INTE RNATIONAL

Reinforced Plastics Gain Ground in Europe Consumption lags that of U.S. but gap is closing; per capita use in West Germany may match U.S. in three or four years Reinforced plastics are fast coming into their own in western Europe, especially in West Germany. This became clear at a recent meeting in Freudenstadt, West Germany, of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Verstarkte Kimst-stoffe (AVK)—the West German rein­forced plastics producers' association.

"We are about five years behind the U.S. in the use of reinforced plas­tics. But we are gaining fast and our per capita consumption could match that of the U.S. in three or four years," Wolfgang Mellert, board chairman of Fibron Wolfgang Mellert, K. G., told C&EN. Fibron is West Germany's largest producer of glass-filament-rein­forced polyester products. Mr. Mel­lert is also on the board of AVK.

Some industry estimates peg 1963 production of reinforced plastics in West Germany at about 16,500 metric tons. Mr. Mellert believes production was closer to 20,000 metric tons, or 1.4% of West Germany's total plastics production of 1.43 million metric tons last year. He predicts that output will reach 24,000 to 25,000 metric tons this year, an increase of about 257c, over 1963's production of 20,000 metric tons. West German production is about V 1 0 or V n that of the U.S., Mr. Mellert estimates.

The market for reinforced plastics is changing so fast, it's hard to fore­cast the future, Mr. Mellert says. "But annual growth in the next few years could be about 157," he says. Such

SUB. A developmental model of a glass-fiber-reinforced polyester submarine is checked by diver for underwater properties. West Germany is probably the largest producer of reinforced plastics in Europe

growth would put West German pro­duction of reinforced plastics at about 60,000 metric tons a year in 1970.

Though statistics are hard to come by, Mr. Mellert believes that West Germany is western Europe's largest producer of reinforced plastics. Eu­rope's next largest producer is the United Kingdom. France is probably somewhat further behind, and Italy lags fairly far behind France in produc­tion of the plastics, Mr. Mellert feels.

As in the U.S., most of the rein­forced plastics produced in West Ger­many are unsaturated polyesters rein­forced with glass filament. Mr. Mel­lert estimates that this material ac­counts for about 907- of the country's total production of reinforced plastics. Reinforced epoxies and phenolics make up almost all of the remaining 107 . Production of reinforced polystyrene for small parts that require high mechanical strength is just beginning. This pattern will probably stay about the same for the next few years.

The price of general-purpose poly­ester made from maleic anhydride, phthalic acid, and propylene glycol is about 19.3 cents per pound in West Germany. Glass filament in the form of rovings sells for about 36.3 cents.

Outlets. A number of uses should help spur consumption of reinforced plastics in western Europe. One big outlet in West Germany, for example, is industrial lighting shades and fix­tures. West German producers, in­cidentally, pioneered this use some 10 years ago (ahead of U.S. firms). Military and civilian protection de­vices, such as watertight containers for medical goods and air raid siren housings, consume a good portion of reinforced plastics production, too. Such applications should provide much of the material's future growth, Mr. Mellert believes. About 357c of Fibron's total production of reinforced plastics goes into industrial lighting fixtures. About 507? of the firm's out­put goes into military and civilian de­fense uses.

94 C&EN OCT. 2 6, 1964

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Epoxide No. 44 reduces plastisol viscosity by as much as 50%. Contributes to easier molding of intricate shapes . . . to products that resist yellowing with heat . . . to products that resist brittleness at low temperatures.

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Another big potential outlet for rein­forced plastics is in construction. An amendment last year to West Ger­many's DIN 4102 code that deals with fiammability of plastics officially opened the door to use of reinforeed-plastic corrugated sheet for roofing in buildings. Among other things, the amendment spells out how the sheet must be made flammable, to what de­gree, and how it must be tested. How­ever, it's still not clear sailing for pro­ducers of reinforced plastics. Further amendments and new regulations are still needed.

Automobile bodies are still a fairly small outlet for reinforced plastics in West Germany. Mr. Mellert estimates that automobiles probably take only 5% of total reinforced plastics pro­duction now. One stumbling block is that car makers in West Germany are very conservative. Much more testing and development work is needed to convince them of the value of the plastics. Still, interest is grow­ing, and several custom-made sports cars are available with hand-made, reinforced-plastic bodies.

Pleasure boats are an enticing future market for the plastics, too. Even now, possibly 10% of total West German production goes into pleasure boats. But several factors may hold down growth of this market for some time. For one thing. West Germany has few recreational waterways. For another, many West Germans haven't purchased their first car yet, or, if they have, are now mulling over purchase of a second car. Boats are pretty far down on their shopping list. France and Italy, with more coastline, may offer more immediate interest.

Marine applications other than pleasure boats are arousing interest, too. Lifeboats, for example, made of glass-filament-reinforced polyester are being developed. Production of the lifeboats, however, would require an amendment to present government regulations, which only apply to metal and wood, according to an AVK spokesman. Fishing trawlers made of reinforced plastics, two of which have been built in West Germany, may also represent a potential market.

