250,000 tonnes/y. (See ‘Focus onPigments’, Oct 2007, 5). Two yearsago, Cabot effectively increased itscapacity in Japan by buying-out its50% joint venture partner, ShowaDenko, to take full control of plants atChiba and Shimonoseki, with acombined capacity of 136,000tonnes/y. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’,Nov 2005, 5). Cabot also has an80,000 tonnes/y carbon black plant atPort Dickson (Malaysia).

The world market for carbon blackbegan to show signs of tighteningonwards from 2003, with expansion inthe production for vehicle tyres andrubber components in China andSoutheast Asia, as well as in Braziland Russia. There is a generalapprehension that carbon blackdemand in Asia will soon exceedsupply and this has prompted Cabot,Tokai Carbon, Aditya Birla Nuvo,Phillips and others to step up theircapacity in Asia.

Japan Chemical Week, 8 Nov 2007, 48 (2440), 8

Mexico: Industrias Negromex – rubber& plastics masterbatch

Industrias Negromex has recentlyinstalled new equipment to make blackrubber and plastic masterbatches at itsAltamira complex, near Tampico. Thecompany has a long-establishedreputation for manufacturing about120,000 tonnes/y of various differenttypes of synthetic rubber, high-styreneresins and emulsions, supplying thedomestic Mexican market and about 25different export markets. No capacityfigure has been indicated for the newmasterbatch plant.

Rubber and Plastics News, 12 Nov 2007, 37 (8), 7

Mexico: Vista – carbon black fromscrap tyres

Vista International Technologies hasreceived a letter of intent from theprovincial government of Jalisco forthe establishment of a plantemploying Vista’s thermal gasifiertechnology for processing 5.7 Munits/y of scrap tyres for thegeneration of electricity and therecovery of by-products, includingfuel-grade alcohol and carbon black.The plant will probably be built in thevicinity of Guadalajara City (thecapital of Jalisco province). No

indication has been given as to theinvestment required nor as to theamount of carbon black output.

Press Release from: Vista International TechnologiesInc, USA. Tel: +1 303 690 8300. Website:http://www.viti.us.com (8 Jan 2008)

Netherlands: Tronox – TiO2

Tronox has just installed an €8 Mwastewater-treatment unit at its90,000 tonnes/y chloride-route TiO2plant at Rotterdam-Botlek. The newunit will remove 99.5% of allpollutants. In addition, Tronox isreplacing the furnaces that date backto 1990 when the TiO2 plant was firstbuilt. These improvements are part ofa €25 programme designed to enablethe Botlek plant to comply with newlicence requirements.

Chemie Magazine (Nederlandse Chemische Industrie),13 Dec 2007, (11), 17 (in Dutch)

Sri Lanka & India: Aditya Birla Nuvo –carbon black

Aditya Birla Nuvo has apparentlyabandoned its plan to establish a thirdcarbon black in India. Its plants atRenukoot (Uttar Pradesh province)and Gummidipoondi (Tamil Naduprovince) have a combined capacityof 240,000 tonnes/y. Birla hadplanned to build a new plant inwestern India, probably at Patalganga(Maharashtra province). That projecthas now been replaced by a newproject to spend $120 M on building anew carbon black plant in a speciallydesignated Export Processing Zone atKoggala in southern Sri Lanka. At thisstage, no indication has been given ofcapacity or time-scale for this project.

Business Standard, 4 Feb 2008, 10 (186), II.2

Thailand & Vietnam: Omya & Surint –ground calcium carbonate

As a key component in its strategy toexpand its presence in Asia, Omya (ofSwitzerland) created a joint venturecompany with the Surint Holdingsgroup (of Thailand). Within Thailand,the company has been praised for itsefforts to cut back on pollution. InAugust 2005, Omya Surint beganconverting its fleet of 45 trucks to runon compressed natural gas, instead ofdiesel, under a programme supportedby PTT Public Co Ltd (the only fullyintegrated gas company in the

country). In fact, the first PTT-ownedfuelling station for natural gas vehicleswas established at the Omya Surintsite in April 2007.

The joint venture has recentlycompleted a Baht 1.2 bn (or roughly$36 M) investment programme to stepup ground calcium carbonate (GCC)capacity in Thailand and Vietnam.

About $24 M was spent onexpanding an existing calcite mineand ground calcium carbonate (GCC)facility in Lopburi province. The calcitemine is the largest in Thailand, withreserves sufficient to ensureproduction for more than 50 years.The capacity of the GCC plant wasraised from 200,000 tonnes/y to700,000 tonnes/y and there are plansto raise capacity to 2.2 M tonnes/y atsome stage in the future. Majorcustomers for GCC output from thisplant include the local paint factoriesof ICI (now Akzo Nobel) and TOAPaint (of Japan), Thai Plastics &Chemicals, Nawaplastic Industries,Thai Pipe Industry, Bangkok Cable,Advance Agro, Thai Paper, UnileverThai Holdings and Colgate-Palmolive.

About $12 M was spent oninstalling a new GCC plant at GoDauIndustrial Park, near Ho ChiMinh City(Vietnam). GCC from this plant ismainly sold on the Vietnamese marketto manufacturers of paint, paper,rubber and plastics. (See also ‘Focuson Pigments’, Aug 2007, 3).

Chemical Week, 5 Dec 2007 (Website:http://www.chemweek.com)

Thailand: Birla – carbon black

Thai Carbon Black (TCB), in whichthe Aditya Birla Nuvo group has a50% stake, has confirmed its $35 Mproject to install a sixth line at theAngThong plant, which should raisecapacity here from 200,000 tonnes/yto 285,000 tonnes/y by the end of2008. (See also ‘Focus on Pigments’,Dec 2007, 4).

Japan Chemical Week, 8 Nov 2007, 48 (2440), 8

Thailand: MTI – PCC

Specialty Minerals (Thailand) Co, awholly-owned subsidiary of MineralsTechnologies Inc, has announcedplans to build and operate a newprecipitated calcium carbonate (PCC)plant, with a capacity of 50,000-70,000 tonnes/y. The plant will

FEBRUARY 2008 5

F O C U S O N P I G M E N T S