Carbono Química producing polyamide again
Valor Econômico
Carbono Química, the second biggest distributor of solvents and hydrocarbons of the country, expects signing ,within the next days, a three-year contract for the resumption of the production of polyamide. The agreement foresees the outsourcing of the production and the sale through the channels of the very distributor. The purpose of Carbono is to manufacture, on a monthly-basis, nearly 40 to 50 tons of the product, which is used in adhesives, powder, decorative and graphic paint, until the end of the year, foreseeing doubling the productive capacity throughout 2010. The investment of the company amounted to R$ 400 thousand (US$ 210.5 thousand) in research and development.
The polyamide was developed in laboratories by Carbono Engenharia, a company of the group, from vegetable oils, among which is soy oil. "The advantage of the polyamide we will produce is that our raw material is abundant in the country", said the development director of Carbono, Rodrigo Gabriel. In the traditional route of the polyamide, it is used palm oil or "tail-oil", a byproduct of the production of paper.
Carbono does not disclose the name of the company that will produce it, but it gives a tip. "It will be a national partner, a privately-held company of the State of São Paulo", said Gabriel. "The contract foresees the sharing of the profit from the sale of the polyamide. They provide the ease of access to the raw material and to the plant, and we provide the technology and "know how" of the market". The company sells Epoxy resin, which is used by the same consumers of polyamide.
Carbono Química managed to produce, for some months until the beginning of 2008, polyamide in the same route on a crude oil basis, but it faced difficulties because the input at the time revealed to be little profitable. According to Gabriel, the sales volumes in the first half retreated 5%, but the prices are 20% to 25% lower than in relation to last year.