F O C U S O N
carbon black, with effect from 28 Oct.
MARKETS
Sb2O3 – six price rises in 14 months
Antimony trioxide prices are going up
again, reflecting continuing escalation
in the price of antimony metal. On 12
Sep, Great Lakes Chemical Corp
announced that, with effect from 25
Sep 2002, prices for its Sb2O3
deliveries to customers in the
Americas would increase by $0.25 per
pound, while prices for deliveries to
customers in Europe and the
Asia/Pacific region would increase by
$550 per tonne. On 3 Oct, the
company announced that, with effect
from 26 Oct 2002, prices for its Sb2O3
deliveries to customers in the
Americas would increase by a further
$0.50 per pound, while prices for
deliveries to customers in Europe and
the Asia/Pacific region would increase
by $1100 per tonne.
Price increases for Sb2O3 had
already been implemented in Sep
2001, Apr, Jun and Aug 2002. (See
also ‘Focus on Pigments’, Jul 2002, 5).
At the same time as the latest price
rise for Sb2O3, Great Lakes Chemical
announced price increases for its
flame retardants based on penta-
bromodiphenyl oxide – by rather more
modest increments, namely $0.10 per
pound in the Americas and $220 per
tonne in Europe and Asia/Pacific.
Press releases, 12 Sep & 3 Oct 2002, from: Great
Lakes Chemical Corp, PO Box 2200, West Lafayette,
IN 47906, USA. Website:
http://www.greatlakeschem.com
DuPont raises prices for TiO2 supplied
to North American papermakers
With effect from 1 Oct 2002, DuPont
will raise the prices of its TiO2
pigments supplied to the North
American paper industry – by $0.04
per pound in the US market and by
C$0.06 per pound in the Canadian
market. These price rises will not
affect deliveries of pigments destined
for use in base papers used for
making decorative laminates.
European Chemical News, 16 Sep 2002, 77 (2021), 10
Degussa raises European prices for
pigment grades of carbon black
Degussa plans to raise European
prices for its pigment grades of
OCTOBER 2002
PIGMENTS
1995. Minerales & Arcillas (Minar),
The price of gas black will increase by
4.5%, the price of lamp black by 5%
and the price of furnace carbon black
by 7%.
European Chemical News, 21 Oct 2002, 77 (2026), 12
American Synpol raises prices for
carbon black masterbatch
With effect from 14 Oct 2002,
American Synpol (of Port Neches, TX)
intends to implement a $0.02 per
pound price increase on its carbon
black masterbatch shipments.
Press release, 1 Oct 2002, from: Ameripol Synpol
Corp, 146 South High Street, Akron, OH 44308-1493,
USA. Website: http://www.ameripol.com
World spending on iron oxide pigments
approaching $2 bn
According to SRI Consulting, world
expenditure on iron oxide pigments
was $1.8 bn in 2000, of which
Western Europe accounted for 39%,
North America for 30%, leaving 31%
for the rest of the world. By volume,
consumption breaks down as 71%
synthetic iron oxides, 29% natural
pigments. The construction industry
accounts for about 50% of total
demand, including notably paints and
concrete products such as roofing
tiles and paving slabs. Over the next
five years, SRI is forecasting 6-7%
growth in the offtake by the US
construction industry and this should
help to firm up iron oxide pigment
prices, which increased by 5% in early
2002 after suffering a slight decrease
last year.
Chemical Market Reporter, 1 Jul 2002 (Website:
http://www.chemicalmarketreporter.com)
Wollastonite, barytes & gypsum from
Mexico
In a survey of Mexico’s industrial
minerals industry, ‘IM’ notes that
wollastonite has become a prominent
item thanks to Nyco’s operations at
Hermosillo in the Sonora region. Mine
capacity is 240,000 tonnes/y and
Nyco has on-site facilities for
processing 150,000 tonnes/y of
wollastonite.
Mexican barytes production has
been shrinking. Current output is of
the order of 130,000 tonnes/y – only
just over half the level achieved in
with a 100,000 tonnes/y mine near
Galaena, is a significant barytes
producer.
