Specialty Chemicals | Earthwise Fire Safety Blog

Albemarle Supports EPA Efforts to Address PBDEs

July 12th, 2012

BATON ROUGE, La., July 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – In a letter to Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB) today offered its support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to finalize its proposed actions on Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Such action will ensure that decaBDE will not be imported into the United States after December 31, 2013.

In the letter, Dr. David Clary, Albemarle’s Chief Sustainability Officer, commented, “Albemarle supports the EPA proposal to amend the PBDE SNUR to designate manufacturing, importing, or processing of decaBDE for any use which is not ongoing after December 31, 2013 as a significant new use. Further, Albemarle supports the EPA’s efforts to promulgate a test rule for PBDEs if it determines that manufacture (including import) or processing of PBDEs has not ceased by December 31, 2013.”

Albemarle, in cooperation with the EPA, announced a voluntary phase out of its production of decaBDE in 2009. The company is on schedule to cease commercial production of decaBDE entirely by the end of 2012 in accordance with its agreement with EPA and will limit commercial sales within the United States in 2013 to only transportation and military applications requiring that additional transition time.

While many science-based and peer-reviewed studies have shown decaBDE to be safe in its intended use, Albemarle is committed to delivering safe and effective products with increasingly smaller environmental footprints. The company’s proactive innovation has allowed it to bring two polymeric flame retardants to market in the last few years: GreenArmor and GreenCrest. These polymeric flame retardants, marketed under the Earthwise™ portfolio, represent the latest fire safety technology and provide additional certainty about product safety as they can’t be absorbed by animal or human cells. GreenCrest has successfully completed review by EPA’s New Chemicals Program and GreenArmor has been submitted for such a review.

About Albemarle
Albemarle Corporation, headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is a leading global developer, manufacturer, and marketer of highly-engineered specialty chemicals for consumer electronics, petroleum refining, utilities, packaging, construction, automotive/transportation, pharmaceuticals, crop protection, food-safety and custom chemistry services. The Company is committed to global sustainability and is advancing its eco-practices and solutions in its three business segments, Polymer Solutions, Catalysts and Fine Chemistry. Corporate Responsibility Magazine selected Albemarle to its prestigious “100 Best Corporate Citizens” list for 2010 and 2011. Albemarle employs approximately 4,000 people and serves customers in approximately 100 countries. Albemarle regularly posts information to www.albemarle.com, including notification of events, news, financial performance, investor presentations and webcasts, Regulation G reconciliations, SEC filings, and other information regarding the Company, its businesses and the markets we serve.

“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding Albemarle Corporation’s business that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Tags: albemarle corporation, Green Chemistry, specialty chemicals, Sustainability, sustainable business
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Siemens Develop ABS Plastic Alternative

June 8th, 2012

Researchers at technology company Siemens have developed an alternative material to polystyrene-based acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) plastic made from renewable-based polymers and carbon dioxide.

The new material — a result of a three-year project funded by the German Research Ministry and in collaboration with BASF, Munich Techical University and the University of Hamburg scientists — is a mixture of polyhdroxybutyrate (PHB) bioplastic and carbon dioxide-based polypropylene carbonate (PPC) (containing 43% by weight CO2) supplied by BASF.

According to the press release, the new composite polymer has more than 70% renewable-based content. Bosch-Siemens-Hausgeräte (BSH) demonstrated its performance by using the material to make a vacuum cleaner cover under series-production conditions. In cooperation with BSH and BASF, the Siemens researchers now want to examine whether they can replace other types of plastic used by BSH with CO2-based composite materials.

Source: Icis

Tags: albemarle corporation, Brominated Flame Retardants, Eco-friendly flame retardant, specialty chemicals
Posted in Company Information, Education, Green Chemistry, In the news, Products

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Albemarle Announces Plans to Exit Phosphorous Flame Retardants Business

May 17th, 2012

BATON ROUGE, La., May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — In order to restructure its business portfolio and address underperforming assets, Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), a leader in the global specialty chemicals market, announced today that it plans to exit its existing phosphorous flame retardants business. Albemarle currently produces phosphorus flame retardants, part of its Polymer Solutions business segment, at its Avonmouth, United Kingdom and Nanjing, China manufacturing sites. The proposal to exit the business and cease operations at the Avonmouth, UK site is subject to consultation with its employees, which has begun. In addition, the process to cease operations at the Nanjing, China site has also begun.

