UPM Biochemicals Sales GmbH, Leuna, and the Hamburg trading company Lehmann&Voss&Co. have reached an exclusive agreement regarding the distribution of renewable functional fillers from the UPM BioMotion™ X10, X20 and X40 product range in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom for application in the field of elastomers.
UPM Biochemicals Sales GmbH, a subsidiary of the Finnish UPM Group (sales 2021 – €9.8bn), is currently investing €550m in the construction of a new biorefinery in Leuna, Germany, in order to produce various biomass products in the future such as BioMEG, BioMPG, industrial sugar and UPM BioMotion™ RFF. The wood used to produce the biomass comes from 100% sustainably managed forests. Production is expected to end of 2023 with a total capacity of approximately 220,000 tpa.
UPM BioMotion™ offers the possibility to replace CO2-intensive fillers such as carbon black or silica in rubber and TPE compounds.
“We look forward to working with Lehmann&Voss&Co., our partner of choice in the field of functional fillers and additives for rubber applications. With more than 115 years of application technology support for customers in the rubber processing industry, their experience will make a significant contribution to the successful market launch of UPM BioMotion™,” says Christian Hübsch, Director Sales & Marketing at UPM Biochemicals.
The UPM BioMotion™- Products are an excellent addition to our extensive filler portfolio and can make a significant contribution to reducing the CO2 footprint while at the same time providing more sustainable production of rubber/TPE mixtures in the future, says Robert Zeppelin, Division Manager LUVOMAXX® at Lehmann&Voss&Co.