Green Chemistry Initiative from Rubber Pioneer - LANXESS

2009-07-04 17:27:19 - Synthetic rubbers help harness geothermal power

Leverkusen/Shanghai – The year 2009 has a special place in the history of the specialty chemicals group LANXESS AG, with the company celebrating the 100th anniversary of the invention of synthetic rubber. This invention by the chemist Fritz Hofmann marked the start of the history of modern rubber and today the company is continuing this legacy to bring green chemistry initiative to market.

Synthetic rubbers help harness geothermal power

Geothermal energy – using heat from the Earth for electricity generation and heating – is seen as an energy source with a future. However, the holes through which the underground heat stores are tapped place major demands on tools that are wholly comparable to those encountered in exploiting oil and natural gas fields. The rubber components of conveyors are subjected to abrasion, heat and contact with non-polar, aggressive media.

Yet these challenges can now be overcome. The new Therban AT grades from LANXESS, which exhibit particularly high flowability thanks to Nobel prize-winning chemistry, have proven their worth for manufacturing these types of large components. Manufacturers can therefore dispense with adding flow agents. This greatly improves the internal adhesion of the rubber when working with solid parts of this kind, thereby also further boosting the reliability of the wellbore. This cutting-edge, extremely robust synthetic rubber therefore plays a vital role in ensuring a sustainable energy supply.

New grade of rubber with phthalate-free plasticizer

The specialty chemicals group LANXESS AG is launching Krynac M 3340 VP, a new grade of nitrile rubber that contains a phthalate-free plasticizer. In doing so, the LANXESS Technical Rubber Products business unit is providing an equivalent technological replacement for its predecessor Krynac E 3338 F, which will only be available on the market up to the end of 2009. At this point, LANXESS will have removed all phthalate-based rubbers from its portfolio.

Instead of a phthalate-based plasticizer, this newly developed synthetic rubber contains the polymer additive Mesamoll, an alkane sulfonic acid ester of phenol. Mesamoll is a popular plasticizer in the rubber industry thanks to its low volatility and excellent compatibility with nitrile rubber (NBR). It is classified as neutral in terms of its physiological and toxicological make-up. Due to recommendation no. 21 of BfR (Bundesinstitut fuer Risikobewertung, German Institute for Risk Analysis) the application of Mesamoll in nitrile rubbers with food contact is permitted.

In launching this new grade, LANXESS is actively supporting its customers who are trying to replace di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP). This is particularly true of the roller industry, where a switch to phthalate-free products for rollers with low Shore hardness is difficult to realize due to the high plasticizer content.

Safe ingredients for improved rubber formulations

The Performance Butadiene Rubbers (PBR) business unit of the synthetic rubber manufacturer LANXESS plans to extensively forgo the use of processing oils with high polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content worldwide by the end of 2009. Some of the business unit’s production facilities have already completed the conversion to safer alternatives. All the others will follow suit as soon as it is technically feasible, but no later than December 1, 2009.

This decision is based on recent reports issued by a German consumer protection organization, which prove that inexpensive everyday rubber products in particular sometimes contain worryingly high levels of PAH. Many of these substances are considered to be, in all probability, mutagenic, reprotoxic and carcinogenic.
LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 6.58 billion in 2008 and currently around 14,600 employees in 23 countries. The company is represented at 44 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals.

Leverkusen, June 29, 2009

Forward-Looking Statements.This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by LANXESS AG management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Information for editors100 years of synthetic rubber – interesting information about the anniversary and the numerous areas of application can be found at en.lanxess.cn/portrait/100_years_synthetic_rubber/

You can find further information concerning LANXESS chemistry in our WebMagazine at webmagazin.lanxess.cn.

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en.lanxess.cn/news/latest_news/