LANXESS Kicks off New R&D Collaboration for Rubber
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Focus on innovative technology for energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly production of rubber / Project team includes LANXESS, Bayer Technology Services, Technical University Dortmund, University Bonn, Buss-SMS-Canzler / German government gives financial backing / Elements of new technology to be used in large-scale project in Singapore
Leverkusen - The specialty chemicals group LANXESS AG has officially launched a new multilateral collaboration to develop a groundbreaking, innovative technology for the production of synthetic rubber. The new technology will use fewer resources and is therefore considerably more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly than conventional processes.
LANXESS has joined forces with Bayer Technology Services, Technical University of Dortmund, University of Bonn and the special technology equipment manufacturer Buss-SMS-Canzler GmbH to develop the technology. The project is designed to last three years and has a total volume of approximately EUR 10 million, of which about EUR 5 million will be subsidized by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). LANXESS is also investing a EUR double-digit million amount to ensure success on an industrial scale.
"This project highlights LANXESS' commitment to the future of synthetic rubber whose 100th anniversary we are proudly celebrating this year," said the Chairman of the Board of Management Axel C. Heitmann. "We are delighted to be working with highly-respected partners and believe the combined expertise will help LANXESS gain an IP advantage in the competitive rubber sector."
LANXESS researchers have developed a concept for a technological breakthrough for the new process based on laboratory scale testing. The next step for the project team will be to further develop the new technology as well as to establish and run trials at a mini-plant in Dormagen, which is the home to several of the company's key synthetic rubber production facilities. This also underlines the significance of Germany as a hot-bed for research and development. This technology can be used to produce various forms of synthetic rubber such as butyl rubber, polybutadiene rubber or technical rubber products.
On completion of the project, LANXESS plans to use elements of the technology at its new butyl rubber facility on Jurong Island in Singapore, which will start producing in 2014. The start-up of the 100,000 tons per annum facility has been postponed by two years due to the continuing global economic crisis. However, the inclusion of the technology means Singapore will have the world's most modern butyl rubber plant, while the original construction costs of up to EUR 400 million will be slightly lower.
Butyl rubber is a synthetic rubber with high air impermeability based on the raw materials isobutylene and isoprene. The largest application is in the manufacturing of tire inner liners and tire inner tubes. The tire industry uses halobutyl as an inner liner for car, truck, bus and airplane tires. Regular butyl is used in inner tubes for cars, trucks and bicycles or sports balls. Special applications include protective clothing and closures for pharmaceutical bottles. The use of butyl in chewing gum production represents one particularly interesting niche market.
LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 6.58 billion in 2008 and currently around 14,600 employees in 23 countries. The company is represented at 44 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals.
Daniel Smith
Head of Financial and Business Media Relations
Tel.: +49 214 30-75179
Fax.: +49 214 30-50691