Another use of reinforced plastics in West Germany is in mining, where conveyor belts formerly made of rub­ber-coated steel plates, have, in some cases, been replaced by plates made of reinforced plastics. Useful life of the plastic plates is expected to be seven or eight times that of rubber-

96 C & E N OCT. 2 6, 1964

All that FluoSolids® treatment leaves of

10,000 lbs. of coffee waste!

Compact FluoSolids reactor at the Nestle" plant. Bed areas: 10 ft. Total height only 24'8". Approximate floor area: 600 sq. ft.

Just 3y3 lbs. of harmless, inert ash — that's all that's left of a 10,000 lb. waste disposal problem at Nestle's Granite City, 111., plant.

Tons of spent coffee grounds burn themselves up — continuously and automatically, even though they con­tain 65% free water. And Nestle gains an added bonus in recoverable heat, suitable for raising or superheating steam.

The Nestle waste disposal plant is the first commercial application of the Dorr-Oliver FluoSolids® system for organic waste incineration. Wet coffee grounds are introduced directly into a single, compact reactor. Drying and complete oxidation are almost instan­taneous. Usable heat is produced by the combustion gases.

The secret of efficient operation is the modern fluidized bed principle, widely used throughout industry for drying, roasting and calcination. Once started, combustion is self-sustaining for wastes with up to 65% moisture, as in the Nestle operation. Even higher moisture content can be handled with a small addition of fuel.

If organic food wastes — coffee grounds, grain, grape pulp, or similar materials — are a disposal problem in your plant, investigation of the FluoSolids system will pay off. For full information, contact Dorr-Oliver, Incorporated, 77 Havemeyer Lane, Stamford, Connecticut. FluoSolids is a trademark of Dorr-Oliver Inc.

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C & E N 97

Don't limit your consideration of sodium and potassium silicates to liquids only. The powder and lump forms as described in the PQ catalog are important to processes requiring dry materials.

The average compositions of some of the PQ powdered silicates are shown below.

TRADEMARK

6 SS 20 Pwd. SS 65 Pwd.

GD SS-C Pwd.

SS-C 200 Pwd.

Kasil SS Pwd.

WT. RATIO

(Si0,/Na,0) 3.22 3.22 3.22 2.00 2.00 2.00

(Si02/Ka0) 2.50

%Na20

19.2 23.3 23.1 27.0 32.7 32.4

%K20 28.3

%Si02

61.8 75.0 74.4 54.0 65.4 64.8

70.7

APPROXIMATE SIZING

80% thru 100 mesh thru 20 mesh thru 65 mesh 80% thru 100 mesh thru 65 mesh thru 200 mesh

thru 65 mesh

Detail your specific question or request for samples. The PQ research staff is pleased to contribute from our experiences. Confidences honored.

For the catalog on powder forms of PQ soluble silicates, please use the coupon attached to your letterhead.

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coated steel, according to an AVK spokesman.

Still another potential outlet for rein­forced plastics in West Germany is pipe, especially for large sizes in the 3-foot-diameter range. Little rein­forced plastic pipe has been made so far, but it could find extensive use for carrying waste and sewage, for ex­ample.

Problems. West Germany's rein­forced plastics industry isn't without its share of problems. Ghanging cur­rent building codes so that the plastics can be used more extensively is just one of the problems. Another is the burgeoning industry itself. The num­ber of firms in the business seems to be growing faster than consumption. AVK, for example, now has about 170 member firms, covering about 70 to 80% of total West German pro­duction. But if nonmember firms are included, the total number of com­panies that make reinforced plastics may top 300.

Many of these companies are quite small. They have perhaps one to three employees. Thus, a fair amount of West German reinforced plastics production is still hand work. This is probably even more so in France and Italy. Fibron, on the other hand, has about 250 employees. Unfortunately, small firms seldom have the financial or technical resources to push the tech­nical development that is becoming increasingly necessary in realizing the full market potential of reinforced plastics.

In West Germany, the large pro­ducers of raw materials for reinforced plastics (such as Bayer, Hoechst, and BASF) have so far stayed clear of the processing end of the business, though they undoubtedly carry out extensive application research and development. The possibility of these firms expand­ing their operations hangs over the heads of the smaller processors like the sword of Damocles. The raw ma­terial makers could well decide that the time has come to throw their weight behind a strong development program. This would certainly weed out the smallest firms.

Meanwhile, processors, through such organizations as AVK, are trying to put their industry on a sounder scientific basis. At the association's most recent meeting in Freudenstadt, its fourth since its founding in 1959, delegates heard technical papers deal­ing with basic theory and test methods, among other things.

98 C & E N O C T . 2 6, 1 9 6 4

SILICATE FACTS

need a soluble silicate

in DRY FORM?