The Urethane Blog

Hot Deals

The Everchem Specialty Chemical Hot Deals blast has gone out today.  This list contains specially priced surplus and distressed urethane raw materials.  Check out the blast here and subscribe if it is of interest to you:  http://eepurl.com/dA0Ab

 

BASF Announces TDI Increase

Effective May 15, 2011, or as contracts allow, BASF Corporation is raising the price for all
toluene diisocyanate (TDI) products by a $ 0.10 per pound. This price increase is in addition to
the price increases announced earlier.

GE Converts to Cyclopentane Blowing Agent

GE becomes First Full-line Appliance Manufacturer in the U.S. to Adopt New Technology, Drastically Reducing Carbon Footprint

• By transitioning to cyclopentane, GE’s Decatur, Ala., plant will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more than 400,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent annually. This is equal to the annual emissions of 78,000 cars on U.S. roads.
• The transition to cyclopentane will reduce foam insulation-related emissions in Decatur by 99 percent.

 

Decatur, Ala. - April 28, 2011 - (NYSE: GE) — GE Appliances & Lighting is leading the way as the first full-line appliance manufacturer in the U.S. to adopt a foam-blowing agent, known as cyclopentane, that significantly reduces the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the insulating process in the manufacturing of its top-freezer refrigerators in Decatur, Ala. Using cyclopentane – a foam-blowing agent used to propel insulation into the doors and cases of refrigerators – will reduce the facility’s GHG emissions from the foam-blowing process by 99 percent compared to the foam-blowing agent it replaces.¹

 

“GE Appliances & Lighting is looking at every aspect of environmental stewardship for our appliances — from manufacturing processes to more responsible product end-of-life management,” said Paul Surowiec, general manager, refrigeration, GE Appliances & Lighting. “We also offer hundreds of ENERGY STAR®-qualified models to ensure our appliances deliver efficiency and cost savings to consumers throughout the appliance’s life.”

 

Benefit Equivalent to CO2 of 78,000 Cars

By transitioning to cyclopentane as the foam-insulating agent for GE’s 16-, 17- and 18-cubic-foot top-freezer refrigerators this April, GE’s Decatur, Ala., plant will reduce GHG emissions from the foam-insulating process by more than 400,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent annually. This is equal to:

• The annual emissions of 78,000 cars on U.S. roads.²
• The annual CO2 absorbed by more than 100,000 acres of southeastern U.S. forest³ – an area equivalent to nearly seven Manhattan islands.⁴

This reduction from replacing the previous foam-insulating agent⁵ with cyclopentane is so significant that GE will actually reduce the GHG emissions of the entire Decatur manufacturing facility by more than 80 percent. And, compared to the insulator it replaces,⁶ initial tests indicate cyclopentane also increases the efficiency of the insulating foam, yielding energy efficiency improvements and cost savings for consumers.

 

“GE’s commitment to develop and deploy solutions for today’s environmental challenges is a top priority,” Surowiec said. “GE’s transition to cyclopentane as a foam-blowing agent for top-freezer refrigerators is another great step forward in the spirit of our company’s ecomagination^SM initiative.”

 

GE Creates Jobs

GE’s investments in more sustainable manufacturing are helping to create U.S. jobs, and the transition to cyclopentane and other product developments are expected to create 25 new jobs in Decatur. GE announced last October  plans to invest a total of $59 million in the Decatur manufacturing facility to create a Center of Excellence for top-freezer refrigerators and more sustainable manufacturing. This total investment will help retain more than 1,000 jobs.

 

Applauding the efforts of Decatur’s employees, plant manager Tom Rossi added, “This could not have happened without the complete dedication of our manufacturing employees and engineers here in Decatur. Making the transition happen has been a full-time job for many of us since last July, and I certainly appreciate the dedication that has enabled GE to become the first full-line appliance manufacturer in the U.S. to use cyclopentane in refrigerators.”

 

By 2014, GE will offer the highest percentage of U.S.-made refrigerators among full-line appliance makers, thanks to investments at GE’s U.S. refrigeration plants.

