Specialty chemicals company LANXESS is presenting its high performance pigments under the motto “Sustainability and Technology” at ABRAFATI 2011, the main Latin American scientific and business event in the coatings industry, to be held in São Paulo, Brazil, from November 21 – 23. The comprehensive product portfolio includes in particular Bayferrox red shades for paint and coating applications and yellow pigments with special properties

With the high complexity of modern coating systems, the demands on the coating raw materials are growing too. LANXESS’ range of high-performance pigments more than meets the increasing requirements of the customers with respect to maximum consistency of quality for color shade and tinting strength, easy processability and reliability of quality. According to Dr. Volker Schneider, head of the Global Competence Center Paints at the Inorganic Pigments business unit, “the decisive advantages of our high-performance products are their tight tolerances with respect to shade and tinting strength. This improves quality consistency and makes formulation paints and coatings faster, easier and more reliable; shading work is reduced to a minimum.” In addition, these pigments are characterized by very good dispersibility. This is achieved through micronization, a very intensive form of grinding, that results in a significant reduction in the proportion of pigment aggregates in the product.  

The reds of the Bayferrox 100 line cover a very broad range of color shades, extending from a yellowish cast to a distinctly bluish shade. The special quality properties achieved in the manufacturing of these high-performance pigments is mainly due to the use of the Laux process. This process lends the pigments their excellent heat resistance and protects them from changes in the hue even when they are subjected to intense milling, grinding or dispersion. This is the reason for the widespread popularity of these red pigments in nearly all temperature ranges relevant to the paint and coatings industry. The excellent quality consistency of these Bayferrox grades provides a reliable basis for all customers whose products have to comply with very tight and consistent color specifications over long periods.

The high quality yellow pigments Bayferrox LOM produced in Porto Feliz will be also presented during the tradeshow. The LOM pigments have low oil absorption and are micronized providing low viscosity. “The Bayferrox 912 LOM was specially developed for highly filled pigment pastes. Micronization ensures especially good dispersibility in fast-moving dissolvers”, added Giselle Martins, Coordinator Global Competence Center for Latin America.

Customers in a wide variety of industries have been putting their trust in Bayferrox pigments for 85 years. For LANXESS, sustainability in production is extremely important. The high grinding stability and consistency of color quality achieved in the manufacture of these pigments is due not least to the Laux process. This process has been used in the world’s largest production facility for inorganic pigments at the company’s site in Krefeld-Uerdingen, Germany, since 1926. This method is exemplary in its consistent use of the reaction heat generated during the synthesis of the iron oxide pastes. This heat is re-used for the production of steam and hot water for subsequent process steps. The result is a process whose energy efficiency is currently unsurpassed.

LANXESS is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of iron-oxide-based inorganic pigments. These have a track record going back 85 years as components of paints and coatings, plastics and paper, as well as for use as specialty pigments for toners and other applications. “We help our customers on technical issues through the services we offer with our Global Competence Centers. And not least we develop customized solutions for the demands of tomorrow”, said Schneider.

The IPG business unit belongs to LANXESS’ Performance Chemicals segment, which achieved total sales of EUR 2.0 billion in fiscal 2010.