BASF launches new collection of pigments

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Resulting from a new collaboration with PantoneColor of the Year 2018, BASF will showcase a collection of sparkling Ultra Violet shades featuring its Colors & Effectseffect pigments for use in various plastics applications across multiple product markets, as per Coatingsworld.

The collection, to be launched at CHINAPLAS 2018 in Shanghai, will offer customers five pre-defined shade formulations sparkling with featured effect pigments and inspiring further custom shade development options.

"The featured effect shade collection demonstrates how our customers can use Colors & Effectspigments to bring their visionary color designs to life” said Juerg Zingg, technical marketing manager, Pigments for Plastics, BASF. “PantoneColor of the Year is a strong partner providing a strategic direction for trends and therefore inspiring plastic designs in a number of industries. This year’s color, Ultra Violet, is equal parts dramatic and thoughtful, and has inspired us to create an effect shade collection for our customers that will help them communicate originality and ingenuity."

With the purple shade calling to mind the mysteries of the cosmos, the night sky and the possibilities that lie beyond, Colors & Effects sparkling Ultra Violet collection features the following five effect shade formulations:
Silky Way – offers a smooth, velvety appearance with silver sparkling pigments for an elegant effect; ?
Meteor Shower – features a shimmering surface with speckled silver sparking pigments; ?
Distant Galaxy – has a vibrant gloss with greater color depth and violet sparkling pigments; ?
Stellar Burst – provides an intense color offering with a smooth appearance and discreet sparkling effects for an overall fine finish; and ?
Galactic Halo – offers a glittering appearance with large effect pigments resulting in modern color travel from violet to blue. ?BASF also provides individual styling options to customers to help them create their individual shades. ?

BASF will showcase its effect shades based on Ultra Violet at CHINAPLAS 2018, one of the largest plastics and rubber trade fairs in the world. ?
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Bayer sells more assets, bringing Monsanto deal closer

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Bayer AG said it has agreed to sell more crop science businesses to BASF in a deal that fulfills undertakings to the European Union and other regulators as part of its takeover of Monsanto Co., reported Reuters.

The package, being sold for up to 1.7 billion euros (USD2.1 billion), includes its global vegetable seeds business, certain seed treatments and digital farming activities with total sales of 745 million euros in 2017.

"With this move, we are implementing the corresponding undertakings made to the European Commission and other regulatory authorities to allow the successful closing of the Monsanto transaction,” Werner Baumann, Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer AG, said in a statement.

The German drug and crop chemical maker’s bid to buy seed and chemical company Monsanto Co is on track to win U.S. antitrust approval by the end of May, unless there is a last-minute complication, two people familiar with the matter said earlier on Thursday.

The transaction, if it closes as seems likely, will create a company commanding more than a quarter of the combined world market for seeds and pesticides in the fast-consolidating farm supplies industry.

The U.S. Justice Department said in March it was pressing on with its antitrust review of the deal.

The merger has already cleared key hurdles. Russia’s antitrust regulator FAS approved it last week and the European Commission last month gave conditional clearance, following a conditional nod in Brazil.

Also last week, the German group raised 3 billion euros (US3.7 billion) by selling new shares to Singapore’s state investment company, with further moves expected to increase its capital.

Bayer previously said it would only launch a cash call once it had sufficient clarity that the deal, signed in September 2016, would get the go-ahead.

It had already pledged to sell certain seed and herbicide assets for 5.9 billion euros (USD7.2 billion) to BASF, as well as its vegetable seeds business.

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, agriculture and high-tech polymer materials. As an innovation company, it sets trends in research-intensive areas. Bayer's products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen.
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BASF introduces Waterproofing, Concrete Protection for Wastewater Treatment Plants

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF introduced MasterSeal 7000 CR from Master Builders Solutions, an innovation to protect concrete and steel structures in extreme wastewater environments, as per Coatingsworld.

It builds on the company’s new technology Xolutec and uniquely combines application with performance properties to meet the challenges in aggressive wastewater environments.

