- Email: [email protected]
Dupont & BASF open the batting in parallel sessions at the smithers rapra forum in montreal
FOCUS ON P I G M E N T S A MONTHLY REPORT FROM REG ADAMS
DECEMBER 2014
DUPONT & BASF OPEN THE BATTING IN PARALLEL SESSIONS AT THE SMITHERS RAPRA FORUM IN MONTREAL
In this issue
PLANTS 6-7 Cathay opens new iron oxides plant in Anhui province Henan Billions completes chloride-route TiO2 plant with technical help from PPG Industries Sensient plans to make more food & cosmetic colorants in South Africa US Zinc completes two-phase zinc oxide expansion in Tennessee COMPANIES 7 Cinkarna to be fully privatised Cristal buys Jiangxi Tikon Frutarom buys Montana (of Peru) to boost prominence in Latin America Omya & Algol create a joint venture distributor with four Russian centres EVENTS
PIGMENTS
AN INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER MONITORING TECHNICAL AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PIGMENTS SECTOR ISSN 0969–6210
8
PIGMENTS
In October 2014, for the very first time, Smithers Rapra effectively combined its two highly popular pigment conferences – the World TiO2 Summit and the Pigment & Colour Science Forum – drawing to the Montreal venue a total of more than 240 delegates (Ref 1). The first day, Tuesday 7 October, was run as a plenary session. The seven presentations from that session were reviewed in ‘Focus on Pigments’, Nov 2014, 1-4. On the second day, the event was organised as parallel sessions in adjoining conference halls – one devoted essentially to TiO2 topics, the other devoted essentially to coloured pigments. The morning of the third and final day was similarly organised as parallel sessions. The conference concluded with a plenary session, featuring six presentations, on the final afternoon. If you walk up any of the streets on the northwestern side of the university quarter of Montreal, you soon find yourself immersed in the 200 hectare Mount Royal Park, which spreads over a hill rising to a peak more than 230 metres above the River St Lawrence. From that peak, you can look down on the so-called skyscrapers of the city-centre, including the conference hotel, or you can look back to the trees on Mount Royal. As Mr Gary LeRoux (of the Canadian Paint & Coatings Association), the final conference speaker, pointed out to the audience, the dominant colours of Mount Royal are reds, golds and evergreens right now, but in a few weeks’ time the
PIGMENTS
PIGMENTS
dominant colour will be white thanks to the snowfalls that last throughout the winter. Maybe that was a factor behind the selection of Montreal as the first venue for co-locating the conferences on white and coloured pigments? Combining the two events was evidently judged a success and Smithers Rapra plans to do the same thing next year, inviting delegates to vote on their preferred venue: Amsterdam, Prague, Paris or Lyon. Wednesday, TiO2 Session Opening the first dedicated TiO2 session, Mr Peter O’Sullivan (of DuPont) reported that world TiO2 consumption is expected to show a 4.4% increase in 2014, following a 10.7% increase in 2013. Next year, world demand is expected to rise by 5.4% to reach 5.94 M tonnes, followed by 3.4% per annum growth over the next three years. This means that global TiO2 consumption will exceed 6.5 M tonnes/y in 2018. Although China’s demand growth has slowed down in recent years, this has been compensated by much healthier growth in the North American market. According to DuPont, North American demand fell in nine out of the ten years during the 2000-2009 decade. (2004 was the exception). The sharp drop in 2009 took North American demand below the 1 M tonnes/y mark for the first time since the 1980s. A 12.5% bounce-back in 2010 was followed by two more years of decline, down to a nadir of 820,000 tonnes in 2012. But demand rose by 10.2% in 2013 and it is expected to
PIGMENTS
PIGMENTS
F O C US rise by a further 4.6% this year, with more steady growth forecast for the next four years. Even so, North American demand is not expected to cross the 1 M tonnes/y mark on its upward trajectory before 2019. Reviewing these trends in TiO2 consumption over the long-term, Mr O’Sullivan reported: “There is an excellent correlation between global gross domestic product (GDP) and global TiO2 pigment demand.” However, for developed and mature economies, TiO2 demand growth tends to be lower than GDP growth. This is partly because of the relocation of a lot of manufacturing activity to cheaper offshore locations. For “emerging markets” (developing countries) TiO2 demand growth tends to run ahead of GDP growth, partly because of rapid changes in personal disposable income and standards of living and partly because of an increased manufacturing base. Sales of TiO2 pigment have been extremely volatile over the past five years. Between mid-2009 and the end of 2011, the upswing in paint and plastics manufacturing after the global recession was accompanied by customers buying more TiO2 than they needed in order to avoid the risk of running short of raw materials during an expansionary phase. By early 2012, it became obvious to most customers that they had overstocked on TiO2 and so they cut back on new purchases, preferring to draw down their inventories instead. Mr O’Sullivan believes that this phase of consumer inventory depletion will have ended by the end of 2014, facilitating a return to trendline normality in 2015. DuPont has been the world’s largest TiO2 pigment producer onwards from the early 1970s. The company pioneered the use of slurries for delivering TiO2 in the mid-1970s and it has consolidated its market leadership with a number of milestone product launches, notably RPSVantage for the paper industry (in 1978); R-104 for the plastics industry (in 1994); R-902-plus for the paint industry (in 2005); and R-796-plus for decorative laminates (in 2010). The latest innovation, launched in October 2014, is Ti-Pure Select, offering paintmakers an increase in hiding power of up to 20%. Thanks to a $500 M investment at its Mexican plant and
2
O N
PIGMENTS
smaller upgrades elsewhere, DuPont plans to increase its global TiO2 capacity by 20% by the end of 2015. With 2500 employees, five TiO2 plants and nine technical support centres, the company sells TiO2 in more than 90 different countries, of which 32 are served by the direct DuPont salesforce, while the others are served by various qualified distributors and channel partners. Currently, DuPont’s TiO2 business operates within the company’s Performance Chemicals segment, which also includes fluorochemicals, ammonia, cyanide and various other industrial chemicals. In June 2014, DuPont registered the name Chemours LLC and this will be the name for Performance Chemicals when it is floated off next year as a separate entity, taking a listing on the New York Stock Exchange. Mr O’Sullivan’s final slide showed a path stretching out into the distance between the hills under the heading: “Ti-Pure: a brighter future together with you.” Ms Kasia Patel (of ‘Industrial Minerals’ magazine) reviewed the TiO2 feedstock situation. World ilmenite production increased by 4.5% from 6.5 M tonnes in 2012 to 6.79 M tonnes (TiO2 units) in 2013. World rutile production increased by 5.5% from 730,000 tonnes in 2012 to 770,000 tonnes (TiO2 units) in 2013. The advent of new sources in Kenya and Senegal, coupled with a 50% capacity expansion in Mozambique last year, have certainly eased the shortages of feedstock that appeared in 2010/11. Rio Tinto and Iluka, the world’s two largest suppliers, sharply reduced their output to try to stem the inevitable fall in prices, but with limited success. The average price of benchmark ilmenite (containing 54% TiO2), fob Australia, had been $75 per tonne throughout 2010, but it then surged upwards to reach a peak of $300 per tonne in July 2012. It held at this level for the next 15 months, but the downward slide began in September 2013. By the end of January 2014, the Australian ilmenite price had fallen to $200 per tonne. It has fallen back still further throughout this year, reaching $155 per tonne in September 2014. The average price of benchmark rutile (containing 95% TiO2), fob Australia, increased from $540 per tonne in mid-2010 to a peak
