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Shell Expands Polyisoprene Latex Capacity New, 9000 long-ton-a-year unit is being installed at Marietta, Ohio; latex output should rise 40% this year over last Shell Chemical is expanding its polyisoprene operations. The company, the only U.S. producer of polyisoprene in latex form, is adding 9000 long tons of latex emulsification capacity to its Marietta, Ohio, plant. The new latex unit should start production early next year. Shell is the second company to reveal plans to expand polyisoprene facilities within the past month. Goodyear, the only other U.S. producer, is increasing its capacity at Beaumont, Tex., from 28,000 to 45,000 long tons a year (C&EN, March 16, page 28). All of Goodyear's polyisoprene production is in the form of dry rubber. The company, however, is taking a close look at plans to produce the rubber in latex form. Shell began producing polyisoprene in 1959, with an 18,000-long-ton plant at Torrance, Calif. Emulsification equipment was added in 1961 for making latex. The company produced about 7000 long tons of latex at Torrance last year. Shell's Marietta plant has two 18,000 long-ton-a-year isoprene polymerization units. It is likely that the company is converting half of its present polymerization capacity at Marietta to supply its new latex operation. Shell starts with a solution of 10 to 13% polyisoprene, which is then emulsified with equal volumes of a potassium rosinate solution in water. The solvent is stripped out and the product is re-emulsified to a concentration of about 22% solid polyisoprene, then centrifuged to about 60% solids. The company's latex contains about 1.5 pounds of water per gallon of latex. Shell's decision to build latex facilities at Marietta will reduce freight costs on the product going to customers in the eastern U.S. U.S. Rubber, for example, uses a substantial part of Shell's polyisoprene latex production to make foam rubber on the East Coast. Growing Market. Total U.S. polyisoprene production reached about 35,000 long tons of dry rubber in
BALES OF RUBBER. Bales of Goodyear's polyisoprene rubber travel through the finishing line, ready to be packaged at the company's Beaumont, Tex., plant. Goodyear is expanding the capacity of the plant from 28,000 to 45,000 long tons a year
1963. This year, production should reach about 40,000 long tons. Existing U.S. capacity for producing polyisoprene in the dry rubber form is more than 80,000 long tons a year, or more than twice present production. Polyisoprene latex, though, is finding applications at a faster clip than is the dry rubber product. Latex production will probably reach 10,000 long tons (60% solids) this year. This would be an increase of more than 40% over last year's latex production. One big reason why production of polyisoprene latex is growing at a fast clip is that its physical properties offer advantages over those of natural rubber for use in many dipped and foam rubber specialty products. Its higher elasticity and tensile strength, for example, make it useful for surgeons' gloves. Elongation before breaking
averages about 1000% for polyisoprene latex, compared to about 800% for natural latex. Unlike natural rubber, polyisoprene latex contains no stearic acid, and, as a consequence, its use in rubber-based adhesives is growing. (Stearic acid acts as an antiadhesive agent. ) The price of the synthetic material is almost the same as that of natural rubber. Shell's latex (type 700), for example, lists at 2 9 1 / 2 cents per pound, delivered, in tank-car quantities. Natural rubber latexes vary in price from 27 to 29 cents per pound. Dry Product. The structure of natural rubber is almost 100% cis-1,4polyisoprene. Shell's polyisoprene rubber averages about 92% cis-1,4polyisoprene, and Goodyear's product averages about 95% ds-l,4-polyisoprene. The synthetic product competes directly with natural rubber in APRIL
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many markets. Advantages of synthetic polyisoprene over natural rubber include greater uniformity, less fluctuation in price, and easier processing. Shell's list prices for dry rubber polyisoprene range from 1 9 1 / 2 cents per pound for type 501 (extended with 25 parts per hundred of naphthenic oil) to 24 cents per pound for grades that have received approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Its standard clear polyisoprene (type 309) is priced at 22 cents per pound (dry basis). Goodyear's Natsyn 200, its standard grade, lists for 25 cents per pound. Corresponding standard grades of natural rubber are priced at about 25 cents. Polyisoprene plants can be converted, with minor changes, to make polybutadiene, and vice versa. Thus, producers of polybutadiene, such as Firestone and Goodrich-Gulf, could enter the polyisoprene market with relative ease, though none has as yet announced plans to do so.
