Liquid silicone rubber (LSR) is mainly processed by liquid injection molding (LIM) because the material is particularly suitable for this purpose due to its low viscosity during processing. The density of the vulcanizate is about 1.1 g/cm3. With the aid of foamed silicones, density reductions of 0.5 g/cm3 to 1.0 g/cm3 can be achieved. This reduces the material requirement and consequently also the price. In addition, the insulation behavior against heat and cold as well as the floatability can be positively influenced. The floatability is decisive for separation processes in the recycling of materials. In this study, the positive effect of expandable thermoplastic microspheres as blowing agents in LSR will be illustrated.

Honeywell announced that Shandong Binhua New Material Co., Ltd. will use Honeywell UOP’s C3 Oleflex technology to produce 600,000 t/y of polymer-grade propylene for a proposed plant in China. Honeywell UOP will provide services, equipment, catalysts and adsorbents for the Shandong plant. 

According to Koelnmesse and China Foreign Trade Centre (Group), the organisers of CIFM / interzum guangzhou 2020, China’s Belt and Road Initiative could not have come at a better time for Asia’s largest and most comprehensive woodworking machinery, furniture production and interiors trade fair. Held in Guangzhou, China, from 28 – 31 March 2020, the event is regarded by the industry as a key gateway for foreign furniture suppliers to enter the fast-growing Chinese market and an ideal place to size up the competition.

According to BASF, its expanded thermoplastic polyurethane (E-TPU) Infinergy created a real stir when it was launched on the market in the adidas Boost running shoe, because it introduced a completely new class of particle foams to the plastics market. Today, customers from a wide range of different industries use the material – from comfortable safety footwear and a dynamic tennis racket to a cushioning sports floor. At K 2019, the material was presented with a multitude of its applications and innovative approaches. Infinergy is used, for example, in the Vision Venture, a camper van from Hymer, as a step, bed edge and as a comfort element in the slatted frame.

Two Thai investors have requested a 3-year extension for launching a petrochemical complex in southern Vietnam owing to land acquisition delays. They have proposed that commercial operations of the Long Son Petrochemical Complex in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province be deferred to December 2022. The investors have also proposed that investment capital for the project be increased by 27 percent to USD 5.15 billion, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

FoamPartner Fritz Nauer AG with headquarters in Wolfhausen, Switzerland, is building a converting centre for industrial foams at its site in Duderstadt, Germany. The new centre is scheduled to go on-stream in H1 2020 and will lead to the creation of several new jobs, said the company.

According to Covestro, the manufacture of a shoe requires a multitude of work steps, some of which are carried out by hand. This makes production time-consuming and expensive. In the finished product, various materials are sewn together and glued together, so that it is virtually impossible to recycle them by type at the end of their useful life.

Affin Hwang Capital Research is expecting better performances in the Malaysian rubber glove sector starting in the first quarter of 2020 as the players are addressing the higher production costs and labour issues. Furthermore, it expects 2020 to be a better year as glove makers would likely benefit from stronger demand from the US after its imposition of a 15 % tariff on Chinese imported gloves.

Lanxess has set itself an ambitious climate protection target. By 2040, the company intends to become climate neutral and eliminate its greenhouse gas emissions from around 3.2 million t of CO2e today. Already by 2030, Lanxess aims to cut its emissions by 50 % compared to the current level to around 1.6 million t of CO2e.

LyondellBasell confirmed that Ceyhan Polipropilen Uretim, a joint venture of Ronesans Holding and Sonatrach, has selected its Spheripol technology for a new 450,000 t/y polypropylene (PP) facility to be built in Ceyhan, Turkey.