2013-04-08

Inorganic pigments for the sustainable coloration of construction materials

LANXESS at bauma 2013 in Munich, Germany, April 15 - 21, Hall B1 Stand 118

New black pigments with a blue undertone and capacity expansion for the global market

2013 April 8, Leverkusen/Shanghai – Specialty chemicals company LANXESS remains focused on the megatrend urbanization and is presenting a comprehensive range of inorganic pigments for the construction industry at bauma 2013, taking place April 15 - 21 in Munich, Germany. Among the products being presented are two iron oxide black pigments with a blue undertone for deep, long-lasting black shades.

The high-tinting-strength products of the Bayferrox and Colortherm lines are used to impart attractive and enduring color to construction materials such as cast-in-situ concrete, pre-cast concrete components and concrete roofing tiles and pavers. Easy to use and ecological, the products are available in the supply forms powder, compact pigment, granules and slurry. They are characterized in particular by their high lightfastness and weather stability.

LANXESS is exhibiting at the leading international trade fair for the construction industry together with its distribution partner, Harold Scholz & Co. GmbH of Recklinghausen, Germany.

New plant in China

The Inorganic Pigments (IPG) business unit is expanding its worldwide production network for inorganic pigments with the construction of a new plant valued at EUR 55 million at the Ningbo Chemical Park on the Chinese East Coast. Construction will begin in the second quarter of 2013. Production start-up is scheduled for the first quarter of 2015. LANXESS will manufacture high quality iron oxide red pigments at the new plant using an improved and highly sustainable Penniman process. The pigments will be marketed globally under the Bayferrox brand for use in the construction, plastics and the paints and coatings industries. The rising demand for these high-quality and sustainably produced pigments is being driven by growing urbanization – a megatrend and a key focal point in LANXESS' growth strategy.

“The demand for ecologically and sustainably produced iron oxide pigments is rising. LANXESS is one of the leading suppliers in this field and applies the same high environmental standards worldwide. In many cases, these are more stringent than the respective national guidelines,” says Jörg Hellwig, who is responsible for LANXESS' global inorganic pigments business. “With our advanced and innovative production process, we are raising the bar for the production of iron oxide pigments, particularly in terms of water treatment, waste gas cleaning and energy consumption.” “In addition, the new plant will strengthen our global production network in Germany, China and Brazil,” adds Hellwig.

Elegance in black

It's broad product range enables the specialty chemicals group to accommodate the latest color trends in the construction industry. “When talking with customers, trade fair visitors or planners, it becomes very clear that deep black shades are enjoying growing popularity,” says Lutz Kohnert, Head of the Competence Center Construction within the LANXESS Inorganic Pigments business unit. “In recognition of this trend, we are adding two new black shades with a blue undertone to our product range.”

The new powder pigment Bayferrox TP LXS 5253 can be used universally for the coloration of construction materials. Because it has a higher tinting strength and a significantly more pronounced blue undertone, it produces a distinctive color shade that sets it apart from standard black iron oxides. The low water-soluble salts content and very low chlorine content makes the product ideally suited for use in reinforced concrete, too.

The new Bayferrox TP LXS 5255 is a free-flowing, low-dusting iron oxide black tailored specifically for the coloration of construction materials. Supplied as granules, it offers optimal processing properties and a very good price-to-performance ratio.

Bayferrox TP LX 5255 has a much higher tinting strength and a significantly stronger blue undertone than conventional iron oxide black granules.

The color of money

With its Colored Concrete Works series of publications, LANXESS provides architects with inspiration for their work. “Numerous buildings constructed every year around the world are colored with our inorganic pigments, and some of these exciting projects are presented as case studies in our publication series Colored Concrete Works. They are available online and in print in as many as nine languages,” says Thomas Pfeiffer, Head of Marketing EMEA/Global Key Accounts at IPG. The 13th case study – on what are known as the Eurobruggen – has now been published for bauma.

The fictitious bridges have been found on the reverse of the euro bank notes since 2002. Between 2011 and 2012, they became reality in the southern Netherlands. So far, three of the seven bridges have been replicated in Het Land, a district of numerous canals in Spijkenisse outside of Rotterdam. The walkable tourist attraction of cast concrete was created by graphic designer Robin Stam. The Eurobruggen are integrally colored with Bayferrox pigments from LANXESS. The products Colortherm Green GN, Bayferrox 330 G, Bayferrox 110 and Bayferrox 960 were used in order to match the colors of the original 5, 10 and 50 euro notes as closely as possible.

Detailed information about the products and technical service offered by the company is available on the Internet at www.bayferrox.com

The IPG business unit belongs to LANXESS’ Performance Chemicals segment, which achieved total sales of EUR 2.2 billion in fiscal 2012.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 9.1 billion in 2012 and currently around 17,200 employees in 31 countries. The company is at present represented at 49 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals. LANXESS is a member of the leading sustainable indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) World and FTSE4Good as well as the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI).

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by LANXESS AG management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to confirm them to future events or developments.

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