EPA issues final rule banning chrysotile asbestos

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule today prohibiting ongoing uses of chrysotile asbestos, the last form of asbestos currently used in or imported to the United States, as per Chemweek.

The EPA said the ban is the first rule to be finalized under the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances and Control Act (TSCA) and “marks a major milestone for chemical safety after more than three decades of inadequate protections and serious delays.” The agency cites asbestos’ known carcinogenicity and severe impacts on public health for its decision. “Under the President’s leadership, EPA has been working expeditiously to put the nation’s chemical safety program back on track and finally realize the protections of the 2016 law,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a press statement. “This action is just the beginning as we work to protect all American families, workers, and communities from toxic chemicals.”

Used exclusively by the chlor-alkali industry, the EPA first proposed a ban on chrysotile asbestos in April 2022. The move drew industry criticism for its implications for the country’s supply of chlorine, which is used extensively by public drinking water treatment facilities, as well as the rule’s failure to consider worker protections.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) did not immediately respond to S&P Global Commodity Insights’ request for comment on the EPA’s most recent announcement, but in 2022 it said such a ban would impact nearly one-third of the nation’s chlorine and sodium hydroxide production.

The EPA said there are only eight chlor-alkali plants in the US that still use asbestos and that it will give those facilities a “reasonable transition time … that does not inadvertently adversely impact drinking or wastewater purification efforts.” The facilities must transition to either non-asbestos diaphragms or to non-asbestos membrane technology, and the final rule ensures that six of the eight will have completed this transition within five years, with the remaining two to follow.

“EPA has determined that converting facilities from using diaphragms that contain asbestos to those that do not within five years provides both a reasonable transition time and is as soon as practicable without disrupting the supply of chlorine that is needed for water purification purposes,” according to the EPA’s statement. “EPA also believes that five of the eight facilities likely plan to undergo such conversions.”

However, the EPA admitted that converting facilities from using diaphragms that contain asbestos to non-asbestos membrane technology requires extensive construction, additional permits, specialized expertise and parts for which there are limited suppliers. “EPA has therefore determined that a reasonable transition time for companies that plan to transition multiple facilities to non-asbestos membrane technology is five years to convert their first facility, eight years to convert their second and 12 years to convert their third, and the facilities will be required to certify their continued progress with EPA,” the agency added.

We remind, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced finalized amendments to a program designed to reduce the frequency and severity of accidents at 11,740 chemical plants across the United States, although industry groups have called the updates problematic, unworkable, and counter-productive.

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Korea Zinc Inc., the leading global zinc and lead smelter, and LG Chem Ltd., South Korea’s top petrochemical producer, joined hands for the plastic waste recycling business in the US to seek new growth drives in the eco-friendly industry, said Kedglobal.

Korea Zinc and LG Chem said on Friday they have agreed to jointly develop a resource circulation system through the plastic waste recycling business in the US, the world’s largest economy.

LG Chem plans to utilize its various technologies, which improve the quality of recycled plastic waste. to cooperate with Korea Zinc specializing in securing plastic waste and processing plastic waste from electronic devices.

“The partnership is expected to create a real resource circulation system by combining Korea Zinc’s unrivaled technology to secure recycling raw materials and extract intermediate goods with LG Chem’s world-class plastic waste recycling technology,” said Lee Hwa-young, head of LG Chem’s sustainability business, in a joint statement.

Korea Zinc and LG Chem have been seeking a new growth drive in the recycling industry. The global plastic waste recycling market was forecast to double to 120 trillion won ($90.3 billion) by 2030 from the current 60 trillion won, industry sources in Seoul said.

LG Chem has been struggling in its main petrochemical businesses such as plastic basic materials manufacturing as the South Korean chemical industry was in a structural downturn due to low-priced products from China.

The company decided to shut down its styrene monomer (SM) production line in South Korea this month and is mulling closing another domestic base chemical production facility, The Korea Economic Daily exclusively reported earlier this week.

Korea Zinc has also been focusing on the resource recycling business. In 2022, the smelter acquired a majority stake in Igneo Holdings LLC, a US-based electronic waste recycling company, for $332 million.

LG Chem, the parent of the world's No. 3 electric vehicle battery maker LG Energy Solution Ltd., and Korea Zinc are predicted to expand their cooperation into the waste battery recycling business, industry sources said. The two companies established a joint venture to produce cathode precursors for EV batteries in 2022.

The petrochemical producer, which holds a 2% stake in Korea Zinc, has been helping the smelter in an equity stake feud against Young Poong Precision Corp.

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Toray Industries, Inc., announced that it has developed an insulating resin material for hybrid bonding (micro bonding), said the company.

The material is based on Semicofine and Photoneece. These are high-heat-resistant polyimide coatings for semiconductor and display devices. The new material combines a conventional polyimide coating agent with the company’s processing and bonding technologies. It can enhance the yields and reliability of semiconductor devices in the hybrid bonding process, which entails bonding semiconductor chips with metal electrodes. Toray will push ahead with prototyping and providing samples to customers. It aims to obtain materials certification in 2025 and start mass production by 2028.

A leading high-performance packaging technology applied in recent years is three-dimensional (3D) packaging. Hybrid bonding is particularly promising for high-performance semiconductor chips requiring fine structures with bump pitches (the spacing between adjacent electrodes joined by solder) of 10 microns or less. Toray markets resin bonding materials for 3D chip-to-chip packaging with fine bump pitches of about 20 microns. Hybrid bonding differs from conventional 3D packaging because it entails directly joining metal electrodes without using bumps, making it possible to further shorten electrode pitches.

