Zhou Jian, who runs Suzhou Xingyuan Special Fine Chemical Co. Ltd is an expert on the curing agent MOCA (4,4'-methylene-bis (2-chloroaniline)) ,for use with cast polyurethane elastomers (CPUs).
Zhou sees CPUs as alternatives to all industrial rubber products, with far better properties, "ten times better than the average rubber," he claims.
Mining, sports, leisure, military, waterproofing - the materials have diverse uses, he added.
Zhou, who is also vice-chairman of the CPUIA (China's polyurethane industry association),has many years’ experience - 30 at least - of working with MOCA and other cast PU curing agents.
Zhou claims Xingyuan is the no 1 player globally in this sector. "All our products have been made using state-of-the-art techno logy." The company's capacity totals 20 kilotonnes a year, said Zhou. Xingyuan is privately owned, with annual sales at about RMB 200 million ($31.3 million) and hou said growth is good, at 25 percent a year recently.
It exports 55 percent of production. The materials go all over the world: the US, Europe Australia, South Amer ca, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, India, the Middle East and Russia.
Zhou is adamant that MOCA is a safe material when handled properly. "We have no workers with health problems in China, after all this time," the Xingyuan director stressed.
While he recognises that there are many opinions about MOCA, he says he has strong evidence first hand, backed up by studies on rats, that MOCA has no health issues and is not carcinogenic.
In this context it is worth noting that the European Chemicals Agency has just announced that it is adding MOCA to its list of potential "Substances of Very High Concern," which means that after consultation it could be subject to tight restrictions on its use.
