Specialty chemicals group LANXESS AG is showcasing itself at Bauma 2010, the world’s biggest trade fair for the building industry, which takes place in Munich from April 19 – 25, 2010. Together with its sales partner Harold Scholz & Co. GmbH, the company will inform visitors to the fair about its inorganic pigments for the coloration of construction materials along with their metering and the associated technical service.

LANXESS is planning to grow its business further in the pigments sector. Its global sustainability strategy and high environmental and safety standards are determining elements for organic growth. Further investment is therefore being made in particular in process optimization, capacity expansion and product innovation at the main production site in Krefeld-Uerdingen as well as at the Inorganic Pigments (IPG) business unit’s international sites in Jinshan in China and Porto Feliz in Brazil. Acquisitions in the future are not being ruled out either. “Our facility in Jinshan is a good example of a successful acquisition,” says Jörg Hellwig, head of the Inorganic Pigments business unit. “However, this example also shows that considerable investment is required to ensure that acquired facilities meet the technology, quality and environmental standards that we have set ourselves. At the current time we are not aware of any iron oxide production plant in the world other than our own able to meet our high standards.”  

The focus of the trade fair appearance at Bauma will be on the coloration of construction materials. The high-tinting-strength products of the Bayferrox and Chrome Oxide Green lines are used to impart attractive and enduring color to construction materials such as cast-in-place concrete, pre-cast concrete components and concrete roofing tiles and pavers. The extraordinarily lightfast and weather-stable products, available in powder, compact pigment and granule forms, are distinguished by their high quality and simple and environmentally compatible processing. 

IPG’s Global Competence Center Construction provides technical assistance with questions of mixing and metering technology. Information is provided at all stages of the process, ranging from the initial steps of facility planning through support in the selection of a competent equipment manufacturer to the final installation of a suitable metering unit.

Colored Concrete Works - New value-added and structural improvement 

The “Colored Concrete Works” initiative presents to a trade audience the versatility and aesthetics of concrete colored with Bayferrox pigments. The Internet platform www.colored-concrete-works.com documents case studies on international construction projects where colored concrete has been used. Here, first and foremost, builders and renowned architects can report on their experiences working with through-colored concrete. The most recent and most prominent example is the “Soccer City” World Cup soccer stadium in Johannesburg. The added ingredients which give the high-quality façade of the stadium comprising fiber-glass-reinforced concrete panels its color are Bayferrox iron oxide pigments from LANXESS. For the cladding of Africa’s largest stadium the architects oriented their design to traditional forms and colors. The natural-looking colors of the 33,600 pigmented fiber-glass-reinforced concrete panels reflect the colors of traditional African pots. In total, around 22,000 kilograms of LANXESS pigments were used for the spectacular façade. Further case studies include the construction projects Bodega Antión winery in Spain and the ESO Hotel in Chile.

Inorganic pigments from the Bayferrox and Chrome Oxide Green lines are not only proven performers for the coloration of concrete, they also have a decades-long record of performance for the coloration of paints and coatings, plastic and paper, and for use as specialty pigments for toner and other applications. LANXESS has an international production network with total synthesis capacity of more than 350,000 metric tons per year. Detailed information about the products and technical service offered by the company is available on the Internet at www.bayferrox.com.

The Inorganic Pigments business unit belongs to the Performance Chemicals segment, which achieved total sales in fiscal 2009 of EUR 1,530 million.