news RheTech uses rice hulls for Ford
RheTech is supplying a polypropylene compound reinforced with natural fibres from rice hulls for the new Ford F-150 pick-up, which is America’s best selling truck. The material is being used to manufacture the vehicle’s electrical harness. Rice hulls are the hard
protective coverings of grains of rice. They are generated as a by-product of rice grain production and they are sourced for this application from farms in Arkansas. The natural fibres will replace talc in the RheTech PP compounds and it is estimated that at least 45,000 lbs (20 tonnes) of hulls will be consumed by the application in the first year. “We developed this resin
specifically for Ford over the last three years, working with the automaker closely, including in all phases of material qualification,” said David Preston, director of busi- ness development for RheTech. “The whole process has been a rewarding success for both Ford and RheTech, which can add yet another natural-fibre based product to our RheVision line.” Materials development
Ford’s F-150 truck features an electrical harness made from PP reinforced with rice hulls
engineers at Ford Materials Engineering, Testing and Standards in Dearborn, Michigan, USA conducted testing of the rice hull material in conjunction with RheTech, examining everything from smell and appearance to functionality and flammability. The rice hull-based material successfully passed all tests. Ford’s 2014 version of the F-150 truck also uses other ‘eco-friendly’ materials in its manufacture, including recycled post-industrial plastics for interior finish panels around the radio and climate controls. Some trucks also have cylinder head covers
made from EcoLon, a nylon resin from Wellman Engineer- ing Resins that is produced from 100% post-consumer recycled carpet. In addition, recycled PET from post-con- sumer bottles is used in the wheel liners and some shields, while other shields and under-body covers are produced using recycled PP. “The 2014 F-Series
exemplifies our continued efforts to use recycled content in our vehicles,” said John Viera, Ford global director of sustainability and vehicle environmental matters. “We can have greater impact in this case because of the size and
sales volume of this product.” Sales of the F-150 average more than 650,000 per year. US-based RheTech
operates plants in Michigan, Ohio and South Carolina. It produces filled and reinforced PP compounds as well as colour and additive master- batches. It launched its RheVision range of natural fibre reinforced polyolefin compounds in 2009. The company recently partnered with Braskem to produce natural fibre reinforced compounds based on the Brazilian polymer producer’s bio-based HDPE. ❙
www.rhetech.com
Clariant invests in Indian azo pigment plant
Clariant has confirmed that it will carry out a 50% capacity expansion at its azo pigments and pigment preparations plants which are located in Roha in Maharashtra state, India.
The project will also reduce energy consumption at the
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facility and expand its range of low VOC-containing pigment preparations. These latest investments
are intended to support the strong market growth in India. Clariant says that it is in the process of doubling its marketing and sales organisa-
COMPOUNDING WORLD | August 2013
tion in India, China and Indone- sia throughout 2013. “Our on-going efforts to
strengthen our presence in India are part of a broader commitment to meet growing demand here and in the rest of the region, and to give customers access to high
quality, sustainable products and technical support tailored to their local product develop- ment needs,” said Marco Cenisio, senior vice president and general manager of the Pigments business unit at Clariant. ❙
www.clariant.com
www.compoundingworld.com
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