The cash outlay related to the above proposals is expected to be in the range of $5 million to $15 million with payback in approximately one year. As a consequence of these plans, the company would expect to incur a one-time after-tax accounting charge in the range of $80 million to $95 million in the second quarter 2012, which would include costs such as severance, asset write-downs and closure costs. Once these actions are completed, including a restructuring program intended to eliminate costs allocated to the phosphorus business, annual earnings per share should improve by $0.10 to $0.15 per share in 2013.

“One of the fundamental drivers of Albemarle’s future growth is our ability to manage our business portfolio and show discipline in addressing underperforming assets or product lines. It has become clear that our current phosphorus business and product lines are not strategically aligned with Vision 2015’s growth plans,” commented Luke Kissam, Albemarle’s Chief Executive Officer. “We recognize the impact a proposed closure would have on our employees, their families and the communities where they live, and we will strive to minimize this impact,” added Kissam.

Subject to the conclusion of the consultation process in the UK, production at both facilities will cease upon completion of customer contracts.

SOURCE Albemarle Corporation

Tags: albemarle corporation, brominated compounds, Brominated Flame Retardants, Eco-friendly flame retardant, flame retardant, specialty chemicals
Posted in Brominated Flame Retardants, Company Information, Eco-friendly flame retardant, Education, albemarle

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The Bromine Market to Reach 344 Thousand Metric Tons by 2017

April 27th, 2012

According to a new report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. , the US market for bromine will reach 344 thousand metric tons. This includes Flame Retardants, Drilling Fluids, Brominated Pesticides, Water-Treatment Chemicals, and Others. These predictions are provided for the time between the years of 2009 and 2017. Although the US bromine market witnessed a minor drop in the need of bromine during 2008 and 2009, the market eventually saw the signs of recovery in 2010 and is confident that the growth will continue in the coming years.

Thirty companies included in this report are many key and niche players such as Albemarle Corporation, Arab Potash Company, Chemada Fine Chemicals Company Ltd., Chemtura Corporation, Biolab Inc., Hindustan Salts Limited, Israel Chemicals Limited, Dead Sea Bromine Company Ltd., Clearon Corporation, ICL-IP America, Inc., Jordan Bromine Company Ltd., Morre–Tec Industries, Inc., Ocean Chemical Group, Solaris ChemTech Ltd., Tata Chemicals Ltd., Tetra technologies Inc., The Dow Chemical Company, and Tosoh Corporation.

The research report titled “Bromine: A US Market Report” announced by Global Industry Analysts Inc., provides a complete examination of the US and select regional bromine markets, current market trends, competitive scenario, product overview, recent industry activity, and profiles of major/niche global as well as regional market participants.

For more details about this comprehensive market research report, please click here.

Tags: albemarle, albemarle corporation, brominated compounds, Brominated Flame Retardants, Eco-friendly flame retardant, specialty chemicals
Posted in Brominated Flame Retardants, Company Information, Education, albemarle

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Albemarle Introduces Next Product in the Earthwise Portfolio of Sustainable, Eco-Friendly Solutions

April 12th, 2012

Innovative polymeric fire safety solution is result of technology license from Dow

(BATON ROUGE, La.) April 12, 2011–Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), a leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of flame retardants, announced today that it has expanded its Earthwise™ platform of sustainable products by introducing a new polymeric flame retardant for use in extruded (XPS) and expanded (EPS) polystyrene applications.

This new technology, licensed from Dow Global Technologies LLC (DGTL), a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), will be commercialized under Albemarle’s Earthwise brand and provides a stable, high molecular weight, non-PBT (Persistent, Bioaccumulative, Toxic) polymeric technology for use in these demanding applications. This new technology is expected to become the preferred choice to meet critical fire safety requirements for both XPS and EPS.

Albemarle’s agreement to manufacture and sell this premium technology confirms the company’s commitment to provide customers with sustainable, innovative fire safety solutions that meet the increasing demands of global regulations and standards, such as energy efficiency and sustainable design for these thermal insulation materials.

“This expansion of our Earthwise portfolio is another sign of our position as the industry leader in flame retardants, and joins our other key polymeric platforms, Green Armor™ and our family of brominated polystyrene products, SAYTEX® HP-3010, HP-7010 and 621,” said Brian Carter, Division Vice President of global brominated flame retardants. “Albemarle expects to commercialize this new technology in 2014 and is already working closely with customers to fully qualify the product in both applications.”

