WACKER Redispesible Powders Plant Starts up in Zhangjiagang

On August 31, 2005 WACKER Group has inaugurated a spray drying facility for the production of redispersible powders in the chemical park of Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu Province, eastern China. The new site with an investment of EUR10 million was started construction in August 2004. (CCR2004 No. 21)     WACKER manager comments that the investment is response to a rise in Chinese demand for redispersible powders that enhance cementitious dry mortars. The new spray dryer in China will reinforce and further expand WACKER's leading position in this market. The redispersible powders are thermoplastic polymers derived mostly from vinyl acetate and ethylene. They serve as film-forming binders in a large number of applications, including tile adhesives and joint fillers, mineral plasters, sealing slurries, gypsum, repair mortars, self-leveling flooring compounds and powder paints. They enhance important properties in the end product, such as adhesion, cohesion, flexibility and flexural strength.   China's growing demand for redispersible powders is chiefly due to the need for dependable, lightweight and energy-efficient building materials. More and more Chinese houses are being lined with exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS). Studies conducted by WACKER in China have shown that exterior insulation systems enable energy savings of up to 50%.