Page 165 - CW E-Magazine (19-12-2023)

News from Abroad News from Abroad

MILESTONE CIRCULARITY INITIATIVE
Clariant celebrates 40 years of desiccant manufacturing Orion’s fourth carbon black plant bags ISCC PLUS

in New Mexico certifi cation

Clariant is celebrating the 40th anni- offer a solution for controlling the accu- Orion S.A., a leading producer of Last year, Orion was the fi rst to coatings, printing and polymers,” Orion’s
versary of its Belen (New Mexico, USA) mulation of volatile organic compounds, carbon black, has announced that is achieve ISCC PLUS for multiple carbon CEO, Mr. Corning Painter, said.
desiccant manufacturing site. Beginning and Oxy-Guard oxygen absorbers (sca- fourth plant has earned International black grades made from different feed-
in 1983 with bentonite clay desiccants, vengers), which minimize oxygen in food Sustainability and Carbon Certifi cation stocks in Borger, Texas; Belpre, Ohio; Orion is also the only carbon black
the site has developed a range of innova- packaging to prolong shelf-life and reduce (ISCC PLUS). The company now leads and Jaslo, Poland. The three facilities producer in the BlackCycle initiative,
tive products for varied industries includ- preservative use. Desiccant Cartridges its industry with the number of certifi ed were recertifi ed this year. an EU-funded project focused on deve-
ing intermodal transport, electronics & additionally provide moisture protection carbon black production sites. loping the production of circular
semiconductors, aerospace and defence, for containers, cases, and electrical and “In addition to recognizing the sus- carbon black. A decade ago, Orion was
packaging, food protection, apparel & optical devices. Orion’s facility in Cologne, Germany, tainable grades for rubber applications the fi rst major producer to develop and
textiles, medical devices, and health & was the company’s latest plant to pass produced in the three plants, the certifi - commercialize carbon black made from
personal care. Earlier in 2023, Clariant launched the extensive audits confi rming the site’s cation of our Cologne plant is an impor- renewable feedstocks, such as indus-
latest innovation in the portfolio, Desi compliance with rigorous ISCC PLUS tant milestone for Orion’s sustainability trial-grade vegetable oils or other oils
Originally established in 1983 as Pak Eco, a responsibly mined natural sustainability requirements. The plant efforts because the facility produces a derived from waste and residues of
United Desiccants (United Catalysts, Inc., bentonite clay desiccant in a plastic-free, was certifi ed for producing circular and wide variety of specialty products for biological origin from agriculture or
Desiccant Division) by Munich-based bio-based package. The desiccant packets bio-circular raw materials. several applications, including batteries, forestry.
Süd-Chemie AG, the Belen site was one are specially designed moisture adsorb-
of the original tenants of the Rio Grande California, site. As a leading provider and ing solutions focused on sourcing raw BIOFUELS
Industrial Park in Valencia County. Using innovator of humidity indicator cards, materials and transportation packaging Clariant shuts bioethanol plant in Romania after
responsibly mined bentonite from their Humidial offered a valuable complement with a lower environmental impact.
mine in Arizona, the site has specialized to the portfolio of desiccants. Today, the continued losses
in the processing and packaging of high- combined experience of these companies “Our desiccant products are designed
grade activated bentonite clay desiccants, brings together over 80 years of expertise for any customer in need of moisture pro- Specialty chemicals company Clari- tal expenditure. Following the announce- the Podari operation. We will work
which quickly gained wide-spread recog- in the fi eld. tection for their products,” said Mr. Justin ant, has announced its decision to shut ment, activities within the business line closely with employee representatives in
nition as a leading solution in military and Mueller, Head of Adsorbents Americas. down its sunliquid bioethanol production Biofuels & Derivatives that supported the Romania and Germany and are committed
industrial applications. The portfolio includes Container Dri “With our decades of experience and in Podari, Romania, and to downsize development and ramp-up of the plant to fi nding solutions that are most socially
II cargo desiccants, Humitector humidity worldwide network of state-of-the-art related activities of the business line Bio- will be downsized. Required capabilities responsible. For a company that focuses
Shortly after, in 1989, Clariant Cargo & indicators and desiccator plugs, Sorb-It manufacturing sites and support teams, fuels & Derivatives in Germany (Straub- to maintain the technology and to fulfi l as much on innovation as we do, it is
Device business segment North America silica gel desiccants, and Tri-Sorb mole- we are committed to delivering quality, ing, Planegg and Munich). existing contractual obligations will be imperative to take fi rm decisions when
(then United Desiccants) acquired cular sieve desiccants. Other products reliability, and sustainability in all of kept. a project does not fulfi l expectations and
Humidial Corporation and their Colton, include Desvocant adsorbents, which our products.” After developing the sunliquid tech- to execute even more rigorously on our
POLYIMIDE FILMS nology, Clariant had taken the decision “After a careful review of all the stra- sustainable growth strategy,” said
in 2017 to establish its own commercial tegic options, we have decided to close Mr. Conrad Keijzer, CEO, Clariant.
Arkema fi nalizes acquisition of 54% stake in PI sunliquid plant in Podari, which began ENGINEERING SERVICES
Advanced Materials producing bioethanol in the second quar- Toyo awarded acetylene black project
ter of 2022. In July 2023, Clariant started
a strategic evaluation of the options for
Arkema fi nalized on December 1, With more than 30% market share, screens and electric vehicles, and sup- the plant after it became clear that the in Thailand
2023 the acquisition of Glenwood PIAM is the global leader of polyimide ported by recent capacity expansions. plant did not achieve Clariant’s targeted
Private Equity’s 54% stake in the listed fi lms used in the high-growth and high According to Arkema, PIAM’s port- operational parameters. Toyo Engineering Corporation Company Ltd., in Thailand. Acety-
South Korean company, PI Advanced value-added markets of mobile devices folio will strengthen Arkema’s range has been awarded engineering and lene black is a type of carbon black
Materials (PIAM). ThE acquisition and electric vehicles. In coming years, of high-performance polymers, which Clariant management has concluded procurement contract for an acety- with excellent conductivity, mainly
complements Arkema’s portfolio of PIAM sales are expected to grow by combined with the geographic fi t with that, given continued losses, the econo- lene black project by Denka SCGC used for applications such as lithium-
high-performance technologies for the around 13% per year, driven by new cut- the Group, should enable to achieve mics of the plant in Podari cannot justify Advanced Materials Co., Ltd., a joint ion batteries and high-voltage trans-
high-growth markets of advanced ting-edge applications in 5G antennas, synergies estimated at €30-mn in terms for Clariant to continue ramp up which venture company of Denka Company mission cables for offshore wind
electronics and electric mobility. high-resolution OLED displays, fl exible of EBITDA over the next fi ve years. would require signifi cant additional capi- Ltd. and SCG Chemicals Public power generation.

164 Chemical Weekly December 19, 2023 Chemical Weekly December 19, 2023 165

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