NEWS
IN BRIEF...
Decking manufacturer Trex saw sales dip for the first nine months of the financial year. Net sales fell by around 1.4% to reach US$899 million for the period. Despite this, profit rose nearly 5% to US$183m. Sales volumes in the third quarter rose, but Trex expects a dip in the final quarter “reflecting seasonal low demand” – and is estimating full-year sales of around US$1.1billion.
www.trex.com
Sales at BASF fell nearly 30% in the third quarter of the year, to €15.7 billion (US$17bn). The company said the decline was due to lower prices, mainly in the materials, chemicals and surface technologies segments. In the same period, profitability (EBIT) before special items dropped by nearly 60% to €575 million (US$626m). In Q4, it expects global chemicals production to stabilise.
www.basf.com
IMAGE: PPI Above: PPI recommends caution if using chlorine dioxide for disinfection chemical
Assessing how ClO2 affects plumbing pipe
The Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI) has published its findings on the compatibility of plastic piping materials with chlorine dioxide (ClO2
)
in hot- and cold-water plumbing systems. Starting in 2020, a team
of experts at PPI member companies began a research project to investigate the potential effects of chlorine dioxide on CPVC, PEX, PE-RT, PP-R, and PP-RCT pressure piping materials. The results are published in a report called TN-67. “Currently, only limited
North American industry data is publicly available to predict the impact of chlorine dioxide on specific plumbing distribution pipe materials,” said Lance
MacNevin, director of engineering at PPI’s build- ing and construction division. “PPI TN-67 ad- dresses this topic based on data that has been collected through an extensive analysis of published research combined with the experience and expertise of PPI members.” Chlorine dioxide is a dissolved gas that is an efficient oxidising agent for disinfection. It is sometimes added to plumbing distribu- tion systems to treat or control harmful bacteria such as Legionella. Special-
ised devices can inject ClO2 in measured doses directly into the piping system. “Based on the data analysed by our associa-
tion, ClO2 can be very
aggressive to certain piping materials,” said MacNevin. “PPI recommends caution when considering its use as a chemical disinfectant to treat water for the control of Legionella or other pathogens.” PPI recommends contact- ing piping suppliers for guidance on the use of their pipes and fittings if chlorine dioxide has been selected as the disinfection chemical. n Another PPI report, TN-68, provides the technical basis for comparing PE 100-RC to PE4710 pressure pipe. It provides a perspective on Slow Crack Growth (SCG) resistance for PE 100-RC compared to PE4710. �
www.plasticpipe.org
Medical tube facility expands in Costa Rica
TekniPlex Healthcare recently expanded its Cartago produc- tion facility in Costa Rica. The 55,000 sq ft expansion includes new medical tubing
extrusion equipment in a cleanroom environment, plus extra room for warehousing and assembly operations. This is the third stage of a multiphase expansion, allowing manufacturing to be separated from warehousing. On completion, the project will “essentially double” the company’s capacity for micro-extrusions, quad tubes, thermally bonded paratubing, and advanced multilayer coextrusions for complex drug delivery applications. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening was held at the facility in late October. �
www.tekni-plex.com
8 PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION | November/December 2023
Above: TekniPlex has expanded medical tubing extrusion at its production facility in Costa Rica
www.pipeandprofile.com
IMAGE: TEKNIPLEX
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