LANXESS Celebrates Centenary of Synthetic Rubber Invention

Sept. 11, 2009 - PRLog -- Singapore - German specialty chemicals company LANXESS will celebrate the centenary of synthetic rubber's invention by the chemist Fritz Hofmann on Saturday, 12 September 2009. As part of the celebration, LANXESS will host a scientific colloquium at "Gürzenich" in Cologne, Germany, during which politicians, economists and industry experts will discuss synthetic rubber market trends, innovations for the automotive industry, sustainable solutions to industrial problems and the innovative potential of rubber. The program agenda and registration details can be found at http://lanxess.com/colloquium/.

Hoffman's invention was initially intended as a substitute for natural rubber and a means of counteracting the rising prices of rubber tree extract. But today, synthetic rubber is far more than a substitute. Synthetic rubber has proven to be indispensable thanks not only to its diverse properties and types, but also to its many applications. It is used in automotive engineering and the tire industry as well as energy generation, medicine, sports and aerospace engineering.

LANXESS is successfully continuing the work of Hofmann, who was employed by "Elberfelder Farbenfabriken vorm. Friedrich Bayer & Co." when he developed his invention. Today, LANXESS is not just one of the world's biggest producers of synthetic rubber; with 100 years of experience in synthetic elastomers, the company is also a technology leader and a driving force in the industry.  The LANXESS portfolio comprises far in excess of 100 different grades of synthetic rubber, which are used in a whole range of applications.  LANXESS even makes a rubber grade for the chewing gum industry. LANXESS is the world's only supplier of a butyl rubber approved by the authorities for use in the food industry. The material is also used in preventive measures to protect against earth­quakes, with structures such as bridges being built on rubber.

In addition, LANXESS continues to register numerous patents in the rubber sector every year, which proves that this flexible all-rounder still has a great deal more to offer. "High-tech rubber-based products will continue to play a key role in our daily lives in the future. The potential of the material is far from ex­hausted," says Werner Breuers, member of the Board of Management at LANXESS. Breuers also believes that a transparent rubber could be just around the corner. Such a material would allow diffused light to permeate through it without casting shadows and could, for example, be used in architecture, or even as a means of lighting up the connecting sections of articulated buses. Specialists in dentistry are also experimenting with the use of rubber as an additive in fillings.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 6.58 billion in 2008 and currently around 14,600 employees in 23 countries. The company is represented at 44 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manu­facturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals. More information at http://www.lanxessgoesasia.com

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by LANXESS AG management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 6.58 billion in 2008 and currently around 14,600 employees in 23 countries. The company is represented at 44 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manu­facturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals. More information at http://www.lanxessgoesasia.com.