New antimicrobial targets PVCand polyurethaneAntimicrobial specialist Sanitized AG hasunveiled a new additive, Sanitized® PL 21-60, aspart of its development of user applications forPVC and polyurethane. The company says theactive agent is effective against an especiallybroad range of organisms, including mould,fungi, yeast, algae and bacteria.

The undisclosed active ingredient is said to produce a long-lasting effect at low levels,which is important for exterior applications andabsolutely necessary for washable plastic-coat-ed textiles. According to Sanitized, demandingdermatological tests have proved that PL 21-60is kind to the skin, while demonstrating excel-lent effectiveness against mould, bacteria andalgae. The additive not only inhibits odours andstains caused by microbial activity but also pre-vents damage to plastics and safeguards func-tional characteristics. PL 21-60’s compositionallows it to be easily incorporated into PVC andpolyurethane, the company says. It is intendedfor use in floor coverings, tarpaulins and tents,conveyor belts, artificial leathers for clothing,shoes, furniture, mattress covers, shower cur-tains, gym mats, household sponges and thelike, where hygiene and efficient use of materi-al are indispensable.

Contact: Sanitized AG, Lyssachstrasse 95, CH-3400 Burgdorf, Switzerland; tel: +41-34-427-1624; fax: +41-34-427-1610; e-mail:nabila.abu-omar@sanitized.com

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COMPANY STRATEGIES

Ciba to expand capacity forhigh-performance pigmentsCiba Specialty Chemicals has announced amajor expansion of its state-of-the-art pigmentmanufacturing facility in Monthey, Switzerland.A new production line is to be added to increasecapacity for Ciba’s high-performance diketo-pyrrolo-pyrrole (DPP) pigments.

“This expansion will allow us to keep up withthe demand for high-performance pigmentsbased on DPP chemistry”, explains Hermann

Angerer, global head of Ciba SpecialtyChemicals’ Coating Effects Segment. Cibainvented DPP chemistry more than 20 years agoand demand has been growing ever since, he adds.The DPP pigments are used for automotive andindustrial coatings, inks, plastics and sophisticatedelectronic applications such as colour filters forliquid crystal displays. According to Angerer, theadditional capacity will allow Ciba to produce pig-ments for new applications in all these sectors.

The new line will take advantage of the existinginfrastructure and exploit production synergies at the Monthey site. Ciba says it will become operational in 2004.

Contact: Ciba Specialty Chemicals, Klybeck-strasse 141, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland; tel: +41-61-636-4444; fax: +41-61-636-3019;URL: www.cibasc.com

Prices continue to rise formany polymer additivesThe past few weeks have seen another spate ofpricing announcements from manufacturers ofadditives and fillers for polymers. Most recent-ly comes the news that Rohm and Haas’ PlasticsAdditives business is to raise prices by a further10% in Europe for its range of PARALOID™MBS impact modifiers, effective 1 May 2003.According to Rod Shorey, European sales man-ager, costs of energy and of key feedstocks forthe MBS impact modifiers are still increasing,and have risen at such high rates that the com-pany has no choice but to increase prices again(see Additives for Polymers, April 2003, p. 6).

Elsewhere, Croda has announced a US$0.50/kgprice increase for its erucamide slip agents, and a10% increase for its oleamide and ethylene-bis-stearamide additives marketed under theCrodamide tradename. The increases will also beapplied from 1 May 2003, where contracts allow,and are the result of higher prices for high erucicrape oil (HERO) and fatty acids, the companysays. The increase for erucamide follows a previ-ous 7% hike announced last November. Yieldsfrom HERO harvests worldwide in 2002 were sig-nificantly lower than expected, and the consequentscarcity of supply has caused prices to soar.Contracted HERO prices for 2003 harvests will be

at significantly higher levels than previous years,Croda says.

