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Solutia Inc. was an American manufacturer of materials and specialty chemicals including
polyvinyl butyral Polyvinyl butyral (or PVB) is a resin mostly used for applications that require strong binding, optical clarity, adhesion to many surfaces, toughness and flexibility. It is prepared from polyvinyl alcohol by reaction with butyraldehyde. The majo ...
(PVB),
ethylene vinyl acetate Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), also known as poly (ethylene-vinyl acetate) (PEVA), is the copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate. The weight percent of vinyl acetate usually varies from 10 to 40%, with the remainder being ethylene. There are thr ...
(EVA), and
thermoplastic polyurethane Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is any of a class of polyurethane plastics with many properties, including elasticity, transparency, and resistance to oil, grease, and abrasion. Technically, they are thermoplastic elastomers consisting of linea ...
(TPU) interlayers for laminated glass, aftermarket window films, protective barrier and conductive films, and rubber processing chemicals. The company was formed on September 1, 1997, as a divestiture of the Monsanto Company chemical business. In July 2012, the company was acquired by Eastman Chemical Company. Solutia's worldwide headquarters are located in Town and Country, Missouri, United States, with regional headquarters located in Zaventem, Belgium; São Paulo, Brazil; and Shanghai, China. Solutia is currently known as the world's leading manufacturer of PVB, EVA, and TPU interlayers, custom-coated window and performance films, and chemicals for the rubber industry. In 2009, the company completed the sale of its nylon division, with closure of the sale in the second quarter 2009. In 2010, the company purchased Etimex-Solar and Novomatrix, further enhancing its portfolio of interlayer and film products.


History

The company was formed on September 1, 1997, as a divestiture of the Monsanto Company chemical business. Solutia filed for
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debto ...
on December 17, 2003, in response to significant litigation surrounding various products, unsustainable debt structure, and a downturn in the economy. Solutia emerged from bankruptcy on February 28, 2008. Solutia employs approximately 3,400 people in more than 50 locations worldwide, and reported $1.67 billion in annual revenues for 2009, and $984 million in revenues through June 30, 2010, for its continued operations (nylon revenue not included in figures; new acquisitions included in figures for 2010 only). Solutia was bought by Eastman Chemical Company in 2012 for $4.8 billion.


Businesses and products

As of April 26, 2010, Solutia reports its businesses in three segments: Advanced Interlayers, Performance Films, and Technical Specialties. The products within these segments are as follows:


Advanced Interlayers

Advanced Interlayers plastic interlayers are used for laminated safety glass, primarily in automotive and architectural applications; Advanced Interlayers also produces PVB, EVA and TPU solar module encapsulants for thin-film and building-integrated photovoltaic applications. Advanced Interlayers brands include Saflex, Vistasolar, Vanceva Color Studio and KeepSafe Max.


Performance Films

Performance Films professional and retail window films are custom-coated and used primarily for automotive and architectural aftermarket tinting, safety and energy efficiency applications under the brand names of LLumar, Vista, EnerLogic, V-KOOL, IQue, Hüper Optik, Sun-X, nanoLux, Gila and FormulaOne High Performance Auto Tint. Performance Films precision coatings products, sold under the Flexvue films brand, are used in protective and conductive films for touch screens and electronic devices, as well as thin-film photovoltaic and concentrating solar power applications.


Technical specialties

*Flexsys rubber processing and antidegradant chemicals, sold under the Crystex and Santoflex brands, are integral to the manufacturing of tires and other rubber products such as belts, hoses, seals and footwear. *Therminol heat transfer fluids are used in systems that provide for indirect heating or cooling of industrial and chemicals processes, including concentrating solar power plant applications. *Skydrol aviation
hydraulic fluid A hydraulic fluid or hydraulic liquid is the medium by which power is transferred in hydraulic machinery. Common hydraulic fluids are based on mineral oil or water. Examples of equipment that might use hydraulic fluids are excavators and backhoes, ...
s and the SkyKleen brand of aviation
solvents A solvent (s) (from the Latin '' solvō'', "loosen, untie, solve") is a substance that dissolves a solute, resulting in a solution. A solvent is usually a liquid but can also be a solid, a gas, or a supercritical fluid. Water is a solvent for ...
are supplied across the aviation industry.


