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US: ADM & Igene — astaxanthin
F O C US to have a number of technically superior characteristics: its lamellar (flake) structure allows better coverage and higher gloss in paper coating blends. Also, calcined kaolin’s porous structure keeps the papercoating at a proper thickness, at the same time as facilitating good printability. China remains the world’s leading producing country for ceramics, spanning the spectrum from “dailyuse tableware” up to fine-quality porcelain. Relatively low grades of kaolin are used for ceramic bodies and relatively high-grade kaolin is used for ceramic glazes. In 2007, China produced 14 bn pieces of “daily-use ceramics”, with Guangdong province contributing 4.19 bn pieces and Guangxi province contributing 1.72 bn pieces. China Chemical Reporter, 26 Dec 2008, 19 (36), 14-15
World plastic additives market exceeds 12 M tonnes, worth $32 bn According to Townsend Polymer Services, the world consumed 12.2 M tonnes of plastic additives, worth $32 bn in full-year 2007 Of the total volume, chemical stabilisers, adhesion promoters and anti-blocking agents accounted for 54%. In the analysis by production source country, China was identified as by far the largest, accounting for 28% of total global volume. Plastics and Rubber Asia, Oct 2008, 23 (161), 34-39
PLANTS Germany: Dorfner – kaolin Gebrueder Dorfner GmbH recently trebled its capacity for Dorkafill functional fillers, suitable for use in the production of paints. Included in this range are: Dorkafill H for architectural paints, Dorkafill ProVoid and Dorkafill X-Pand. The company’s factory and head office are located at Hirschau in the Oberpfalz region of eastern Bavaria. The Dorkafill products are essentially high-brightness aluminosilicates, derived from kaolin. No details have been given as to the scale of production. Dorfner has been mining kaolin, feldspar and quartz in Germany for
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more than 100 years. It currently markets functional fillers to more than 300 customers, located in more than 40 different countries. Farbe und Lack, Mar 2009, 115 (3), 18 (in German)
Japan: Mitsui – aniline Mitsui Chemicals has decided to quit the merchant aniline business. Its 66,000 tonnes/y plant at Ichihara (Chiba prefecture) will be closed at the end of March 2009 and the company will then sell off its remaining product inventories over the next six months. Mitsui had been supplying aniline to third-party customers in the rubber chemicals and colorants sectors, but because of falling demand, the Ichihara plant had been running at only 20% capacity utilisation. In common with a number of polyurethane manufacturers, Mitsui’s subsidiary – Mitsui Chemicals Polyurethanes – operates a captive aniline plant, with a capacity of 45,000 tonnes/y at its Ohmuta complex. All of the aniline from this plant is used for making diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), which is in turn used to make polyurethanes. Japan Chemical Week, 12 Feb 2009, 50 (2502), 4
UK: Spectra – plastics masterbatch Spectra Ltd has received local planning permission for the construction of a new plant at a 2 hectare site at Holton, near Halesworth in northeastern Suffolk. Work will begin later this year. Spectra was founded in April 1997 by Mr Joe Maynard and Mr John Johnson. It now employs nearly 40 people and offers universal plastics masterbatches in 200 different stock colours, as well as custom-made and polymer-specific types. Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 20 Feb 2009, 7
US: ADM & Igene – astaxanthin Igene Biotechnology Inc and Archer Daniels Midland Co (ADM) have established a joint venture company, named Naturxan LLC, for the production of astaxanthin pigment at ADM’s Decatur complex in Illinois. The pigment will be sold under the
brandname AstaXin. No details have been released on the scale of investment or output associated with this project. Astaxanthin is widely used for improving the flesh colour of farmraised salmon, prawns, trout, lobsters and other fish and crustaceans. The flesh colour is improved to a healthylooking pink by virtue of being ingested by the animal, not by virtue of external topical application. Most commercial supplies of astaxanthin and related products are effectively synthetic chemicals, but Igene has devised a method for producing astaxanthin by fermentation, using Phaffia yeast. The astaxanthin pigment made in this way has been approved for use as an animal feeds additive in Canada, Chile, Japan, the EU and the US. However, a lawsuit filed by a consumer rights’ group and scheduled for a hearing before the US Supreme Court indicts the supermarket retailers – Supervalu, Safeway and Kroger – for failing to label fish and fish products as ‘artificially coloured’ in cases where the fish were fed astaxanthin. Mr Roman Blahoski (of ADM) commented: “A primary difference between natural-source astaxanthin and synthetic astaxanthin is the production process. Synthetic astaxanthin is derived from nonrenewable petrochemicals, whereas Naturxan’s natural source-astaxanthin will be produced via fermentation. No solvent-extraction processes are employed, so there are no chemical residues.” Mr Blahoski would not speculate as to whether the advent of natural astaxanthin in US markets will help retailers to thwart the widespread consumer misperception that farmed salmon and trout is artificially dyed or pigmented. Igene (with headquarters in Columbia, MD) is a small biotechnology company. ADM is one of the world’s largest “agribusiness conglomerates” (with headquarters in Decatur, IL). It employs about 27,500 people and reported sales revenues at just under $70 bn for the year to end-June 2008. Chemical and Engineering News, 19 Jan 2009, 87 (3), 31 (Website: http://www.cen-online.org) & Seafood Source, 9 Feb 2009 (Website: http://www.seafoodsource.com)