of $2225 per tonne in July 2012. It held at this level until the end of 2012, but then fell sharply, reaching $1700 per tonne in February 2013, $1320 per tonne in November 2013 and $1155 per tonne in May 2014. It has remained more or less stable since then. According to Ms Patel, TiO2 feedstock prices are unlikely to rise over the next 6-12 months. In fact, ilmenite prices may actually fall still further, particularly if Chinese suppliers begin exporting ilmenite on a significant scale. Rutile and calcined petroleum coke (CPC) are important raw materials for making TiCl4, a key intermediate in the manufacture of TiO2, titanium metal and pearlescent pigments. Ms Terece Muir gave a comprehensive overview of the global CPC industry, pointing out that about 1 M tonnes/y of CPC are currently consumed by the TiO2 sector, representing just over 4% of total CPC consumption. Aluminium smelters accounted for 75.6% of the 24.5 M tonnes of CPC consumed in 2014, so naturally the aluminium industry is the main driver for CPC demand and price trends. CPC prices in Europe and the US had hovered within the $180-210 per tonne range for at least a decade prior to 2006, then rose steeply to reach peaks in 1H 2008, subsided during the global economic crisis of 2009, then surged ahead to reach new record highpoints in 2H 2011 – $630 per tonne in Europe and $570 per tonne in the US. Over the past three years, prices have fallen back to $390 per tonne and $360 per tonne respectively. The global oversupply in CPC will be exacerbated over the next four years thanks to major expansions in Brazil, India, Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates. China will remain the world’s largest net exporter of CPC, ahead of the US. The downward pressure on CPC prices will continue, but there are growing concerns about product quality resulting from the need to resort to processing oil crudes with higher and higher sulfur contents. Mr Derek Folmer (of Sierra Rutile) spoke about the position of natural rutile in the array of TiO2 feedstock options available to a TiO2 producer, pointing out that the amounts of chlorine required and the quantities of solid waste generated are much lower than would be the case for alternative feedstocks. But global reserves of DECEMBER 2014
F O C US rutile are limited and new mines are costly to develop. Iluka, Rio Tinto, Cristal and Tronox are currently spending a total of $1.145 bn on four projects (Balranald, Richards Bay, Atlas Campaspe and Fairbreeze), which are essentially designed to maintain or slightly expand rutile capacity. At least 30% of current rutile output is consumed captively, underlining the importance of Sierra Rutile as an independent non-captive source. Sierra Rutile produced 120,349 tonnes of rutile last year and it is on target to set a new record of 131,000 tonnes this year. With expansion projects at Gangama and Sembehun well underway, the company is determined to increase its contribution to global rutile supply, forecast at 900,000 tonnes for 2017/18. Finally, Mr Folmer was keen to emphasise that stringent anti-ebola measures are in place at the company’s mine-site and port facilities, so that the current public health crisis affecting parts of Sierra Leone has had no impact on the company’s rutile export activity. Mr Reg Adams (of Artikol) presented a 22-page paper titled “Dawn of a New Era for TiO2”, highlighting: the recent and pending changes of corporate ownership within the industry; the trend towards more vertical integration; the potential impact of the new Argex technology; the importance of China, which will export more than 600,000 tonnes/y of TiO2 pigments this year, as well as accounting for one-third of global US TiO2 Pigment: Annual Average Price ($2014 per tonne)* 1980 1990 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2020
3899 4254 3485 3067 3059 2870 2849 2764 2906 3787 4549 3901 3522 3500 3780
*Standard rutile grade, prices converted to constantvalue $US. Original Source: Artikol, website: http://www. artikol.com © Artikol 2014
DECEMBER 2014
O N
PIGMENTS
consumption; and various existential threats to the industry, such as industrial espionage, price-fixing allegations and concerns about health effects and carbon footprints. TiO2 prices in all regions rose rapidly throughout 2011 and early 2012, but peaked in mid-2012. They then fell back steadily, reaching a plateau at the end of 1Q 2014. According to Artikol, TiO2 prices (in real terms) will drift downwards during 2015, with the long-awaited price recovery postponed until the beginning of 2016. Artikol’s forecast for the 2020 price is $3780 per tonne (in terms of constantvalue 2014 dollars). Assuming general retail price inflation at 2% per annum, this would translate to $4250 in terms of “dollars of the day.” Mr Robert Gibney (of Iluka) stated that his company’s medium-term strategic plan is based on a forecast of trendline 4% per annum growth in TiO2 feedstock consumption, which includes an envisaged provision of 350,000 tonnes/y for new Chinese chloride-route pigment plants. He highlighted the need for customers and investors to weigh up geopolitical risk factors when assessing projects and suppliers, emphasising the advantages of Australia, Canada, Norway and the US in that regard. His chart for the 2020 forecast breakdown of world feedstock production (in terms of TiO2 units) showed: 19% Australia; 15% China; 13% South Africa; 7% Mozambique; 10% Other Africa; 9% Canada; 8% India; 6% Ukraine; 5% Norway; and 8% Other (including the US, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Indonesia). It is interesting to note that he did not specifically identify a contribution from Brazil, though he did mention Iluka’s recent agreement with Vale to investigate the potential for the huge deposits of anatase (containing 90-95% TiO2), about 400 km west of Belo Horizonte. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Sep 2014, 6). Mr Gibney highlighted Iluka’s research efforts in downstream areas, such as feedstock chlorination and zircon applications. He also said: “For many years, we ran our synrutile business at a loss. We won’t do that in future. We have no intention of returning to long-term capand-collar contracts, because we know we can be flexible enough to respond quickly to sudden shifts in the overall supply/demand picture. Our unblinking focus will be on optimising