Corporate leadership

* Jeffry N. Quinn - chairman, president and chief executive officer * Paul J. Berra III - senior vice president, general counsel and chief administrative officer * Robert T. DeBolt - senior vice president, business operations * James M. Sullivan - executive vice president and chief financial officer * James R. Voss - executive vice president, global operations * Nadim Z. Qureshi - vice president, corporate strategy and development * Timothy J. Wessel - president and general manager, Saflex * Ray J. Kollar - president and general manager, performance films * D. Michael Donnelly - president and general manager, technical specialties


Environmental and health record

Solutia and its parent company Monsanto agreed in 2003 to pay $700 million to settle claims by 20,000
Anniston, Alabama Anniston is the county seat of Calhoun County in Alabama and is one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 23,106. Ac ...
residents over PCB contamination. Monsanto documents indicate that the company routinely dumped PCBs in the land and water supply of Anniston and covered up its behavior for more than 40 years. In 2008, PCBs were found outside Anniston High School. Solutia's Springfield, Massachusetts plant ranks as #4 on the EPA's top five facilities that reported the largest quantity of on- and off-site environmental releases in Massachusetts under the
Toxics Release Inventory The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is a publicly available database containing information on toxic chemical releases and other waste management activities in the United States. Summary of requirements The database is available from the Unite ...
for 2007. Solutia's Delaware River Plant is responsible for contaminating the soil and the groundwater with three old hazardous-waste disposal areas, a phenol equalization lagoon, two sludge lagoons, a raw-waste lagoon, a process sewer system, a storm-water drainage ditch, and a closed Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulated hazardous waste
landfill A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the waste ...
. The Solutia AES Property Site near the Kanawha River in
Nitro, West Virginia Nitro is a city in Kanawha and Putnam counties in the State of West Virginia, named after a World War I era nitrocellulose plant built by the government. The population was 6,518 according to the 2021 Population estimates. History Nitro was in ...
, was found by the EPA to have 18 buried, deteriorating drums containing dioxin. EPA determined that a threat to public health or welfare or the environment existed due to the release or threat of release of dioxin at the site. The Solutia facility in Sauget, Illinois is responsible for emitting PCBs,
benzene Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar ring with one hydrogen atom attached to each. Because it contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms ...
,
chlorobenzene Chlorobenzene is an aromatic organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5Cl. This colorless, flammable liquid is a common solvent and a widely used intermediate in the manufacture of other chemicals. Uses Historical The major use of chloro ...
, lead, and mercury. Solutia completed an interim remedy in 2004 to contain, intercept, and collect contaminated groundwater discharging and causing environmental impacts to the Mississippi River. In 2006, the EPA filed suit against Solutia,
Shell Oil Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New Y ...
, and Mallinckrodt over hazardous materials found at the Great Lakes Container Corp. in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1995, a fire alerted officials to the potential dangers of the site, and environmental investigations turned up buried drums of hazardous materials, asbestos and high levels of lead and polychlorinated biphenyls. According to the consent decree, 61,650 tons of soil contaminated with PCBs and lead was removed from the site as were more than 800 buried drums. Solutia's Chocolate Bayou Alvin facility ranked #1 in the EPA's top ten facilities in Texas for total on-site and off-site releases of all chemicals in 2009. In May 2009, the
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is the environmental agency for the state of Texas. The commission's headquarters are located at 12100 Park 35 Circle in Austin. The fourth largest environmental agency in the United States (a ...
approved a penalty of $117,048 assessed against Solutia for 14 air violations that occurred over a year and a half period.


References


External links


Company websiteSaflex websiteVista Films websiteSkydrol website
{{coord missing, Missouri Companies based in St. Louis County, Missouri Manufacturing companies based in Missouri Chemical companies established in 1997 Chemical companies of the United States 2012 mergers and acquisitions Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2003 Corporate spin-offs Monsanto Buildings and structures in St. Louis County, Missouri 1997 establishments in Missouri