Mexican gypsum production has
been stimulated by demand from
plasterboard manufacturers on the
West Coast of the United States.
Exports are now approaching 3 M
tonnes/y and major customers are
identified in a table in this survey.
Industrial Minerals, Jul 2002, (418), 24-35
GCC in the Yangtze area of China
China’s consumption of ground
calcium carbonate (GCC) is currently
estimated at around 5 M tonnes/y.
Two maps featured in this article
identify the locations of the main
marble deposits, the GCC plants and
the paper mills in the Yangtze area.
Imerys is one of the prominent foreign
participants in this industry, producing
up to 120,000 tonnes/y of GCC slurry
at its Wuhu complex.
Industrial Minerals, Jul 2002, (418), 48-53
Duty-free quota of 2500 tonnes on
Nepalese ZnO imported into India
Under the latest trade agreement
between India and Nepal, annual
quotas for duty-free imports of a
number of products have been set. In
respect of zinc oxide imports from
Nepal, the quota for the current fiscal
year will be 2500 tonnes. On imports
in excess of this amount, the Indian
Customs Authority will levy a tariff of
35.2%. The Customs Authority also
confirmed that imports from Nepal will
be permitted only via six specified
Customs stations – at Kakarbhitta/
Naxalbari, Biratnagar/Jogbani,
Birganj/Raxaul, Bhairahawa/Nautanwa,
Nepalgani/Nepalganj Road and
Mahendranagar/Banbasa.
Business Line, 31 Aug 2002, 9 (242), 11
European aniline production
approaching 1 M tonnes/y
Aniline was once the essential
building-block for the organic dyes
and pigments industry and although
aniline is still required for the
manufacture of certain colorants, by
far the major end-use for aniline
nowadays is in the manufacture of
methylene diphenyl diisocyanate
3
 F O C US
(MDI). About 80-85% of the world’s
aniline is accounted for by the
manufacture of MDI and MDI itself is
a key component in making
polyurethanes.
According to DeWitt consultants,
European production of aniline was
976,000 tonnes in 2001, virtually
unchanged from the prior year. In
2002, production is estimated at 1.017
M tonnes, representing a 4%
increase. There is still some
overcapacity in the European aniline
sector following a wave of expansions
during the late 1990s. However,
capacity utilisation has now improved
to almost 90% – compared with only
80% in 1999 – and, with no new
capacity anticipated, capacity
utilisation is expected to rise still
further. European aniline consumption
is forecast to increase at 4.4% per
annum between now and 2005.
Consumption growth over the past
two years has been slightly below this
trendline rate.
A table in this article shows details
of company, location and capacity of
aniline facilities in Europe, the US and
Asia. Two large Chinese projects are
on the horizon at the present time. In
4Q 2005, a 150,000 tonne/y aniline
plant is due to come on-stream at
Caojing, near Shanghai. The plant will
be operated by Shanghai Lianheng
Isocyanate, a joint venture involving
Huntsman, BASF and local partners.
A 200,000 tonne/y aniline project has
been proposed for installation at the
Nanjing Chemical Industry Park.
Meanwhile, Karoon Petrochemical
plans to commission a new 30,000
tonnes/y aniline plant at Bandar Imam
(Iran) by 2004.
European Chemical News, 8 Jul 2002, 77 (2013), 16
West European paintmakers use 2.2 M
tonnes/y of pigments, fillers &
extenders
The West European paint industry’s
overall consumption of pigments,
fillers and extenders amounted to 2.2
M tonnes, worth €5.3 bn in 2001. A
table in this article identifies pigment
and extender consumption by type.
Germany accounted for 694,050
tonnes altogether; Italy for 399,980
tonnes; France for 257,020 tonnes;
the UK for 234,015 tonnes; and Spain
for 179,995 tonnes, leaving 460,015
tonnes for other countries.
