In Japan

The V/L ratio is a volatility criterion seldom used in France but is used in Japan and in the United States where it has been standardized as ASTM D 2533. At a given temperature and pressure, the V/L ratio represents the volume of vapor formed per unit volume of liquid taken initially at 0°C. 

The field of fullerene chemistry expanded in an unexpected direction in 1991 when Sumio lijima of the NEC Fundamental Research Laboratories in Japan discovered fibrous carbon clusters in one of his fullerene preparations This led within a short time to substances of the type portrayed in Figure 11 7 called single-walled nanotubes The best way to think about this material IS as a stretched fullerene Take a molecule of Ceo cut it in half and place a cylindrical tube of fused six membered carbon rings between the two halves... 

The Aromax process was developed in the early 1970s by Toray Industries, Inc. in Japan (95—98). The adsorption column consists of a horizontal series of independent chambers containing fixed beds of adsorbent. Instead of a rotary valve, a sequence of specially designed on—off valves under computer control is used to move inlet and withdrawal ports around the bed. Adsorption is carried out in the Hquid phase at 140°C, 785—980 kPA, and 5—13 L/h. PX yields per pass is reported to exceed 90% with a typical purity of 99.5%. The first Aromax unit was installed at Toray s Kawasaki plant in March 1973. In 1994, IFP introduced the Eluxyl adsorption process (59,99). The proprietary adsorbent used is designated SPX 3000. Individual on-off valves controlled by a microprocessor are used. Raman spectroscopy to used to measure concentration profiles in the column. A 10,000 t/yr demonstration plant was started and successfully operated at Chevron s Pascagoula plant from 1995—96. IFP has Hcensed two hybrid units. 

The MGCC process is used in Japan, the United States, and Spain. 

In Japan, MITI records show that precision-bonded abrasives increased only 0.47% from 1985 to 1989 but CBN usage in the same time period increased 18.24%. 

The United States was a net exporter in the 1980s except for 1984—1986 when it was a net importer. This reversal resulted from a number of conditions including the global recession, foreign relationships, new overseas capacity especially in Japan and South Africa (which in 1988 was the largest exporter to the United States), and the increase in other countries of the ratio of phenol production to acetone demand (45). 

Another process, involving chlorination of butadiene, hydrolysis of the dichlorobutene, and hydrogenation of the resulting butenediol, was practiced by Toyo Soda in Japan until the mid-1980s (144). 

The largest production of acrylamide is in Japan the United States and Europe also have large production faciUties. Some production is carried out in the Eastern Bloc countries, but details concerning quantities or processes are difficult to obtain. The principal producers in North America are The Dow Chemical Company, American Cyanamid Company, and Nalco Chemical Company (internal use) Dow sells only aqueous product and American Cyanamid sells both Hquid and sohd monomer. In Europe, Chemische Eabrik Stockhausen Cie, Ahied CoUoids, The Dow Chemical Company, and Cyanamid BV are producers Dow and American Cyanamid are the only suppHers to the merchant market, and crystalline monomer is available from American Cyanamid. Eor Japan, producers are Mitsubishi Chemical Industries, Mitsui Toatsu, and Nitto Chemical Industries Company (captive market). Crystals and solutions are available from Mitsui Toatsu and Mitsubishi, whereas only solution monomer is available from Nitto. 

Ear East capacity is primarily in Japan but includes Taiwan, Korea, and China. 

The commercialization by Kureha Chemical Co. of Japan of a new, highly attrition-resistant, activated-carbon adsorbent as Beaded Activated Carbon (BAC) allowed development of a process employing fluidized-bed adsorption and moving-bed desorption for removal of volatile organic carbon compounds from air. The process has been marketed as GASTAK in Japan and as PURASIV HR (91) in the United States, and is now marketed as SOLD ACS by Daikin Industries, Ltd. 

Other types of RPC have been proposed but are not in industrial use as of this writing. These include a reciprocated wire-mesh packing (188), a reciprocating screen-plate (205), and the multistage vibrating disk column (MVE)C) developed in Japan (189,206,207). These types of RPC may be useful for gas—hquid contact as well as Hquid-Hquid contact. 

More recentiy, melt-spun biconstituent sheath—core elastic fibers have been commercialized. They normally consist of a hard fiber sheath (polyamide or polyester) along with a segmented polyurethane core polymer (11,12). Kanebo Ltd. in Japan currentiy produces a biconstituent fiber for hosiery end uses called Sideria. 

Vinal fibers, or poly(vinyl alcohol) fibers, are not made in the United States, but the fiber is produced commercially in Japan, Korea, and China where the generic name vinylon is used. These materials are the subject of this article (see also Vinyl polymers, vinyl alcohol polymers). 

