MATERIALS
MATERIALS
Arkema introduces
high-efficiency MBS impact
modifier, moves to new HQ
A rkema Inc has added an opaque, high-effi-
ciency grade to its line of Clearstrength® MBS
impact modifiers. Intended for use in injection
moulding, opaque sheet and profile applications,
new Clearstrength 859 impact modifier imparts
up to 20% higher impact strength compared to
traditional opaque impact modifiers, according to
the company.
The new impact modifier maintains excellent process-
ing characteristics, and is a drop-in replacement for
other MBS impact modifiers, Arkema says. According
to Mike Cherubini, market manager for modifiers at
Arkema’s Functional Additives division, the increased
efficiency of Clearstrength 859 over other traditional
MBS impact modifiers ‘could mean reduced costs for
improved performance’.
Clearstrength 859 impact modifier is manufactured
with tight process and quality controls, which ensure
excellent lot-to-lot consistency. This contributes to the
uniformity of PVC and CPVC compounds. The com-
pany has applied for NSF, CSA, FDA and UL approvals
for the new product.
In other company news, Arkema inaugurated its new
headquarters in the Défense Ouest office complex in
Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine, France on 19 June. The
company decided to relocate its historical headquarters
from Paris La Défense to achieve a significant reduc-
tion in its real estate costs, as part of its drive to boost
competitiveness and transform its organization [ADPO,
February 2007]. The design of the new offices provides
a modern, functional and friendly working environ-
ment, Arkema says.
The company is also planning to reorganize its
Vlissingen site in the Netherlands in order to restore
the facility’s competitiveness. Part of the Functional
Additives business unit, the site manufactures addi-
tives for PVC processing, including impact modifiers,
processing aids and heat stabilizers. It also manufactures
a range of additives for the glass-coating sector as well as
a line of tin derivatives for agrochemicals.
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Additives for Polymers
The latter activity has been generating losses for a
number of years as a result of steadily falling demand,
increasingly stringent regulations and rising raw material
costs, and Vlissingen’s management are therefore pro-
posing to close this manufacturing line. This plan would
entail an overall reorganization of the site, and would
result in the loss of 57 jobs from the current headcount
of 154. A redundancy plan will be negotiated locally
with the trade unions.
Arkema achieved sales of 1.488 billion in 1Q 2007,
level with the same period in 2006. A 3.5% increase in
average sales prices together with organic volume growth
of +1.2% compensated for the reduction in volume
resulting from restructuring measures (-1.9%) and nega-
tive currency conversion effects (-2.6%). EBITDA was
up 20% to 134 million compared to 112 million
in 1Q 2006, while quarterly net income was up nearly
fivefold to 44 million from 9 million last year, con-
firming the company’s swift transformation, Arkema
says. Business overall was steady, with sound demand in
Europe and Asia.
Performance Products sales remained stable at 463
million, up 3.2% at constant exchange rate, and despite
the urea formaldehyde resins closures. This improve-
ment results from an increase in unit selling prices and
in volumes across all business units. In line with 2006,
when the priority was to restore the competitiveness of
this segment, EBITDA increased 35% to 54 million,
while EBITDA margin stood at 11.7% compared to
8.6% in 1Q 2006. However, results for the Functional
Additives segment were affected by the US construction
market slowdown and increased tin prices.
Contact:
Arkema Inc, 420, rue d’Estienne d’Orves, F-92705 Colombes
Cedex, France. Tel: +33 1 4900 8080, Fax: +33 1 4900 8396,
Web: www.arkemagroup.com
Clariant adds natural colour
and additive masterbatches for
biopolymers
W ith biodegradable and compostable
biopolymers increasingly in demand for
‘green’ packaging and consumer goods applica-
tions, Clariant Masterbatches is introducing a
September 2007

new family of all-natural colorants and additives
for use in these environmentally friendly poly-
mers. Based on natural materials like flowers,
the new RENOL®-natur colour masterbatches and
CESA®-natur additive masterbatches are biode-
gradable and renewable, making them ideal for
marketers who emphasize conservation and sus-
tainability, the company says.
Until now, users of green polymers such as PLA
(polylactic acid), PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate), PHB
(polyhydroxybutyrate) and starch-based resins have
generally had to use conventional, synthetic colorants,
additives and carrier resins that are mostly derived
from fossil fuels and are not so environmentally friend-
ly, says Clariant. ‘When the materials are composted,
the polymers themselves may break down to their nat-
ural components, but the colorants and additives do
not. While this is a relatively minor issue now, it may
become more acute as consumption increases’, explains
Chris Pandis, global head of packaging for Clariant
Masterbatches. However, RENOL-natur and CESA-
natur are derived mainly from plants, and are believed
to represent the first commercial introduction of col-
our and additive masterbatches that are all-natural and
made entirely from sustainable resources.
Available RENOL-natur colours include red, orange,
yellow and green, while blue is in the final stages of
development. Orange curcuma comes from the root of
the spice plant turmeric, and yellow urucum is found
in flowers that grow in tropical regions like Brazil. The
greens come from chlorophyll and other plant sources,
while the natural carmine red colorants are derived
from the cochineal insect. These colours can be com-
bined to create additional shades and tones. Physical
properties, such as lightfastness, are not as high as
would be expected from non-renewable pigments, so
they are not suitable for all projects, the company says.
‘RENOL-natur colours are very earthy and organic-
looking, some with excellent clarity’, says Pandis, ‘so
they are perfect for marketers who want to distinguish
sustainable packaging from similar products made with
conventional polymers’. Carrier resins can include any
of the popular biopolymers. Processing characteristics
are said to be similar to those associated with conven-
tional masterbatches.
Most existing international standards require bio-
degradation of 60% within 180 days along with
certain other criteria for the resin or product to be
September 2007
MATERIALS
called ‘compostable’. These standards generally do not
include a requirement for leaving zero non-degradable
residue, which has been taken to mean that conven-
tional colorants (even inorganic materials) can be used
in otherwise biodegradable polymers. However, many
customers now want either to avoid the use of any
materials that do not break down completely in the
environment or to find sustainable solutions made
from renewable resources, Clariant says. All of the new
RENOL-natur colours meet or exceed the EN 13432
standard for biodegradable plastics packaging, and
European food-packaging approvals are expected in the
near future, according to the company.
Contact:
Clariant Masterbatches Division, Rothausstrasse 61, CH-4132
Muttenz 1, Switzerland. Tel: +41 61 469 6170, Fax: +41 61 469
6597, Web: www.clariant.masterbatches.com
Milliken unveils ‘first cost-
effective’ PE nucleating agent
M illiken Chemical will launch a new grade
of its Hyperform HPN-20E nucleating
agent for polyethylene this autumn at the
Düsseldorf K 2007 show. The company claims
the new product will make cost-effective prop-
erty modification of PE ‘a first-time reality for
converters, resin and masterbatch producers’.
According to Milliken, the new agent can opti-
mize similar properties to the existing Hyperform
product range, including productivity, quality,
thermal expansion coefficient and mechanical
properties.
The K 2007 show will also see Milliken introduce
a new Millad clarifying agent grade NX8000 for use
in polypropylene. With the new grade, the company
claims to have achieved a new breakthrough level
of haze reduction compared with existing clarifiers,
together with other benefits such as good thermal
properties, impact resistance and cost effectiveness.
Milliken believes that the enhanced performance of
NX8000 will expand the potential for further sub-
stitution of inherently clear plastics and glass with
polypropylene, opening up ‘previously unexplored
product areas’.
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Additives for Polymers