A Evonik, fabricante de especialidades químicas com base na Alemanha, construirá uma planta em Marl, Alemanha, para produzir polibutadieno líquido funcionalizado (HTPB), de acordo com press release da empresa, divulgado em 30 de junho deste ano. O HTPB é usado primariamente em compostos de selagem para isolamento de janelas de vidro e em adesivos para a indústria automotiva. Com essa planta, que deve começar a produzir no inverno de 2012, a Evonik será, pela primeira vez, capaz de oferecer aos seus clientes polibutadieno hidroxi-funcionalizado para a indústria de adesivos e selantes.
 
Evonik will market HTPB as "Polyvest HT", thus rounding off its polybutadiene product range to include one more functionalized type. "We thereby want to strengthen our position as a solution provider for sustainable products for the adhesives and sealant industries," said Dr Thomas Haeberle, the member of Evonik's Executive Board responsible for the segment Resource Efficiency.
 
"The demand for products that help use resources more efficiently is high," emphasized Dr Haeberle. Double- and triple-pane glazing in window construction, for which hydroxyl-functionalized polybutadiene is used in sealing compounds, improves insulation in home construction.
 
In adhesives for automobile manufacture, which bond various materials and composites to one another, HTPB helps make it possible to use plastics efficiently and safely in automobile construction. The reduction in the weight of vehicles, as can be achieved by using more plastic, means that less fuel is burned.
 
(PU2PU)