shareholder returns throughout the business cycle.” Mr Laurence Wang (of Tinox Consulting) described trends in China’s TiO2 industry. As in the rest of the world, domestic prices surged ahead during 2010/11, but they have since fallen sharply. China’s domestic ilmenite price is now lower than at any time since 2005. Some medium-sized pigment producers have decided to quit the industry, including Golden Dragon, Zechang and Ruikang. However, the withdrawal of 150,000200,000 tonnes/y of capacity has been more than offset by expansions elsewhere. Mr Wang estimates that China’s total capacity increased from 1.76 M tonnes/y in 2010 to 2.39 M tonnes/y in 2014 and will increase to 2.97 M tonnes/y by 2020. Domestic pigment demand growth has slowed down, so several major companies have been actively building up their export sales. For the time being, domestic TiO2 production is almost entirely based on sulfateroute plants using ilmenite as their primary feedstock. Domestic ilmenite output has more than doubled from 1.74 M tonnes in 2009 to 3.74 M tonnes (gross weight) in 2014. Sichuan Lomon and Pangang have raised their ilmenite output to cater for captive demand, while Miyi Heishibao has consolidated its position as the largest independent non-captive ilmenite producer, now accounting for about 16% of national output. China’s ilmenite imports doubled from 1.4 M tonnes in 2009 to 2.8 M tonnes in 2012, but they have since fallen back and will probably be just under 2 M tonnes (gross weight) this year. More stringent enforcement of pollution control regulations should force the closure of a number of very small “cottage-industry” style sulfate-route plants, while the completion of five or six new chloride-route plants will result in an upsurge in demand for rutile, slag and other high-grade feedstocks. Mr Jean-François Turgeon (of Tronox) discussed various aspects related to his company’s Fairbreeze mining project. Tronox is the most vertically integrated of all the TiO2 pigment multinationals. In fact, it produces more TiO2 feedstock than it consumes. The company’s Hillendale mine in South Africa was closed at the end of 2013 and it will be replaced by
3
F O C US the Fairbreeze mine, which should come into production in early 2016. Mine development is a fairly slow process, because of the need to reassure local communities and politicians about employment, healthcare, infrastructure, environmental protection and eventual mine rehabilitation. The Fairbreeze mine has an expected life of 15 years and Tronox is already planning for its eventual replacement, which will be a mine in the Port Durnsford area. Mr Andrea DeMori (of Hatch) also addressed the issues involved in project development, this time from the standpoint of a full-service turnkey contractor with experience across the entire value-chain, including geological assessments, ore mining, mineral processing, tailings treatment, ilmenite smelting and acid leaching of the slag product to generate a very high-grade feedstock. Mr DeMori highlighted the importance of good project design to ensure that the various complex schedules can be dovetailed into a compact timetable. He also pointed out that as the portfolio of easy-access, high-grade orebodies become exhausted, the industry will have to deal with less conventional titaniferous resources, such as Norwegian and Italian hardrock rutile deposits in eclogite hosts, large high-slimes deposits in Paraguay and anatase ores in Brazil. Innovation and the need for dedicated investment in research and development was the chosen theme of Mr Gerry Colamarino (of TiPMC Solutions). He began by pointing out that although TiO2 pigment and feedstock prices are still at historically high levels, albeit much lower than the 2011/12 peaks, the pre-tax earnings of pigment and feedstock producers remains depressed. He said: “It would be in everyone’s best interests if profitability could be spread throughout the value-chain.” This could be achieved if innovation were to be injected, but to allow innovation to flourish requires clearly thought-out strategies for investment in research. Innovation is the raison d’être of Argex, the Montreal-based company which is currently building a 50,000 tonnes/y plant to make TiO2 pigment, employing its novel lixiviation and solvent extraction technology. Mr Philippe Guillemaille and Mr Enrico DiCesare (of Argex) presented a
4
O N
PIGMENTS
useful update on the company’s activities. The plant is expected to come on-stream in early 2017. Assuming that the new plant demonstrates its promised technoeconomic viability, more Argex plants will be built, so that they may account for 5-8% of total global TiO2 capacity by 2022. As the two speakers pointed out, the process is associated with a much lower carbon footprint than conventional sulfate or chloride technologies. Operating temperatures and pressures are fairly “normal” for the chemical industry, the process is essentially a closed loop, various marketable by-products (pure iron and magnesium oxides) are generated and there is relatively little inert residual waste. Solvent extraction techniques are already quite widely used for the extraction of nickel, copper, uranium and rare earths. One of the key advantages of the Argex process is the ability to use feedstocks with a low TiO2 content, down to 15% TiO2 in theory. In practice, Argex is concentrating on feedstocks such as phosphate mine tailings, typically containing around 45% TiO2. The company will initially make and sell three TiO2 pigment grades, one for paints, one for plastics and one for food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Agreements are in place with PPG Industries and with Helm AG for marketing most of the company’s initial output. Thursday, TiO2 Session The TiO2 forum resumed on the Thursday morning with a presentation by Dr Pierre Boher (of Eldim) showing experimental results for the rapid measurement of spectral reflectance and the bidirectional reflection distribution function (BRDF) in the context of cosmetic powders and foundation creams. Mr Jerzy Paszkudzki (of Sefar) discussed the economic advantages of using pleated filters instead of conventional bag filters in TiO2 pigment plants, especially for the drying and micronising sections. If a jet-pulse system is already installed for cleaning the filters, each bag filter can be simply replaced by a pleated filter on a one-for-one basis. Sefar’s pleated filters, made of fibreglass stiffened with phenolic resin, have a much longer service life and they can achieve demonstrable savings of
