heat-and-power plants, with wastewater recycling systems and withfacilities for the recovery of copperand other metals from waste streams.Mr Kapoor referred to the example ofHeubach’s unique technology,employed at its Ankleshwar plant, forrecovering as a marketable by-product one tonne of pharmaceutical-grade aluminium hydroxide for everytonne of phthalocyanine greenpigment produced. In the spirit ofmaintaining the momentum for furtherimprovement, Mr Kapoor concludedhis presentation with the words ofMother Teresa of Kolkata: “Yesterdayis gone. Tomorrow has not yet come.We have only today. Let us begin.”

Reg Adams

For those who were unable to attend the event, the fullset of 21 published conference papers from theHamburg ‘Future of Pigments’ conference is availablefor sale. For details, please contact: Mr Paul Squires,IntertechPira, Cleeve Road, Leatherhead, Surrey KT227RU, UK. Tel: +44-1372-802051. Fax: +44-1372-802243. E-mail: paul.squires@pira-international.com.Website: http://www.pigmentmarkets.com

PLANTSChina: Cabot & Shanghai CokingChemical – carbon black

As part of its February 2009programme of emergency measuresto address the forecast sharp drop incarbon black demand, Cabot Corpannounced that it had deliberatelypostponed opening the newproduction lines at its Tianjin plant inChina. (See ‘Focus on Pigments’, Feb2009, 7 & Mar 2009, 2).

Towards the end of October, thecompany declared that it had nowsuccessfully commissioned the newlines, doubling carbon black capacityhere to nearly 300,000 tonnes/y. Theplant operating company is CabotChemical (Tianjin) Co Ltd, which isowned 70% by Cabot Corp and 30%by Shanghai Coking Chemical (part ofthe Huayi group).

Press Release from: Cabot Corp, Two Seaport Lane,Suite 1300, Boston, MA 02210-2019, USA. Website:http://www.cabot-corp.com (23 Oct 2009)

China: Guangxi Jinlong – TiO2

Guangxi Jinlong Titanium Industry CoLtd commissioned the first stage of itsnew TiO2 pigment plant on 17

September 2009. The plant is locatedat Nanning (Guangxi province) and itis designed to produce exclusivelyrutile-type pigments. Current capacityis 50,000 tonnes/y. Jinlong Titanium isnow pressing ahead with the secondstage, on completion of which theNanning plant will have a capacity of100,000 tonnes/y. Budgetedinvestment for the entire project isRMB 200 M.

Jinlong states that it will be one ofthe largest suppliers of rutile-typepigments in China, with annual salesrevenue forecast at RMB 1.8 bn (or$264 M), indicating a forecast sellingprice of $2640 per tonne.

China Chemical Reporter, 6 Oct 2009, 20 (28), 20

China: Inner Mongolia ChinaSaltDyestuff – sulfur dyes

Inner Mongolia ChinaSalt Dyestuff CoLtd is constructing a 20,000 tonnes/ysulfur dye and a 30,000 tonnes/ysodium thiosulfate plant at the newZhongquanzi industrial park in NeiMonggol province. Other chemicalplants under construction at thisindustrial park for different operatingcompanies include plants for making:100,000 tonnes/y of anhydroussodium sulfate; 30,000 tonnes/y ofrefined sodium sulfide; and 50,000tonnes/y of chlorobenzene.

China Chemical Reporter, 26 Sep 2009, 20 (27), 16

China: Shanxi Jinyang – kaolin

Shanxi Jinyang Calcined Kaolin CoLtd currently has 150,000 tonnes/y ofkaolin capacity, all based on depositsassociated with coal. Of this total,about 100,000 tonnes/y is derivedfrom a large-scale venture at Xinzhou(Shanxi province). On 20 August2009, Jinyang embarked on thesecond phase of the Xinzhou kaolinproject, which will add a further100,000 tonnes/y of capacity. Beyondthat, a third phase of the project willraise total kaolin capacity at Xinzhouto 300,000 tonnes/y. For the entireXinzhou project, Jinyang hasbudgeted investment at RMB 300 M.

