Breitenau in Austria, where capacitywill be doubled to 20,000 tonnes/y in2006.

Chemical and Engineering News, 13 Jun 2005, 83(24), 10-11 (Website: http://www.cen-online.org)

China: Anhui Kena new materials –nanoparticulate TiO2

Anhui Kena New Materials Co Ltd hasestablished a 100 tonnes/y plant atSuzhou (Anhui province) for makingnanoparticulate TiO2. The plant wasbuilt with funding from Huaibei LulingCoal Mine Co and Tengling Industry &Trade Co Ltd. The target applicationsfor the product are: sunscreens,cosmetics, chemical fibres andplastics.

China Chemical Reporter, 6 Jun 2005, 16 (16), 15

China: Cabot & Shanghai CokingChemical – carbon black

Cabot has corrected variouserroneous reports that have appearedin different trade journals regardingthe capacity of the new specialitycarbon black plant currently underconstruction at the new TEDAchemical industrial park in the Tianjindocks area. Cabot states that the newplant’s initial capacity will be 20,000tonnes/y and it is due to come on-stream during 2H 2006. It will employthe most advanced energy recoveryand environmental technologiesavailable. (This corrects theinformation relayed in ‘Focus onPigments’, Apr 2005, 4).

The Tianjin plant will be operatedas a 70:30 joint venture betweenCabot and Shanghai Coking &Chemical Co. It will be the first of anumber of different plants in theTEDA park, which covers an area ofabout 30 square km. Investment sofar committed to 28 separate projectsin the TEDA park amounts to about$330 M, including $100 M for LGBohai’s vinyl chloride anddichloroethylene facilities and $8 Mfor Amcol’s bentonite plant.

Cabot’s new carbon black plant willemploy the most advanced energyrecovery and environmentaltechnologies available. Cabot andShanghai Coking & Chemical alreadyoperate a 130,000 tonnes/y carbonblack plant at Shanghai. Worldwide,Cabot produced about 1.5 M tonnes/y

of carbon black last year, whichgenerated sales revenue of $1.29 bn.

Press release from: Cabot Corp, Two Seaport Lane,Suite 1300, Boston, MA 02210-2019, USA, Tel: 617345 0100 (30 Jun 2005) & Chimie Pharma Hebdo, 4Jul 2005, (304), 11 (in French) & ChemischeRundschau, 21 Jun 2005, 58 (6), 9 (in German)

China: Clariant – high performanceorganic pigments

Clariant has created a joint venturewith Hangzhou Baihe Chemicals CoLtd to invest in building a new plantfor making high-performance organicpigments. The plant will be located inZhejiang province. Clariant will haveexclusive marketing globalresponsibility for the output.

Plastics Additives and Compounding, May/Jun 2005,7 (3), 12

China: Liaoning research institutes –carotene

A 3000 tonnes/y carotene pigmentsplant is being built in Liaoningprovince at a cost of Rmb 70.71 Musing technology developed by theLiaoning Centre of AgriculturalResources Research and the Instituteof Genetic & Developmental Biology.The first phase of construction workshould be completed in October 2005.On final completion, the sponsors ofthis project envisage producing andselling carotene worth Rmb 180 M perannum.

China Chemical Reporter, 6 Jun 2005, 16 (16), 13

China: RTP – plastics compounds

RTP Co (of Winona, MN) is planningto open a new thermoplasticcompounding plant at Suzhou during4Q 2005. The new plant will have16,000 square metres of floor-spaceand it will initially employ 50-60people. The plant has been designedso that capacity can be readilydoubled.

RTP claims to be a global leader inspeciality plastic compounds, withfour plants in the US, one at Beaune(France) and one in Singapore. Overall,it employs more than 600 people andproduces custom compounds in morethan 60 engineering resins forapplications requiring colour,conductive, flame-retardant, high-temperature shielding, structural andwear-resistant properties.

The Singapore facility wasestablished in 2002. It was expandedin 2004 and again in early 2005. Theplant here now covers a floor-area of21,000 square metres.

Mr Dick Zhu (General Manager ofthe Chinese subsidiary) said: “Wehave had a sales office in Shanghaisince 2002. We now have salesrepresentatives in Guangzhou andTianjin. We plan to sell about half theoutput from Suzhou within theChinese market, leaving the restavailable for export. Target customersare in the electronics, automotive andconsumer goods sectors.”

Press release from: RTP Co, 580 East Front Street,Winona, MN 55987, USA. Website:http://www.rtpcompany.com (22 Jun 2005) & AsianPlastics News, Jun 2005, 17

China: Shandong Dongjia, Titan Kogyo& Mitsui – TiO2 for textiles

Shandong Sansheng TitaniumIndustrial Co Ltd officially inauguratedits 10,000 tonnes/y plant on 25 April2005. The plant is designed tospecialise in TiO2 for textile industryapplications. The Shandong Dongjiagroup (formerly Zibo Cobalt) has a50% stake in the venture, the other50% being in the hands of TitanKogyo and Mitsui (both of Japan). To date, about Rmb 12 M has beeninvested in the first phase of theproject.

When the plant is fully operational,pre-tax profits are likely to be aboutRmb 60 M per annum on sales ofmore than Rmb 200 per annum.

China Chemical Reporter, 16 Jun 2005, 16 (17), 18

China: Stahl – leather colorants

Stahl Industrial Colorants(headquartered in Manchester), partof the Avecia group (formerly Zeneca)has announced plans to build a newplant for leather colorants at Suzhou.The company will also install herenew facilities for making emulsions foruse in leather finishing and variouscoatings for flexible substrates. Lastyear, Stahl closed its leather colorantsplant at Saint Clair-du-Rhône inFrance. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’,Oct 2004, 4), declaring that it couldbuy finished colorants from Asia forthe same money as it was paying forraw materials for the French plant.

European Paint and Resin News, Jun 2005, 43 (6), 7

4 JULY 2005

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