U.K. Synthetic Resin Output Rises 14% British production of synthetic resins reached 745,700 tons last year, an increase of 14% over 1962's output, according to the United Kingdom's Board of Trade. U.K. exports of plastic materials ( resins combined with fillers and other additives) climbed 20c/c last year to 294,728 tons, and were valued at about $179 million. Imports, however, rose 35% to 142,497 tons, valued at about $121 million. Australia is the largest importer of British plastics. It bought $37 million worth in 1963. Sweden, the second largest customer, purchased $10.4 million worth of the products. Exports to all British Commonwealth nations were valued at $47 million, an increase of only 5% over 1962. Exports to countries belonging to the European Economic Community showed a 29.4% gain and exports to European Free Trade Association countries increased 12.7%. EEC countries bought $37 million worth of British plastics last year, and EFTA countries bought $36.4 million. Production of synthetic resins has been increasing about 15% a year during the past few years. The U.K. is now the world's fourth largest producer of synthetic resins, after the U.S., West Germany, and Japan. 38
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Standard Oil (Ind.) Buys Brand Plastics Standard Oil Co. (Ind.) has purchased Brand Plastics Co., a polystyrene manufacturer. Brand will be operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Indiana Standard. A privately owned firm, Brand is headquartered in Torrance, Calif. It makes and markets both general-purpose and high-impact polystyrene resins. The company began operations in 1961 with a plant at Willow Springs, 111. Since then, plants have been opened at Torrance, Calif., and Medina, Ohio. The Medina unit, which went on stream last December, brought Brand's annual capacity up to more than 50 million pounds. Another subsidiary of Indiana Standard, Amoco Chemicals Corp., revealed plans last December to make styrene, the principal raw material for polystyrene resin (C&EN, Jan. 6, page 14). The monomer plant is now being built at Texas City, Tex., and will be completed early next year. It will have an annual capacity of more than 200 million pounds. Current U.S. capacity for producing styrene is 2.4 billion pounds a year. Styrene-based plastics account for more than one half of all the styrene produced. U.S. production of generalpurpose and impact grades of polystyrene was about 1 billion pounds last year. Of this, general-purpose styrene accounted for 517 million pounds; high-impact styrene, 562 million pounds.
New York Passes Clinical Lab Bill Measure regulates clinical labs and blood banks in New York State During the closing hours of its 1964 session, the New York Legislature approved a bill to regulate clinical laboratories and blood banks in the state. The measure, prepared by the Rockefeller administration and sponsored by Assemblyman Robert Pomeroy and Senator George Metcalf, was signed by the Governor one week later. In its final version, the bill incorporated many of the suggestions previously forwarded to Sen. Metcalf. by Executive Secretary of the American Chemical Society, Alden H. Emery (C&EN, March 16, page 3 0 ) .
Governor Rockefeller and state officials have expressed appreciation to the Society for its help in developing a sound approach to laboratory regulation. Passage of the bill culminates a long period of ACS interest in attempts to develop suitable means for improving clinical laboratory practices in New York State. The new law sets up procedures for establishing minimum qualifications for laboratory directors and for the performance of services under their control. In order to practice after July 1, 1965, all laboratory directors outside of New York City will have to obtain from the State Health Department a certificate of qualification in one or more specialties, including clinical chemistry, microbiology, and five other laboratory sciences. In addition, all laboratories will be required to have a permit authorizing them to perform one or more of these procedures, but only those for which certificates of qualification have been issued. New York City amended its Health Code last year to provide similar regulation for clinical laboratories. Under the new law the state also will have the power to inspect laboratories and to test the techniques which they employ. It will also establish performance standards for examination of specimens submitted by physicians from their patients. To assist in setting up the laboratory licensing law, the Health Department intends to appoint advisory committees in the major specialties, as prescribed in the Metcalf/Pomeroy bill. Already, Deputy Commissioner of Health, Dr. Andrew C. Fleck, Jr., has assured the ACS that a special advisory committee in clinical chemistry will be established in order to assist the Department in determining the qualifications of personnel eligible for certificates in this specialty and the appropriate chemical procedures to be prescribed in measuring laboratory performance.
