes/y to 150,000 tonnes/y, with completion anticipated early next year. Tiwest was originally established in the late 1980s as a 50:50 joint venture between Kerr-McGee (of the US) and Minproc (of Australia). Following
AUGUST 2009
O N
PIGMENTS
several changes of ownership to both parent companies, Tiwest has become a 50:50 joint venture between Exxaro (of South Africa) and Tronox (of the US). Tronox declared bankruptcy in January 2009 and it is operating under a Court order, which requires it to sell all its assets by the end of August 2009. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Mar 2009, 6). Exxaro is expected to buy-out the Tronox stake in Tiwest. Total investment in the current expansion project has been budgeted at A$100 M, which will be fully funded by Exxaro. The project will involve 150 new jobs in the construction phase, with a requirement for an additional 12 full-time plant operating staff once the plant is up and running. Prospect, Jun-Aug 2009, 29
Canada: Canadian Wollastonite – wollastonite Canadian Wollastonite is a privately owned company, registered in Ontario in 2001. Its main objective is to develop a high-grade wollastonite deposit located north of the River St Lawrence in eastern Ontario. The deposit is about 1 km south of the Seeley’s Bay municipality, about 26 km north of Kingston. Reserves here have been assessed at more than 9 M tonnes. The company is currently building a pilot-scale plant, designed to produce up to 15,000 tonnes/y of wollastonite and 10,000 tonnes/y of diopside (a type of pyroxene), which should be ready for operation before the end of 2009. Industrial Minerals, Jun 2009, (501), 9 & Jul 2009, (502), 12
China: Clariant, Panchem & Kunming GaoHeng – P2O5 for quinacridone Clariant has entered into a joint venture with Kunming GaoHeng Huagong Chemical Industry Co Ltd and Panchem International Trading & Industrial Co to build a new phosphorus pentoxide plant at Kunming (Yunnan province). The plant should be ready to start-up in 1Q 2010. Its capacity has not been identified. Some of the output will be used captively by Clariant for the manufacture of quinacridone pigments, Exolit flame retardants, and Hordaphos corrosion-inhibitors and
degreasing agents; the rest will be sold to companies making agrochemicals and healthfoods. The new Kunming plant will supplement production from Clariant’s existing phosphorus pentoxide plant at Knapsack (Germany). Chemical Engineering World, May 2009, 44 (5), 20
China: Huber – precipitated silica In line with the project schedule, Huber Engineered Materials startedup its 40,000 tonnes/y precipitated silica plant at Qingdao (Shandong province) in June 2009. This will bring the total of Huber’s precipitated silica plants up to seven, the other six being located at: Havre de Grace, MD and Etowah, TN (in the US); Oostende (Belgium); Hamina (Finland); Uddevalla (Sweden); and Jhagadia (India). Parfums, Cosmetiques Actualités, Jun/Jul 2009, (207), 36 (in French)
China: Songyu Nanometer Technology – nanoparticulate calcium carbonate Songyu Nanometer Technology (Linwu) Co Ltd recently opened a new 80,000 tonnes/y nanoparticulate calcium carbonate (NCC) plant at Linwu (near Chenzhou, Hunan province). The plant cost Rmb 68 M (about $10 M) to build. China Chemical Reporter, 16 Jun 2009, 20 (17), 17
Clariant – plastics colorants Clariant has completed a programme for modernising its plastic colorants facilities in France. At its plant in St Jeoire en Faucigny (in Haute Savoie), where the company employs 60 people, it has modified five of its 10 production lines so as to produce the SPC (single pigment concentrate) range. Clariant has also established a plastic colorants technical support centre at Cergy St Christophe (in northwestern Paris). Plastiques et Caoutchoucs Magazine, Jun 2009, (867), 26 (in French)
Europe: Huntsman – TiO2 Faced with a serious downturn in TiO2 pigment demand onwards from 4Q 2008, Huntsman held a series of talks with trade union representatives at its
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India imposes anti-dumping duties on carbon black imports Phillips (part of the RP Goenka group), Hi-Tech Carbon (part of the Aditya Birla group) and Continental Carbon India (CCI, which is majority controlled by China Synthetic Rubber of Taiwan) jointly filed an official complaint last December about foreign suppliers selling carbon black in India at “less than normal value.” (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Feb 2009, 4-5). Investigation by the Directorate General of Anti-dumping & Allied Duties revealed that during the year to end-March 2006, imports of carbon black from Australia, China, Russia, Iran, Malaysia and Thailand amounted to only 20,746 tonnes. They more than doubled over the next two years, reaching 53,652 tonnes in 2007/08. The Directorate General determined that dumping by suppliers from these six countries had occurred and had caused material injury to Indian carbon black producers. Therefore, anti-dumping duties ranging from $78 to $195 per tonne should be levied on imports of carbon black from Australia, China, Russia, Iran, Malaysia and Thailand. Business Line, 6 Jun 2009, 16 (156), 10 & Chemical Weekly, 16 Jun 2009, 54 (44), 132