At Great Lakes Chemical Corp, price riseshave been introduced for both brominatedflame retardants and speciality antioxidants.Effective for shipments after 7 April 2003, orwhere contracts allow, worldwide prices for allthe company’s brominated flame retardantsand derivatives have been increased by 10%.Products affected include dibromostyrene(Great Lakes PBS and PDBS), tetrabromoph-thalic anhydride (PHT-4 and PHT4-DIOL),hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD; Great LakesCD-75 series), tetrabromobisphenol A (BA-59P), octabromodiphenyl oxide (DE-79), andtribromophenol (PH-73) additives. The compa-ny says that the new pricing is a result of recent,sharp increases in key raw materials and energycosts. The price for HBCD saw an earlier 10%increase in January. However, Great Lakes saysthat the current price increase does not includepentabromodiphenyl oxide (DE-60F) ordecabromodiphenyl oxide (DE-83R), as pricesfor these products were increased in October2002 and January 2003, respectively.

In addition to flame retardants, Great Lakes hasincreased worldwide prices for a selected rangeof speciality antioxidants, also effective for ship-ments after 7 April 2003, or where contractsallow. Prices have been increased by 4% forANOX™ 330, by 5% for LOWINOX® 44B25,AH25, CPL and 22M46, and by 12% for ANOXHPG and Meramid FC. The company says thatpricing for these antioxidants has declined to alevel that is no longer sustainable, and that theprice increases are therefore necessary if thecompany is to meet increasing demand.

Bayer Chemicals has also brought in a worldwideprice increase for one of its antioxidants – thesterically hindered phenolic antioxidantVulkanox® BKF 2246. Wherever contractsallow, Bayer is raising its Vulkanox BKF price bya minimum of 10% to offset the increasing costof raw materials, especially toluene. VulkanoxBKF is a non-staining antioxidant of the bisphe-nol type and is primarily used in rubber, latex,paints, ABS, PVC and POM.

At Noveon Kalama, the price of its K-Flex®

plasticizers has been increased by $0.06/lb,

effective from the date of the announcement inmid March or as contracts allow.

A range of mineral-based products, includingkaolin, titanium dioxide and calcium carbonate,are also attracting price hikes because ofincreasing energy and other costs. EngelhardCorp says it is enacting an energy surcharge onspeciality kaolin-based pigments for industrialmarkets, including plastics and rubber. The sur-charge will be US$3 per short ton for hydrousslurry products, $6 for hydrous dry products and$18 for calcined and calcined, silane-treatedgrades, for orders confirmed and shipped on orafter 7 April 2003. “This action was necessitat-ed by the dramatic and unexpected surge in nat-ural gas prices which has impacted our manu-facturing costs”, says Stephen D. Lux, groupvice president and general manager ofEngelhard’s Appearance and PerformanceTechnologies. Imerys is also increasing priceson its North American Performance Mineralkaolin grades from 15 April 2003.

Millennium Chemicals has raised the price forits Tiona titanium dioxide (TiO2) products forthe paper, elastomer and rubber industries by$0.04/lb in the USA, and CAN$0.06 in Canada.In the Asia Pacific region the price of all TiO2products has gone up by US$100/tonne. Bothincreases are effective from 1 April 2003. Kerr-McGee Pigments Ltd has also brought in amatching US$100/tonne price increase for itsTRONOX® TiO2 pigments in the Asia-Pacific,from 1 April 2003, or as contracts allow.

Finally, Minerals Technologies’ subsidiarySpecialty Minerals Inc is implementing sur-charges for its calcium carbonates, talc andlime. The company says this is due to energycost hikes, which have a direct impact on minerals processing operations.