Albemarle’s flame retardant business is part of the Company’s fire safety solutions within the Polymer Solutions business segment.

Whether consumers are watching a television, sitting on a sofa, taking a commercial airline flight, or swallowing ibuprofen to relieve a headache, Albemarle products are there making lives safer and more livable. For more information, visit www.earthwiseinside.com.

Albemarle Media Contact: Ashley Mendoza, (225) 388-7137, Ashley.Mendoza@albemarle.com

Albemarle Investor Relations Contact: Lorin Crenshaw, (225) 388-7322, Lorin.Crenshaw@albemarle.com

About The Dow Chemical Company
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow’s diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.

The Dow Chemical Company Media Contact: Erik van Oosten, (989) 636-5090, evanoosten@dow.com

Tags: albemarle, albemarle corporation, earthwise, eco-friendly, Green Chemistry, specialty chemicals, Sustainability
Posted in Company Information, Education, Green Chemistry, In the news, Products, Sustainability, albemarle

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Green Flame Retardants Featured in Specialty Chemicals Magazine

April 2nd, 2012

Dr. Kumar G. Kumar gave SCM in-depth performance data about Albemarle’s upcoming eco-friendly flame retardant, GreenArmor. The flame retardant will be the first of a line of environmentally preferred products released by Albemarle under their Earthwise division.

Researchers like Dr. Kumar have developed stable low molecular weight brominated polymers using readily available raw materials. These polymers have a wide range of properties that can be tailored to offer specific physical and flame retardant performance in any given resin system. GreenArmor is the first of this new generation polymers and has high bromine content, better FR efficiency, is melt-blendable and can be used in both thermoplastic and thermoset polymers. Polymers flame retarded with GreenArmor have excellent mechanical and electrical properties, offer better thermal and color stability and have excellent recyclability.

This isn’t Dr. Kumar’s first time presenting on GreenArmor, and for more details you can view slides from his BCC presentation here, or read Dr. Kumar’s study here.

Tags: Brominated Flame Retardants, earthwise, Eco-friendly flame retardant, flame retardant, polymer solutions, specialty chemicals
Posted in Brominated Flame Retardants, Company Information, Conferences, Eco-friendly flame retardant, GreenArmor, In the news, Sustainability, albemarle

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Being Green & Eco-Friendly is Harder Than It Seems

March 21st, 2012

Flame retardant expert Susan D. Landry reveals how green chemistry advancements will progress

Landry works with Earthwise™, a division of Albemarle, which will release an environmentally preferred flame retardant, GreenArmor™, later this year. Creating an industry with minimized environmental impact begins with the research and development of eco-friendly, non-bioaccumulative compounds, like GreenArmor, but involves players at every level of production and implementation.

Landry highlights three things necessary for increased sustainability:

Mandatory regulations
Voluntary phase-outs
Life-cycle awareness

Landry asks that users of flame retardants participate in VECAP (Voluntary Emissions Control Action Program) to address emissions in the manufacturing, processing and waste disposal stages of the product life-cycle.

To find out more, go see Landry’s presentation, “Regulatory Status and Sustainability of Flame Retardants,” at the IPC It’s Not Easy Being Green symposium, July 19-21 2010. You can view the presentation slides here.

Regulatory Status and Sustainability of Flame Retardants

About the Presenter

With over twenty-five years with Albemarle, Susan D. Landry serves as the company’s Advisor, Fire Safety & Advocacy. In this role, Susan promotes the benefits of Albemarle’s flame retardant products with a wide variety of stakeholders, particularly in the U.S. A respected expert on flame retardants, Susan has received fourteen patents related to these products and has presented numerous papers and presentations on flame retardants, with a particular emphasis on fire safety, regulatory, and recyclability. She recently authored a chapter (“Changing Chemical Regulations and Demands”) in the American Chemical Society Book entitled, “Fire Retardancy ofPolymeric Materials, 2nd Edition.” Susan has served on an assessment panel in the Building & Fire Research Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and she is a member of the SPE, SFPE, and SAE. Susan received a Bachelor of Science in Polymer Science from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1984.

Tags: albemarle corporation, Brominated Flame Retardants, earthwise, Eco-friendly flame retardant, flame retardant, specialty chemicals
Posted in Brominated Flame Retardants, Conferences, Education, Products, albemarle

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Good Science – the Cure for Better Living

March 16th, 2012

Today, we take for granted that our medicines and juices are pure, our meat does not harbor bacteria and many consumer products may be used safely.