54%, measured in dollars per tonne of TiO2 output. Mr Robert Hawkins (of RPS Composites) highlighted a number of applications in TiO2 manufacturing, processing and handling where fibreglass reinforced plastics and dual laminates are ideal materials for corrosion and abrasion resistance. The final paper in the TiO2 forum was delivered by Dr Jan Prochazka (of AMJTJ). He gave a comprehensive review of the use of nanoparticulate TiO2 for air purification, water decontamination and soil remediation. He referred to the Chinese Government’s programme, first announced in July 2013, for spending $300 bn to deal with the appalling problem of urban air quality. This could offer a huge opportunity for marketing nanoparticulate TiO2 grades – up to 1 M tonnes/y, according to Mr Prochazka. Economies of scale ought to stimulate the supply of nanoparticulate TiO2 for a reasonably low price. Wednesday, Colours Session Meanwhile, the Colour Science forum kicked-off on the Wednesday morning with an interesting presentation by Mr Paul Czornij (of BASF) on the aesthetic nature of colour and the significance of colour selection in product design and marketing. He referred to the five principles of observation in Gestalt theory – proximity, similarity, closure, continuity/order and the Prägnanz Principle (dominant/recessive objects). Prof Stuart Croll (of North Dakota State University) discussed the physical principles underlying light-scattering, opacity and structural colours. He mentioned the work of Dr Peter Vukusic (at Exeter University), investigating beetles in the Cyphochilus genus which have wingcases of brilliant white, being constructed of a mesh of fundamentally disordered filaments, about 250 nanometres in diameter. Whereas colours (such as the translucent blue or yellow of a butterfly wing) can be created by highly ordered nanofilament structures, white is created by the random, simultaneous scattering of light. Prof Croll speculated that it might be possible to use chitin as an industrial raw material to create structural colours as pigment substitutes. Mr Chris Winczewski (of DECEMBER 2014
F O C US X-Rite Pantone) spoke about his company’s goal to become a truly horizontal player in all relevant supply chains by developing three capabilities – appearance rendering, appearance formulation and appearance measurement. Prof Mas Subramanian described the molecular structures and electron movements (due to ligand field excitation, charge transfer excitation or jumping across valence/conduction band gaps), explaining why emerald is green, sapphire is blue and vermilion is red. He also presented an update on the paper he presented at last year’s Rome conference concerning the trigonal bipyramidal structures of new blue and orange chromophores. The next speaker to come to the podium was Dr Andrew Smith (now with Shepherd Color), who was formerly a PhD student on Prof Subramanian’s team. Dr Smith outlined some of the ways in which academic research, specifically on the chromophores in the Yin(1-x)MnxO3 family, have led to the launch of commercial pigments. Rational design, attentive chemistry plus a little luck can certainly lead to useful discoveries, eg Shepherd’s niobium tin pyrochlore yellow (PY-227) and rutile tin zinc orange. There were several excellent papers discussing various effect pigments in detail: Dr Angelo Yializis (of Sigma) on vacuum-metallised flake pigments; Dr Andrea Fetz (of Eckart) on glass-flake effect pigments; and Dr Frank Maile (of Schlenk) on high-reflective mirror-like finishes, also known as liquid metal effect pigments. Dr Kirsten Fritsche (of Merck) addressed the question of how the optical properties of individual effect pigments influence the visible texture of paints and coatings. In separate papers, Dr Linda Gerhardt (of General Motors) and Dr Chris Seubert (of Ford) highlighted the importance of colour specification, measurement, model-building and testing from the automotive paint customers’ standpoint. The bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) is a 4-dimensional function that defines how light is reflected at an opaque surface. In her paper, Dr Kristin Dana (of Rutgers University) showed how materials can be recognised and characterised using BRDFs. DECEMBER 2014
O N
PIGMENTS
Algorithms for pattern recognition and machine-learning can be developed for specifying materials using BRDFs. Dr Dana also showed how a Texcam texture camera, incorporating curved parabolic mirrors, can capture multiview images instantaneously. This equipment has already proved to be valuable in dermatological diagnoses and it could be equally valuable in cosmetics design and the assessment of pigment performance. Thursday, Colours Session Mr Charles Hoover (of Hoover Color Corp) opened the proceedings on Day Three of the conference with a description of his company’s Environoxide process for making natural iron oxide pigments as coproducts of environmental remediation. Hard coal deposits are often contaminated with iron pyrite and a depleted coal mine is typically associated with acidic waste waters, created by oxidation of the pyrite residues. In a remediation project, Hoover channels the acidic waters into specially designed wetlands, where the sulfur is absorbed by natural flora, iron oxide is precipitated out and the water is effectively purified. Hoover periodically harvests the crude iron oxide and processes it under tightly controlled conditions to make iron oxide pigments at its Hiwassee plant in the Blue Ridge Hills area of Virginia in the eastern US, about 370 km southeast of Richmond. A typical project generates 400-500 tonnes/y of crude iron oxide. Hoover produces four distinct grades of finished pigment – reds, yellows and browns. Dr Masayuki Osumi (of Office Color Science) discussed strategies for automated colour formulation, with particular regard to metallic coatings. As with several other speakers, he emphasised the need for methods of colour measurement to truly capture the human observer’s perception. Even the best performing pigment is of little practical use unless it is thoroughly and evenly dispersed within the paint system. Dr Tom Annable (of Lubrizol) addressed the issues of dispersion, flocculation and colloid stabilisation, highlighting the advantages of polymeric comb dispersants over conventional linear dispersants. Prof Vinothan
Manoharan (of Harvard University) spoke about structural colours, noting that in all the bird species with blue plumage, the colour is generated as an angle-independent structural colour, whereas all red feathers incorporate a red pigment. Angleindependent structural colours require a disordered nano-structure. As working examples of biomimetics, synthetic materials have been made with angle-independent structural colours, which can then be encapsulated in an easily dispersed form for making coloured inks. Prof Manoharan’s group have recently demonstrated a method for extending the array of structural colours right across to the red end of the spectrum. The morning session concluded with a presentation by Mr Doug Thornley (of Impact Colors), featuring a synopsis of his company’s ‘Color Trends 2015’, the sixth in a series of annual forecasts prepared in collaboration with Ms Antoinette Van Den Berg (of Future Touch Inc). Thursday, Plenary Session The final session of the conference was a plenary session, featuring presentations on: aerospace paints, from Ms Karen Schultz (of Boeing); scientific evidence underlying restrictions on pigment use, from Dr Mark Vincent (of Dominion Colour) and Mr Leo Van Der Biessen (of Royal Haskoning); the global speciality chemicals sector, from Dr Mosongo Moukwa (of PolyOne); trends and innovations in the plastics sector, from Dr Bruce Petersen (of Mathelin Bay Associates); novel pigments offering improvements in the construction sector, by Mr Mark Ryan (of Shepherd Color); and the role of national paint industry associations, from Mr Gary LeRoux (of the Canadian Paint & Coatings Association). These will be reviewed in next month's issue of 'Focus on Pigments'. Reg Adams 1) For those who were unable to attend the event, the full set of published papers from the Montreal Pigment & Colour Science Forum & TiO2 World Summit conferences (7-9 October 2014) is available for sale. For details, please contact: Mr Andrew Smaha, Smithers Rapra, 19 Northbrook Drive, Portland, ME 04105, USA. Tel: +1 (207) 781 9800. E-mail: [email protected]
