PPS/Celanese

Bayer marketed PPS compounds in the United States under the trade name Tedur, but the company has exited the PPS business. PPS is also marketed in the United States by GE Plastics, whose source of neat resin is Tosoh Corporation of Japan. GE Plastics markets PPS under the trade name Supec PPS. Patent activity by Tennessee Eastman describes an alternative process for the production of poly(phenylene sulfide/disulfide), although samples of such product have not appeared as of early 1996. Both Phillips and Hoechst Celanese have aimounced plans to debotdeneck their existing U.S. faciUties in order to meet anticipated market growth. 

The second PPS process practiced commercially was developed by Kureha Chemical Industry Company. Kureha has built a commercial PPS plant in Nishiki, Fukushima (46), and has formed a joint venture, Fortron Industries, with Hoechst Celanese (47). Fortron Industries has completed a commercial PPS plant at Hoechst Celanese s plant in Wilmington, North Carolina. Fortron Industries represents the only other PPS producer in North America. Figure 3 shows a flow diagram for the Kureha PPS process. 

PPS resins must compete with PEI and phenoHcs. There are two domestic manufacturers of poly(phenylene sulfide) Phillips and Fortron Industries. Worldwide there is currently large overcapacity (Table 15). Four Japanese companies, ie, Toso Susteel, a joint venture of Toso/Hodogaya Chemical Toray Toprene, a joint venture of Toto Kasei/Toren Petrochemical and Kureha Chemical have a combined capacity of 82,500 t. U.S. agents sell their materials in the U.S. markets General Electric sells for Toso Susteel Soltex Polymer, part of Solvay, Belgium, sells for Toprene Hoechst-Celanese sells for Kureha. Prices for PPS resins and compounds range from 8.80/kg for unreinforced resin to 3.30/kg for 65% filled resins. 

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