NEWS


Major PA compounding site starts up in China


A large-scale polyamide compounding facility has been opened in China by a joint venture between Fujian Highsun Engineering Plastics and Germany-based Akro-Plastic. Located in Changle District, Fuzhou, the new facility has annual production capacity of 100,000 tonnes of PA 6, PA 6.6 and PPA compounds. This is the Highsun Akro


JV’s second compounding plant, with the first located in Changzhou. The company said its


“synergistic two-site production network” aligns with the differentiated needs of customers in East and South China while enhancing order response times and supply reliability. The new Fuzhou plant


uses Akro-Plastic’s ICX compounding and extrusion technology, along with its engineering plastics formula- tion systems. Primary products include the Akromid series of PA 6, PA 6.6 and PPA materials, as well as Akroloy PA 6.6/PPA alloys. “This is the best com-


The 100,000 tpa facility in Changle District, Fuzhou


pounding plant I have ever seen in more than 25 years of activity in the compound- ing industry,” said Oliver Neuß, Managing Director of Akro-Plastic, at the Fuzhou plant’s opening ceremony in June. “Changzhou in future will be the site for highly specialized compounds and Fuzhou will develop toward large volume runs and cost leadership. This differenti- ated, complementary setup will enable us to provide customers with the full spectrum of highest-quality engineering materials.” Highsun Akro General Manager Yang Xuebin said


the Fuzhou factory will focus on markets such as automo- tive, electronics, and kitchen/bathroom. Other priorities include energy- efficient production, sustainable manufacturing and integration into the Highsun Group industrial ecosystem. The JV company will focus on deepening its expertise in modified engineering plastics, refining core technology, enhancing product quality and developing environ- mentally friendly materials. � https://en.hscc.com � https://akro-plastic.com


Ineos restart is halted


The planned restart of Ineos’ phenol doel plant in Antwerp, Belgium, has been delayed indefinitely. A late 2027 restart had been touted in June of last year, but the company says that due to continued volatility in the European and global markets, the economic conditions required for a restart have not yet been reached. An example of the


volatile market conditions is the European automotive industry, a major consumer of Ineos Phenol’s products, where demand for Europe- an-produced cars has been severely affected by increased imports of Chinese cars, directly impacting phenol and acetone demand. In addition, the company points to high energy costs and carbon taxation which have hit European petro- chemical production. Ineos Phenol’s other


operating site in Gladbeck, Germany, will continue production. �www.ineos.com


New ASTM aquatic environment standard


ASTM International has officially approved a new standard, designated as D8646, to calculate and report how long it takes for non-floating biode- gradable plastics to completely break down in cold aquatic environments. “Stakeholders across industry, academia, government, and regulation need a reliable science-driven standard to estimate complete biodegradation


4 COMPOUNDING WORLD | August 2026


times for plastics intended for aquatic use,” said Ramani Narayan, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University. But running biodegradation tests at low temperatures is often impractical because the slow reaction rates drive up both time and cost, he said. The new standard provides a verifiable testing and reporting methodology.


According to Narayan, the new test method applies fundamental reaction kinetics principles to experimental aerobic biodegradation data from ASTM and ISO standard test methods to estimate time required for complete polymer carbon removal by microbial metabolism at the lower temperatures typical of aquatic environments. �www.astm.org


www.compoundingworld.com


IMAGE: HIGHSUN AKRO


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36