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Teknor to eliminate lead-based stabilizers from wire & cable compounds
HEALTH & SAFETY
Among flame-retardant markets, construction applications will remain the leading outlet until 2011, comprising about a quarter of total demand. Advances will be fuelled by the establishment of stricter fire codes throughout the world, especially in non-residential construction. However, flame retardants in electrical and electronics markets, which accounted for 21% of consumption in 2006, are expected to experience the most rapid gains in demand, due in part to a shift in the product mix towards chemicals that require higher loadings to be effective. In 2006, wire & cable applications accounted for 19% of demand, motor vehicle applications 16% and other markets the remaining 19%. Priced at $5400, the 285-page study presents historical demand data for the years 1996, 2001 and 2006, and forecasts for 2011 and 2016 by flame retardant type and market, and by six world regions and 17 countries. The study also considers market environment factors, evaluates company market share and profiles 39 major players including Albemarle, Chemtura, Israel Chemical, JM Huber, Daihachi Chemical and OxyChem. Contact: The Freedonia Group, Inc, Cleveland, OH, USA. Tel: +1 440 684 9600, Web: www.freedoniagroup.com
ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES Teknor to eliminate lead-based stabilizers from wire & cable compounds
T
he Vinyl Division of Rhode Island-based Teknor Apex has advised customers that it will supply only non-lead-stabilized (NLS) PVC wire and cable compounds after 31 July this year. The initiative is
March 2008
said to be a first for the wire and cable industry. In addition, where NLS compounds have already been fully developed and established as compliant with requisite codes and standards, the company will cease producing lead-stabilized versions with immediate effect.
Until recently, tribasic lead sulphate and other lead-based stabilizers were the most efficient and cost-effective additives available for rendering PVC resistant to thermal degradation. However, the combination of new non-lead stabilizers with advanced compounding technology has now enabled Teknor to manufacture NLS compounds whose performance and cost are comparable to lead-stabilized materials, according to industry manager Mike Patel. Customers that have not already initiated a changeover to NLS compounds are urged to do so as soon as possible, notes Patel. Also included in the changeover are pre-coloured compounds, for which the Vinyl Division’s sister business Teknor Color has developed colour concentrates that comply with the European Union’s Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulations, including restrictions against the use of lead. Teknor Color recently introduced 12 new RoHS-compliant colour concentrates for low-smoke PVC plenum compounds, such as the company’s FireGuard® range. The new range includes ten counterparts to non-RoHS-compliant colours offered for FireGuard compounds, plus rose and aqua that were not previously available. Both old and new concentrates have the same low-smoke PVC carrier resins, and there are no appreciable differences between the new concentrates and the earlier formulations in terms of use levels and performance, the company says. Teknor Color already offers RoHS-compliant colour concentrates for use with all non-plenum PVC compounds and with polyethylene. Contact: Teknor Apex, Pawtucket, RI, USA. Tel: +1 401 725 8000, Web: www.teknorapex.com or www.teknorcolor.com
Additives for Polymers
11
Among flame-retardant markets, construction applications will remain the leading outlet until 2011, comprising about a quarter of total demand. Advances will be fuelled by the establishment of stricter fire codes throughout the world, especially in non-residential construction. However, flame retardants in electrical and electronics markets, which accounted for 21% of consumption in 2006, are expected to experience the most rapid gains in demand, due in part to a shift in the product mix towards chemicals that require higher loadings to be effective. In 2006, wire & cable applications accounted for 19% of demand, motor vehicle applications 16% and other markets the remaining 19%. Priced at $5400, the 285-page study presents historical demand data for the years 1996, 2001 and 2006, and forecasts for 2011 and 2016 by flame retardant type and market, and by six world regions and 17 countries. The study also considers market environment factors, evaluates company market share and profiles 39 major players including Albemarle, Chemtura, Israel Chemical, JM Huber, Daihachi Chemical and OxyChem. Contact: The Freedonia Group, Inc, Cleveland, OH, USA. Tel: +1 440 684 9600, Web: www.freedoniagroup.com
ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES Teknor to eliminate lead-based stabilizers from wire & cable compounds
T
he Vinyl Division of Rhode Island-based Teknor Apex has advised customers that it will supply only non-lead-stabilized (NLS) PVC wire and cable compounds after 31 July this year. The initiative is
March 2008
said to be a first for the wire and cable industry. In addition, where NLS compounds have already been fully developed and established as compliant with requisite codes and standards, the company will cease producing lead-stabilized versions with immediate effect.
Until recently, tribasic lead sulphate and other lead-based stabilizers were the most efficient and cost-effective additives available for rendering PVC resistant to thermal degradation. However, the combination of new non-lead stabilizers with advanced compounding technology has now enabled Teknor to manufacture NLS compounds whose performance and cost are comparable to lead-stabilized materials, according to industry manager Mike Patel. Customers that have not already initiated a changeover to NLS compounds are urged to do so as soon as possible, notes Patel. Also included in the changeover are pre-coloured compounds, for which the Vinyl Division’s sister business Teknor Color has developed colour concentrates that comply with the European Union’s Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulations, including restrictions against the use of lead. Teknor Color recently introduced 12 new RoHS-compliant colour concentrates for low-smoke PVC plenum compounds, such as the company’s FireGuard® range. The new range includes ten counterparts to non-RoHS-compliant colours offered for FireGuard compounds, plus rose and aqua that were not previously available. Both old and new concentrates have the same low-smoke PVC carrier resins, and there are no appreciable differences between the new concentrates and the earlier formulations in terms of use levels and performance, the company says. Teknor Color already offers RoHS-compliant colour concentrates for use with all non-plenum PVC compounds and with polyethylene. Contact: Teknor Apex, Pawtucket, RI, USA. Tel: +1 401 725 8000, Web: www.teknorapex.com or www.teknorcolor.com
Additives for Polymers
11