 

Making ecomagination a bigger part of GE

GE expects a significant reduction of the GHG emissions it produces by converting other U.S. refrigeration manufacturing facilities to cyclopentane within the next few years. GE plans to convert the refrigeration insulating manufacturing process at its side-by-side Center of Excellence in Bloomington, Ind., and its bottom-freezer refrigerator Center of Excellence in Louisville, Ky., to cyclopentane by 2014.

 

Additionally, GE was recently awarded the ENERGY STAR “Sustained Excellence” Award  for the sixth straight year, recognizing GE’s commitment to delivering high-efficiency products to consumers. GE also announced  in February that it is the first appliance manufacturer to partner with the Environmental Protection Agency on its Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD)  program, with a focus on refrigeration recycling best practices.

 

Download broadcast-quality footage  of manufacturing facility and interviews with cyclopentane experts.

 

 

1. Cyclopentane replaces HFC 134a.
2. Assuming the average rate of CO2 emissions per U.S. passenger car is 5.11 MT CO2 per year. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Emission Facts: Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle.
3. Average rate of CO2 sequestration by U.S. forest equals 3.7 MT of CO2 per acre per year. Source: U.S. EPA Climate Protection Partnerships Division - Unit Conversions, Emissions Factors, and Other Reference Data (2004).
4. According to the U.S. Census, Manhattan is approximately 23 square miles (land only): http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/3651003.html. One square mile is equal to 640 acres, meaning Manhattan island is approximately 14,720 acres: http://www.metric-conversions.org/area/square-miles-to-acres.htm. Calculation: 100,000/14,720 is equal to 6.8.
5. HFC-134a
6. HFC-134a

 

About GE Appliances & Lighting
GE Appliances & Lighting spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliances, lighting, systems and services for commercial, industrial and residential use. Technology innovation and the company's ecomagination(SM) initiative enable GE Appliances & Lighting to aggressively bring to market products and solutions that help customers meet pressing environmental challenges. General Electric (NYSE: GE), imagination at work, sells products under the Monogram®, Profile™, GE®, Hotpoint®, Reveal® and Energy Smart® consumer brands, and Tetra®, Vio™ and Immersion® commercial brands. For more information, consumers may visit www.ge.com .

http://pressroom.geconsumerproducts.com/pr/ge/ge-becomes-first-full-line-manufacturer-202327.aspx

Indirect Foam Buyers Sue

New group of PU foam buyers sue producers in US price-fixing case

07 April 2011 18:46  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS)--A new group of buyers has sued flexible polyurethane (PU) foam producers, potentially expanding the price-fixing lawsuit to thousands of consumers and hotels, but the lawyer representing the group had no immediate comment on Thursday.

The new group suing the producers represent consumers who bought mattresses, sofas, carpet padding and other products made with flexible foam, they said in the lawsuit.

Among the group is The Parker Co, the purchasing agent for Met 2 Hotel. Met 2 Hotel owns the JW Marriott Marquis hotel in Miami, Florida.

Because Parker and the others were end users who did not acquire the foam directly from the producers, they are called indirect purchasers.

The so-called direct purchasers have already sued the foam producers. They bought the foam directly from the producers and used it to make mattresses and other products.

They and the indirect purchasers accuse the PU foam producers of fixing prices and allocating market, and both are seeking class-action status.

The indirect purchasers did not estimate the possible size of their class.

However, they said it could number in the thousands. The indirect buyers could come from 31 states as well as the District of Columbia.

They would have bought PU-foam products from 1 January 1999. Damages could exceed $5m (€3.5m), the buyers said.

Marvin Miller, the interim lead counsel for the indirect buyers, did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

The indirect purchasers suing the producers are Parker, Greg Beastrom, Marjean Coddon, Susan Gomez, Joseph Jasinski, Henry Johs, Joseph Lord, Kirsten Luenz, Kory Pentland, Jonathan Rizzo, Catherine Wilkinson and Jeffrey Williams

The producers being sued are Carpenter, Flexible Foam Products, FXI-Foamex Innovations, Future Foam, Hickory Springs Manufacturing, Inoac, Leggett & Platt, Mohawk Industries, Otto Bock Polyurethane Technologies, Plastomer, Scottdel, Valle Foam, Vitafoam and the Woodbridge Group.

