There is much discussion about the impact of so-called “heavy metals.” Although the term “heavy metals” is a bit of a misnomer, the phrase is often used to reference naturally occurring metals, such as lead, chromium, arsenic and other transition metals that are potentially harmful to the environment or toxic to humans, but play an important role in many manufacturing processes.

Today, Rockwood and its subsidiaries are working to develop products and processes to replace heavy metals. Examples of our stewardship can be found in:

	Permatreat® surface pretreatment for aluminum wheels
	Solaplex® Color Pigments

Pressure Treated Lumber: Viance, Rockwood’s joint venture with Rohm & Haas, is focused on bringing greener building materials to market, such as Ecolife™ Stabilized Weather Resistant Wood, a revolutionary, non-metallic preservative plus wood stabilizer system for decks and fences.

Surface Treatment: Chemetall’s Permatreat® surface pretreatment for metal fabrication replaces chrome phosphate, thereby eliminating the effluent disposal issues and other environmental problems associated with toxic chromium chemicals. In addition, “SAM+” chrome-free pre-treatment process by Chemetall runs in more than 60 pre-treatment lines for aluminum wheels.

Coatings: Solaplex® color pigments from Rockwood Color Pigments replace traditional lead- and chrome-containing pigments for industrial and architectural coatings, without sacrificing performance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Developing Alternative Technologies  •  Replacing Heavy Metals  •  Increasing Efficiency and Longevity  •  Enhancing the Quality of Life for Millions
Maximizing Resources Through the 3R's  •  Creating Products that Clean and Protect