5
DECEMBER 2014
DUPONT & BASF OPEN THE BATTING IN PARALLEL SESSIONS AT THE SMITHERS RAPRA FORUM IN MONTREAL
In this issue
PLANTS 6-7 Cathay opens new iron oxides plant in Anhui province Henan Billions completes chloride-route TiO2 plant with technical help from PPG Industries Sensient plans to make more food & cosmetic colorants in South Africa US Zinc completes two-phase zinc oxide expansion in Tennessee COMPANIES 7 Cinkarna to be fully privatised Cristal buys Jiangxi Tikon Frutarom buys Montana (of Peru) to boost prominence in Latin America Omya & Algol create a joint venture distributor with four Russian centres EVENTS
PIGMENTS
AN INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER MONITORING TECHNICAL AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PIGMENTS SECTOR ISSN 0969–6210
8
PIGMENTS
In October 2014, for the very first time, Smithers Rapra effectively combined its two highly popular pigment conferences – the World TiO2 Summit and the Pigment & Colour Science Forum – drawing to the Montreal venue a total of more than 240 delegates (Ref 1). The first day, Tuesday 7 October, was run as a plenary session. The seven presentations from that session were reviewed in ‘Focus on Pigments’, Nov 2014, 1-4. On the second day, the event was organised as parallel sessions in adjoining conference halls – one devoted essentially to TiO2 topics, the other devoted essentially to coloured pigments. The morning of the third and final day was similarly organised as parallel sessions. The conference concluded with a plenary session, featuring six presentations, on the final afternoon. If you walk up any of the streets on the northwestern side of the university quarter of Montreal, you soon find yourself immersed in the 200 hectare Mount Royal Park, which spreads over a hill rising to a peak more than 230 metres above the River St Lawrence. From that peak, you can look down on the so-called skyscrapers of the city-centre, including the conference hotel, or you can look back to the trees on Mount Royal. As Mr Gary LeRoux (of the Canadian Paint & Coatings Association), the final conference speaker, pointed out to the audience, the dominant colours of Mount Royal are reds, golds and evergreens right now, but in a few weeks’ time the
PIGMENTS
PIGMENTS
dominant colour will be white thanks to the snowfalls that last throughout the winter. Maybe that was a factor behind the selection of Montreal as the first venue for co-locating the conferences on white and coloured pigments? Combining the two events was evidently judged a success and Smithers Rapra plans to do the same thing next year, inviting delegates to vote on their preferred venue: Amsterdam, Prague, Paris or Lyon. Wednesday, TiO2 Session Opening the first dedicated TiO2 session, Mr Peter O’Sullivan (of DuPont) reported that world TiO2 consumption is expected to show a 4.4% increase in 2014, following a 10.7% increase in 2013. Next year, world demand is expected to rise by 5.4% to reach 5.94 M tonnes, followed by 3.4% per annum growth over the next three years. This means that global TiO2 consumption will exceed 6.5 M tonnes/y in 2018. Although China’s demand growth has slowed down in recent years, this has been compensated by much healthier growth in the North American market. According to DuPont, North American demand fell in nine out of the ten years during the 2000-2009 decade. (2004 was the exception). The sharp drop in 2009 took North American demand below the 1 M tonnes/y mark for the first time since the 1980s. A 12.5% bounce-back in 2010 was followed by two more years of decline, down to a nadir of 820,000 tonnes in 2012. But demand rose by 10.2% in 2013 and it is expected to
PIGMENTS
PIGMENTS
F O C US rise by a further 4.6% this year, with more steady growth forecast for the next four years. Even so, North American demand is not expected to cross the 1 M tonnes/y mark on its upward trajectory before 2019. Reviewing these trends in TiO2 consumption over the long-term, Mr O’Sullivan reported: “There is an excellent correlation between global gross domestic product (GDP) and global TiO2 pigment demand.” However, for developed and mature economies, TiO2 demand growth tends to be lower than GDP growth. This is partly because of the relocation of a lot of manufacturing activity to cheaper offshore locations. For “emerging markets” (developing countries) TiO2 demand growth tends to run ahead of GDP growth, partly because of rapid changes in personal disposable income and standards of living and partly because of an increased manufacturing base. Sales of TiO2 pigment have been extremely volatile over the past five years. Between mid-2009 and the end of 2011, the upswing in paint and plastics manufacturing after the global recession was accompanied by customers buying more TiO2 than they needed in order to avoid the risk of running short of raw materials during an expansionary phase. By early 2012, it became obvious to most customers that they had overstocked on TiO2 and so they cut back on new purchases, preferring to draw down their inventories instead. Mr O’Sullivan believes that this phase of consumer inventory depletion will have ended by the end of 2014, facilitating a return to trendline normality in 2015. DuPont has been the world’s largest TiO2 pigment producer onwards from the early 1970s. The company pioneered the use of slurries for delivering TiO2 in the mid-1970s and it has consolidated its market leadership with a number of milestone product launches, notably RPSVantage for the paper industry (in 1978); R-104 for the plastics industry (in 1994); R-902-plus for the paint industry (in 2005); and R-796-plus for decorative laminates (in 2010). The latest innovation, launched in October 2014, is Ti-Pure Select, offering paintmakers an increase in hiding power of up to 20%. Thanks to a $500 M investment at its Mexican plant and
2
O N
PIGMENTS
smaller upgrades elsewhere, DuPont plans to increase its global TiO2 capacity by 20% by the end of 2015. With 2500 employees, five TiO2 plants and nine technical support centres, the company sells TiO2 in more than 90 different countries, of which 32 are served by the direct DuPont salesforce, while the others are served by various qualified distributors and channel partners. Currently, DuPont’s TiO2 business operates within the company’s Performance Chemicals segment, which also includes fluorochemicals, ammonia, cyanide and various other industrial chemicals. In June 2014, DuPont registered the name Chemours LLC and this will be the name for Performance Chemicals when it is floated off next year as a separate entity, taking a listing on the New York Stock Exchange. Mr O’Sullivan’s final slide showed a path stretching out into the distance between the hills under the heading: “Ti-Pure: a brighter future together with you.” Ms Kasia Patel (of ‘Industrial Minerals’ magazine) reviewed the TiO2 feedstock situation. World ilmenite production increased by 4.5% from 6.5 M tonnes in 2012 to 6.79 M tonnes (TiO2 units) in 2013. World rutile production increased by 5.5% from 730,000 tonnes in 2012 to 770,000 tonnes (TiO2 units) in 2013. The advent of new sources in Kenya and Senegal, coupled with a 50% capacity expansion in Mozambique last year, have certainly eased the shortages of feedstock that appeared in 2010/11. Rio Tinto and Iluka, the world’s two largest suppliers, sharply reduced their output to try to stem the inevitable fall in prices, but with limited success. The average price of benchmark ilmenite (containing 54% TiO2), fob Australia, had been $75 per tonne throughout 2010, but it then surged upwards to reach a peak of $300 per tonne in July 2012. It held at this level for the next 15 months, but the downward slide began in September 2013. By the end of January 2014, the Australian ilmenite price had fallen to $200 per tonne. It has fallen back still further throughout this year, reaching $155 per tonne in September 2014. The average price of benchmark rutile (containing 95% TiO2), fob Australia, increased from $540 per tonne in mid-2010 to a peak
