BASF (Ludwigshafen / Germany; www.basf.com) traditionally has been a global powerhouse in plastics. With the acquisition of Ciba, finalised in 2009 – see Plasteurope.com of 20.04.2009 – it became the global leader in plastics additives, Hans Reiners, president of the Performance Chemicals segment, pointed out at the BASF pre-K press conference – see Plasteurope.com of 28.06.2010. Additives will continue to gain importance, not only due to the rising quality standards placed on polymer materials, but also because of the growing need for converters to increase productivity, he said.

As Reiners noted, “intelligently used” additives can improve the performance of polymers as well as boosting productivity. For example, heat stabilisers such as BASF’s “Irganox” and “Irgafos”, along with its “Irgastab” blends, now allow PP compounds to be upgraded for use in temperature ranges “well above the traditional standard.” They also can increase the flow rate of the polymer in fibre-spinning operations. UV stabilisers such as “Uvinul 5050H" reduce the cleaning effort in production systems, thus cutting back machinery downtimes, while polyolefins incorporating the stabilisers allow machine speed in film production to be accelerated.

"Pigments are playing an increasingly important role beyond their use as mere colorants,” said Reiners. Infrared-transparent black pigments in BASF’s “Lumogen” range, for instance, prevent plastic parts from being deformed in hot sunlight. They also keep car interiors from becoming too hot, thus increasing fuel efficiency.

The most recent addition to BASF’s pigment product line, “Sicopal Orange K 2430", is being groomed to help replace heavy metal. It expands the orange and red colour space, allowing the addition of several “radiantly luminous” shades, and, Reiners said, is thermally stable enough to be used in heat-resistant engineering plastics. In future, the new pigment may prove suitable for replacing lead- and cadmium-based pigments.

Along with its product portfolio, BASF’s acquisition of Ciba has broadened its R&D base and its market horizons. Reiners said the Swiss speciality chemicals maker’s production facilities have been back-integrated into BASF’s “Verbund” network. In some additives segments, the product offerings are still being streamlined to eliminate overlap. To combat “severe pressure” from competitors, the portfolio and production network continue to be optimised. As before, business is being consistently adapted to market requirements.

Innovation also continues to be an important topic. “Even in those fields where we still occupy niche positions, such as flame retardants, we will move forward with specific innovation projects,” said the Performance Chemicals president. Expansion plans are already on the drawing boards – in particular BASF’s new halogen-free flame retardants for PA and PBT will be commercially available when K 2010 opens its doors in October.