agrofert plans to divest synthesia's dyes & pigments

expects to be running all five units atmaximum rate onwards from 13 May.

Press Release from: Cancarb Ltd, 1702 Brier ParkCrescent NW, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada T1C 1T8.Tel: +1 (403) 527 1121. Website:http://www.cancarb.com (10 May 2011)

China: AkzoNobel & Guangxi CavaTitanium Industry – TiO2

AkzoNobel (the world’s largest paintmanufacturer) and Guangxi CavaTitanium Industry Co Ltd haveentered into a “strategic partnershipfor the production and supply of TiO2pigment.” This is linked to the buildingof a new 100,000 tonnes/y TiO2pigment plant at Qinzhou (about 130km south of Nanning) in Guangxiprovince. The plant is due to come on-stream in early 2014. As yet, it isunclear whether AkzoNobel willparticipate in a financial joint ventureto build and operate the TiO2 plant.Whether it does so or not, thecompany will almost certainly have along-term offtake agreement withGuangxi Cava.

Press Release from: AkzoNobel, 1070 AS Amsterdam,Netherlands. Website: http://www.akzonobel.com (6 Jun 2011)

China: Precheza – TiO2

Anhui Precheza Titanium DioxideTechnology Co now reports its TiO2capacity as 20,000 tonnes/y. Thecompany was established in 2006when Agrofert bought a plant atTongling (385 km west of Shanghai)that had been built by Anhui Xinda.The plant was then converted toemploy Precheza’s sulfate-routetechnology. Originally, Precheza hadplanned to double capacity atTongling to 40,000 tonnes/y, butevidently this aspiration has not yetbeen realised. (See ‘Focus onPigments’, Jun 2006, 3).

Within China, there are two otherplants – one at Lanzhou (Gansuprovince), the other at Jinan(Shandong province) – that wereoriginally designed by Precheza andcommissioned during the 1990s.Precheza had no financial stake ineither of the plant operating companies.Both plants have subsequently beenexpanded, apparently without anyfurther assistance from Precheza.

Meanwhile, Precheza is currentlystepping up the capacity of its plant at

Prerov (Czech Republic) from 50,000tonnes/y to 62,000 tonnes/y. Prechezais a wholly-owned subsidiary withinthe Agrofert group, headquartered inPrague. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’,Jul 2010, 3).

Original Source: PPCJ, Polymers, Paint, ColourJournal, Jan 2011, 201 (4556 (Middle East CoatingsShow 2011 Supplement)), C4. Website:http://www.polymerspaintcolourjournal.com/, © Quartz Business Media Ltd 2011

China: Suzhou Baohua, Baosteel &Sichuan DaSteel – carbon black

Two of the country’s largest steelproducers – Baosteel (formerly knownas Shanghai Baoshan Iron & Steel)and Sichuan DaSteel – have createdtwo separate joint venture enterprises.The first joint venture, owned 55% byDaSteel and 45% by Baosteel, willinvest Rmb 120 M in the establish-ment of a 150,000 tonnes/y coking oilplant, due on-stream in the secondhalf of 2012. The second joint venture,owned 55% by Baosteel and 45% byDaSteel, will invest Rmb 100 M in theestablishment of a 40,000 tonnes/ycarbon black plant. No on-stream datewas given for the carbon black project.Both plants will be built at Dazhou inSichuan province (230 km northeastof Chongqing).

The carbon black plant operatingcompany will be known as BaohuaCarbon Black (Dazhou) Co. Itsmanagement will report directly toSuzhou Baohua Carbon Black (awholly-owned subsidiary within theBaosteel group) and Daxing Energy(a wholly-owned subsidiary of DaSteel).

Suzhou Baohua already operatesan 80,000 tonnes/y carbon black plantat Suzhou (Jiangsu province, about100 km west of Shanghai), producing16 different grades of carbon blackmarketed under the Baomabrandname. Construction work on anexpansion, doubling capacity to160,000 tonnes/y has already begun,but the target completion date has notbeen revealed.

Press Release from: Baosteel Group, Baosteel Tower,PuDian Road 370, Pudong New District, Shanghai200122, China. Tel: +86 21 58350000. Website:http://www.baosteel.com (6 Jan 2011)

Croatia: Calcit – GCC

Calcit (headquartered at Strahovica,Slovenia) is already an importantsupplier of ground calcium carbonate

(GCC). Now the company is spending€15 M to build a 150,000 tonnes/yGCC plant associated with thedevelopment of a limestone deposit atan unidentified location in the LikaMountains region of central Croatia.The plant should come on-stream atthe beginning of 2012.Nachrichten fuer Aussenhandel, 16 Jun 2011,(Website: http://www.nfa-online.de) (in German)

India: TTP – TiO2

Travancore Titanium Products Ltd(TTP) intends to complete the long-awaited expansion of its sulfate-routeTiO2 plant before the end of 2011.The plant’s capacity will be raisedfrom 20,000 tonnes/y to 27,000tonnes/y at a cost of Rup 1.5 bn(equivalent to $33.5 M), which mayinclude the installation of improvedpollution control facilities. At present,1300 people are employed at TTP.The plant is located on the outskirts ofTrivandrum in Kerala province. TTP isa public sector company, owned80.94% by the Kerala Government,7.91% by the Kerala State IndustrialDevelopment Corp and 11.15% byprivate investors.

Original Source: Chemical Engineering World, Apr2011, 46 (4), 88. Website: http://www.cewindia.com/,© Jasubhai Group 2011

COMPANIESAgrofert plans to divest Synthesia’sdyes & pigments

Agrofert Holdings (of Prague) plans todivest the organic pigments and dyesactivities of its subsidiary Synthesia(based at Pardubice, about 120 kmeast of Prague). Synthesia will retainits other two business units –Cellulose Derivatives and AdvancedOrganic Intermediates. In 2010,Synthesia reported total salesrevenue at CEK 250 M, with Pigments& Dyes contributing more than 50%.In recent months, Synthesia haslaunched several new pigments ontothe market, including Versal YellowH3G (a benzimidazalone pigment),Versal Yellow 4GP (a disazo pigment)and Versal Red HF3S.

Original Source: Ekonom, 12 May 2011, 55 (19), 31(in Czech). Website: http://ekonom.ihned.cz/, © Economia AS 2011

AUGUST 2011 7

F O C U S O N P I G M E N T S