Leverkusen, Germany - Bayer MaterialScience AG's Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties (CAS) Business Unit is investing more than Euro 30 million ($47 million) in expanding production of water-borne dispersions for use in coatings and adhesives, to meet rising demand.
"We want to sustainably strengthen our business by means of innovative, practical and environmentally compatible technologies, [and] a network of highly efficient production facilities in all major regions of the world," said Dr Joachim Wolff, Head of the CAS Business Unit, in a 2 May BMS statement.
BMS said the startup of its new plant for polyurethane dispersions (PUDs) with capacity of 20 kilotonnes per annum in Shanghai, China, in the second half of the year has strategic importance. It will give the group PUD production in each of the world's major industrial regions.
The CAS Business Unit currently produces PUDs in Dormagen, Germany, and New Martinsville, Texas.
In future, BMS will make acrylic dispersions (PAC) at the El Prat site in Spain, where it plans to increase capacity to keep pace with strong growth in waterborne one- and two-component applications, said the company.
The CAS unit also produces polyester (PES) and hybrid PU/PAC dispersions, which can be combined with BMS' isocyanates and polyisocyanates for a wide portfolio of raw materials to formulate waterborne one and two-component coating and adhesive systems.
The trend towards low-solvent and solvent-free coating and adhesive systems is being driven by regulations in Europe limiting VOC (volatile organic compounds) levels, with other regions including Asia are also showing increasing awareness of the need for environmental and health protection sustainable development.
Water-borne systems now match or better the performance of classic solvent-borne formulations. "Waterborne systems can even be superior to the traditional coatings in certain respects, such as chemical resistance or drying time," commented Dr Martin Vollmer, head of development at the CAS dispersions business, in the BMS statement.
PIC: A novel use of PUDs in latent-reactive adhesive films. Waterborne, latent-reactive dispersionadhesives are applied to a carrier or technical film and dried. After storage for several months, the processor can activates theadhesive film at elevated temperatures of about 70 to 90 °C.
"