Contact: Bayer AG, Werk Leverkusen, D-51368Leverkusen, Germany; tel: +49-21-3351-23788; fax: +49-21-3351-23323Croda Chemicals, Cowlick Hall, Snaith, Goole,DN14 9AA, UK; tel: +44-1405-860551; fax: +44-1405-861767; e-mail: pa-europe@croda.com; URL: www.croda.com /europe/paEngelhard Corp, 101 Wood Avenue, Iselin,NJ 08830, USA; tel: +1-732-205-5000; e-mail:

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May 2003 Additives for Polymers

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info@engelhard.com; URL: www.engelhard.comGreat Lakes Chemical Corp, PO Box 2200, 1Great Lakes Boulevard, West Lafayette,Indianapolis, IN 47906-5394, USA; tel: +1-765-497-6100; fax: +1-765-497-6316; URL:www.pa.greatlakes.comImerys, Atlanta, USA; tel: +1-770-645-3493; e-mail: sboss@imerys.comKerr-McGee Corp, PO Box 25861, OklahomaCity, OK 73125, USA; tel: +1-405-775-5012;fax: +1-405-775-5027; URL: www.kerr-mcgee.comMinerals Technologies Inc, The ChryslerBuilding, 405 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY10174-1901, USA; tel: +1-610-997-8306; e-mail: SMI.ProductInfo@mineralstech.com;URL: www.mineralstech.com Noveon Inc, 9911 Brecksville Road, Cleveland,OH 44141, USA; tel: +1-216-447-5000; URL:www.noveoninc.comRohm and Haas Plastics Additives, LennigHouse, 2 Mason’s Avenue, Croydon CR9 3NB,UK; tel: +44-20-8774-5367; fax: +44-20-8774-5369; e-mail: RShorey@rohmhaas.com

Robinson Brothers appointsdistributorsRobinson Brothers Ltd (RBL) has appointedseveral new distributors to handle the sales anddistribution of its Robac range of specialitychemicals for the polymer industry. RamkemSA will cover Sweden, Norway and Finland,while CMS Chemicals will expand its territoryto include Poland, as well as managing Robacsales in its existing area, which encompasses the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.RBL says that the primary sales focus in theseregions will be its range of additives for challenging polymer applications and the technically demanding rubber goods market.

Peter Ramsgard of Ramkem is confident ofincreasing Robac’s market share in Scandinavia,while the sales manager of CMC Chemicals,Darina Jevosova, says that there is massive poten-tial for the Robac range in Poland. “We look for-ward to capitalizing on these opportunities as the country moves towards full membership ofthe EU”, Jevosova adds. Within Europe, Robac’sdistributor network already comprises agents in

France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, the UK,Portugal and Denmark.

RBL is also aiming to increase its activities inSouth East Asia, and has appointed DiethelmKeller Vietnam to carry out a market review forthe introduction of its Robac range in Vietnam.On conclusion of the review, Diethelm Kellerwill act as a distributor for the Robac range ofchemicals and additives for the rubber industry.Commenting, Robac business manager TrevorStephens says that RBL views Vietnam as anexciting market within SE Asia. The companycurrently has distributors in Indonesia,Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan and India.

Contact: Robinson Brothers Ltd, Phoenix St,West Bromwich B70 0AH, UK; tel: +44-121-553-2451; fax: +44-121-500-5183; URL:www.robinsonbrothers.ltd.uk

Clariant lays foundation fornew flame retardants plantClariant has started construction of a plant at itsKnapsack facility in Germany to manufacture itsnew Exolit® OP range of non-halogenated flameretardants on a commercial scale. The foundationstone was laid on 31 March.

The plant is scheduled to start operation at the endof 2004 and will have an annual capacity of sever-al thousand tonnes. It will include a reactor unit aswell as packaging and storage facilities. Clariantsays it is investing some tens of millions of Eurosin this expansion.

Exolit OP is based on a metal phosphinate and is claimed to combine the advantages oforganophosphorus compounds and mineral flameretardants. It was developed for use with glassreinforced thermoplastics and is especially rec-ommended for applications in the electrical andelectronics sectors where fire regulations are par-ticularly demanding, Clariant says. The newadditive meets fire classifications such as UL94V-0 and 960°C glow wire flammability index(GWFI) criteria and important electrical stan-dards. It is also compliant with the recently pub-lished EU Waste Electrical and ElectronicEquipment Directive, the company says. Clariantclaims that colour formulations are unaffected by