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World plastic additives market exceeds 12 M tonnes, worth $32 bn According to Townsend Polymer Services, the world consumed 12.2 M tonnes of plastic additives, worth $32 bn in full-year 2007 Of the total volume, chemical stabilisers, adhesion promoters and anti-blocking agents accounted for 54%. In the analysis by production source country, China was identified as by far the largest, accounting for 28% of total global volume. Plastics and Rubber Asia, Oct 2008, 23 (161), 34-39
PLANTS Germany: Dorfner – kaolin Gebrueder Dorfner GmbH recently trebled its capacity for Dorkafill functional fillers, suitable for use in the production of paints. Included in this range are: Dorkafill H for architectural paints, Dorkafill ProVoid and Dorkafill X-Pand. The company’s factory and head office are located at Hirschau in the Oberpfalz region of eastern Bavaria. The Dorkafill products are essentially high-brightness aluminosilicates, derived from kaolin. No details have been given as to the scale of production. Dorfner has been mining kaolin, feldspar and quartz in Germany for
APRIL 2009
O N
PIGMENTS
more than 100 years. It currently markets functional fillers to more than 300 customers, located in more than 40 different countries. Farbe und Lack, Mar 2009, 115 (3), 18 (in German)
Japan: Mitsui – aniline Mitsui Chemicals has decided to quit the merchant aniline business. Its 66,000 tonnes/y plant at Ichihara (Chiba prefecture) will be closed at the end of March 2009 and the company will then sell off its remaining product inventories over the next six months. Mitsui had been supplying aniline to third-party customers in the rubber chemicals and colorants sectors, but because of falling demand, the Ichihara plant had been running at only 20% capacity utilisation. In common with a number of polyurethane manufacturers, Mitsui’s subsidiary – Mitsui Chemicals Polyurethanes – operates a captive aniline plant, with a capacity of 45,000 tonnes/y at its Ohmuta complex. All of the aniline from this plant is used for making diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), which is in turn used to make polyurethanes. Japan Chemical Week, 12 Feb 2009, 50 (2502), 4
UK: Spectra – plastics masterbatch Spectra Ltd has received local planning permission for the construction of a new plant at a 2 hectare site at Holton, near Halesworth in northeastern Suffolk. Work will begin later this year. Spectra was founded in April 1997 by Mr Joe Maynard and Mr John Johnson. It now employs nearly 40 people and offers universal plastics masterbatches in 200 different stock colours, as well as custom-made and polymer-specific types. Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 20 Feb 2009, 7
US: ADM & Igene – astaxanthin Igene Biotechnology Inc and Archer Daniels Midland Co (ADM) have established a joint venture company, named Naturxan LLC, for the production of astaxanthin pigment at ADM’s Decatur complex in Illinois. The pigment will be sold under the
brandname AstaXin. No details have been released on the scale of investment or output associated with this project. Astaxanthin is widely used for improving the flesh colour of farmraised salmon, prawns, trout, lobsters and other fish and crustaceans. The flesh colour is improved to a healthylooking pink by virtue of being ingested by the animal, not by virtue of external topical application. Most commercial supplies of astaxanthin and related products are effectively synthetic chemicals, but Igene has devised a method for producing astaxanthin by fermentation, using Phaffia yeast. The astaxanthin pigment made in this way has been approved for use as an animal feeds additive in Canada, Chile, Japan, the EU and the US. However, a lawsuit filed by a consumer rights’ group and scheduled for a hearing before the US Supreme Court indicts the supermarket retailers – Supervalu, Safeway and Kroger – for failing to label fish and fish products as ‘artificially coloured’ in cases where the fish were fed astaxanthin. Mr Roman Blahoski (of ADM) commented: “A primary difference between natural-source astaxanthin and synthetic astaxanthin is the production process. Synthetic astaxanthin is derived from nonrenewable petrochemicals, whereas Naturxan’s natural source-astaxanthin will be produced via fermentation. No solvent-extraction processes are employed, so there are no chemical residues.” Mr Blahoski would not speculate as to whether the advent of natural astaxanthin in US markets will help retailers to thwart the widespread consumer misperception that farmed salmon and trout is artificially dyed or pigmented. Igene (with headquarters in Columbia, MD) is a small biotechnology company. ADM is one of the world’s largest “agribusiness conglomerates” (with headquarters in Decatur, IL). It employs about 27,500 people and reported sales revenues at just under $70 bn for the year to end-June 2008. Chemical and Engineering News, 19 Jan 2009, 87 (3), 31 (Website: http://www.cen-online.org) & Seafood Source, 9 Feb 2009 (Website: http://www.seafoodsource.com)
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