"Our novel Xolutec, technology was developed to solve the problems of challenging technical environments. It is an innovative and smart way of combining the advantages of different chemical products and thus represents a unique solution. When the material is mixed on site, a cross-linked interpenetrating network (XPN) is formed, enhancing the overall material properties," said Roland Nowicki, VP, BASF Construction Chemicals Europe.

The effects of wastewater in collection networks and treatment plants can lead to rapid deterioration of concrete surfaces and corrosion of concrete reinforcements and steel structures. MasterSeal 7000 CR’s high resistance to abrasion and biogenic sulfuric-acid corrosion is ideal to withstand the severe conditions that occur in pretreatment and aeration tanks, digesters, or sewers. MasterSeal 7000 CR’s dynamic and static crack-bridging abilities protect concrete, even after non-structural cracks appear, thus prolonging life cycle of the structure.

Another key benefit of this novel resin technology is its tolerance to moisture, both in the substrate and in the environment. MasterSeal 7000 CR can be applied on very damp substrates by spray or roller, and its fast curing properties allow contact with water under pressure as early as 24 hours after application at 20 °C. This combination of properties provides long-term concrete protection while dramatically reducing the downtime of the structure, making MasterSeal 7000 CR the ideal solution for wastewater facilities.

"We are excited to launch this unique and performance-proven system offering the industry a solution that significantly extends the life cycle of concrete infrastructure facilities”, said Markus Scherler, head of business segment management Europe – Industrial and Concrete Refurbishment by BASF. “MasterSeal 7000 CR underscores BASF’s commitment to continued innovation with the expansion of our waterproofing product range for the construction industry worldwide."
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Albemarle and DuPont announce collaboration in hydroprocessing

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Albemarle Corporation, a leader in the global specialty chemicals industry, announced that it is the primary hydroprocessing catalyst manufacturer for the DuPont IsoTherming hydroprocessing technology, making clean fuels production more cost efficient for refiners, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

IsoTherming is an innovative hydroprocessing technology that can lower capital and operational costs.

Albemarle and DuPont announce their exclusive collaboration in licensing the IsoTherming hydroprocessing technology and providing aftermarket products and services.

"We are excited to collaborate with DuPont in supporting the IsoTherming® technology," said Annemie Donkers, VP Clean Fuels Technologies at Albemarle. "We look forward to further development of our IsoTherming catalyst application know-how with DuPont, to meet our clients' most challenging process conditions."

Eli Ben-Shoshan, Global Business Leader, DuPont Clean Technologies, adds, "Albemarle is a trusted catalyst manufacturer in the industry which is why we pursued a partnership with them. Together, we offer the global refining and mid-stream industries unique IsoTherming solutions for hydrotreating and mild hydrocracking backed by solid hydroprocessing expertise and cutting-edge innovation."

As MRC informed earlier, DowDuPont has announced that it will increase production capacity at its site in Shenzhen, China, to meet the strong demand for engineered polymers used in the automotive, consumer and electronics markets.
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Pemex expects to process around 1 mln bpd domestically by year-end

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Mexican state-oil firm Pemex expects to process around 1 million barrels per day (bpd) domestically toward the end of this year, executives said on Friday, adding that the company processed an average of 598,000 bpd in the first quarter of 2018, reported Reuters.

Speaking shortly after the company reported a profit of 113.3 billion pesos (USD6.2 billion) in the first three months of the year, Pemex executives told analysts the troubled Salina Cruz refinery in southern Mexico was processing 243,800 bpd at the end of March.

As MRC informed earlier, in November 2015, Fluor Corp. announced that ICA Fluor, its industrial engineering and construction joint venture with Empresas ICA, had signed a contract with Pemex to supply detail engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for the utilities and offsites that are part of the Tula refinery upgrade at Hidalgo, Mexico. The total contract value is USD1.1 billion.

Pemex, Mexican Petroleum, is a Mexican state-owned petroleum company. Pemex has a total asset worth of USD415.75 billion, and is the world's second largest non-publicly listed company by total market value, and Latin America's second largest enterprise by annual revenue as of 2009. Company produces such polymers, as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS).
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