U.S. Fertilizer Use Is Nearly 29 Million Tons The U.S. consumed nearly 29 million tons of commercial fertilizer in the year ending June 30, 1963, according to preliminary figures now available from the Department of Agriculture. In the 1962 fertilizer year, slightly more than 26.6 million tons were consumed in the U.S.
On a primary plant nutrient basis (N, available Ρ 2 Ο δ , and KoO), fer tilizer consumption in 1963 amounted to more than 9.5 million tons, 13% more than was consumed in the 1962 fertilizer year. Accounting for the 9.5 million tons were 3.9 million tons of Ν (15.8% more than in 1962), 3.1 mil lion tons of available ΡοΟΓ) (up 10.2%?), and 2.5 million tons of KL,0 (up 11.7%). More than half of the in crease was accounted for by farmers in the north central states (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas).
BRIEFS W. R. Grace & Co. and DuBois Chemi cals, Inc., have agreed to postpone the closing for the transfer of the DuBois assets and business to Grace, originally scheduled for April 1st. The closing will take place at a date yet to be de termined, but no later than June 15, 1964.
United States Rubber Co. is investing more than $300 million in a world wide expansion and modernization program. The program, to be com pleted within the next three or four years, includes every major operating division of the company. More than $200 million will be used for expand ing and modernizing the production of tires and tire components, both here and abroad. The balance is for plants producing chemicals, plastics, textiles, footwear, and a variety of industrial
and consumer products in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Canada, and the Far East. U.S. Rubber's capital ex penditures in 1964 will be the highest in the company's history and will total about $75 million, including the com pany's share of expenditures by affil iated concerns.
The contract for the first part of the expansion program was awarded to
Girdler Corp., a subsidiary of Chemical and Industrial Corp. The original plant, also built by Girdler in 1962, was placed in operation in 1963. The new synthesis facility is expected to be in operation in the third quarter of 1964.
NEW FACILITIES Pitman-Moore Co., a division of Dow Chemical Co., is building a $1.5 mil lion laboratory addition to its Sionsville, Ind., research and development center. Dow expects the 61,000 square foot building to be ready for occupancy by late December.
Air Reduction Chemical & Carbide Co. has completed a 10,000 square foot addition to its Bound Brook, N.J., re search center. The center, built in 1956 for polymer and organic chemi cal development, is more than doubled in size by the addition. The contrac tor, Wigton-Abbott Co., Plainfield, N.J., started the addition last fall.
Bern is Bro. Bag Co. is equipping its Houston, Tex., plant to manufacture plastic film. Polyethylene liners will be made initially, however, other plas tic film packaging products may be added in the future.
Farmers Chemical Association, Inc., will double the capacity of its am monia plant in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Allied Chemical Corp. has opened a new Sulfan plant at El Segundo, Calif. The multimillion pound-per-year plant will increase the General Chemi cal Division's production of liquid sulfur trioxide by more than 10%.
Nuclear Data, Inc., has started con struction of a new $400,000 build ing in Schaumberg Industrial Park, northwest of Chicago, 111. The new building will provide 22,000 square feet of space for offices, production facilities, and laboratories. The com pany sold its Madison, Wis., plant, and all facilities are now in temporary quarters in Rolling Meadows until June 1, when the new building will be ready.
Brown Co. is expanding its two-yearold bituminous-fiber pipe plant at Mount Holly, N.J. An addition to the present plant is under construction; it will house a new fittings department for the Bermico division of Brown Co. It has also been revealed that addi tional moves to increase the scope of the Bermico division are now in the planning stage.
Esso's Rotterdam Plant Nears Completion Esso-Nederland's $18.2 million benzene, toluene, and xylene plant is sched uled for start-up this spring at Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The plant, with an annual capacity from 250,000 to 300,000 metric tons, is being con structed and engineered by Badger N.V.
