Document ZnjakG26zJ57Y24n7vwoQxM5Z

Dow develops substitute In Brief... for PCBs in capacitors Chemapwi, Ceec hoslov ak chemicals foreign trade organis ation. estimates that during the five year plan period 1976-80, by Adrian Wright imports from western countries Dow Chemical in the US bus umtiiiiiiccil the development of a substitute lor polychlorinated biphenyls (IX'lix) for use us an insulating fluid in high-votlnge capacitors -- monocblorohutvlaled diphenylnxiik. PCBs hive been under attack over tlie past five years or so as the use of PCHs products. Kecemly, however, there has been further concern in llte US because some PCB material has been finding its way inin on. controlled applications such as handsnaps and copying inks, and from there into llte general environment, in spite of the dependent on the effectiveness of any substitute Any move by Dow C hemical to introduce the material into Europe us a PCB substitute would ulso presumably need clearance from bodies such us (be OECD on the material's safety. will rise by about 50% from present level. The largest part ol the increase is likely to occur towards the end of the period. Exports to the west are in grow by about 5% pa. imports from socialist countries are to go up by 33%. exports to these markets should rise by 50%. a persistent chemical in the restrictions imposed by The joint statement from environmental food chain, and Monsanto. I Ins material is Dow ami McOraw-hdisnn its use has been vobinlaiily understood to Ivc imported claimed that the product wus According lo the Ministry of controlled by Monsanto, the Irnm Europe U> customers in 'environmentally safe'. Its Agriculture and Food. only priuhieer in the US. to the US. toxicity, biodegradahility and Hungarian industry will be able controllable applications such In response to this, the US other relevant characteristics to meet 65% of the country's as capacitors. Environmental Protection had been evaluated, leading to requirements for insecticides in L)ow says that the new fluid Agency is apparently consider the conclusion lltat the product 1976. Imports with an equiva could replace 6-8 million Ih of ing a variety of moves to control would have a 'far lower poten lent va!ue*bf SS8 million will be llte *0 million Ib/year of PCBs PCB. hut a complete ban of the tial impuct on health and the needed. produced by Monsanto in the material would necessarily be environment' Ilian PCDs. US. Tire company is building a plant at Midland. Michigan hat wifi come on stream nest year, with an initial capacity of one million Ib/ycar. The spokesman said that there were no pluns at present to market live new material in Europe. In the US. the marketing will he carried out by McCraw lidison, a major producer of capacitors, amt it will be (lie middle of 1976 before McGraw-Edison will lie using Dow's product In their own capacitors, and the end of the year before it it being sold to other capacitor producers. The price of the new material will be somewhat more than PCUs. hut Dow says that there are other savings to be made. It use in capacitors is tlie major market area to far evaluated. PCU has bean under attack for a number of years becauac of its persistence in the environ* mail. Much of (lie early controversy was centred in (lie LI K. and in response to the discoveries of the materials persistence. Monsanto, a major European producer, as well as sole US producer, limited its sales of PCBs tu controlled ^plications, in the European arkcl si well. Other European I'CU pro ducers include Bayer; Proelec in France, a joinl venture of RhAne-Poulenc and Ugine Kuhlmann Coquisa. a NhAne- BP rail contract Kailfrvighl has won a contract with BP Chemicals Inter national [or the numMiicnl of acetic acid, ethanol and isopro panol between their plants near Mull and at Buglan Bay near Swansea. A ten year contract has been signed which provides for up to two train movements a week -- up to 100000 tonnes/ year -- between the plants and is a classic rail 'conveyor-bell' operation. On the journey from Hull, the train, made up of privately- owned 45 ton tank wagons, will convey acetic acid, for vinyl acetate production for paints and adhesives. On the return journey it will carry ethanol and isopropanol used in (he pro duction of lacquers and inks, food essences, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. David Binnie, executive director, freight. British Kail, slated that this is exactly the tyjxs ul traffic-flow he hoped would In: attracted to rail. Inter works movements oi ruw materials and finished products m hulk me a natural market for Haiffreight and this movement, across the densely populated Midlands, by not adding to road congestion, or being affcclcd by it. highlights tile important contribution Kailfreight is making to industry -- and to the community. For BP Chemicals, Boh Penning. BP Chemicals director of sales and com mercial services, saw the advantage as a speedy and environmentally sound method of moving large quantities ol raw materials between two of the country's largest chemical factories. It was. he said, UP Chemicals' declared aim to move such traffic onto the railways wherever possible. Caprolactam imports India is likely to import another 2000 tonne of caprolactam during the remaining months of 1975-76 to meet the require ments of nylon spinning industry. Earlier during the year about 4000 tonne were imported in addition, there would be duction ol caprolactam has recently improved and is now stabilising around 1300 to 1400 tonne / month. Some time back the GSFC caprolaclum plant had closed down for about Iwo months on account of technical (rouble. Even so. it is hoped I hut about fakede Chemical ladualciee lias filed an application with the Japanese Health and Wel fare Ministry for approval to produce and market a new cure for haemorrhoids using tech nology from Ciha-Geigy. The Japanese company hopes to start marketing the drug in 1977. I)u Pant (UK) has announced general price increases for its range of fluorocarbon resins in the UK effective from 2 January. 1976. Increases range from 10--15%. Kuhsn and lleea, has appuimed Hsoits as exclusive selling agent lor its Whitmoyer range ol animat health and hygiene products in the UK and Republic of Ireland, from I January, 1976. Poland has offered India increased supplies of urea and sulphur and 1976 under the terms of a trade protocol signed recently in New Delhi. Another of India's East European trade partners. Czechoslovakia, has agreed to supply 40000 tonne of urea in 1976 against this years delivery of 10 000 tonne. Norway has given India a Poulenc company in Spain, and some imports of the muterial 14 000 tonne of indigenous grant of Ns 40 million to cover Caftaro in Italy. under export incentive caprolactam will be available the import of fertilisers from There have been voluntary schemes. Ibis year against only about the Scandinavian country in the reslnctiuri* m the US. also, "it I toil apart Indian pro S2tX) lonne last year coming year MONS O b i i i i I I I/'. '? u l-% 1 f1 l'