Incident occured earlier this month at the La Wantzenau nitrile rubber production facility France – Local authorities have reported an explosion earlier this month at Arlanxeo’s synthetic rubber production site at La Wantzenau The incident occurred 4 July during a tank-cleaning operation at the location said a communication from authorities for the Bas Rhin département usually containing water and a hydrocarbon the latter has exploded causing a loud detonation,’ according to the official statement the authority said on the day of the incident adding that the installation was ‘now secure’ The Bas-Rhin fire & rescue service and police attended the site ‘to establish the facts and ensure the safety of employees on the site,’ it added Claimed to be the world’s largest nitrile butadiene rubber production site La Wantzenau has been the focus of a major modernisation programme in recent years Arlanxeo will invest “mid double-digit million” euros to modernize its production sites in Triunfo we are laying a foundation for the company’s further profitable growth,” said Jorge Nogueira we are systematically implementing advanced technologies for growing high performance rubber grades in order to support the development of our customers in important regions over the long term,” he explained further The program will be financed by Arlanxeo’s own cash flow In Brazil Arlanxeo is investing in its facility in Triunfo to make the production of polybutadiene rubber (PBR) more flexible Currently emulsion styrene-butadiene rubber (E-SBR) which is mainly used in car and truck tyres the company will also be able to produce the more advanced PBR types Nd-BR (neodymium butadiene rubber) and lithium butadiene rubber (Li-BR) for tyre and non-tyre applications in Triunfo in the second half of 2020 This follows the growing need of the local tyre manufacturers for high performance tyres Arlanxeo is relocating part of its existing E-SBR production in Triunfo to its facility in Duque de Caxias This should allow for better economics going forward “This investment highlights our commitment to Brazil and the long-term importance of the Brazilian market for our high-performance rubbers especially in the tire segment,” said Matthias Gotta Head of Arlanxeo’s Tire & Specialty Rubbers business unit (BU TSR) “We want to support our local customers with the innovative technologies that will make tires Demand in Brazil for high-performance rubbers for tyres continues to grow supported by the tyre labelling regulation similar to laws that are already in place in the European Union All new tyres produced in Brazil must be rated with respect to their rolling resistance The use of Nd-BR in tyres significantly improves tyre performance resulting in lower fuel consumption and better wet grip Polybutadiene rubbers under the Arlanxeo brand name Buna are primarily used in the tread and sidewalls of tyres they are also used to modify plastics in the production of HIPS (high impact polystyrene) for injection moulding applications Other areas of application include golf balls In addition to the regular maintenance investments Arlanxeo is modernizing its production site in La Wantzenau the world’s largest nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) facility “This investment lays the foundation for further targeted growth of our NBR specialty rubber grades as an important part of our rubber portfolio,” says Christian Widdershoven member of the Managing Board at ARLANXEO and Head of the High Performance Elastomers business unit “This enables us to strengthen and secure our position as a leading global supplier of NBR rubbers for the long term,” Widdershoven adds ARLANXEO expects global demand for high-quality NBR rubbers to increase in the coming years The focus here is on growth in traditional business areas and new applications some of which have been developed with customers but also the use of NBR as a raw material for the production of the company’s Therban (HNBR) specialty products If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com