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Wyandotte Chemicals Corp. is building a new plant in Dekalb County, near Atlanta, Ga. The F. B. Ford division of Wyandotte will manufacture its complete line of cleaning and specialty products in the 100,000square-foot plant. The new plant will replace the company's present plant in Atlanta.
To the process specialist who's thinking of making a change.
Signetics has openings for scientists and engineers who have a taste for the exquisitely complicated problems of microcircuitry. Since no recruitment ad would be complete without a mention of unique opportunities for creative fulfillment, we'd like to point out that Signetics offers unique opportunities for creative fulfillment. And since we've trumped our older, larger competitors by developing the first successful DTL integrated circuit, it could very well be that our unique creative opportunities are more unique than anybody's. We hope you'll drop us a line. Write: Signetics, 680 West Maude Avenue, Sunnyvale, California. Signetics is the oldest, exclusive maker of integrated circuits in the world. Founded: 1961. Subsidiary of Corning Glass. Works. An equal opportunity employer.
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Dow Corning has completed its plant for producing food-grade silicone antifoams, at Hemlock, Mich.
Foxboro Co's. digital systems division has added a second building to its Natick, Mass., facility. The building more than triples the division's manufacturing space for industrial computer control systems.
Georgia-Pacific Corp. will start construction on a $7 million chlorinecaustic plant this month. The plant, to be located adjacent to G-P's present facilities in Bellingham, Wash., is expected to be completed by mid1965. The company says Bellingham was chosen as the site because of the city's relation to existing G-P operations and transportation factors. The plant will produce about 36,000 tons of chlorine and 38,000 tons of caustic soda per year, most of it for captive use.
Blane Chemical Corp. will move in June to a new 20-building facility in Mansfield, Mass. The buildings were formerly owned by Hercules Chemical Co. Blane, now in Canton, Mass., makes vinyl compounds and color concentrates for the wire and cable industry.
INTERNATIONAL Nissan Chemical Industries will build a plant in Chiba, Japan, to produce hexane by dimerization of propylene and use the hexane and various olefins to make alcohols by the Oxo process. Nissan has worked out the details of the process with Etablissements Kuhlmann, France. Kuhlmann has already ceded the license for its Oxo-process technique to Tidewater Oil Co. and Air Products & Chemicals, Inc., for an alcohol plant in Delaware.
Parsons & Whittemore, Inc., the government of the Republic of Korea, and Hankuk Straw Pulp Co., Ltd., have signed a $15 million agreement to build a bleached straw pulp mill in South Korea. The $15 million investment includes working capital for a newly formed company and funds for developing the plant site, construction of the bleached-pulp mill, and supporting facilities (an electrolytic caustic soda-chlorine plant). The equity capital will be subscribed by South Korean investors and by Parsons & Whittemore. The mill will produce 24,000 metric tons per year of bleached pulp from barley straw; the pulp will be sold to Korean paper mills.
Smith Kline & French, S.A., is building two new buildings in Mexico City, Mexico. The Mexican subsidiary of Smith Kline & French Laboratories expects the new facilities to be completed early in 1965. The manufacturing building will contain 33,000 square feet and the office building 20,000 square feet.
Air Liquide has sold a 45 ton-per-day liquid oxygen-nitrogen-argon plant to Argon, S.A., Mexico City, Mexico. The low-temperature equipment will be preassembled at Air Liquide's Montreal, Can., plant and shipped as a unit to Mexico City.
Italy's Montecatini is planning to double the capacity of its melamine plant at Castellanza, in northern Italy. Montecatini presently synthesizes melamine (from urea under relatively high temperature and pressure). The company's present melamine capacity is 10,000 tons per year.
Calatrava, S.A., awarded Lummus Espanols, S.A., Lummus Co.'s Spanish affiliate, the contract for its new polyethylene and butadiene plants. The multimillion-dollar contract calls for a 5000 metric-ton-peryear polyethylene plant and a 7800 metric-ton-per-year butadiene plant, based on Phillips' processes, to be built in Puertollano, Spain. Feedstock for the two units, scheduled for completion in late 1965, will come from Calvo Sotelo's naphtha-cracking unit at Puertollano.
