[+/-] : European antimony trioxide market receives some interests

BEIJING (Asian Metal) 27 Nov 08 – As some people are leaving office in the middle of December for winter holiday, the European antimony trioxide market sees some activities.
A trader source disclosed to Asian Metal that they closed a deal of 99.5%min non-brand named antimony trioxide at USD4,500/t CIF European port. And according to him, 99.65%min standard grade two antimony ingot is offered to him at USD5,200/t CIF Rotterdam. Antimony trioxide price is normally about 82-85% of the metal price, so the source holds that USD4,500/t is a reasonable price.
Prior to this deal, the source had not concluded any deal for several weeks, so he thinks there may have some interest in the market before European leaves for Christmas holiday. Due to the weak economy, most European manufacturers will have longer holidays than they normally do, so this may be the last purchase for them this year.
Another European trader also received inquiries of small volume for next January delivery. He received offers from China in the range of USD4,500-4,700/t CIF Rotterdam depending on different qualities and brand names. "Price fall fast in this month because the market remained quiet for very long time," said the trader and he takes that there is not much pressure on antimony market as other commodities because the supply of raw material, antimony concentrate, is still tight in China.
"Compare to other metals, antimony price was relatively stable in October," said the source, and he thinks we are seeing close to the end of the falling price as there are some buying activities, although inquiries are in small volume. He expects the antimony trioxide price would fall by another USD200/t before it rebounds....
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[+/-] : Zinc borate

Zinc borate, also named Flame Retardant FB, has dozens of different varieties. The most common variety is ZB-2335, also named Firebrake ZB. Molecular formula: 2ZnO·3B₂0₃·3.5H₂0, molecular weight 434.68. It is non-toxic, has low water solubility, high thermal stability, small particle size, low specific weight, good dispersibility. It is a highly efficient fire retardant widely used in plastics, rubbers and coatings.

Use

ZB2335 not only has low smokiness and good fire resistance, but also can greatly reduce the ash of rubber products (air-duct, belt conveyer) after burning. So it is the ideal substitute of antimony trioxide. It can achieve better fire retarding effect when used together with antimony trioxide.

1. Plastics: PVC, PVC ebonite foam, phenolic aldehyde, polyester, reinforced polyamide, polyurethane, polystyrene, PP, PE, ABS, epoxy resin, polyvinyl acetate etc.

2. Rubbers: natural rubbers, Styrene Butadiene Rubber, chloroprene rubber etc.

3. Paints: non-intumescent paints and intumescent paints.

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[+/-] : MSDS (MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET) OF ZINC BORATE

PRODUCT IDENTIFICATION
CAS NO.	: 1332-07-6, 138265-88-0, 149749-62-2
EINECS NO.	: 215-566-6
FORMULA	: 2ZnO.3B2O3.3.5H2O
MOL WT.	: 434.62
TOXICITY	: Oral rat LD50; 10000 mg/kg
SYNONYMS	: Boric acid, zinc salt; Borsäure, Zinksalz (German);

PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL STATE	White crystalline powder
SOLUBILITY IN WATER	Insoluble
pH	7.6
STABILITY	Stable under ordinary conditions
Specific Gravity	2.7
Melting Point	650C/1202F
Solubility in Water	<0.28% @25C

Precautions for Safe

Steps to Be Taken in Case Material Is Released or Spilled: Not applicable for products in purchased form. Wood dust generated from sawing, sanding, drilling, or routing of these products may be vacuumed or shoveled for recovery or disposal. Avoid dusty conditions and provide good ventilation. Use NIOSH/MSHA-approved respirator and goggles where ventilation is not possible and the allowable exposure limits may be exceeded. Precautions to Be Taken in Handling and Storage: No special handling precautions are required for products in purchased form. Avoid repeated or prolonged breathing of wood dust. Products with 100% MDI adhesive release no formaldehyde and have no measurable uncured isocyanate monomer. Store in well-ventilated, cool, dry place away from open flame.

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[+/-] : APPLICATION OF ZINC BORATE

Zinc Borate has been used extensively in flexible PVC as a partial replacement for antimony oxide, such as wall coverings, wire and cables, roofing membranes, conveyor belts, carpet backing, auto upholstery, and tenting materials. In contrast to antimony trioxide, this material has a refractive index similar to that of most polymer systems, which allows the use of lower pigment loading.