of $2225 per tonne in July 2012. It held at this level until the end of 2012, but then fell sharply, reaching $1700 per tonne in February 2013, $1320 per tonne in November 2013 and $1155 per tonne in May 2014. It has remained more or less stable since then. According to Ms Patel, TiO2 feedstock prices are unlikely to rise over the next 6-12 months. In fact, ilmenite prices may actually fall still further, particularly if Chinese suppliers begin exporting ilmenite on a significant scale. Rutile and calcined petroleum coke (CPC) are important raw materials for making TiCl4, a key intermediate in the manufacture of TiO2, titanium metal and pearlescent pigments. Ms Terece Muir gave a comprehensive overview of the global CPC industry, pointing out that about 1 M tonnes/y of CPC are currently consumed by the TiO2 sector, representing just over 4% of total CPC consumption. Aluminium smelters accounted for 75.6% of the 24.5 M tonnes of CPC consumed in 2014, so naturally the aluminium industry is the main driver for CPC demand and price trends. CPC prices in Europe and the US had hovered within the $180-210 per tonne range for at least a decade prior to 2006, then rose steeply to reach peaks in 1H 2008, subsided during the global economic crisis of 2009, then surged ahead to reach new record highpoints in 2H 2011 – $630 per tonne in Europe and $570 per tonne in the US. Over the past three years, prices have fallen back to $390 per tonne and $360 per tonne respectively. The global oversupply in CPC will be exacerbated over the next four years thanks to major expansions in Brazil, India, Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates. China will remain the world’s largest net exporter of CPC, ahead of the US. The downward pressure on CPC prices will continue, but there are growing concerns about product quality resulting from the need to resort to processing oil crudes with higher and higher sulfur contents. Mr Derek Folmer (of Sierra Rutile) spoke about the position of natural rutile in the array of TiO2 feedstock options available to a TiO2 producer, pointing out that the amounts of chlorine required and the quantities of solid waste generated are much lower than would be the case for alternative feedstocks. But global reserves of DECEMBER 2014
F O C US rutile are limited and new mines are costly to develop. Iluka, Rio Tinto, Cristal and Tronox are currently spending a total of $1.145 bn on four projects (Balranald, Richards Bay, Atlas Campaspe and Fairbreeze), which are essentially designed to maintain or slightly expand rutile capacity. At least 30% of current rutile output is consumed captively, underlining the importance of Sierra Rutile as an independent non-captive source. Sierra Rutile produced 120,349 tonnes of rutile last year and it is on target to set a new record of 131,000 tonnes this year. With expansion projects at Gangama and Sembehun well underway, the company is determined to increase its contribution to global rutile supply, forecast at 900,000 tonnes for 2017/18. Finally, Mr Folmer was keen to emphasise that stringent anti-ebola measures are in place at the company’s mine-site and port facilities, so that the current public health crisis affecting parts of Sierra Leone has had no impact on the company’s rutile export activity. Mr Reg Adams (of Artikol) presented a 22-page paper titled “Dawn of a New Era for TiO2”, highlighting: the recent and pending changes of corporate ownership within the industry; the trend towards more vertical integration; the potential impact of the new Argex technology; the importance of China, which will export more than 600,000 tonnes/y of TiO2 pigments this year, as well as accounting for one-third of global US TiO2 Pigment: Annual Average Price ($2014 per tonne)* 1980 1990 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2020
3899 4254 3485 3067 3059 2870 2849 2764 2906 3787 4549 3901 3522 3500 3780
*Standard rutile grade, prices converted to constantvalue $US. Original Source: Artikol, website: http://www. artikol.com © Artikol 2014
DECEMBER 2014
O N
PIGMENTS
consumption; and various existential threats to the industry, such as industrial espionage, price-fixing allegations and concerns about health effects and carbon footprints. TiO2 prices in all regions rose rapidly throughout 2011 and early 2012, but peaked in mid-2012. They then fell back steadily, reaching a plateau at the end of 1Q 2014. According to Artikol, TiO2 prices (in real terms) will drift downwards during 2015, with the long-awaited price recovery postponed until the beginning of 2016. Artikol’s forecast for the 2020 price is $3780 per tonne (in terms of constantvalue 2014 dollars). Assuming general retail price inflation at 2% per annum, this would translate to $4250 in terms of “dollars of the day.” Mr Robert Gibney (of Iluka) stated that his company’s medium-term strategic plan is based on a forecast of trendline 4% per annum growth in TiO2 feedstock consumption, which includes an envisaged provision of 350,000 tonnes/y for new Chinese chloride-route pigment plants. He highlighted the need for customers and investors to weigh up geopolitical risk factors when assessing projects and suppliers, emphasising the advantages of Australia, Canada, Norway and the US in that regard. His chart for the 2020 forecast breakdown of world feedstock production (in terms of TiO2 units) showed: 19% Australia; 15% China; 13% South Africa; 7% Mozambique; 10% Other Africa; 9% Canada; 8% India; 6% Ukraine; 5% Norway; and 8% Other (including the US, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Indonesia). It is interesting to note that he did not specifically identify a contribution from Brazil, though he did mention Iluka’s recent agreement with Vale to investigate the potential for the huge deposits of anatase (containing 90-95% TiO2), about 400 km west of Belo Horizonte. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Sep 2014, 6). Mr Gibney highlighted Iluka’s research efforts in downstream areas, such as feedstock chlorination and zircon applications. He also said: “For many years, we ran our synrutile business at a loss. We won’t do that in future. We have no intention of returning to long-term capand-collar contracts, because we know we can be flexible enough to respond quickly to sudden shifts in the overall supply/demand picture. Our unblinking focus will be on optimising