Leggett and Otto Bock have both denied the allegations made in the direct-purchaser lawsuit, which were also brought up in the indirect lawsuit.

Many of the foam producers being sued have filed their own price-fixing lawsuits against producers of polyether polyols and toluene di-isocyanate (TDI), the feedstock used to make foam. 

The litigation is pending in the US District Court of Kentucky.

http://www.icis.com/Articles/2011/04/07/9450558/new-group-of-pu-foam-buyers-sue-producers-in-us-price-fixing-case.html

More Pressure on Propylene

Enterprise Products Partners declared force majeure on polymer-grade propylene due to feedstock concerns stemming from recent refinery outages in Texas, as per Platts. The declaration could last through May, although no allocations were presently in effect.

Power outages idled the BP, Marathon, and Valero refineries in Texas City, Texas, on Monday night and early Tuesday morning, triggering a shelter-in-place declaration that lasted through mid-day Tuesday. At least two refineries - Valero's and Marathon's - were reported to be in restart mode as of Tuesday afternoon, but it was unclear when all three would be running at full speeds.

Such uncertainty prompted Enterprise to declare the force majeure. Enterprise's declaration could provide further upward pressure to already record-high spot and contract propylene values, as RGP has been in very short supply.

http://www.pu366.com/News_View.asp?NewsID=19908&KindDetailID=8

Asian TDI Market Overview

TDI Market is About to Warm up in May with Intensified Maintenances

2011-4-29

 

PUWORLD(2011-4-29)——It was heard that more than one TDI facilities are going to be maintained in May:

 

Shanghai BASF’s 160 kt/y TDI facility is going to start maintenance on May 23th.

 

KMCI’s 120 kt/y TDI facility located in Kashima has been shut down since the quake happened, and Omuta’s 120 kt/y TDI facility just started production, both of them are going to be overhauled between May 12^th-June 15^th.

 

KPX’s 100 kt/y TDI facility located in Yeosu, South Korea will be maintained from May 23th-June 3th.

 

Blue Star Taiyuan Chemical’s 40 kt/y TDI facility has been in shutdown since the beginning of this year and the restart date is not fixed.

 

Stimulated by these good news, players predicted that market is about to warm up then.

 

Meanwhile, markets in South-east Asia, India, Middle-east and Africa attracted some imports, which lowered domestic pressure of supply.

 

TDI downstream sponge market will enter traditional slack season after May and the possibility of stocks in large quantity is slim, increasing room is limited though supply is reduced.

http://en.puworld.com/news_article.asp?ArticleID=312116300

Bayer Sustainability Strategy

Green innovation at Bayer MaterialScience

By Doris de Guzman on April 28, 2011 3:48 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

ICIS now officially opens its annual Innovation Awards, which is handled by co-blogger and colleague John Baker. This year, the award has a new category called Best Innovation for Sustainability sponsored by Dutch chemical firm DSM.

This category intends to recognize companies that have been innovative in their approach to embracing sustainability practices in product development and production to ensure long-term business continuity and environment quality (I am quoting John's words here...).

I had an interview  a couple of weeks ago with Bayer MaterialScience's chief administrative officer Robert Kumpf who is also the head of Bayer North American Corporate Sustainability Community Council. He talked about sustainability-related development programs at BMS here in the US as well as some of the company's innovative new products and processs related to sustainability. I should have told him to try entering this year's ICIS Innovation Awards.

As like other corporate strategies, Bayer's sustainability challenge is to balance between economics, environment and social responsibility (you might have hear it as People, Planet, Profit in another sustainability language). Corporate social responsibility and innovation are two major aspects in the company's sustainability strategies especially for Bayer MaterialScience, said Kumpf.

"The biggest contribution that chemical companies, in general, and Bayer, in particular, can give is in the area of carbon abatement and reducing energy use. If you're a chemicals/materials company like us, we can do an awful lot to reduce carbon emissions and energy use," said Kumpf.

