DSM Melamine

DSM Melamine plans to start up a new 30,000 tonne per year melamine plant towards the end of 2002. The investment estimate is EUR 90 million. However part of the investment will be used to expand urea capacity at the site115. 

This plant will use the high-pressure Shortened Liquid Phase (SLP) process developed by DSM. Melamine produced with the SLP process has the same quality as melamine produced in the gas phase (or low pressure) process. The new technology is a result of DSM s further development of a process acquired from MCI (Melamine Chemical Industries) in 1997. The SLP process is expected to increase efficiency by 25%. It is also expected to enable the plant to reach a level of cost-effectiveness similar to a 100,000 tonnes/year production facility. The new process requires only 3 or 4 processing steps, in contrast to the 10 steps in conventional processes115,231. The process employs the same raw materials as the low-pressure urea process, but the final melamine recrystallization step is eliminated. The company may be able to make 99% purity melamine without recrystallization114. 

DSM Melamine started up a new 30,000-tonne per year melamine plant in 2004 and reached design capacity in 2006. This plant will use the high-pressure shortened liquid phase (SLP) process developed by DSM. The... 

Melamine FRs are a small but growing market. In 1996, DSM merged the melamine FR activities of DSM Melamine and the fine chemicals operation of DSM Chemie Linz to form DSM s Melapur BV, which became the largest producer of such additives in Europe. 

DSM Melamine Buddenheim Iberica Akzo Nobel Argolinz Chemie Linz... 

Figure 13.1. DSM High-Pressure Melamine Process (Reproduced by permission of DSM)...

Melamine process technologies can be licensed from DSM, BASF, Agrolinz, AUied-Eurotecnica, Nissan, Montedison, and Melamine Chemicals114. 

DSM Expands Melamine Production in Netherlands , European Paint and Resin News, 38 (12)pp. 5, Dec. 2000. 

Another contrarian, DSM in the Netherlands, had been a state-owned company before it became privatized, a process that began in 1989 and was completed in 1996. From its past it had inherited positions in fertilizers, industrial chemicals, and such intermediates as melamine and caprolactam as well as polyolefins, with access to basic olefins through its own crackers in Geleen, Netherlands. In 1997 DSM acquired the polyethylene and polypropylene operations of FIuls (VEBA) with the Gelsenkirchen site. The company had also diversified into elastomers, having purchased in the United States the Copolymer Rubber and Chemical Corporation, which contributed to DSM s expansion into the fields of ethylene propylene, styrene butadiene, and nitrile rubbers. DSM is also a supplier of industrial resins and engineering... 

Melamine sheet molding compound Developed by DSM and Perstorp, is under the name Remel, as a dry sheet for compression molding, for applications especially in the electrical, public transport, domestic appliance, and sanitary ware industries. It complies with all recognized industrial fire test standards without need for halogen additives. With a limiting oxygen index of 95%, the V-O standard in... 

Melamine cyanurate in combinatimi with magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2 or MH) or even with talcum (Japanese patents), melamine polyphosphate (DSM, type Melapur 200), also suitable for PA 6.6 GF, are two examples of more recent developments. Zinc sulfide can replace antimony trioxide in some cases. 

At of i n a http //www. atofinachemicals. com BASF http //www.basf.com] BCH Briihl http //www.bch-bruehl.de] Browning http //www.Jlmgroup.com] Broste http //www.broste.com] Charkit http //www. charkit com Chemical http //www.thechemco.com] Cytec Ind. http //www.cytec.com] DSM Chem. N. Am. http //www.dsmna.com] Fallek http //www.iccchem.com/failchem.htm] Filo http //www. filochemical. com Fluka http //www.sigma-aidrich.com] Int l. Chem. Inc Melamine Chems. http //www.melamine.com] Miljac http //www.miijac.com] Mitsui Toatsu Monsanto http //www.monsanto.com] Nissan Chem. Ind. http //www.snowtex.com]... 

DSM (now Ciba) offers the Melapur range of melamine flame retardants. 

Melamine production capacity in Europe is around 360,000 tonnes. DSM had the largest capacity with around 25% in 1999. Agrolinz Melamin, producing in Italy and Austria has expanded from 100,000 tonnes to 130 kt by the end of 2000. This means they have claimed the first spot from DSM. BASF has 65 kt capacity and Atofina around 26,000 tonnes. Most is used for thermoset resins and adhesives, but a significant proportion goes into flame retardants. Further capacity exists in Romania and Poland. 

Ciba Specialty Chemicals increased its flame retardants portfolio in May 2002 by purchasing DSM Melapur Flame Retardants, a leader in melamine-based technology, mainly utilised in engineering plastics for the automotive and electrical electronic sectors. This complements their Flamstab technology, used for polyolefins. Ciba will retain the Melapur trademark and the two companies are expected to work together to find new flame-retardant methods based on melamine chemistry. 

Ciba Specialty Chemicals has purchased the Melapm flame retardants business developed by DSM, a leading supplier of melamine, one of the key ingredients. DSM has agreed to help Ciba in future development work. 

Ciba Specialty Chemicals Melamine flame retardants from DSM Melapur... 

A more recent member of this family is melamine polyphosphate (MELAPUR 200, originally from DSM, now from Ciba), which has a thermal stability advantage for use in polyamide 6 and 66 (61) and in combination with char-assisting additives, in polyolefins such as those used for stadium seating. 

ROYAL DSM N.V. and INEOS Melamines recently announced they have reached an agreement for DSM to sell its amino resins business to INEOS, effective September 1. 

The divestment is reportedly a logical step for DSM after it closed its production facility in the Netherlands at the end of 2009. Since then, a supply agreement with INEOS Melamines for manufacturing melamine and benzoguanamine amino resins has been in place. 

There are two producers in the United States. American Melamine Industries (AMEL) is a joint venture between American Cyanamid and Dutch State Mines (DSM). The 120 million Ib/year plant is located on American Cyanamid s site at Fortier, Louisiana. Melamine Chemicals has a 105 million Ib/year plant at Donaldsonville. 

---