1. General

Butadiene hydroxytelechelic oligomers (PBHT) were developed in 1950 by Dr. Olivier W. Burke of the US Burke Research Company, working for the Texas Butadiene and Chemical Company (TB&C). In 1962, Sinclair acquired TB&C and the industrial property rights belonging to O.W. Burke. In 1969, ARCO merged with Sinclair, and the first PBHT production plant was built in Channelview, Texas, under the trademark Poly bd®, mainly for military and aerospace applications. In 1986, ARCO's PBHT business was sold to Horsehead Industries, and Poly bd® became a business of Sartomer, part of Pony Industries Holding. In 1989, Sartomer's Poly bd® business was acquired by Atochem in France.

Atochem, which became Elf Atochem in 1992 and then ATOFINA in 2000, is the world leader in PBHT, still manufactured at the Channelview site in Texas. In 2001, the PBHT business was transferred...