3^rd International Symposium on Dyeing and Finishing of Textiles
held in Kyoto Research Park from December 17 to 19.

Scene from 3rd International Symposium on Dyeing and Finishing of Textiles

The 3^rd International Symposium on Dyeing and Finishing of Textiles held in Kyoto Research Park from December 17 to 19 attracted many researchers and engineers from America, Germany, Austria, China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan.

During the symposium, special lectures were given by 11 invited speakers and 105 poster presentations were made.
Among the lectures, Dr. Volkmar v. Arnim of ITV Denkendorf, in particular, gave an interesting lecture on "Plasma assisted dyeing and finishing" which run as follows.

Plasma processes, which means the use of reactive gases whose reactivity originates in excitation by strong electric fields for surface modification, are of increasing interest to the textile finishing industry. Among the various plasma techniques, those which run at atmospheric pressure are of greatest relevance for the typical continuous running textile finishing processes.
The following are a summary of test results with the dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) which he considers the most suitable method for finishing wide web and woven fabrics, and it can be easily scaled up with optimal technology.

1. The comparison of absorbability of colored paste shows that the plasma treatment improves the wettability of cotton.
2. The comparison of peel strength of fiber glass fabric between untreated and plasma-treated, both polyurethane-coated, shows that the plasma treatment improves adhesive strength.
3. When PP fabric is dyed with vat dye (colloisol type), dyeability in both color shade and strength significantly improves for the one with plasma treatment.
4. For oil repellency of fluorocarbon-finish, plasma-treated fabric with DBD, deposition form of deposited-fluorocarbon is shown, as well as the processing speed of fluorocarbon and the correlation of estimated thickness of deposited-fluorocarbon and its oil repellency being explained.

LANXESS takes over chrome chemical business from Dow Chemical in South Africa.

Production facility in Newcastle

Chemicals group LANXESS of Germany is taking over the chrome chemicals business of Dow Chemical of South Africa. LANXESS is to complete the take over of the chrome chemicals business by acquiring a 50% interest in Chrome International South Africa (H.O.: Newcastle, South Africa) which Dow Chemical currently owns through its subsidiary Sentrachem and the remaining 50% is already owned by LANXESS. Closing of the transaction, which is subject to the approval of the antitrust authorities and the Board of Dow Chemical, is expected in the first quarter of 2007.

Chrome International South Africa was established in the mid 1990s and started operation from 1999, it produces 70,000 tons of sodium dichromate per year. This sodium dichromate is mainly used as a tanning agent for leather, and the raw material comes from a chromium mine in Rustenburg, South Africa. The company's main customers are LANXESS's Inorganic Pigments business unit and its tanning agent production plant in Merebank, South Africa. The company employs about 120 people and its sales amounted to about 40 million EUR in 2005.

LANXESS's CEO Mr. Axel Heitmann said, "This acquisition gives LANXESS a complete value chain from chromium ore to leather tanning agents, along with sole ownership of the world's most modern processing facility for tanning agents. This further strengthens the profitability of LANXESS's leather business unit's chrome chemicals business."

LANXESS's production flow with chrome

LANXESS is selling its whole textile processing chemicals business.

Chemical company LANXESS of Germany will complete selling its textile processing chemicals business during 2006.

It will be sold to Egeria, an investing company in Holland and the managements of textile processing chemicals businesses outside North America, and to StarChem in America (a specialist in textile and special chemicals) with two bases( in Welford, South Carolina, USA and in Montreal, Canada).

LANXESS's textile chemicals business has around 380 employees worldwide and its sales amounted to 150 million EUR in 2005.