shareholder returns throughout the business cycle.” Mr Laurence Wang (of Tinox Consulting) described trends in China’s TiO2 industry. As in the rest of the world, domestic prices surged ahead during 2010/11, but they have since fallen sharply. China’s domestic ilmenite price is now lower than at any time since 2005. Some medium-sized pigment producers have decided to quit the industry, including Golden Dragon, Zechang and Ruikang. However, the withdrawal of 150,000200,000 tonnes/y of capacity has been more than offset by expansions elsewhere. Mr Wang estimates that China’s total capacity increased from 1.76 M tonnes/y in 2010 to 2.39 M tonnes/y in 2014 and will increase to 2.97 M tonnes/y by 2020. Domestic pigment demand growth has slowed down, so several major companies have been actively building up their export sales. For the time being, domestic TiO2 production is almost entirely based on sulfateroute plants using ilmenite as their primary feedstock. Domestic ilmenite output has more than doubled from 1.74 M tonnes in 2009 to 3.74 M tonnes (gross weight) in 2014. Sichuan Lomon and Pangang have raised their ilmenite output to cater for captive demand, while Miyi Heishibao has consolidated its position as the largest independent non-captive ilmenite producer, now accounting for about 16% of national output. China’s ilmenite imports doubled from 1.4 M tonnes in 2009 to 2.8 M tonnes in 2012, but they have since fallen back and will probably be just under 2 M tonnes (gross weight) this year. More stringent enforcement of pollution control regulations should force the closure of a number of very small “cottage-industry” style sulfate-route plants, while the completion of five or six new chloride-route plants will result in an upsurge in demand for rutile, slag and other high-grade feedstocks. Mr Jean-François Turgeon (of Tronox) discussed various aspects related to his company’s Fairbreeze mining project. Tronox is the most vertically integrated of all the TiO2 pigment multinationals. In fact, it produces more TiO2 feedstock than it consumes. The company’s Hillendale mine in South Africa was closed at the end of 2013 and it will be replaced by
3
F O C US the Fairbreeze mine, which should come into production in early 2016. Mine development is a fairly slow process, because of the need to reassure local communities and politicians about employment, healthcare, infrastructure, environmental protection and eventual mine rehabilitation. The Fairbreeze mine has an expected life of 15 years and Tronox is already planning for its eventual replacement, which will be a mine in the Port Durnsford area. Mr Andrea DeMori (of Hatch) also addressed the issues involved in project development, this time from the standpoint of a full-service turnkey contractor with experience across the entire value-chain, including geological assessments, ore mining, mineral processing, tailings treatment, ilmenite smelting and acid leaching of the slag product to generate a very high-grade feedstock. Mr DeMori highlighted the importance of good project design to ensure that the various complex schedules can be dovetailed into a compact timetable. He also pointed out that as the portfolio of easy-access, high-grade orebodies become exhausted, the industry will have to deal with less conventional titaniferous resources, such as Norwegian and Italian hardrock rutile deposits in eclogite hosts, large high-slimes deposits in Paraguay and anatase ores in Brazil. Innovation and the need for dedicated investment in research and development was the chosen theme of Mr Gerry Colamarino (of TiPMC Solutions). He began by pointing out that although TiO2 pigment and feedstock prices are still at historically high levels, albeit much lower than the 2011/12 peaks, the pre-tax earnings of pigment and feedstock producers remains depressed. He said: “It would be in everyone’s best interests if profitability could be spread throughout the value-chain.” This could be achieved if innovation were to be injected, but to allow innovation to flourish requires clearly thought-out strategies for investment in research. Innovation is the raison d’être of Argex, the Montreal-based company which is currently building a 50,000 tonnes/y plant to make TiO2 pigment, employing its novel lixiviation and solvent extraction technology. Mr Philippe Guillemaille and Mr Enrico DiCesare (of Argex) presented a
4
O N
PIGMENTS
useful update on the company’s activities. The plant is expected to come on-stream in early 2017. Assuming that the new plant demonstrates its promised technoeconomic viability, more Argex plants will be built, so that they may account for 5-8% of total global TiO2 capacity by 2022. As the two speakers pointed out, the process is associated with a much lower carbon footprint than conventional sulfate or chloride technologies. Operating temperatures and pressures are fairly “normal” for the chemical industry, the process is essentially a closed loop, various marketable by-products (pure iron and magnesium oxides) are generated and there is relatively little inert residual waste. Solvent extraction techniques are already quite widely used for the extraction of nickel, copper, uranium and rare earths. One of the key advantages of the Argex process is the ability to use feedstocks with a low TiO2 content, down to 15% TiO2 in theory. In practice, Argex is concentrating on feedstocks such as phosphate mine tailings, typically containing around 45% TiO2. The company will initially make and sell three TiO2 pigment grades, one for paints, one for plastics and one for food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Agreements are in place with PPG Industries and with Helm AG for marketing most of the company’s initial output. Thursday, TiO2 Session The TiO2 forum resumed on the Thursday morning with a presentation by Dr Pierre Boher (of Eldim) showing experimental results for the rapid measurement of spectral reflectance and the bidirectional reflection distribution function (BRDF) in the context of cosmetic powders and foundation creams. Mr Jerzy Paszkudzki (of Sefar) discussed the economic advantages of using pleated filters instead of conventional bag filters in TiO2 pigment plants, especially for the drying and micronising sections. If a jet-pulse system is already installed for cleaning the filters, each bag filter can be simply replaced by a pleated filter on a one-for-one basis. Sefar’s pleated filters, made of fibreglass stiffened with phenolic resin, have a much longer service life and they can achieve demonstrable savings of
54%, measured in dollars per tonne of TiO2 output. Mr Robert Hawkins (of RPS Composites) highlighted a number of applications in TiO2 manufacturing, processing and handling where fibreglass reinforced plastics and dual laminates are ideal materials for corrosion and abrasion resistance. The final paper in the TiO2 forum was delivered by Dr Jan Prochazka (of AMJTJ). He gave a comprehensive review of the use of nanoparticulate TiO2 for air purification, water decontamination and soil remediation. He referred to the Chinese Government’s programme, first announced in July 2013, for spending $300 bn to deal with the appalling problem of urban air quality. This could offer a huge opportunity for marketing nanoparticulate TiO2 grades – up to 1 M tonnes/y, according to Mr Prochazka. Economies of scale ought to stimulate the supply of nanoparticulate TiO2 for a reasonably low price. Wednesday, Colours Session Meanwhile, the Colour Science forum kicked-off on the Wednesday morning with an interesting presentation by Mr Paul Czornij (of BASF) on the aesthetic nature of colour and the significance of colour selection in product design and marketing. He referred to the five principles of observation in Gestalt theory – proximity, similarity, closure, continuity/order and the Prägnanz Principle (dominant/recessive objects). Prof Stuart Croll (of North Dakota State University) discussed the physical principles underlying light-scattering, opacity and structural colours. He mentioned the work of Dr Peter Vukusic (at Exeter University), investigating beetles in the Cyphochilus genus which have wingcases of brilliant white, being constructed of a mesh of fundamentally disordered filaments, about 250 nanometres in diameter. Whereas colours (such as the translucent blue or yellow of a butterfly wing) can be created by highly ordered nanofilament structures, white is created by the random, simultaneous scattering of light. Prof Croll speculated that it might be possible to use chitin as an industrial raw material to create structural colours as pigment substitutes. Mr Chris Winczewski (of DECEMBER 2014
