LANXESS: Effective flame retardance
Phosphorous compounds for polyurethanes and other plastics

The LANXESS chemicals group will exhibit its comprehensive range of phosphorous flame retardants at  in Orlando, Florida from September 24 - 26, 2007. Experts from the LANXESS Functional Chemicals business unit will be providing visitors to the event with information on its wide-ranging product portfolio which meets virtually all the polyurethane industry’s requirements. The flame retardants come in three product lines - Levagard, Disflamoll and Bayfomox - and offer significant advantages and excellent flame retardance, even in complex applications.

They include new grades for use in low-fogging flexible foams for the automotive industry. Levagard products are particularly adept at making rigid polyurethane foam flame-retardant. LANXESS’s Levagard DMPP and Levagard TEP-Z are highly effective halogen-free phosphorous compounds that lend themselves to applications in the construction industry, for example in insulating foams.

The latest grade, Levagard TP LXS 51053, is tailored to the current requirements of the flexible polyurethane foam market with its halogen-free, reactive and therefore low-emission properties. It already complies with fire safety standards even at low additions.

The halogen-free phosphorous esters of the Disflamoll range are suitable for a large number of plastics. They have proved particularly effective both in rigid and flexible polyurethane foam applications and in coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers (CASE). When used in CASE applications, Disflamoll TOF and Disflamoll DPK demonstrate a plasticizing and flame-retardant resistance.

Low-viscosity Disflamoll DPK, for example, is primarily used for flexible polyurethane foam and impresses with its low scorch properties and good processability. Using this flame retardant can greatly reduce or totally eliminate the scorch effect that results in anything from undesirable reactions and discoloring to burning inside the foam.

Under the proprietary name Bayfomox, LANXESS offers a reactive dual-component polyurethane system that is used to manufacture extremely flame-retardant articles for fire stop applications. This enables items with a general building certification - such as strips, mats or "masonry blocks" - to be produced to seal holes in masonry for cables or pipes. When exposed to high temperatures in an emergency, the molded parts turn into a heat-insulating carbonized foam that prevents both fire and fumes getting through for a long period.

The Functional Chemicals business unit belongs to the Performance Chemicals business unit, which achieved total sales in fiscal 2006 of EUR 1,812 million. LANXESS is one of the leading European chemicals suppliers, with 2006 sales of EUR 6.94 billion and more than 16,000 employees in 18 countries. The company is represented at around 50 sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacture and sale of chemicals, rubber and plastics.

www.lanxess.com

Posted July 20, 2007