Lanxess to sell some EPDM grades in pellet form
ERJ staff report (DS)
Leverkusen, Germany -- Lanxess AG has brought on-stream a pelletising plant at its only EPDM plant, in Marl, Germany. For the first time, the company can now manufacture some high-crystalline grades of EPDM in the form of pellets, two to three millimeters in size, in its own facility and market them on a commercial scale. Several million euros were invested in the plant, which has a capacity of three to five metric tons per hour.
Only highly crystalline rubber grades are suitable for pelletising. They will be available in bale or pellet form from Lanxess starting in the fourth quarter of 2008. Lanxess said the pellets are white or transparent, and do not contain any carbon black.
Lanxess said the new presentation allows access to new market opportunities, such as in the cable industry or for thermoplastic olefins (TPO), made of a blend of plastics and rubber. TPOs are characterised by very high impact strength, an advantage that makes them ideal for manufacturing automotive bumpers or transport containers.
The form of supply requested by a customer depends on his handling and processing methods. In contrast to bales, which the user must first pre-process, pellets are very easy to meter and can be more readily blended with other ingredients.
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Press release from source
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