4 OCTOBER 2002
O N PIGMENTS
Consumption is forecast to reach 2.5
M tonnes, worth €6.4 bn by 2006.
European Paint and Resin News, Jun 2002, 40 (6), 13
PLANTS
Canada: Clariant – plastics
masterbatch
As foreshadowed in ‘Focus on
Pigments’, Dec 2001, 3, Clariant has
now closed its plastics masterbatch
plant at Mississauga, ON and
transferred operations from there to a
new plant at Lone Oak Court, near
Etobicoke, ON.
Chimie Hebdo, 30 Sep 2002, (186), 7 (in French)
China: Cabot, Shanghai Coking
Chemical & Yangzi Petrochemical –
carbon black
Shanghai Cabot Chemical Co is a
70:30 joint venture between Cabot
Corp (of the US) and Shanghai
Coking Chemical Co, established in
1988 to build and operate a carbon
black plant at a site in Shanghai. The
plant’s capacity was doubled to
70,000 tonnes/y in 1998 and further
expansion is now planned to meet
increased demand from Chinese
customers. Shanghai Cabot will invest
$25 M to install a new line, raising
capacity by more than 50,000
tonnes/y. The new line should be fully
operational by early 2004.
In connection with a separate
project, Cabot has signed a letter of
intent with Yangzi Petrochemical Co
to participate in building and running a
new carbon black plant at the chemical
industry park in Nanjing. Other major
projects planned for this park include:
a 100,000-200,000 tonnes/y vinyl
acetate plant; a 40,000 tonnes/y
polyacetals plant; a 50,000 tonnes/y
methyl methacryate plant; and a
100,000 tonnes/y plant for making
bottle-grade polyethylene
terephthalate (PET).
Rubber and Plastics News, 23 Sep 2002, 32 (4), 6 &
Chemical Week, 28 Aug-4 Sep 2002, 164 (34), s3-s6
China: Nippon Kayaku – dispersion
pigments
Effective Oct 2002, Nippon Kayaku
will double the capacities of its
facilities for making water-soluble
dyes and dispersion pigments at Wuxi
to 1000 tonnes/y and 2000 tonnes/y
respectively. These facilities were
originally set up by Wuxi Advanced
Chemicals, a joint venture between
Nippon Kayaku and a local enterprise.
However, Nippon Kayaku took 100%
control earlier this year. Also at Wuxi,
Nippon Kayaku operates a unit for
making reactive dyes, the capacity of
which was extended from 600
tonnes/y to 1000 tonnes/y last year.
Chimie Hebdo, 2 Sep 2002, (182), 8 (in French)
China: Puyang Guangpu – carbon black
Puyang Guangpu plans to increase
the capacity of its Puyang carbon
black plant (in Henan province) from
5000 tonnes/y to 40,000 tonnes/y.
The plant will continue to employ
locally developed process technology.
Chemical Week, 11 Sep 2002, 164 (35), 21
India: KMML – TiO2
Kerala Minerals & Metals Ltd (KMML)
has committed Rup 230 M to
expanding its TiO2 pigment capacity
at Sankaramangalam in the Kollam
district of Kerala. As part of this
expansion programme, the company
is about to install a 50,000 litres liquid
oxygen storage facility. ‘CW’ reports
that the programme is designed to
raise pigment capacity to 38,000
tonnes/y. However, this may be only
an interim target, because KMML’s
original plan called for raising pigment
capacity to 60,000 tonnes/y.
The company continues to benefit
from increased sales in both domestic
and export markets. The rate of sales
tax levied by the Kerala provincial
government is currently only 8%,
whereas the standard rate applicable
would be 30%. The lower rate came
into force following protests from both
KMML and the local TiO2 pigment
consumers. The government recently
notified an extension of the period for
charging the lower rate – to 31 Mar
2003.
Chemical Weekly, 1 Oct 2002, 48 (6), 112 & 15 Oct
2002, 48 (8), 116
India: Travancore Titanium – TiO2
For the year to end-March 2002,
Travancore Titanium Products (TTP)