Speciality chemicals company LANXESS India organised its first exclusive Solutions Day event in Mumbai today to showcase its diversified and sustainable product portfolio to customers and other key stakeholders.

The event was organised to promote the idea of ‘One LANXESS’, where its business units – namely Advanced Industrial Intermediates, Flavors & Fragrances, Inorganic Pigments, Liquid Purification Technologies, Lubricant Additives Business, Material Protection Products, Polymer Additives, Rhein Chemie and Saltigo – displayed their distinctive products and solutions at the event. It provided an opportunity to highlight the cross-business synergies that characterise LANXESS' integrated approach and to present the company's cutting-edge solutions designed for a variety of industrial applications.

Three main business sectors, namely Advanced Industrial Intermediates, Speciality Additives and Consumer Protection Products, are currently the emphasis of LANXESS's strategy shift from a polymers to speciality chemicals company. In order to improve the value provided to clients, the event sought to promote cooperation and creativity across these various business divisions. In order to promote knowledge exchange, discover possible areas for collaboration and capitalise on the capabilities of each business unit to propel overall development and success, the day included interactive workshops, technical presentations and networking opportunities.

Namitesh Roy Choudhury, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, LANXESS India, said “Our goal with Solutions Day is to strengthen our existing partnerships and explore future collaborations that support sustainable industry growth. Through this event, we want to highlight LANXESS’ integrated offerings to all our stakeholders and address the global industrial challenges through the combined power of sustainable chemistry, innovation and responsible business.”

LD Carbon has inaugurated Korea’s first and largest waste tyre pyrolysis plant in Dangjin, South Korea.

Located in the Dangjin Hapdeok General Industrial Complex, the plant is expected to begin full-scale operation next month. The plant is spread over 29,800 square metres and features two factory buildings and five silos. The plant has an annual capacity to process 50 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) of tyre chips derived from end-of-life tyres (ELTs).

At the location, LD Carbon uses a two-step pyrolysis process, first turning ELTs into solid char and pyrolysis oil. After that, the business uses a secondary pyrolysis process to further compress the char and create recovered carbon black (rCB). It is anticipated that the Dangjin facility would generate 20 ktpa of rCB and 24 ktpa of pyrolysis oil, which is a substantial increase above the combined output of 7 ktpa at its current pilot plant in Gimcheon. When compared to traditional carbon black, the rCB generated by the technique is said to lower carbon emissions by up to 32 ktpa.

The company is planning to build plants overseas and intends to join the Asian market soon. It has also struck a 10-year offtake deal with SK Incheon Petrochem for its pyrolysis oil.

Black Swan Graphene Inc. (Black Swan) has formally stated that it has retained DS Market Solutions Inc. (DS Market) to offer market making services in compliance with TSXV standards, subject to the TSXV's approval.

With the aim of improving market depth and raising the liquidity of the company's common shares, DS Market will supply Black Swan with liquidity services in accordance with the terms of TSXV Policy 3.4. In addition to using its own funds to provide the services, DS Market has no direct or indirect stake in Black Swan's securities and no entitlement to purchase them, with the exception of assets required for liquidity. The services are offered by DS Market via Canaccord Direct DMA. DS Market has no direct or indirect stake in the firm or its securities, and Black Swan and DS Market are independent, unaffiliated, and unconnected businesses, reads the statement.

The statement further states that Black Swan will pay DS Market USD 5,000 per month from its available funds in exchange for the services for a minimum of one month, with the agreement being renewed for successive one-month durations. Thirty days before the end of the then-current term, either party may discontinue the agreement by giving writing notice to that effect. On 1 May 2025, DS Market will start offering its services.

The Rubber Board, which is observing its 77th anniversary this year, organised a press conference to showcase a novel method developed by the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) for recovering high-quality rubber from skim latex.

The new technique creates rubber lumps by treating the skim latex with a specific chemical mixture for 24 hours, then allowing the acid to coagulate. After that, these lumps may be dried and turned straight into skim crepe. About 3–4 percent of the rubber used to make Centrifuged Latex (Cenex) is skim latex, a by-product of the process. Cenex is frequently used in the production of goods including balloons, condoms, and gloves. About 10 percent of the natural rubber produced in India is converted into Cenex via centrifugation, which is accomplished at more than 40 centrifuging facilities.

The current method for recovering skim rubber is the acid coagulation of skim latex, which produces a slurry of skim rubber. After being packed into many plastic sacks, this slurry is allowed to solidify and dewater for two weeks. Skim crepe is made by further processing the resultant skim powder. But this traditional approach is labour-intensive, unrefined and results in bad odours, and it only generates rubber of poor grade. It has also caused public outcry and legal conflicts in the vicinity of Cenex enterprises, and it presents difficulties for wastewater treatment facilities. With the innovative method created by RRII, plastic bags are no longer used and processing takes only twenty-four hours. In addition to improving environmental sustainability and guaranteeing full recovery of premium rubber from skim latex, it drastically reduces offensive odours.

The Federation of Latex Processors (FLP), a group of owners of centrifuged latex factories, has been granted access to this technology on a fee basis. Other organizations and Cenex units can also purchase it. The product is marketed as Indian Purified Skim Rubber (IPSR) by the Rubber Board, which is also working on a patent for the concept. Rubber companies nationwide have expressed a strong interest in employing IPSR in product manufacture as it provides a competitive edge because of its improved quality and reduced cost.

Several efforts to solve various problems that exist in the rubber value chain were also addressed at the press conference. At the press conference, it was revealed that a nationwide celebration of the Silver Jubilee of the National Institute for Rubber Training (previously the Rubber Training Institute) would be organised, with participation from all relevant parties. M Vasanthagesan IRS (Executive Director, Rubber Board), Dr T Siju (Rubber Production Commissioner), Dr M D Jessy (Director-in-Charge, Rubber Research Institute of India) and representatives of the Federation of Latex Processors were in attendance.

Kraton Corporation, a leading global sustainable producer of speciality polymers and high-value bio-based products derived from pine wood pulping co-products, has expanded its CirKular+ product line with the launch of CirKular+ Paving Circularity Series C5000 in line with its long-term vision to create innovative solutions for a sustainable tomorrow.

The CirKular+ Paving Circularity Series addresses the changing demands of the paving industry to use more reclaimed asphalt and lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It allows for the addition of up to 50 percent or more reclaimed asphalt to the asphalt mix in surface layers while enhancing performance and processability. It increases the modified asphalt's resilience while maintaining resistance to permanent deformation and lowering the pavement's lifetime carbon footprint.  C5000 satisfies requirements for asphalt surface materials and is compatible with Warm Mix Asphalt technology.

Pedro Lopes, Kraton Global VP of Strategic Marketing, Product Management and Supply Chain, said, “Launching the Paving Circularity Series is a testament to our commitment to sustainability and innovation. In Europe, the paving industry is actively working to increase circularity and reduce GHG emissions in alignment with the European Green Deal and the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality goals. The new series helps unlock value-added circularity by enabling polymer-modified bitumen (PMB) producers and contractors to increase the reuse of reclaimed asphalt, thereby reintegrating it back into the road surface layer.”