Commercial production of PVA fiber was thus started in Japan, at as early a period as that for nylon. However, compared with various other synthetic fibers which appeared after that period, the properties of which have continuously been improved, PVA fiber is not very well suited for clothing and interior uses because of its characteristic properties. The fiber, however, is widely used in the world because of unique features such as high affinity for water due to the —OH groups present in PVA, excellent mechanical properties because of high crystallinity, and high resistance to chemicals including alkah and natural conditions. 

Boric acid/alkaU spinning has been commercialized in Kuraray Co. and Unitika Co. in Japan, and is reportedly under research and development also in the People s RepubHc of China as a process for producing high strength PVA fiber to be used for replacing asbestos (9). 

Sewing Thread. Spun yams and filament yams of PVA fiber with their characteristics of low elongation and high strength are used as industrial sewing threads for leather materials such as shoes and bags and for similar items. In Japan, the PVA fiber threads are also used for sewing tatami mattress. 

Its early commercial success owed much to the flammabUity disadvantages of the Chardoimet process, but competition from the viscose process led to its decline for aU but the finest filament products. The process is stiU used, most notably by Asahi in Japan where sales of artificial sHk and medical disposable fabrics provide a worthwhile income. However, its relatively high cost, associated with the cotton fiber starting point, prevented it from reaching the large scale of manufacture achieved by the viscose rayon process. 

AH these early inflation processes (41) were difficult to control, and after World War 11 they were neglected until the 1960s. Companies in Japan, the United States, and Europe then started to develop inflated—collapsed rayons (Eig. 5b) for speciaUty papers (42) and wet-laid nonwovens. 

A cross-sectional view of hemp fiber is shown in Figure 3b. It has a Z twist in contrast to the S twist of flax. Hemp is regarded as a substitute for flax in yam and twine. Its eadier use in ropes has been replaced by leaf and synthetic fibers. Hemp fiber is used in Japan, China, CIS, and Italy to make specialty papers, including cigarette paper, but bleaching is difficult. The fiber is coarser and has less flexibiUty than flax. 

One method of reducing the exposure for sensitive objects is to exhibit them only for limited periods and to maintain a regular rotation schedule. In Japan, for example, some extremely important paintings can only be seen a few days per year. 

There are a relatively small number of producers of halogenated flame retardants, especially for brominated flame retardants, where three producers account for greater than 80% of world production. Table 10 gives estimates of the volumes of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants used worldwide. Volumes of flame retardants consumed in Japan have been summarized (61). Prices of halogenated flame retardants vary from less than 2.00/kg to as high as 13.00/kg. Cost to the user depends on the level of use of the specific flame retardant and other factors such as the use of stabilizers. 

This dicarboxyhc ester is then copolycondensed with the other reactants in PET manufacture to produce a flame-retardant polyester [63745-01-7]. The advantage of this rather unusual phosphinate stmcture is its high thermal and hydrolytic stability. The fabric is probably used mainly for flirnishings in pubhc buildings in Japan. 

A similar technique to the Bureau of Mines trommel process called pellet flocculation has been used in Japan on a number of substrates on an industrial scale (47) using equipment made by the Ebara-Infilco Co. Combinations of inorganic salts such as lime with polyacrylamides are used as flocculants. 

Asian production of hydrogen fluoride is concentrated in Japan. The Japanese are leaders in the production of high quaHty HP. Hashimoto has the capacity for 3000 t/yr of ultrahigh purity product. Por the future, increased production in many of the developing Asian nations is likely. 

In Japan, the primary suppHers are Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. (60,000 t), Daikin Industries, Ltd. (115,000 t), and Du Pont-Mitsui Pluorochemicals Co. (64,000 t). Together these three producers account for over 90% of the Japanese CPC production. 

There is growing commercial importance and escalating scientific interest in PVDF. The World Patent database, including the United States, Hsts 678 patents that cite the term poly(vinyHdene fluoride) for the period 1963—1980 and 2052 patents for the period 1981—1992 Chemical Abstracts files covering the years 1967—1992 contain 5282 references for the same term. Thirty years ago there was only one commercial producer of PVDF in the world now there are two in the United States, two in Japan, and three in Europe. 

Storage and Shipment. VDF or HFC-1132a is stored and shipped in gas cylinders or high pressure tube trailers without polymerization inhibitor and is placarded as flammable compressed gas. Terpenes or quinones can be added to inhibit polymerization. Elf Atochem North America, Inc. and Ausimont USA, Inc. supply VDE in the United States other producers are in Japan and Europe. 

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