Standards for health and safety have been established by credible scientific research. Everyone relies on the precise analysis of chemists and other scientists to give us peace of mind when using countless products every day. This safety was not always the case.

In the 1920s, it was common for companies to use mercury in laxatives. Under the then-ineffectual Federal Drug Administration, manufacturers did not list the ingredients in their products. Nor were they required to test their products for safe usage. Consumers, and even the drug-makers themselves, were unaware of any hidden poisons.

Contemporary scientists analyzed the biochemical effects of substances found in the home and pharmacy. Their studies revealed that the mercury of the laxative medicine, for example, accumulated in the body and caused death.

The ground-breaking research of these scientists, who carefully built the model for forensic medicine, is the subject of The Poisoner’s Handbook by Deborah Blum.

The book recounts how, between 1918 and 1936, a team of doctors, chemists and toxicologists developed procedures that revealed how unsafe many medicines and consumer products were.

The importance of reliable scientific research, which occurs behind the scenes before products are brought to market, cannot be over-estimated. As reviewer Matthew Pearl states, The Poisoner’s Handbook will “transform the way you think about the power of science to . . . save our lives.”

Tags: Eco-friendly flame retardant, Green Chemistry, scientific research, specialty chemicals, Sustainability, The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum.
Posted in Education, In the news, Market studies, Packaging, Plastics, Products, Sustainability

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Albemarle’s PDC was recognized for its emissions reduction.

March 4th, 2012

Albemarle’s largest U.S.-based R&D location as well as a growing manufacturing facility, the Process Development Center (PDC) sits on a 36-acre site on Gulf States Road in Baton Rouge, LA., staffed with a dedicated team of Engineers, Chemists, Researchers, and Technologists.

At the PDC, Albemarle’s professionals perform fundamental research and product development in the laboratories, Pilot Plant Development, Market Development for initial commercialization, as well as full-scale Manufacturing. The PDC offers a unique combination of laboratory synthesis experience, scale-up capabilities, world class analytical capabilities, and versatile manufacturing processes. This combination allows the PDC to rapidly develop new products and processes, support process and product development for our customers, as well as for Albemarle Sites around the World.

Albemarle continues to make significant investments in the PDC to improve and expand Research and Development capabilities along with significant Manufacturing capacity to support the Polymer Solutions, Polymer Catalysts, Alternative Fuels, and Fine Chemicals businesses.

For information on Albemarle, click here.

Tags: albemarle corporation, Brominated Flame Retardants, Green Chemistry, polymer solutions, specialty chemicals
Posted in Brominated Flame Retardants, Company Information, Education, Sustainability, VECAP, albemarle

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Green Future for Polyurethanes Industry Unveiled at UTECH Europe 2012

February 21st, 2012

LONDON & MAASTRICHT, The Netherlands, Feb 01, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — A session titled ‘Green Chemistry,’ detailing the latest advances in sustainable manufacturing processes for key polyurethane raw materials, will open the technical programme of the prestigious UTECH Europe 2012 conference on Tuesday 17 April. The session comprises 12 papers which are expected to announce developments in the production of useful raw materials from natural and renewable resources from specialists working on several key technologies at research establishments throughout Europe, in the Middle East and in North America.

‘Green Chemistry’ is the first of 11 different sessions in the conference, which runs 17-19 April at the MECC in Maastricht, the Netherlands, alongside a major exhibition where more than 100 companies will be showcasing their latest offerings for the polyurethanes industry. This combination of a high-level conference – with more than 90 presentations, as detailed in the full programme available at http://www.utecheurope.eu – with a major exhibition gives the UTECH events a unique appeal: in just three days delegates and visitors can come up to speed in every significant area of technical and commercial development in this still fast-moving technology.

Of particular interest in the Green Chemistry session will be the two opening presentations from Bayer MaterialScience detailing the latest state of play in their fascinating work converting waste carbon dioxide into useful polyurethane raw materials. Christoph Gurtler will present From Waste to Value: CO2-based Polyols, while colleague Hans-Georg Pirkl considers CO2-based Polyols: A Future New Product Class for the Flexible Foam Market? Erwin Honcoop of Purac will also discuss his company’s work in a paper titled Products Based on Renewable Materials with a Minimum Impact on CO2-Emission.

A further nine presentations in the session will highlight advances in other areas of ‘green chemistry,’ including the latest work from Green Urethanes Ltd of the UK in raising incorporation levels of renewably resourced polyols in flexible foam formulations to 100-percent, while other specialists will detail their latest developments using a wide range of natural and renewable resources.

