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US: Delta Energy – carbon black substitute from scrap tyres
FOCUS If this report were reliably accurate, it would mean Reliance immediately taking a market share of at least 15% of the global carbon black market! But, it is more likely that the reporter confused “lakh” with “million” and the project is really for 150,000 tonnes/y of carbon black. ICIS Chemical Business, 6 Oct 2008, (Website: http://icischemicalbusiness.com)
India: TTP – TiO2 Travancore Titanium Products (TTP) operates a 20,000 tonnes/y sulfateroute TiO2 pigment plant at Trivandrum (Kerala province) and it is planning to raise its capacity to 33,000 tonnes/y at a cost of $55 M. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Nov 2006, 5). Sulfuric acid requirements are met from a captive on-site brimstone-based sulfuric acid plant. Since late 2007, market prices for elemental sulfur (brimstone) have risen sharply in India and elsewhere. Because of the upsurge in costs of sulfur, energy and other raw materials, TTP is currently making a loss of around Rup 20,000 (or $460) on every tonne of TiO2 pigment it sells. The Kerala provincial government (which owns 100% of the shares in TTP) has agreed to hold discussions with Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC), with a view to securing a long-term low-cost source of sulfur. Sulphur, Sep/Oct 2008, (318), 12
India: Twenty Microns – kaolin, talc & ground calcium carbon Twenty Microns Ltd (of Vadodara, aka Baroda) has announced its intention to carry out an initial public offering (IPO) of its shares, with the aim of raising $5.5 M for expanding its capacity in several different white mineral pigments. It will raise its calcined kaolin capacity at Bhuj (Gujarat) from 26,000 tonnes/y to 42,000 tonnes/y. It will also establish a new 10,000 tonnes/y facility at Haldwani (Uttranchal) for dryprocessing kaolin. It will also expand its ground calcium carbonate (GCC) capacity at Vadodara, its calcined kaolin capacity at Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu) and its talc capacity in Udaipur (Rajasthan). Thus, the company will raise its overall white mineral pigment
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capacity from 180,000 tonnes/y to 270,000 tonnes/y. Mr Rajesh Parikh (Joint Managing Director) said: “We want to purchase more kaolin, talc and calcium carbonate mines in India and overseas. Our current capacity is unable to satisfy the tremendous domestic and global demand.” Twenty Microns currently operates four mines and eight processing facilities, handling not only the major white mineral pigments, but also barytes, mica, silica, natural iron oxides, bentonite, magnesium hydroxide and diatomite. Industrial Minerals, Sep 2008, (492), 15
Thailand: Tokai – carbon black Revised information on the timetabling of Tokai Carbon’s expansion programme has been published by ‘JCW’ (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Jul 2008, 7). Current capacity at the Sriracha carbon black plant is 110,000 tonnes/y. Debottlenecking will raise this to 130,000 tonnes/y during the first half of 2009. The seventh production line will be installed by Spring 2010, raising total capacity at Sriracha to 180,000 tonnes/y.
In tandem with the expansion, an additional 20 workers were recruited. Delta Energy uses a patented process to recover various basic materials from shredded vehicle tyres – Phoenix Black (a substitute for carbon black in rubber reinforcement); Zephyr Black (a black pigment for the paint and plastic sectors) and D-E Oil (an organic liquid, with a high calorific value). No details are available on the amount of “carbon black equivalent” produced at Berthold. Rubber and Plastics News, 25 Aug 2008, 38 (2), 10
US: Evonik – carbon black Evonik (formerly known as Degussa) has announced that it will close its carbon black at Aransas Pass in Texas at the end of 2008 because of “changed market conditions.” At least 30 of the 38 employees at Aransas Pass will lose their jobs. The plant at Aransas Pass currently produces up to 60,000 tonnes/y of carbon black and the shortfall will effectively be made up by increased production at the other four Evonik plants in the US – at Belpre, OH; Ivanhoe, LA; Orange, TX; and Borger, TX. Rubber and Plastics News, 8 Sep 2008, 38 (3), 5
Japan Chemical Week, 11 Sep 2008, 49 (2481), 4
US: Americhem – plastics masterbatch Americhem Inc (of Cuyahoga Falls, OH) has announced its intention to shut down its plastics masterbatch plant at Elgin, IL, in February 2009. The Elgin plant has 30 workers and produces masterbatches destined mainly for incorporation in film and sheet plastic for the construction industry. Production will be transferred to Americhem’s other four US plants – at Cuyahoga Falls, OH; Concord, NC; Mansfield, TX; and Dalton, GA. Americhem also produces plastics masterbatch at plants in Manchester (England) and Suzhou (China). Plastics News, 25 Sep 2008 (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
US: Delta Energy – carbon black substitute from scrap tyres Delta Energy LLC (of Monroeville, PA) has stepped up capacity at its Berthold plant in North Dakota, so that it can now handle 5200 tonnes/y of scrap tyres, versus 3500 tonnes/y previously.
