NEWS
Alphagary takes over Shakun
US speciality compounder Alphagary, a division of Orbia’s Polymer Solutions business group, has acquired a majority share in India’s Shakun Polymers, a family-owned producer of compounds for the wire and cable markets. According to Alphagary, the move will enable it to expand its regional footprint. Shakun supplies to the Indian sub-conti- nent, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa. The company operates four plants with a capacity of around 40,000 tonnes. The acquisition will also
expand Alphagary’s product range. Shakun’s halogen-free, flame-retard- ant and PVC-based compounds complement its offering while its semi-conductive and cross-linkable compounds further extend its portfolio, the company said. Alphagary said the
existing management team will remain in place. �
www.alphagary.com �
www.shakunpolymers.com
Canadian plastics firms to fight ‘toxic’ listing
A coalition of Canadian plastics companies is to challenge its government’s decision in May to add ‘all plastics manufactured items’ to the toxic substances (Schedule 1) list in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), the country’s main piece of legislation covering human health and environmental protection. The newly-formed
Responsible Plastic Use Coalition (RPUC) has filed a notice of application in the Federal Court of Canada challenging the decision. It argues it is scientifically unjustifiable and points out that plastics comply with
federal regulations in place to ensure safe use.
Substances can be added to the CEPA Schedule 1 list if they are considered to be harmful to environment and biodiversity and/or human
can collation rings. However, ‘all plastics manufactured items” is the only non-specific class of substances to be added to the Schedule 1 list. The RPUC described the inclusion as “a significant over-reach by the federal government” and said the move presents an obstacle to creation of a circular economy. “The challenge we face is
health. Legal experts say that inclusion of ‘all plastics manufactured items’ on the list may simplify the process of implementing bans on single-use products such as plastic drinking straws and
not that plastic is toxic, but rather the challenge of post-consumer plastic in the environment resulting from human behaviour and systemic waste manage- ment and recycling short- falls,” the coalition says. �
https://rpuc.ca/
Huber buys all of Magnifin
As part of its planned growth in speciality chemi- cals, JM Huber has agreed to buy the 50% of Magnifin Magnesiaprodukte that it did not already own from partner RHI Magnesita. The deal should close in the second half of this year,
subject to regulatory approvals.
Originally part of the
Martinswerk operation of Albemarle that Huber part-acquired in 2016, Magnifin makes coated and uncoated magnesium hydroxide products at a site
in Breitenau, Austria. These are used as flame retardants in many polymers. It says the move
“demonstrates our our clear strategy to grow our halogen-free fire retardant business globally.” �
www.hubermaterials.com
Azoty moves to develop in bioplastics
Poland’s Grupa Azoty has launched a 300 tonnes/yr pilot line for produc- tion of thermoplastic starch at its R&D centre at Tarnów. It is the company’s first biodegradable product and the move is said to be a response to the impending EU ban on non-biodegrad- able plastics for single use applications. “Production of biodegradable plastics, which can be decomposed in a com-
10 COMPOUNDING WORLD | June 2021
pletely natural and environmentally neutral process, is part of the European Green Deal and in line with our objec- tives,” said Tomasz Hinc, President of Grupa Azoty. “The lack of manufacturers of thermoplastic starch on the Polish market and in Central and Eastern Europe makes us a pioneer of TPS production. It is a niche that needs to be filled.” Grupa Azoty said it began working on
its TPS production technology in 2019 and filed a European patent application this year. The process is said to be easily scalable. “We can transfer the manufac- ture of thermoplastic starch granulates to Grupa Azoty Compounding, where the production volume can be increased eight-fold,” said Grzegorz Kądzielawski, Grupa Azoty Vice President. �
https://grupaazoty.com/en/
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
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