In hybrid bonding, the chip-to-wafer technique has attracted considerable attention for high-density packaging of different types of chips. This technique involves processing one wafer substrate to the chip size and bonding it to another wafer substrate. Silicon dioxide and other inorganic materials are usually used as insulating materials for hybrid bonding. There are two key challenges, however, with applying the chip-to-wafer technique. The first is that silicon dust generated in chip dicing can be trapped during hybrid bonding, causing chip bonding defects and lowering yields.

Since 2020, Toray has carried out hybrid bonding experimental demonstrations with the Institute of Microelectronics, a semiconductor research unit of Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research. This work has tapped the company’s accumulated expertise in functional plastics design technology in employing sophisticated molecular design and pursues excellence to create insulating polymers offering high heat resistance and excellent mechanical properties (Figure 3). By collaborating with that entity and various semiconductor-related companies, Toray looks to apply this material to chip-to-wafer hybrid bonding. It seeks to boost the yields and reliability of chiplets and make it possible to integrate differing chips in a single package.

We remind, Toray Industries, Inc., announced it signed an agreement with Honda Motor Co., Ltd., to jointly develop a chemical recycling technology for glass-fiber reinforced nylon 6 parts recovered from end-of-life vehicles, said the company. The two have begun verifying this technology, which entails depolymerizing with subcritical water and regenerating the materials as caprolactam, a raw monomer.

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Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.has developed the industry’s first silicone resin that does not use emulsifiers — the water-based, fast-curing silicone resin "KRW-6000 Series.", said the company.

Silicone resins are used in such applications as paints and coatings because of their excellent performance with regard to weather resistance and heat resistance. In recent years, expectations for water-based silicone resins have been increasing.

Conventional waterborne silicone resins use emulsifiers. Compared to organic solvent-based silicone resins, water-based products to which emulsifiers are added tend to have inferior film properties. In addition, there were issues regarding the required time for drying and curing. The KRW-6000 Series does not use emulsifiers, and thus it has excellent film properties and can be cured quickly through heating. The main features of this newly developed silicone resin series are as follows:

1. Emulsifier-free, water-dispersible silicone resin
Because no emulsifier is used, it forms a superior water-resistant film. In addition, after curing, it becomes an inorganic silicone-only film, which provides excellent durability and weather resistance over the long term. For this reason, it is suitable as a binder for weather-resistant paints and various additives.

2. Non-inclusion of organic solvents contributes to a VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds)-free product
This resin is a water-solvent type that does not contain organic solvents, and the only substance generated in the curing reaction is water, which contributes to VOC-free products. In addition, the water evaporates to form a film with no tackiness, making it easy to work with.

3. Fast-curing at low temperatures in a short time contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
In addition to the curing process progressing at room temperature, curing is accelerated by heating to the 80-150°C level for several minutes. Compared to conventional organic solvent-based silicone resins, curing progresses at lower temperatures and in a shorter time, thus contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gases.

4. Formation of high-hardness film
It is possible to form a high-hardness film with a maximum hardness of 4H. Types with more flexible coatings are also available.

Shin-Etsu Chemical will strive to develop and supply high-value-added silicone products that take advantage of the technological expertise and know-how Shin-Etsu has cultivated over the years in order to help our customers solve various issues, as we continue our efforts to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society.

We remind, Shin-Etsu Chemical Co Ltd strived to make up for the loss in profit with the shipment of highly functional product groups, said the company. Net sales stood at Yen 255.3 bn and Yen 215.4 bn, respectively, a change of (16%). Operating income stood at Yen 73.5 bn and Yen 51.7 bn, respectively, a change of (30%). As for PVC, export pressures from Chinese manufacturers continued due to the weakness of construction and housing investment in China, but price levels were maintained. The caustic soda market was in a similar situation.

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Trinseo, a specialty material solutions provider, announced it has initiated an information and consultation process with the Works Council of Trinseo Deutschland Anlagengesellschaft mbH regarding the potential closure of its virgin polycarbonate (PC) production site in Stade, Germany, said the company.

The Company expects to seek board approval of the closure in 2024 following the Works Council consultation process. If an agreement is reached, Trinseo will no longer produce virgin PC and will obtain PC for its downstream businesses entirely via external purchases. In comparison to 2023 results, the action is expected to increase annual profitability by USD15 million to USD20 million.

“Unfortunately, we continue to see demand soften, and price declines due to the oversupply caused by offshore producers pushing material into the EMEA market. We anticipate these conditions to continue in 2024 and beyond. Additionally, our fixed operating costs at Stade are significant, placing a further strain on our financial viability at this location,” said CEO, Frank Bozich.

In the third quarter 2023 earnings call, the Company identified Stade as a potential location for a PC dissolution facility. The Company is committed to the integration and application of modern recycling technologies, such as PC dissolution and depolymerization, to help customers develop more sustainable product offerings. Trinseo is exploring numerous options for viable locations to ensure recycling plants are both resilient and adaptive to customer requirements. Developing commercial scale operations in recycling remains a key pillar of the business strategy moving forward as evidenced by the polycarbonate-dissolution pilot facility recently opened in Terneuzen, the Netherlands.

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