Dow's polypropylene technology growing rapidly in China

(plastemart) -- The use of UNIPOL Polypropylene (PP) Technology from Dow Basic Plastics Licensing and Catalysts continues to grow at a rapid pace in China. China Shenhua Coal to Liquid and Chemical Baotou Coal Chemical Company is the latest company to start up a plant using this technology and is the first in China to manufacture PP made from coal-generated olefins. A leader among Chinese manufacturers pioneering the coal-based production of chemicals and plastics, Shenhua Baotou Coal Chemicals Company's 300,000 tpa Polypropylene facility came online earlier this month in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, The People's Republic of China. According to the company, its gasification technology converts coal into a synthesis gas (or syngas); syngas is used to produce methanol, which is transformed into olefins - a building block for producing polypropylene.

According to MRC data, Dow's share in the Russian market in 2008 was 2.5% of polyethylene (including LLDPE - 33.1%), 0.8% of polypropylene (including PP-impact - 1.1%) and 2.6% of polystyrene. Annual sales growth in Russia over the course of recent 5 years was 55% of polyethylene, 28% of polypropylene and 2% of polystyrene. Dow imports by pipe extrusion, film extrusion, sheet extrusion and foaming processing technologies.

MRC

(plastemart) -- Japan's Mitsui Chemicals has suspended operations at a naphtha cracker with 553,000 tpa ethylene capacity. The Ichihara plant in Chiba prefecture faced a problem with equipment, leading to the shutdown. A weekend start is not expected. Restart is likely to be announced early next week.

MRC

(plastemart) -- The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Justice Department, and the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York have announced that Chemtura Corporation has agreed to resolve its liabilities at contaminated sites across the U.S. for approximately US$26 million. The agreement settles Chemtura's environmental liabilities under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA, commonly known as Superfund), and for violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA).

MRC

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Cereplast,Inc., a leading manufacturer of proprietary bio-based, compostable and sustainable plastics, announced today that it has entered into a multi-million dollar contract with RI.ME. Masterbatch S.r.l., based in Mozzate (CO), Italy, to supply bioplastic resins for use in its masterbatch process for adding colorant to bulk, uncolored resins. The new agreement supports RI.ME.'s commitment to offering its customers sustainable, environmental solutions in the design and production of masterbatches.

MRC

(prw) -- DSM has licensed its Dyneema-brand high-performance polyethylene fibre for protective suits used in hydro demolition and water blasting.

The licence was granted to protective equipment specialist TST Sweden of Kinna, Sweden. The multilayer suits are made of several layers of flexible fabric, with inner layers of Dyneema in between outer layers of a nylon fabric. The suit is made to withstand exposure to high-pressure water jets.

The suits can be tailored for different levels of water-jet work. Competing suits are made from interlinked rigid panels in a monolayer structure and can't be adjusted, DSM officials said in a recent news release. TST Sweden developed the suits in collaboration with research institute Swerea Group of Pitea, Sweden.

MRC