China Chemical Reporter, 26 Sep 2009, 20 (27), 15

France: Holliday – ultramarine

Holliday Pigments recently held anofficial opening ceremony for the new

effluent treatment facility installed atits ultramarine plant at Comines innorthern France. The ceremony wasattended by a number of dignitaries,including the Mayors of Comines(France) and of Comines (Belgium),and by the great-great-grandson of MrJean-Baptiste Guimet (who inventedthe first process for manufacturingsynthetic ultramarine, which was thenemployed at the world’s firstcommercial-scale plant at Fleurieux-sur-Saône).

Holliday spent €2 M on the neweffluent treatment facility, whichemploys technology supplied byEnprotech (of Rotselaar, Belgium).This entails physical-chemicaltreatment using ferric chloride andoxygenated water, followed by sludgedewatering with filter-presses. Thesystem is capable of treating up to800 cu m/day of waste water and it issimilar to the 2200 cu m/day systemsupplied by Enprotech for Cappelle’sinorganic pigments plant at Halluin(also in northern France).

To help fund the investment,Holliday took a 10-year loan for €1.19M from the European EnvironmentAgency (EEA), of which €225,000was converted into a grant as part ofan ongoing technical and financialpartnership. Holliday’s parentcompany, Rockwood Pigments,provided the rest of the requiredinvestment capital. The latestmeasures follow a €7.5 M projectcompleted in 2004 for the installationof a flue-gas desulfurisation facility atComines. They are part of Holliday’sdrive to achieve ISO-14001Environmental ManagementStandard and OHSAS-18001Occupational Health & Safetycertification by the end of next year.The desulfurisation facility capturesmore than 99.5% of the sulfur oxidesgenerated during the manufacture ofultramarine. Holliday states that itsplant at Comines is the largestultramarine plant in the world thatfully complies with EU environmentallegislation. The company becamepart of the Rockwood group(headquartered in Princeton, NJ) inAugust 2008. Underlining Rockwood’scommitment to integration earlier thisyear, Mr Glyn Jagger (ManagingDirector of Holliday Pigments) wasgiven added responsibilities asOperations Director Europe forRockwood Pigments.

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Commenting on the new effluent-treatment facility, Mr Jagger said: “It iscapable of treating double the volumeof our existing processes. This makesthe ultramarine plant more efficientand it minimises the effects of themanufacturing process on theenvironment, specifically improvingthe quality of the water pumping intothe River Lys, which separatesComines in France and ourneighbouring town of the same namein Belgium. Furthermore, our existingmanganese violet plant will becomplemented by the installation ofnew scrubbers, which will help tocontrol the gaseous emissions.Operating alongside the effluenttreatment facility, we are confidentthat these measures will vastlyimprove the air and water quality ofthe surrounding area.”

Holliday exports ultramarinepigments to more than 80 countries,via sales offices in France andSingapore. The company’s stand atthe November Chinacoat exhibitionhighlighted its HG grade, offering ahigh-gloss, high-strength finish, andits TR grade, offering high-strengthblue with a high degree oftransparency. Mr Jagger noted: “Involume terms, Asia is probably thelargest consumer of technicalultramarines in the world and specialeffect pigments remain highly soughtafter within the Asian coatings sector,where ultramarine’s naturaltransparency offers many possibilitiesfor specifiers and designers.Ultramarine’s unique position withinthe colour space means that no otherpigment or combination of pigmentsgives such a chromatic, red-blueshade that works in synergy withinterference pigments.”

Press Releases from: Holliday Pigments, Route deWervicq 203, BP 50017, F-59559 Comines, France.Website: http://www.holliday-pigments.com (7 Sep &1 Oct 2009) & Enprotech, Stationstraat 164, B-3110Rotselaar, Belgium. Website: http://www.enprotech.be(2 Oct 2009)

Germany & Italy: Eckart – aluminiumpigments

Eckart Effect Pigments (a divisionwithin the Altana group) plans to shutdown its plant at Rivanazzano (60 kmsouth of Milan) in Italy. The plant isbest known as a manufacturer ofaluminium pigment pastes. The plantclosure will result in 60 job losses.

