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European group preparing standards for WPCs
Additives for Polymers
Under the terms of the transaction, Paramelt has acquired Honeywell’s wax operations in Eupen, Belgium and Suzhou, China. The two operations had 2004 aggregate revenues of US$47.5 million. The transaction does not include any of Honeywell’s industrial wax facilities in the USA, which the company is in the process of divesting in a separate deal. These divestitures are part of Honeywell Specialty Materials’ continued execution of its plan to focus investment on select core businesses built around growth platform technologies, including fluorines, advanced fibres and composites, reagents, electronic materials and barrier solutions. The company has confirmed that it does not intend to divest its Specialty Additives business, which sells A-C® performance additives, Rheochem® customized lubricants for the vinyl processing industry and Lumilux® luminescent pigments. The A-C brand, used in colour masterbatch, PVC processing, cable fill and other applications, are polyolefin wax speciality additives synthesized by ethylene polymerization, while the Rheochem lubricants are based on distillate wax from petroleum refining. These product lines are part of the company’s Performance Products business. Contact: Honeywell Specialty Materials, 101 Columbia Rd, Morristown, NJ 07962-2497, USA; tel: +1-973-455-2000; fax: +1-973-455-4807; URL: www.honeywell.com
European group preparing standards for WPCs In Europe an official working group, formed last November, is working towards a set of standards for products made from wood-plastic composites (WPCs). The aim is to create a technical specification for WPC products in three parts: test methods, general characteristics and material-related characteristics. The group aims to complete the standards by November 2005, according to a PRW.com report. There are still two major ‘weak points’ to address for WPCs – their low impact resistance and their susceptibility to weathering. Impact resistance could be improved by making thicker parts or by adding a coupling agent, according to PVC producer Solvin. Solvin is also reported 10
May 2005
to be working on two solutions to the weathering problem: adding anti-UV agents and protecting the fibres.
Symphony extends degradable additives business into Middle East Degradable additives supplier Symphony Plastic Technologies is building its international network with the recent signing of two major distribution deals in the Middle East. The most-recent deal is with recycling company Al Haya Waste Management & Projects Company in Qatar, who will distribute Symphony’s d2w degradable additive and products exclusively into Qatar. Al Haya has forecast it will purchase not less than US$450 000 (350 000) of products within the first two years. According to Al Haya, Qatar has a serious problem with plastic pollution caused by discarded waste such as carrier bags and other forms of packaging and is therefore in urgently need of Symphony’s “environmentally-responsible product”. In addition to plastics recycling, the company is also involved in lubricating oil recycling and hazardous waste management. Qatar is a completely new market for the d2w technology, according to Symphony CEO Michael Laurier. A month earlier, Symphony secured a 15-year exclusive distribution agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Gulf Business Network (GBN) worth $2.43 million (1.83 million) in its first year. Under the agreement, GBN will have the right to sell the d2w degradable additive into Saudi Arabia, which is also “plagued by plastics pollution caused by discarded waste”, according to GBN president Said Al-Qahtani. The contract represents Symphony’s first major agreement in the Kingdom. Together the deals extend a distribution network that already takes in Brazil [ADPO, December 2003], Canada, the Caribbean, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA. The d2w additive, which allows controlled degradation of polyethylene and other plastics, is Symphony’s main technology. It also sells both degradable and non-degradable plastic packaging products, supplying more than one billion d2w carrier bags in the UK last year. Aided by the extension of its global reach, the company recorded a 16% increase in sales to
Under the terms of the transaction, Paramelt has acquired Honeywell’s wax operations in Eupen, Belgium and Suzhou, China. The two operations had 2004 aggregate revenues of US$47.5 million. The transaction does not include any of Honeywell’s industrial wax facilities in the USA, which the company is in the process of divesting in a separate deal. These divestitures are part of Honeywell Specialty Materials’ continued execution of its plan to focus investment on select core businesses built around growth platform technologies, including fluorines, advanced fibres and composites, reagents, electronic materials and barrier solutions. The company has confirmed that it does not intend to divest its Specialty Additives business, which sells A-C® performance additives, Rheochem® customized lubricants for the vinyl processing industry and Lumilux® luminescent pigments. The A-C brand, used in colour masterbatch, PVC processing, cable fill and other applications, are polyolefin wax speciality additives synthesized by ethylene polymerization, while the Rheochem lubricants are based on distillate wax from petroleum refining. These product lines are part of the company’s Performance Products business. Contact: Honeywell Specialty Materials, 101 Columbia Rd, Morristown, NJ 07962-2497, USA; tel: +1-973-455-2000; fax: +1-973-455-4807; URL: www.honeywell.com
European group preparing standards for WPCs In Europe an official working group, formed last November, is working towards a set of standards for products made from wood-plastic composites (WPCs). The aim is to create a technical specification for WPC products in three parts: test methods, general characteristics and material-related characteristics. The group aims to complete the standards by November 2005, according to a PRW.com report. There are still two major ‘weak points’ to address for WPCs – their low impact resistance and their susceptibility to weathering. Impact resistance could be improved by making thicker parts or by adding a coupling agent, according to PVC producer Solvin. Solvin is also reported 10
May 2005
to be working on two solutions to the weathering problem: adding anti-UV agents and protecting the fibres.
Symphony extends degradable additives business into Middle East Degradable additives supplier Symphony Plastic Technologies is building its international network with the recent signing of two major distribution deals in the Middle East. The most-recent deal is with recycling company Al Haya Waste Management & Projects Company in Qatar, who will distribute Symphony’s d2w degradable additive and products exclusively into Qatar. Al Haya has forecast it will purchase not less than US$450 000 (350 000) of products within the first two years. According to Al Haya, Qatar has a serious problem with plastic pollution caused by discarded waste such as carrier bags and other forms of packaging and is therefore in urgently need of Symphony’s “environmentally-responsible product”. In addition to plastics recycling, the company is also involved in lubricating oil recycling and hazardous waste management. Qatar is a completely new market for the d2w technology, according to Symphony CEO Michael Laurier. A month earlier, Symphony secured a 15-year exclusive distribution agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Gulf Business Network (GBN) worth $2.43 million (1.83 million) in its first year. Under the agreement, GBN will have the right to sell the d2w degradable additive into Saudi Arabia, which is also “plagued by plastics pollution caused by discarded waste”, according to GBN president Said Al-Qahtani. The contract represents Symphony’s first major agreement in the Kingdom. Together the deals extend a distribution network that already takes in Brazil [ADPO, December 2003], Canada, the Caribbean, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA. The d2w additive, which allows controlled degradation of polyethylene and other plastics, is Symphony’s main technology. It also sells both degradable and non-degradable plastic packaging products, supplying more than one billion d2w carrier bags in the UK last year. Aided by the extension of its global reach, the company recorded a 16% increase in sales to