PLANTS Australia: Tronox & Exxaro – TiO2 During 2Q 2009, Tiwest began construction of the fifth line at its Kwinana TiO2 pigment plant in Western Australia. This will raise capacity here from 110,000 tonnes/y to 150,000 tonnes/y, with completion anticipated early next year. Tiwest was originally established in the late 1980s as a 50:50 joint venture between Kerr-McGee (of the US) and Minproc (of Australia). Following
AUGUST 2009
O N
PIGMENTS
several changes of ownership to both parent companies, Tiwest has become a 50:50 joint venture between Exxaro (of South Africa) and Tronox (of the US). Tronox declared bankruptcy in January 2009 and it is operating under a Court order, which requires it to sell all its assets by the end of August 2009. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Mar 2009, 6). Exxaro is expected to buy-out the Tronox stake in Tiwest. Total investment in the current expansion project has been budgeted at A$100 M, which will be fully funded by Exxaro. The project will involve 150 new jobs in the construction phase, with a requirement for an additional 12 full-time plant operating staff once the plant is up and running. Prospect, Jun-Aug 2009, 29
Canada: Canadian Wollastonite – wollastonite Canadian Wollastonite is a privately owned company, registered in Ontario in 2001. Its main objective is to develop a high-grade wollastonite deposit located north of the River St Lawrence in eastern Ontario. The deposit is about 1 km south of the Seeley’s Bay municipality, about 26 km north of Kingston. Reserves here have been assessed at more than 9 M tonnes. The company is currently building a pilot-scale plant, designed to produce up to 15,000 tonnes/y of wollastonite and 10,000 tonnes/y of diopside (a type of pyroxene), which should be ready for operation before the end of 2009. Industrial Minerals, Jun 2009, (501), 9 & Jul 2009, (502), 12
China: Clariant, Panchem & Kunming GaoHeng – P2O5 for quinacridone Clariant has entered into a joint venture with Kunming GaoHeng Huagong Chemical Industry Co Ltd and Panchem International Trading & Industrial Co to build a new phosphorus pentoxide plant at Kunming (Yunnan province). The plant should be ready to start-up in 1Q 2010. Its capacity has not been identified. Some of the output will be used captively by Clariant for the manufacture of quinacridone pigments, Exolit flame retardants, and Hordaphos corrosion-inhibitors and
degreasing agents; the rest will be sold to companies making agrochemicals and healthfoods. The new Kunming plant will supplement production from Clariant’s existing phosphorus pentoxide plant at Knapsack (Germany). Chemical Engineering World, May 2009, 44 (5), 20
China: Huber – precipitated silica In line with the project schedule, Huber Engineered Materials startedup its 40,000 tonnes/y precipitated silica plant at Qingdao (Shandong province) in June 2009. This will bring the total of Huber’s precipitated silica plants up to seven, the other six being located at: Havre de Grace, MD and Etowah, TN (in the US); Oostende (Belgium); Hamina (Finland); Uddevalla (Sweden); and Jhagadia (India). Parfums, Cosmetiques Actualités, Jun/Jul 2009, (207), 36 (in French)
China: Songyu Nanometer Technology – nanoparticulate calcium carbonate Songyu Nanometer Technology (Linwu) Co Ltd recently opened a new 80,000 tonnes/y nanoparticulate calcium carbonate (NCC) plant at Linwu (near Chenzhou, Hunan province). The plant cost Rmb 68 M (about $10 M) to build. China Chemical Reporter, 16 Jun 2009, 20 (17), 17
Clariant – plastics colorants Clariant has completed a programme for modernising its plastic colorants facilities in France. At its plant in St Jeoire en Faucigny (in Haute Savoie), where the company employs 60 people, it has modified five of its 10 production lines so as to produce the SPC (single pigment concentrate) range. Clariant has also established a plastic colorants technical support centre at Cergy St Christophe (in northwestern Paris). Plastiques et Caoutchoucs Magazine, Jun 2009, (867), 26 (in French)
Europe: Huntsman – TiO2 Faced with a serious downturn in TiO2 pigment demand onwards from 4Q 2008, Huntsman held a series of talks with trade union representatives at its
5