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India: Phillips – carbon black
F O C US people and has an annual turnover of €70 M. Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 21 Nov 2005, (318), 14 (in French)
Germany: BASF – isopropanolamine BASF recently started up a 15,000 tonnes/y isopropanolamine plant at Ludwigshafen, said to be the only plant of its kind in Europe. Raw materials for the plant include propylene and ammonia. Isopropanolamine is used to make various colorants and pigments, as well as being used for cleaning flue gases. Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 21 Nov 2005, (318), 9 (in French)
Germany: Hoffmann – toll grinding pigments & fillers Hoffman Mineral has opened a new €4 M grinding plant at Neuburg that will be dedicated to toll manufacturing specialist raw materials or blends of raw materials to be used as pigments, fillers or additives. Industrial Minerals, Nov 2005, (458), 16
Germany: Lifocolor – masterbatch Lifocolor has recently expanded masterbatch capacity at its Lichtenfels plant, just north of Bamberg in Bavaria. The company has also opened a new €1.2 M facility at Lichtenfels for research and product development, staff training and customer service. Lifocolor is a founder member of the International Colour Alliance. Other members and partners include: Chroma Corp (US); Cromex Brancolor (Brazil); Panacea (South Africa); World Pigment Co (Thailand); and Inter Werna Pesada (Indonesia). Kautschuk und Gummi, Kunststoffe, Nov 2005, 58 (11), 548 (in German)
O N
PIGMENTS
raising the capacity of KMML’s chloride-route TiO2 pigment plant from 40,000 tonnes/y to 60,000 tonnes/y by mid-2006. The second stage entails raising capacity to 100,000 tonnes/y. According to ‘CW’, the target date for completion of the second stage has been brought forward from 2009 to end-2007. Chemical Week, 9 Nov 2005, 167 (37), 14
India: Phillips – carbon black At its Annual General Meeting, Phillips Carbon Black confirmed its target of expanding capacity from 250,000 tonnes/y to 450,000-500,000 tonnes/y. It is committed to spending Rup 1.1 bn for the establishment of a new 30-35 MW power plant at the Durgapur (West Bengal) complex, which will facilitate an expansion of carbon black capacity from the current 125,000 tonnes/y. Phillips already has a 12 MW power plant at its Vadodara (Gujarat) complex, where capacity was recently expanded by 70,000 tonnes/y. Business Line, 3 Nov 2005, 12 (303), 3
Japan: Daio Paper – recycled white pigment from paper sludge Daio Paper (of Ehime) is building a pilot-scale unit at its Mishima paper mill to demonstrate the viability of its technology for recovering and purifying a mixture of white mineral pigments and fillers from mill waste waters and “paper sludge.” The pigment/filler mixture is purified, dried, chemically treated and micronised to yield a homogenous fine-particle filler that can be recycled to the paper production section. Assuming that the pilot-scale testing goes according to plan, Daio Paper intends to install a unit capable of producing 40,000 tonnes/y of recovered white pigment/filler in Summer 2007. Japan Chemical Week, 3 Nov 2005, 46 (2341), 2
India: KMML – TiO2
Jordan: JME – GCC
Mecon Ltd (a State-controlled project consultancy headquartered in Ranchi, India) has been appointed as engineering and design consultant for the Rup 7.6 bn project of Kerala Minerals & Metals Ltd. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Sep 2005, 5). The first stage of this project entails
In mid-November 2005, Jordan Minerals Est (JME) commissioned a new 45,000 tonnes/y coating-grade ground calcium carbonate (GCC) facility at its site, south of Amman. This raises the company’s total coating-grade GCC capacity here to 98,000 tonnes/y. Potential production
4
for all GCC grades is said to be over 200,000 tonnes/y. Industrial Minerals, Nov 2005, (458), 11
Korea, South: Clariant & Songwon – organic pigments Clariant is currently focusing its attention on the project with Hangzhou Baihe to build a new plant in Zhejiang province (China) for making high performance pigments. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Jul 2005, 4). Meanwhile, it continues to run its classical organic pigments plant at Ulsan (South Korea) at high operating rates, producing phthalo blue in response to ongoing high demand. The South Korean plant is owned by Clariant Songwon, in which Clariant acquired a 51% controlling interest in May 1999 Press Release from: Clariant GmbH, Pigments & Additives Division, Am Unisys-Park 1, D-65843 Sulzbach, Germany, Website: http://www.clariant.com (8 Nov 2005)
Russia: Empils – zinc oxide ZAO Empils is on target to produce 17,000 tonnes of zinc oxide in full-year 2005, representing an 18.1% increase on the 14,400 tonnes produced last year. During the first six months of this year, output was up 6.9% on 1H 2004, at 7872 tonnes. In response to customer requests from Poland and Germany, Empils began offering deliveries in “big bags” of 500 kilos and 1000 kilos earlier this year. This type of packaging now accounts for 7-10% of the company’s total zinc oxide supply. The company also markets a variety of enamels, lacquers, paints and dyes. Total output of all products from the main factory in Rostov-onDon and from the Odessa factory (operated by its subsidiary, OAO Elaks) was 47,391 tonnes in 1H 2005, up 14.3% on the 1H 2004 figure. Empils claims a market share of 21% in the Central Asian markets and a market share of 12% in the Ukrainian/ Moldovan market, but it is not clear what products are included in this assessment. Vestnik Khimicheskoi Promyshlennosty, 30 Sep 2005, 35 (3), 53-56 (in Russian)
