Plastics. Also Germany

GE Plastics is the world s largest producer of PBT with global capacity of around 160,000 tpa. This includes a 50 50 joint venture plant with BASF at Schwarzheide, Germany, which began production in 1997. This facility has production capacity of 80,000 tpa in 2002. The Schwarzheide plant is now BASF s sole production unit for PBT, although it does compoimd material in the US, in a 10,000 tpa unit in Wyandotte, Michigan. GE Plastics also operates a 120,000 tpa PBT polymerisation unit in Mt Vernon, Indiana, in the US and has a joint venture PBT business with Mitsubishi in Japan. 

The late 1950s saw the emergence of cast elastomers, which led to the development of reaction injection mol ding (RIM) at Bayer AG in Leverkusen, Germany, in 1964 (see Plastics processing). Also, thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPUs) and Spandex fibers (see Fibers, elastomeric) were introduced during this time. In addition, urethane-based synthetic leather (see Leather-LIKEmaterials) was introduced by Du Pont under the trade name Corfam in 1963. 

Thus, the above mentioned additives, as well as the refining of the esters, can be eliminated. The use of auxiliary liquids is also unnecessary. The esterification process patented in the Federal Republic of Germany in 1951 (6) now makes it possible (besides other processes developed on a similar basis (16, 22)) to produce plasticizer esters of excellent quality, simply and cheaply. In this connection we should like to mention the use of titanic acid esters as esterification and trans-esterification catalysts known since 1955 (29), and 1951 (15). 

Colorless additives of dye preparations must also be listed if used for the above-mentioned purposes. For example, in Germany they must be listed in various BgVV recommendations for dyes, paper, and plastics used for articles coming into contact to foodstuffs. 

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