Brazil: BASF – chrome pigments

Amplifying on the news item in ‘Focuson Pigments’, Feb 2002, 4, ‘QL’reports that the closure of BASF’slead chromate pigments plant at SaoCaetano do Sul (in Sao Pauloprovince) will result in the loss of 94jobs. In future, Latin Americancustomers’ requirements for leadchromate pigments will be met fromBASF’s German facilities.

Quimica Latinoamericana, Mar 2002, 4 (1), 8 (inSpanish)

China: CSRC – carbon black

China Synthetic Rubber Corp (CSRC)has completed arrangements forfunding the expansion of its carbonblack plant at Maanshan (Anhuiprovince). The International FinanceCorp (IFC) is to provide CSRC with an$11 M loan. A further $5 M will bemade available by the Industrial &Commercial Bank of China. CSRC willnow go ahead with its project toincrease carbon black capacity from35,000 tonnes/y to 60,000 tonnes/y.

European Chemical News, 11 Feb 2002, 76 (1992), 30

China: Inabata – plastics colorants

Inabata (of Japan) has formed a jointventure company with local Chinesepartners, with the aim of establishinga 3600 tonnes/y plant at Dalian formaking coloured plastic compounds.The plant should be ready forcommissioning in the autumn of 2002.The operating company will beInabata Industry & Trade (Dalian FTZ)Co. The addition of this plant toexisting facilities in Hong Kong,Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, thePhilippines, Singapore and Thailandwill bring to 124,800 tonnes/y the totalAsian coloured plastic compoundscapacity under Inabata’s control.

Japan Chemical Week, 7 Feb 2002, 43 (2158), 5

China: Taiyuan Chemical – CaCO3

Taiyuan Chemical Industrial Co Ltd isto build a 20,000 tonnes/ynanoparticulate calcium carbonateplant at Taiyuan (in the northernprovince of Shanxi) employingtechnology supplied by Cimprogetti ofItaly. The new plant will be sited withinthe major complex at Taiyuan where

Taiyuan Chemical already producesup to 310,000 tonnes/y of ammoniumnitrate; 20,000 tonnes/y ofchlorobenzene; 60,000 tonnes/y ofrefined methanol; 70,000 tonnes/y ofcaustic soda; 5000 tonnes/y ofmethylamine; and 25,000 tonnes/y ofpolyvinyl chloride (PVC). Togetherwith other new plants, the Taiyuanfacility should help to alleviate therising tide of imports. Last year, Chinaimported about 100,000 tonnes/y ofnanoparticulate calcium carbonate.

China Chemical Reporter, 26 Mar 2002, 13 (9), 9

China: Tomoe – plastics colorants

Tomoe Engineering has installed anew 2000 tonnes/y plastic colouringand compounding facility at Shenzhen,which it intends to have running atfull-scale capacity by Apr 2002.

Japan Chemical Week, 14 Feb 2002, 43 (2159), 4

India: Saraf, Idcol, Technokhim & NPFPigment – TiO2 feedstock & pigment

Two Russian firms – TechnokhimHoldings and NPF Pigment – havesigned an agreement with SarafAgencies (of Kolkata, India) for amajor pigments venture in theprovince of Orissa. Total investment inthe venture will be around Rup 10 bn(equivalent to $205 M). Plans havebeen drawn up to establish a 50,000tonnes/y TiO2 pigment plant, a 5000tonnes/y iron oxide pigment plant anda 130,000 tonnes/y triplesuperphosphate plant. Presumablythe TiO2 plant will employ sulfate-route technology and presumably asulfuric acid unit will be incorporatedinto the project, serving therequirements of both the TiO2 plantand the phosphate fertiliser plant. TheIndustrial Development Corp of Orissa(Idcol) is likely to seek a 26%shareholding in the chemical complex.

Earlier, Idcol had approved amemorandum of understanding withSaraf on its mineral sands project.This project envisages investing Rup2 bn (equivalent to just over $40 M) indeveloping a mining operation on thecoast near Gopalpur in the Ganjamdistrict bordering the Bay of Bengal.The deposit under scrutiny liesbetween Rushikulya Mouth in thesouth and Chilika Mouth in the north.It is said to contain 19 M tonnes of

heavy minerals, including 6 M tonnesof ilmenite. Saraf plans to produce250,000 tonnes/y of ilmenite, of whichabout one-half would be used captivelyfor TiO2 pigment manufacture, while theother 125,000 tonnes/y would beavailable for export to the Ukraine,South Korea and other markets.

Chemical Weekly, 19 Mar 2002, 47 (30), 104

Japan & Thailand: Tokai – carbonblack

Tokai Carbon had announced towardsthe end of last year that it would bescaling back capacity at itsWakamatsu carbon black plant from54,000 tonnes/y to 36,000 tonnes/y.(See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Dec 2001,5). Following a reassessment of themarket outlook, the company has nowdecided to close its Wakamatsu plantaltogether. Meanwhile, the project fora 10% expansion at Tokai’s Srirachaplant in Thailand is nearingcompletion, bringing capacity there to66,000 tonnes/y.

Japan Chemical Week, 7 Feb 2002, 43 (2158), 3

Japan: Daishowa Paper, OkutamaKogyo & Imerys – PCC

Hitherto, most precipitated calciumcarbonate (PCC) plants in Japan haveoperated on a merchant basis. UnlikeNorth America, there are very few‘satellite’ PCC plants located on thesame site as a paper mill.

This makes Daishowa Paper’slatest strategy all the more striking.The company has requested two of itsmajor carbonate suppliers to quote forbuilding and operating a PCC plant onthe site of its paper mill in ShizuokaPrefecture. Okutama Kogyo will beinvited to quote for installing facilitiesto produce 60,000 tonnes/y of lightcalcium carbonate. The Japanesesubsidiary of Imerys will be invited toquote for a plant of 52,000 tonnes/y ofheavy calcium carbonate.

Nikkei Net, 1 Mar 2002, (Website:http://www.nni.nikkei.co.jp/)

Norway: Odda Smelteverk – PCC

Odda Smelteverk, best known as anon-ferrous metal producer, isplanning to establish a unit for makingprecipitated calcium carbonate (PCC)at the Odda smelter site on the west

4 APRIL 2002

F O C U S O N P I G M E N T S

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