F O C US X-Rite Pantone) spoke about his company’s goal to become a truly horizontal player in all relevant supply chains by developing three capabilities – appearance rendering, appearance formulation and appearance measurement. Prof Mas Subramanian described the molecular structures and electron movements (due to ligand field excitation, charge transfer excitation or jumping across valence/conduction band gaps), explaining why emerald is green, sapphire is blue and vermilion is red. He also presented an update on the paper he presented at last year’s Rome conference concerning the trigonal bipyramidal structures of new blue and orange chromophores. The next speaker to come to the podium was Dr Andrew Smith (now with Shepherd Color), who was formerly a PhD student on Prof Subramanian’s team. Dr Smith outlined some of the ways in which academic research, specifically on the chromophores in the Yin(1-x)MnxO3 family, have led to the launch of commercial pigments. Rational design, attentive chemistry plus a little luck can certainly lead to useful discoveries, eg Shepherd’s niobium tin pyrochlore yellow (PY-227) and rutile tin zinc orange. There were several excellent papers discussing various effect pigments in detail: Dr Angelo Yializis (of Sigma) on vacuum-metallised flake pigments; Dr Andrea Fetz (of Eckart) on glass-flake effect pigments; and Dr Frank Maile (of Schlenk) on high-reflective mirror-like finishes, also known as liquid metal effect pigments. Dr Kirsten Fritsche (of Merck) addressed the question of how the optical properties of individual effect pigments influence the visible texture of paints and coatings. In separate papers, Dr Linda Gerhardt (of General Motors) and Dr Chris Seubert (of Ford) highlighted the importance of colour specification, measurement, model-building and testing from the automotive paint customers’ standpoint. The bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) is a 4-dimensional function that defines how light is reflected at an opaque surface. In her paper, Dr Kristin Dana (of Rutgers University) showed how materials can be recognised and characterised using BRDFs. DECEMBER 2014
O N
PIGMENTS
Algorithms for pattern recognition and machine-learning can be developed for specifying materials using BRDFs. Dr Dana also showed how a Texcam texture camera, incorporating curved parabolic mirrors, can capture multiview images instantaneously. This equipment has already proved to be valuable in dermatological diagnoses and it could be equally valuable in cosmetics design and the assessment of pigment performance. Thursday, Colours Session Mr Charles Hoover (of Hoover Color Corp) opened the proceedings on Day Three of the conference with a description of his company’s Environoxide process for making natural iron oxide pigments as coproducts of environmental remediation. Hard coal deposits are often contaminated with iron pyrite and a depleted coal mine is typically associated with acidic waste waters, created by oxidation of the pyrite residues. In a remediation project, Hoover channels the acidic waters into specially designed wetlands, where the sulfur is absorbed by natural flora, iron oxide is precipitated out and the water is effectively purified. Hoover periodically harvests the crude iron oxide and processes it under tightly controlled conditions to make iron oxide pigments at its Hiwassee plant in the Blue Ridge Hills area of Virginia in the eastern US, about 370 km southeast of Richmond. A typical project generates 400-500 tonnes/y of crude iron oxide. Hoover produces four distinct grades of finished pigment – reds, yellows and browns. Dr Masayuki Osumi (of Office Color Science) discussed strategies for automated colour formulation, with particular regard to metallic coatings. As with several other speakers, he emphasised the need for methods of colour measurement to truly capture the human observer’s perception. Even the best performing pigment is of little practical use unless it is thoroughly and evenly dispersed within the paint system. Dr Tom Annable (of Lubrizol) addressed the issues of dispersion, flocculation and colloid stabilisation, highlighting the advantages of polymeric comb dispersants over conventional linear dispersants. Prof Vinothan
Manoharan (of Harvard University) spoke about structural colours, noting that in all the bird species with blue plumage, the colour is generated as an angle-independent structural colour, whereas all red feathers incorporate a red pigment. Angleindependent structural colours require a disordered nano-structure. As working examples of biomimetics, synthetic materials have been made with angle-independent structural colours, which can then be encapsulated in an easily dispersed form for making coloured inks. Prof Manoharan’s group have recently demonstrated a method for extending the array of structural colours right across to the red end of the spectrum. The morning session concluded with a presentation by Mr Doug Thornley (of Impact Colors), featuring a synopsis of his company’s ‘Color Trends 2015’, the sixth in a series of annual forecasts prepared in collaboration with Ms Antoinette Van Den Berg (of Future Touch Inc). Thursday, Plenary Session The final session of the conference was a plenary session, featuring presentations on: aerospace paints, from Ms Karen Schultz (of Boeing); scientific evidence underlying restrictions on pigment use, from Dr Mark Vincent (of Dominion Colour) and Mr Leo Van Der Biessen (of Royal Haskoning); the global speciality chemicals sector, from Dr Mosongo Moukwa (of PolyOne); trends and innovations in the plastics sector, from Dr Bruce Petersen (of Mathelin Bay Associates); novel pigments offering improvements in the construction sector, by Mr Mark Ryan (of Shepherd Color); and the role of national paint industry associations, from Mr Gary LeRoux (of the Canadian Paint & Coatings Association). These will be reviewed in next month's issue of 'Focus on Pigments'. Reg Adams 1) For those who were unable to attend the event, the full set of published papers from the Montreal Pigment & Colour Science Forum & TiO2 World Summit conferences (7-9 October 2014) is available for sale. For details, please contact: Mr Andrew Smaha, Smithers Rapra, 19 Northbrook Drive, Portland, ME 04105, USA. Tel: +1 (207) 781 9800. E-mail: [email protected]
5