Lanxess' new water-based dyestuffs for leather finishing

Lanxess AG has added a new, water-based dyestuffs to its portfolio of leather finishing products. The Levaderm WB range includes the colour shades yellow, orange, red, bordeaux, blue, navy blue, green, light brown, medium brown, black brown, grey and black.

They are suitable for spray or through feed dyeing, effect, base and top coats.

Levaderm WB dyestuffs are solvent-free and not flammable. All products meet the requirements of REACH Annex XVII, Entry 43, with regard to the manufacturing, marketing and use of azo dyestuffs. They are also not based on heavy metals such as lead, mercury, chromium(VI), arsenic, nickel or cobalt.

“The new Levaderm WB range is characterized by high yield, pure brilliance, very good levelling power and excellent fastness properties,” said Dr Thomas Brackemeyer, head of the organic leather chemicals business line in Lanxess leather business unit (LEA).

Lanxess' new water-based dyestuffs for leather finishing

Monetizing the industrial internet of things

The industrial internet of things could be the final expression of where the data scope is advancing in the next couple of years.

A new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI) gives a glimpse into the actual insight and application of internet of things (IoT) throughout the industrial sector.

This report is based on a survey of US manufacturers.

Key findings of the report on IoT survey:

• IoT deployments are accelerating: 38 percent of manufacturers are now offering IoT-driven products and services; an additional 48 percent are currently in the process of developing them

• About half of manufacturers (47 percent) currently offering IoT products and services are selling customer-managed IoT platforms (i.e., selling a bundling of product and IoT service, related data gathering and analysis technology, and software

• Over the next five years, manufacturers expect that the revenue driven by IoT-based products and services will increase by an average 10 percent of total revenue

• The most common reasons manufacturers offer IoT-driven products and services are: competitive pressures; prospects for new revenue and return on investment and customer demand

• Only 14 percent of manufacturers surveyed say they have created go-to-market IoT strategies, and roughly half are in the creation process, suggesting that some companies are offering IoT products without a clear strategy to market those products

Read more: Monetizing the industrial internet of things

SDK supplies hydrogen made from used plastics to Tomoe Shokai

TOKYO, JAPAN: Showa Denko K K (SDK) started to supply low-carbon hydrogen gas made from used plastics (low-carbon hydrogen) at its Kawasaki Plant to Tomoe Shokai Co Ltd in Koto-ku, Tokyo.

Tomoe Shokai is a retailer of high-pressure gases, headquartered in Ota-ku, Tokyo.

In cooperation with Tomoe Shokai, SDK supplies hydrogen gas to Shinsuna Hydrogen Station owned and operated by Tomoe Shokai and fills the tanks of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) with hydrogen.

SDK supplies hydrogen made from used plastics to Tomoe Shokai

Tosoh to increase high-silica zeolite production in Nanyo complex

Tosoh Corporation will be expanding its production capacity for high-silica zeolite (HSZ) at its Nanyo complex in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. Construction there on additional HSZ manufacturing facilities is slated to begin in May 2018 and to conclude in March 2019 at a cost of approximately ¥10 billion ($1.49 billion).

Tosoh produces HSZ in Japan at its Yokkaichi complex as well as its Nanyo complex and overseas in Malaysia. The Nanyo complex’s new facilities will raise Tosoh’s overall HSZ production capacity 30 percent beyond its current level.

HSZ is a synthetic zeolite featuring excellent thermal and acid stability. It is used to reduce environmental impact in purifying catalysts for automobile exhausts, as a catalyst in petroleum refining and petrochemicals production, as well as an adsorption material for volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Read more: Tosoh to increase high-silica zeolite production in Nanyo complex

Finding new oil basins boost oilfield stimulation chemicals market

Oilfield Stimulation Chemicals are revolutionary products that are designed to support and enhance the stimulation process during oil extraction. Stimulation treatments are carried out to improve or restore the productivity of an oil well. Oilfield Stimulation Chemicals helps in the free flow of hydrocarbons from wells, according to a report Future Market Insights.

Oilfield Stimulation Chemicals are commonly used in hydraulic fracturing treatment and matrix treatments especially in the processes of emulsification, wetting and compatibilization. They are also used in high-stability foaming systems for formation blocking and foam fracturing. It is also used in down-hole stimulation fluids including slick water fracturing applications.

These chemicals are finding high usage in various applications and new geographical areas which are driving the market. Different types of chemicals are used in the various process of oil extraction viz acids, biocides, corrosion inhibitors, friction reducers, gelling agents/ viscosities, iron control agents, water control polymers and breakers.

Out of these, gelling agents or viscosities is the most widely used oilfield stimulation chemical with largest market share. Most commonly used technique among oilfield stimulation is acid stimulation whose work is to clean existing fractures by dissolving filling materials (mostly drilling mud or secondary minerals) and moulding them for an efficient removal. An acid treatment technique is used in bearing rock formations for many years to maintain or increase the rate of flow of oil from production wells or the rate of flow of oil-displacing fluids into injection wells. Because of its vast usage oil field, stimulation chemicals market will witness an escalating demand in the oil industry.

Market Dynamics

Read more: Finding new oil basins boost oilfield stimulation chemicals market

Supreme Court bans use of 5 toxic chemicals in fireworks

The Supreme Court of India has banned fireworks manufacturers from using five dangerous chemical substances that stir up air and noise pollution, an order that is likely to mean firecrackers with reduced sound and light effects this Diwali.

The substances barred are lithium, antimony, mercury, arsenic and lead.

Lithium is a metal used to impart red colour to fireworks, while antimony is used to create glitter effects. Lead oxide provides a special crackling effect which, if inhaled, in high concentration could cause damage to the nervous system.

A bench of Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta banned the use of the substances in the manufacture of firecrackers after senior officers of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation (PESO) briefed the court about their impact.

The court also directed CPCB and PESO to lay down standards with regard to the chemical composition of firecrackers.

Read more: Supreme Court bans use of 5 toxic chemicals in fireworks

Lanxess doubles membrane capacity in Germany

Lanxess AG said that it has doubled its membrane capacities at Bitterfeld plant in Germany.

The market for reverse osmosis membrane elements is currently projected to continue growing at an above-average annual rate of ten percent (CAGR 2015-2020) in the years ahead. Because the plant was already operating almost at the limit of its capacity, Lanxess decided to double it.

Production of membrane elements for the Lewabrane line is a multi-stage process. It begins with the fabrication of a thin-film composite membrane comprising several individual layers. A polysulfone base layer and an active filter layer are applied on a nonwoven base substrate. The filter layer is made of polyamide and applied in a complex coating process. Produced as flat components, the reverse osmosis membranes are then wound by fully automated autowinders into spiral-shaped elements. This design helps to conduct untreated water towards the membrane surface and to collect the permeate (filtrate).

In addition to the membrane elements plant, Lanxess also operates the world’s largest plant for monodisperse ion exchange resins in Bitterfeld.

“We have expanded the capacity of our plant in Bitterfeld so that we can continue meeting the rising demand for reverse osmosis membrane elements. This step makes us even more attractive as a supplier to major customers,” said Jean-Marc Vesselle, head of the liquid purification technologies business unit at Lanxess.

Read more: Lanxess doubles membrane capacity in Germany