August.
qxd 7/29/02 3:27 PM Page 9
August 2002
demand for its no dust blends, marketed under
the trade name Anox NDB, continues to show
significant growth.
Anox NDB is a synergistic combination of poly-
mer stabilizers and other additives in a dust-free
physical form, which provides a healthier work-
ing environment. The blend is incorporated into
the polymer mix in a single application, ensur-
ing accurate dosing of all components and
avoiding out-of-specification production, the
company says. Great Lakes claims that Anox
NDB is proven to increase productivity, reduce
costs and improve final product quality.
Anox NDB is also manufactured at Great
Lakes’ sites in the USA and South Korea, and at
its Saudi Arabian joint venture Gulf Stabilizers
Industries (GSI). Great Lakes and partner A.H.
Al Zamil Group recently announced an expan-
sion of GSI’s Al Jubail facility that will triple
existing capacity for the stabilizer blend.
In the company’s most recently published
financial figures for the first quarter of 2002,
net income from continuing operations was
US$3.6 million, versus $16.3 million for the
same period last year. Including discontinued
operations, Great Lakes reported a consolidat-
ed net loss of $1.5 million for the three month
period. Net sales for the first quarter from
continuing operations totalled $315.3 million,
down from $366.5 million in the correspon-
ding period of 2001. The Polymer Additives
business reported first quarter sales of $138.2
million compared to $167.5 million in the
same period last year. Operating income
declined from $4.9 million in 2001 to $1.0
million for the 2002 quarter. However, com-
pared to the previous three months, first quar-
ter net sales were up 5% and operating
income rose $12.6 million.
Contact: Great Lakes Chemical Corp, PO Box
2200, West Lafayette, Indianapolis, IN 47906-
5394, USA; tel: +1-765-497-6100; fax: +1-
765-497-6316; URL: www.pa.greatlakes.com
United Carbon plans
Californian carbon black plant
Private company United Carbon Corp
(Woodland Hills, CA, USA) is reported by
©2002 Elsevier Science
Additives for Polymers
Industrial Information Resources to be planning
to construct a grassroot carbon black plant in
California. This will be the first carbon black
plant located on the West Coast and in part will
use oils generated from the pyrolysis of waste
tyres as the feedstock for the production
process.
This new plant will produce approximately
56 000 tonnes of carbon black per year, of
which almost 20 000 tonnes will be produced
from recycled tyres. Waste tyres generated
regionally will be shipped to this site to be recy-
cled and used as a feedstock. By-products of the
process employed by United Carbon include
No. 2 Marine Oil and 3–5 MW of power that
will be used to support the development of a
local industrial park.
The development requires investment of some
US$190 million, with an estimated $122 million
accounted for by the construction of the plant.
Once the necessary financing is in place, construc-
tion could begin within 12 months or less depend-
ing on market conditions, the company says.
Industrial Information also reports that a num-
ber of North American carbon black producers
are beginning to invest again. The improvement
in pricing, coupled with an improved general
economy, has prompted some producers to eval-
uate capital projects and capacity additions that
have not been feasible for at least the last two
years. The market research company reports that
it has already identified some 16 new capital
and maintenance projects in the sector this year,
totalling over $283 million.
Contact: Industrial Information Resources Inc,
Houston, TX, USA; tel: +1-713-783-5147;
e-mail: chemicalsgroup@industrialinfo.com;
URL: www.industrialinfo.com.
Nanocor and Gitto Global
expand joint development of
flame-resistant polyolefins
Nanoclay manufacturer Nanocor, Inc, and com-
pounder Gitto Global Corp (Lunenberg, MA,
USA) are to expand their joint programme to
develop flame-resistant polyolefins using nano-
technology. This two-year ongoing programme
disperses nanometre-size clay particles into
9