Eckart will continue to use theRivanazzano site for chemicalsdistribution.

On the other hand, Eckart isspending €5 M to expand its aluminiumpigment production facilities in Bavariaat Guentersthal (near Velden, about 50km northeast of Nuremberg) and atWackersdorf (about 42 km north ofRegensburg). Guentersthal is thelocation of Eckart’s headquarters,research centre and major productionplant. There are currently about 1200employees here. Eckart’s Wackersdorfsite currently employs about 130people. The company also hasmanufacturing facilities in Finland,Switzerland, the US and China.

Farbe und Lack, Oct 2009, 115 (10), 8 (in German)

India: Kalpena – coloured PVC plasticcompounds

Kalpena Industries is building apolyvinyl chloride (PVC) colourcompounding plant near Silvassa (thecapital of Dadra & Nagar Haveli Unionterritory, about 170 km north ofMumbai). The 24,000 tonnes/y plantis scheduled to begin productionduring 4Q 2009.

Chemical Engineering World, Jul 2009, 44 (7), 79

India: Ramdev – phthalocyanine

Ramdev Chemical Industries plans tobuild a 6000 tonnes/y copperphthalocyanine pigment plant in theDahej special economic zone (about400 km north of Mumbai). Capitalinvestment has been budgeted at Rup220 M (or $4.6 M). The plant isexpected to come on-stream by April2011.

Chemical Engineering World, Jul 2009, 44 (7), 79

India: Rishabh Colours – organicpigments

Rishabh Colours is spending Rup 65M (or $1.4 M) to build units at its Lunasite (in Vadodara district, Gujaratprovince) for the manufacture ofvarious unidentified organic andinorganic pigments. The projectshould be completed by the end ofDecember 2010. Rishabh alreadymanufactures scarlet chrome,Pigment Orange 34 and a range of

red pigments, including PR-48:1,48:2, 48:3, 53:1, 57:1, 122 and 170.

Chemical Engineering World, Jul 2009, 44 (7), 79

Italy: Rockwood – iron oxide pigmentsfor pharmaceuticals

At its Torino complex, Rockwood Italiais successfully operating the world’sfirst cGMP-certified unit for themanufacture of pharmaceutical-gradeiron oxide pigment. The unit is housedin a 21/2-storey building adjacent tothe major manufacturing plant forFerroxide brand iron oxide pigments,which are marketed for commodityapplications in the plastic, paper,ceramic, paint, catalyst, toner andconcrete construction product sectors.

The new production line iscompletely self-contained, ensuring thathigh-purity pigments are processed,packed and stored in a carefullycontrolled environment. RockwoodItalia completed construction in January2009 and it was awarded a certificate ofcompliance with current GoodManufacturing Practice (cGMP) in May.The auditors were DeutscheGesellschaft zur Zertifizierung vonManagementsystemen GmbH (DGZ, ofFrankfurt).

Press Release from: Rockwood Holdings Inc, 100Overlook Center, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA. Website:http://www.rockwoodspecialties.com (26 Aug 2009)

Netherlands: Qolortech – masterbatch

Qolortech (formerly DE de Jong BV)now has a plastics masterbatchcapacity of 18,000 tonnes/y at itsplant at Vaassen (in Gelderlandprovince, 11 km north of Apeldoorn).The company sells masterbatch underthe brandname Masterminds. It alsosells HiQon dust-free colourconcentrates. Qolortech is asignificant importer and reseller oforganic and inorganic pigments froma number of small suppliers in Asia.The company reported total annualsales revenue at €25 M for full-year2006 and the figure may be slightlyhigher than that this year.

Kunststof en Rubber, Sep 2009, 62 (9), 64 (in Dutch)

Russia: Clariant – masterbatch

In response to growing demand in theregion, Clariant is studying locationsin Nizhnekamsk for building a new

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