Zinc Borate has been used as a fire retardant in polyolefin wire & cables, as well as electrical parts. In halogen-containing systems, Zinc Borate is used in conjunction with antimony oxide, while in halogen-free systems, it is normally used in conjunction with alumina trihydrate, magnesium hydroxide, or red phosphorus. It should be noted that the use of Zinc Borate can also improve elongation properties of polyolefins.

Zinc Borates with different chemical compositions that provide flame retardant properties and improved resistance against electrical degradation processes in many flame retardant polyamides. The combination of zinc and borate moieties provides unique functionalities. Zinc Borate also perform as synergists with brominated flame retardants to tailor FR properties and CTI. These combinations have also been shown to increase melt stability, and can be used in regrinding processes without a reduction in the original CTI values.

Zinc Borate has been used extensively as a fire retardant in elastomers for applications such as conveyor belting, wire & cables, roofing membranes, flooring material, and foamed insulation products.

Zinc Borate is a flame retardant synergist of halogen sources such as chlorinated resins, decabromodiphenyl oxide, and tetrabromobisphenol-A. Depending on the halogen source used, Zinc Borate can either partially or completely replace antimony oxide. Zinc Borate has been used extensively as a fire retardant in epoxies for applications such as intumescent coatings, glass-reinforced laminates, and encapsulation of electrical components....
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[+/-] : OVERVIEW OF ZINC BORATE

Flame Retardant are substances that can be chemically inserted into the polymer molecule or be physically blended in polymers after polymerization to suppress, reduce, delay or modify the propagation of a flame through a plastic materials. There are several classes of flame retardants; Halogenated Hydrocarbons (Chlorine and Bromine containing compounds and reactive flame retardants), Inorganic flame retardants ( Boron compounds, Antimony oxides, Aluminium Hydroxide, molybdenum compounds, zinc and magnesium oxides ), Phosphorous containing compounds (Organic phosphate esters, phosphates, halogenated phosphorus compounds and inorganic phosphorus containing salts).

Zinc Borate is a boron-based fire retardant with a chemical composition of xZnOyB2O3zH2O. The most commonly used grade have following structure 2ZnO.3B2O3zH2.3,5H2O.

Zinc Borate can be used as a fire retardant in PVC, Polyolefins, Elastomers, Polyamides, Epoxy resins. In halogen-containing systems, Zinc Borate is used in conjunction with antimony oxide, while in halogen-free systems, it is normally used in conjunction with alumina trihydrate, magnesium hydroxide, or red phosphorus. In some particular application Zinc Borate can be used alone.

Zinc Borate act through :

• Zinc halide or zinc oxyhalide that accelerate the decomposition of halogen sources and promote char formation.
• by the B2O3 moiety released, a low melting glass, that can stabilize the char. B2O3 released can also promote the formation of ceramic formation in systems containing ATH or magnesium hydroxide.
• the endothermic, stepwise release of water that can promote the formation of foamy char.

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[+/-] : European antimony prices slide further

BEIJING (Asian Metal) 12 Nov 08 – Although Chinese government closed many antimony mines and smelters in Lengshuijiang areas last week, antimony prices did not stop falling. Market participants reported lower prices to Asian Metal.
A European trader disclosed that the latest offer he received from Chinese supplier was USD5,800/t CIF Rotterdam for 99.65%min low bismuth antimony ingot, and the material is about two weeks away from Rotterdam. "Most offers are in the range of USD5,800-5,900/t CIF Rotterdam, but consumers are not responding," said the source.
According to him, one of the major consumer told him two weeks ago that they would be interested when price fall below USD6,000/t, but now he is expecting price to fall below USD5,500/t. "When the market is falling, consumer adjust their target price frequently." The trader believes the closure of mines and smelters in Hunan area is not having effect, because the problem is on demand side of the market.
Another European trader is offering 99.65%min standard grade two antimony ingot at USD5,800/t CIF Rotterdam or other European port to his customers, but received no inquiries. "Market is very quiet at the moment, and many consumers are already long in stock from long-term supplies, so they are not interested in buying from spot market," the trader remarked.
He holds that the European consumers will not in spot market for the rest of the year due to the weak economy and slow demand, then they will end with some stockpiles by the end of the year and consume the inventory in the first quarter of next year. By the time of second quarter, there will be too much material available in market; therefore, he told Asian Metal that the European antimony market will not see any recover before September of 2009....
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