Vietnam & Thailand: Toyo Ink – plastics masterbatch & compounds Toyo Ink (of Japan) is installing a 3000 tonnes/y twin-screw extruder at its plant near Hanoi, which will bring its total capacity for making plastic compounds and masterbatches here to 30,000 tonnes/y. The company now employs 180 people here. In order to satisfy continued growing demand, especially from the local subsidiaries of Japanese companies manufacturing office automation equipment, Toyo Ink is actively considering sites in Vietnam for a new plant. Earlier this year, Toyo Ink brought on-stream a new plant at the Wellgrow Industrial Estate (Bangkok) with capacity for producing 12,000 tonnes/y of plastic colorants, masterbatches and compounds. Also at the Wellgrow site, Sumika Polymer Compounds – a joint venture between Sumitomo and Toyo Ink – is planning to build a new plant to make 11,000 tonnes/y coloured polypropylene compounds for automotive applications. Japan Chemical Week, 4 Sep 2008, 49 (2480), 12
NOVEMBER 2008
India: TTP – TiO2 Travancore Titanium Products (TTP) operates a 20,000 tonnes/y sulfateroute TiO2 pigment plant at Trivandrum (Kerala province) and it is planning to raise its capacity to 33,000 tonnes/y at a cost of $55 M. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Nov 2006, 5). Sulfuric acid requirements are met from a captive on-site brimstone-based sulfuric acid plant. Since late 2007, market prices for elemental sulfur (brimstone) have risen sharply in India and elsewhere. Because of the upsurge in costs of sulfur, energy and other raw materials, TTP is currently making a loss of around Rup 20,000 (or $460) on every tonne of TiO2 pigment it sells. The Kerala provincial government (which owns 100% of the shares in TTP) has agreed to hold discussions with Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC), with a view to securing a long-term low-cost source of sulfur. Sulphur, Sep/Oct 2008, (318), 12
India: Twenty Microns – kaolin, talc & ground calcium carbon Twenty Microns Ltd (of Vadodara, aka Baroda) has announced its intention to carry out an initial public offering (IPO) of its shares, with the aim of raising $5.5 M for expanding its capacity in several different white mineral pigments. It will raise its calcined kaolin capacity at Bhuj (Gujarat) from 26,000 tonnes/y to 42,000 tonnes/y. It will also establish a new 10,000 tonnes/y facility at Haldwani (Uttranchal) for dryprocessing kaolin. It will also expand its ground calcium carbonate (GCC) capacity at Vadodara, its calcined kaolin capacity at Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu) and its talc capacity in Udaipur (Rajasthan). Thus, the company will raise its overall white mineral pigment
6
ON
PIGMENTS
capacity from 180,000 tonnes/y to 270,000 tonnes/y. Mr Rajesh Parikh (Joint Managing Director) said: “We want to purchase more kaolin, talc and calcium carbonate mines in India and overseas. Our current capacity is unable to satisfy the tremendous domestic and global demand.” Twenty Microns currently operates four mines and eight processing facilities, handling not only the major white mineral pigments, but also barytes, mica, silica, natural iron oxides, bentonite, magnesium hydroxide and diatomite. Industrial Minerals, Sep 2008, (492), 15
Thailand: Tokai – carbon black Revised information on the timetabling of Tokai Carbon’s expansion programme has been published by ‘JCW’ (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Jul 2008, 7). Current capacity at the Sriracha carbon black plant is 110,000 tonnes/y. Debottlenecking will raise this to 130,000 tonnes/y during the first half of 2009. The seventh production line will be installed by Spring 2010, raising total capacity at Sriracha to 180,000 tonnes/y.
In tandem with the expansion, an additional 20 workers were recruited. Delta Energy uses a patented process to recover various basic materials from shredded vehicle tyres – Phoenix Black (a substitute for carbon black in rubber reinforcement); Zephyr Black (a black pigment for the paint and plastic sectors) and D-E Oil (an organic liquid, with a high calorific value). No details are available on the amount of “carbon black equivalent” produced at Berthold. Rubber and Plastics News, 25 Aug 2008, 38 (2), 10
US: Evonik – carbon black Evonik (formerly known as Degussa) has announced that it will close its carbon black at Aransas Pass in Texas at the end of 2008 because of “changed market conditions.” At least 30 of the 38 employees at Aransas Pass will lose their jobs. The plant at Aransas Pass currently produces up to 60,000 tonnes/y of carbon black and the shortfall will effectively be made up by increased production at the other four Evonik plants in the US – at Belpre, OH; Ivanhoe, LA; Orange, TX; and Borger, TX. Rubber and Plastics News, 8 Sep 2008, 38 (3), 5
Japan Chemical Week, 11 Sep 2008, 49 (2481), 4
US: Americhem – plastics masterbatch Americhem Inc (of Cuyahoga Falls, OH) has announced its intention to shut down its plastics masterbatch plant at Elgin, IL, in February 2009. The Elgin plant has 30 workers and produces masterbatches destined mainly for incorporation in film and sheet plastic for the construction industry. Production will be transferred to Americhem’s other four US plants – at Cuyahoga Falls, OH; Concord, NC; Mansfield, TX; and Dalton, GA. Americhem also produces plastics masterbatch at plants in Manchester (England) and Suzhou (China). Plastics News, 25 Sep 2008 (Website: http://www.plasticsnews.com)
US: Delta Energy – carbon black substitute from scrap tyres Delta Energy LLC (of Monroeville, PA) has stepped up capacity at its Berthold plant in North Dakota, so that it can now handle 5200 tonnes/y of scrap tyres, versus 3500 tonnes/y previously.
Vietnam & Thailand: Toyo Ink – plastics masterbatch & compounds Toyo Ink (of Japan) is installing a 3000 tonnes/y twin-screw extruder at its plant near Hanoi, which will bring its total capacity for making plastic compounds and masterbatches here to 30,000 tonnes/y. The company now employs 180 people here. In order to satisfy continued growing demand, especially from the local subsidiaries of Japanese companies manufacturing office automation equipment, Toyo Ink is actively considering sites in Vietnam for a new plant. Earlier this year, Toyo Ink brought on-stream a new plant at the Wellgrow Industrial Estate (Bangkok) with capacity for producing 12,000 tonnes/y of plastic colorants, masterbatches and compounds. Also at the Wellgrow site, Sumika Polymer Compounds – a joint venture between Sumitomo and Toyo Ink – is planning to build a new plant to make 11,000 tonnes/y coloured polypropylene compounds for automotive applications. Japan Chemical Week, 4 Sep 2008, 49 (2480), 12
NOVEMBER 2008