Annual Report 2000 - Clariant

Cellulose Ethers/Emulsion Powders – Emulsions – Polyvinyl alcohol/Polyvinyl butyral
Everywhere, everyday
Cellulose ethers (cep.clariant.com)
can be found in virtually every area
of our daily lives. These substances
make paper stable and give yogurt a
pleasantly creamy texture; they help
to ensure that medicines taken in
tablet form achieve their desired
effect once they are inside the body,
and they even keep wallpaper
securely attached to the wall.
Clariant uses especially pure cellulose
to manufacture about 150 different
cellulose ethers. Depending
on the etherification reagent used
in the process, these ethers can
belong to one of three different
product groups: methyl-, carboxymethyl-
and hydroxyethyl cellulose.
These products are available
as powders or granulates under the
brand names Tylose ®, Tylomer ®,
Tylopur ® and Tylodrill ®.
Cellulose ethers can also modify
the water-retaining ability of a
given material and can achieve a
uniform consistency and viscosity.
As a result, they are always on the
job at construction sites, improving
the processability and adhesive
strength of mortar, adhesives and
patching compounds.
Emulsion powders have adhesive
properties – and hence also
film-forming properties – that are
used in binders and coatings.
Clariant’s Mowilith ® powder is suitable
for manufacturing adhesives
for ceramic tiles and heat insulation
materials, and it can also be used
as a binder in premixed stuccos,
plasters and fillers. About threequarters
of the customers of this
business unit come from the building
materials industry. However, the
adhesive, textile, paper, leather,
cosmetics, pharmaceutical and food
industries also use these products.
Hard at work at every
construction site
Emulsions (cep.clariant.com) do
not contain any solvents except for
water and are therefore suitable for
manufacturing environmentally
friendly products. Mowilith ® emulsions
are used, for example, as
binders in paints with low odor. In
addition, emulsions are key components
in wood stains, wood flooring
and furniture finishes, and in various
adhesives. In the construction
industry, they are used in the production
of mortar and concrete,
since they improve elasticity and
resistance to chemicals and acids.
One unique application is the production
of “whisper concrete” – a
highway paving material whose
structure is modified in such a way
that automobile tire noise is
reduced by about half.
High adhesion
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (cep.
clariant.com) is an important precursor
in the paper, textile and adhesive
industries. Clariant’s Mowiol ®
granulate is water-soluble and
biodegradable. It improves in connection
with optical brighteners the
brilliance of paper and bonds the
fibers together to produce a smooth
surface. PVA is used as an emulsifier
and binder in the manufacture
of salves and emulsions and in the
production of water-soluble packaging
films.
Polyvinyl butyral (PVB)
(cep.clariant.com) is supplied as a
powder. It is characterized by its
ability to form elastic films and by
its high adhesive strength. It is used
as a precursor for paints, printing
inks, metal primers and corrosion
protection products, as well as for
adhesives and temporary peel-off
coatings. One of the most important
applications is the manufacture of
films used in laminated safety glass
in the automobile and construction
glass sectors. For example, the
element that provides protection in
automobile windshields is a film
produced of Mowital ® that is laminated
between two layers of glass.
Exactly your chemistry.
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