He noted the US carbon footprint -- at 7.1 gigaton -- is mostly coming from manufacturing facilities, vehicles, and buildings (commercial and home). Kumpf said Bayer MaterialScience has a wide range of product portfolio and technologies ranging from insulating materials such as polyurethane foams, energy-saving lighting elements such as LEDs, and chemical processing that can significantly contributes to energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

The green blog is actually familiar with Bayer MaterialScience's EcoCommercial Building program, which the company launched in late 2009. The program aims to raise awareness among key players in the construction industry of the significant potential of developing zero-emissions public and commercial building using integrated energy and material solutions.

Possible solutions, according to Bayer, include PU systems for floor coatings; long-life light emitting diode indoor and outdoor lighting systems; PU insulation for roofs, walls and floors, polycarbonate (PC) sheets for roofing constructions, glazing, skylights and facades; PU sealing systems; and solvent-free adhesives.

The blog's attention, however, is more fascinated by some of BMS's new chemical processing technologies. Kumpf cited as examples the company's pilot project in Germany, which produces polyurethanes using carbon dioxide as feedstock; a new chlorine plant in Germany that uses a technology called "oxygen depolarized cathode", which reduces electricity consumption by up to 30% lower than standard membrane technology; and its toluene diisocyanate (TDI) plant in China, which features a gas phase process that enables energy saving of up to 60% compared with conventional TDI plant of the same size. The plant started in late 2008.

According to Kumpf, the new TDI process uses up to 80% less solvent and cut investment costs by some 20%. BMS is replacing its existing TDI plants in Germany with the new process. For the chlorine technology, BMS said it expects to reduce 250,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents using the process by 2020.

 

 

Kumpf also noted internal sustainability initiatives in the US. The company said it has started training programs on sustainability thinking for its employees.

"We try to embed sustainability thinking into the minds of our own employees, which are the source of our innovation," said Kumpf. "Even simple activities such as recycling, saving energy use and reducing material waste go a long way." 

Kumpf did not disclose how much the company profited from its sustainability strategies.

Among Bayer's businesses, Bayer MaterialScience, by the way, is responsible for around 80% of the company's energy consumption. BMS aims to reduce its emissions by 25% by 2020, according to Bayer's sustainability report.

From 2012, the group also wants to cut greenhouse gases by 350,000 tonnes/year using a global energy management system called STURCTese introduced in 2008. The system is expected to be implemented in BMS's 60 most energy-intensive production facilities by next year, which could generate an average energy savings of around 10%.

http://www.icis.com/blogs/green-chemicals/2011/04/green-innovation-at-bayer-mate.html

Capped Prepolymers

Bayer MaterialScience LLC at ASC 2011 Spring Convention and Expo: Reacting Capped Prepolymers with Blocked Amines Produces Polyurea Elastomers with Low VOCs

 

While capped polyurethane prepolymers have been used for many years to flexibilize epoxy resins, they can also be reacted with multifunctional amines to create products with useful properties without the addition of epoxy resins.

Pittsburgh, PA, April 29, 2011 --(PR.com)-- While capped polyurethane prepolymers have been used for many years to flexibilize epoxy resins, they can also be reacted with multifunctional amines to create products with useful properties without the addition of epoxy resins. The polymerization of several amines with two capped prepolymers was the subject of a recent technical presentation by a Bayer MaterialScience LLC scientist at the Adhesive and Sealant Council’s (ASC) Spring Convention and Expo held in Tampa, Fla.

Jay Johnston, senior development specialist, presented “Capped Prepolymers as Alternate Routes to Polyurethane Coatings, Adhesives and Sealants” as part of Education Track 2: Technical and Government Regulations.

During his presentation, Johnston explained how capped polyurethane prepolymers can be utilized for additional purposes beyond their standard usage to flexibilize epoxy resins. While this traditional application has reduced brittleness, increased elongation and flexibility, and improved toughness and impact resistance of many epoxy coating formulations, capped polyurethane prepolymers can also be used to create products with useful properties without the addition of epoxy resins. In order for this to occur, Johnston explained, the capped polyurethane prepolymers are reacted with multifunctional amines to produce polyurea elastomers.