Among these are Angela Smits of Croda who is presenting Bio-based Priplast Polyols for High-Performance Polyurethane Elastomers and a team from the Amirkabir University of Technology, Department Polymer Engineering in Tehran presenting From Aminolysis Product of PET Waste to Novel Biodegradable Polyurethanes, while Aleksander Prociak of Cracow University of Technology will look in depth at Polyurethane Foams and Composites Based on Renewable Raw Materials.

Jeff Rowlands of Green Urethanes will cover Expanding the Use of Natural Oil Polyols in Urethane Foam Formulations. Pietro Campaner of Cimteclab will deliver a paper on Innovative Bio-Based Aromatic Polyols: Polycard XFNTM. Marieke Smidt of DSM Bio-based Products & Services will discuss Sustainable Polyurethane Opportunities with Biosuccinium.

Ugis Cabulis of the Institute of Wood Chemistry in Latvia presents details of the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme project Forbioplast: Developing Bio-based polyurethane Foams, and Minh Ta Ton-That of the National Research Council of Canada will deliver a paper entitled New Biopolyols from Non-Food Grade and Renewable Resources. In addition, Bob Miller of DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products in the US will present details of the use of its bio-synthetic propanediol building block, in a paper titled Susterra(R) Propanediol — Evaluating the Structure-Property Relationship in CASE Applications.

Often described as the hidden polymer, polyurethanes are ever more widely used throughout manufacturing and construction industries today. Applications are as diverse as automotive, aerospace, building and construction, furniture and bedding, electrical and electro-technical, footwear and textiles, mining and offshore, pipes and pipelines, refrigeration and building insulation as well as specialist surgical and medical products.

The UTECH Europe 2012 exhibition and conference offers materials specialists from across all these industries the perfect opportunity to see the latest global advances in polyurethane technology including all the raw materials and processing equipment used in making these versatile polymers. Among more than 100 exhibitors are industry leaders Bayer, BASF, Dow, Huntsman, BorsodChem/Wanhua, Shell, Repsol, Baule, Momentive, Silcart and Evonik, processing equipment makers such as Cannon, Hennecke, Impianti OMS and Beamech Ltd, as well as systems houses, technical consultancies, and test laboratories.

In 2009, the last time the UTECH Europe event was held, almost 3,000 exhibition visitors and several hundred conference delegates came from more than 85 different countries worldwide. As the global industry celebrates 75 years of polyurethane technology in 2012, similar numbers are expected to travel to Maastricht for all the latest information on the key raw materials, such as diisocyanates, polyester and polyether polyols, as well as formulated systems and the key ancillary chemicals such as surfactants, catalysts and flame retardants.

Manufacturing technology innovations unveiled at the exhibition will include the latest mixing and dispensing machinery, equipment for reaction injection moulding as well as the cutting equipment needed for making products based on flexible and rigid foams, elastomers. More specialised companies, such as those supplying the test equipment used in the industry and detailed market research, will also join the event, making it a one-stop source for the whole of the polyurethanes industry.

Anyone wishing to attend the paid-for UTECH Europe conference and the exhibition can now register online at www.utecheurope.eu . Discounts are available on conference bookings made before 29 February 2012. Entrance to the exhibition is free to all visitors who pre-register and costs EUR25 on the day for unregistered visitors. A wealth of travel and accommodation information is available on the event website.

About UTECH Europe 2012:

Held at the MECC in Maastricht, where The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium meet, UTECH Europe 2012 is uniquely placed as the only truly international exhibition and conference for the polyurethanes industry. Unique to Europe is the sheer breadth of the applications of polyurethanes technology. From tiny medical devices to the roof insulation of the highest skyscrapers, polyurethane-based product applications are wide and varied. In 2009 UTECH attracted an audience of just under 3,000 decision makers from 85 countries and the sector is predicted to grow rapidly in the coming years. Website: www.utecheurope.eu Twitter: www.twitter.com/utecheurope Linked In Group: http://linkd.in/utooZo

Tags: albemarle corporation, brominated compounds, Brominated Flame Retardants, earthwise, Eco-friendly flame retardant, Green Chemistry, specialty chemicals, Sustainability
Posted in Company Information, Conferences, Eco-friendly flame retardant, Education, Junk Science, Products, Sustainability, albemarle