PQ Corp. named Superior Materials Inc. (Garden City, NY) as an authorized distributor of its specialty silica products for select U.S. regions, effective August 1.
 
Superior Materials will distribute specialty silicas for coating applications in Ohio, West Virginia, western Pennsylvania, and the southeastern U.S. The agreement also covers distribution of specialty silicas for personal care and flow aid applications in the eastern U.S. region (east of the Mississippi). 
 
For the coatings market, Superior Materials will distribute PQ Corp.’s GASIL and SILCRON silica gels which are highly porous materials with tight particle size control, ideally suited to surface coating applications, including paints, lacquers, plastics, and paper products.
 
Superior Materials will also distribute SORBOSIL silicas which are used in personal care and cosmetics applications such as toothpaste, where they provide controlled abrasivity and thickening with optimized optical properties allowing them to be used in all formulations, including clear gels. For flow-aid applications, the distributor will sell PQ Corp.’s NEOSYL, MICROCAL and ALUSIL silicas, which enhance powder handling and storage and also serve as efficient carriers for viscous or sensitive liquids, semi-solids, or pastes.
 
“We welcome this new distribution arrangement which expands our portfolio options for customers,” said Bruce Schimmel, director of sales for Superior Materials. “We see strong opportunities for these materials in the coatings and personal care markets in select U.S. regions.”