“By reacting capped prepolymers with blocked amines, formulators are also able to manufacture one-component, moisture-curing elastomers,” said Johnston. He continued, “The resulting elastomers contain low volatile organic compound (VOC) levels and do not bubble when encountering wet environments.”

Johnston also discussed several two-component adhesive and sealant starting point formulations.

http://www.pr.com/press-release/317028

Interesting Cold War Trivia ca. 2010

Nuclear Arsenals - US and Russian

Written By Mahasiswa HI-UPN "Veteran" Yogyakarta on Apr 9, 2010 | 6:00 PM

http://totopereira.blogspot.com/2010/04/nuclear-arsenals-us-and-russian_09.html

US and Russian nuclear arsenals

US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, signed a landmark nuclear arms treaty in the Czech capital, Prague.

The treaty commits the former Cold War enemies to each reduce the number of deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 - 30% lower than the previous ceiling. Here is a breakdown of their respective arsenals.

USA			RUSSIA
Intercontinental ballistic missile
Name	No.	Warheads	Name	No.	Warheads
Minuteman*	450	550	SS-18 (Satan)	50	500
			SS-19 (Stiletto)	60	360
			SS-25 (Sickle)	150	150
			SS-27 (Topol)*	71	80
SUBTOTAL	450	550		331	1,990
Submarine-launched ballistic missiles
Name	No.	Warheads	Name	No.	Warheads
Trident	288	1,152	SS-N-18 M1 (Stingray)	64	192
			SS-N-23* (Skiff & Sineva)	96	384
SUBTOTAL	288	1,152		144	576
Bombers
Name	No.	Warheads	Name	No.	Warheads
B52 Stratofortress	44	350	Tu-95 (Bear)	62	682
B-2A Spirit*	16	150	Tu-160 (Blackjack)*	13	156
SUBTOTAL	60	500		75	838
Nonstrategic (short-range) forces
Name	No.	Warheads	Name	No.	Warheads
Tomahawk* cruise missile	325	100	53T6 (Gazelle)	68	68
B61 bombs		400	SA-10 (Grumble)*	1,900	630
			Bombers/fighters	524	650
			Subs/Ships/Air		700
SUBTOTAL	325	500		1,492	2,000
TOTAL	1,123	2,702		2,042	4,600

Tragedy Will Result in More Spray Foam This Summer

Storms Destroy Hundreds of Poultry Houses

 

By SCOTT KILMAN

Alabama officials estimated that up to 25% of the poultry houses in the state were destroyed or damaged Wednesday by the tornado outbreak, likely killing millions of birds.

Government officials in Alabama, the No.3 chicken-producing state behind Arkansas and Georgia, said Thursday that preliminary reports indicate that about 200 poultry houses were destroyed and another 180 were damaged by the fierce storms.

Alabama agricultural officials were having a difficult time gauging the damage because many rural roads were impassable Thursday. Likewise, electric power was out and telephone systems were down in many areas.

"We do anticipate the number of poultry mortalities to be substantial and we are currently working with poultry companies along with their growers to determine all damages," said Dr. Tony Frazier, Alabama's State Veterinarian.

Chicken farming is a multibillion-dollar industry in Alabama, where a typical poultry house contains about 20,000 birds.

The Alabama Poultry and Egg Association estimated that five million chickens probably died in the tornadoes, which slammed the northern part of the state, where the industry is centered. That alone isn't enough to disrupt chicken supplies nationally. The state usually produces about 21.5 million chickens in a week. The U.S. produces roughly nine billion chickens annually.

Industry officials caution that Alabama's bird losses could swell if many farmers aren't able to quickly re-establish water supplies. The tornadoes damaged many rural water systems.

"Power outages and loss of drinking water could worsen an already critical situation for poultry producers and meat processors," said John McMillan, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries, in a statement.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704330404576291314033332864.html?mod=e2tw