Dow chemical opens thermoset elastomer labDow chemical opens thermoset elastomer lab

Dow Chemical Co.’s (Midland, MI) elastomers unit is opening a new lab at the company’s Freeport, TX R&D facility, for the compounding, mixing, processing, and testing of thermoset elastomers. The site also provides technical service, application development, and research and development in support of Dow’s Nordel IP hydrocarbon rubber, Engage polyolefin elastomers, Infuse olefin block copolymers, and Versify plastomers and elastomers.

In the first quarter of 2007, Dow launched eight new grades of its Versify plastomers and elastomers, and in the second quarter of the same year, it completed the acquisition of British Vita’s polyurethane systems business, Hyperlast Limited, which included elastomer system facilities in the UK.

Dow also announced that it is in the final stages of a 25-million-lb debottleneck project at its Plaquemine, LA, ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) site, with the project scheduled to be completed by the first quarter of 2010. Dow says the facility will continue to operate at full rates during work. The 1500-acre integrated facility at Plaquemine began operations in 1956 and employs more than 3000. In total, the plant has 23 production units that manufacture more than 50 different basic and specialty chemical products with total annual production capacity of 14.5 billion lb. —[email protected]