UK: PolyOne – masterbatch PolyOne Corp has announced that it will close its colour masterbatch plant
DECEMBER 2005
Germany: BASF – isopropanolamine BASF recently started up a 15,000 tonnes/y isopropanolamine plant at Ludwigshafen, said to be the only plant of its kind in Europe. Raw materials for the plant include propylene and ammonia. Isopropanolamine is used to make various colorants and pigments, as well as being used for cleaning flue gases. Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 21 Nov 2005, (318), 9 (in French)
Germany: Hoffmann – toll grinding pigments & fillers Hoffman Mineral has opened a new €4 M grinding plant at Neuburg that will be dedicated to toll manufacturing specialist raw materials or blends of raw materials to be used as pigments, fillers or additives. Industrial Minerals, Nov 2005, (458), 16
Germany: Lifocolor – masterbatch Lifocolor has recently expanded masterbatch capacity at its Lichtenfels plant, just north of Bamberg in Bavaria. The company has also opened a new €1.2 M facility at Lichtenfels for research and product development, staff training and customer service. Lifocolor is a founder member of the International Colour Alliance. Other members and partners include: Chroma Corp (US); Cromex Brancolor (Brazil); Panacea (South Africa); World Pigment Co (Thailand); and Inter Werna Pesada (Indonesia). Kautschuk und Gummi, Kunststoffe, Nov 2005, 58 (11), 548 (in German)
O N
PIGMENTS
raising the capacity of KMML’s chloride-route TiO2 pigment plant from 40,000 tonnes/y to 60,000 tonnes/y by mid-2006. The second stage entails raising capacity to 100,000 tonnes/y. According to ‘CW’, the target date for completion of the second stage has been brought forward from 2009 to end-2007. Chemical Week, 9 Nov 2005, 167 (37), 14
India: Phillips – carbon black At its Annual General Meeting, Phillips Carbon Black confirmed its target of expanding capacity from 250,000 tonnes/y to 450,000-500,000 tonnes/y. It is committed to spending Rup 1.1 bn for the establishment of a new 30-35 MW power plant at the Durgapur (West Bengal) complex, which will facilitate an expansion of carbon black capacity from the current 125,000 tonnes/y. Phillips already has a 12 MW power plant at its Vadodara (Gujarat) complex, where capacity was recently expanded by 70,000 tonnes/y. Business Line, 3 Nov 2005, 12 (303), 3
Japan: Daio Paper – recycled white pigment from paper sludge Daio Paper (of Ehime) is building a pilot-scale unit at its Mishima paper mill to demonstrate the viability of its technology for recovering and purifying a mixture of white mineral pigments and fillers from mill waste waters and “paper sludge.” The pigment/filler mixture is purified, dried, chemically treated and micronised to yield a homogenous fine-particle filler that can be recycled to the paper production section. Assuming that the pilot-scale testing goes according to plan, Daio Paper intends to install a unit capable of producing 40,000 tonnes/y of recovered white pigment/filler in Summer 2007. Japan Chemical Week, 3 Nov 2005, 46 (2341), 2
India: KMML – TiO2
Jordan: JME – GCC
Mecon Ltd (a State-controlled project consultancy headquartered in Ranchi, India) has been appointed as engineering and design consultant for the Rup 7.6 bn project of Kerala Minerals & Metals Ltd. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Sep 2005, 5). The first stage of this project entails
In mid-November 2005, Jordan Minerals Est (JME) commissioned a new 45,000 tonnes/y coating-grade ground calcium carbonate (GCC) facility at its site, south of Amman. This raises the company’s total coating-grade GCC capacity here to 98,000 tonnes/y. Potential production
4
for all GCC grades is said to be over 200,000 tonnes/y. Industrial Minerals, Nov 2005, (458), 11
Korea, South: Clariant & Songwon – organic pigments Clariant is currently focusing its attention on the project with Hangzhou Baihe to build a new plant in Zhejiang province (China) for making high performance pigments. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Jul 2005, 4). Meanwhile, it continues to run its classical organic pigments plant at Ulsan (South Korea) at high operating rates, producing phthalo blue in response to ongoing high demand. The South Korean plant is owned by Clariant Songwon, in which Clariant acquired a 51% controlling interest in May 1999 Press Release from: Clariant GmbH, Pigments & Additives Division, Am Unisys-Park 1, D-65843 Sulzbach, Germany, Website: http://www.clariant.com (8 Nov 2005)
Russia: Empils – zinc oxide ZAO Empils is on target to produce 17,000 tonnes of zinc oxide in full-year 2005, representing an 18.1% increase on the 14,400 tonnes produced last year. During the first six months of this year, output was up 6.9% on 1H 2004, at 7872 tonnes. In response to customer requests from Poland and Germany, Empils began offering deliveries in “big bags” of 500 kilos and 1000 kilos earlier this year. This type of packaging now accounts for 7-10% of the company’s total zinc oxide supply. The company also markets a variety of enamels, lacquers, paints and dyes. Total output of all products from the main factory in Rostov-onDon and from the Odessa factory (operated by its subsidiary, OAO Elaks) was 47,391 tonnes in 1H 2005, up 14.3% on the 1H 2004 figure. Empils claims a market share of 21% in the Central Asian markets and a market share of 12% in the Ukrainian/ Moldovan market, but it is not clear what products are included in this assessment. Vestnik Khimicheskoi Promyshlennosty, 30 Sep 2005, 35 (3), 53-56 (in Russian)
UK: PolyOne – masterbatch PolyOne Corp has announced that it will close its colour masterbatch plant
DECEMBER 2005