Braskem, leader in the Latin American market of thermoplastic resins, will have a significant participation in the 41st International Macromolecule Symposium, being held July 16 to 21, in Rio de Janeiro/RJ. As the sponsor of the event, the company will have a booth in which to present the projects developed at the Center for Technology and Innovation, located in Triunfo (RS), to professionals and researchers in the area who are interested in partnerships with Braskem.

"The symposium is where professionals from the polymers area from all around the world are able to meet, where we become aware of novelties and tendencies, and where we exchange ideas with the most renowned specialists," states Susana Liberman, Braskem polymer PhD and member of the Conselho Diretor da Associação Brasileira de Polímeros (Administrative Council of the Brazilian Polymer Association).

Representatives of the company will attend two lectures on the 20th. Marcelo Cordaro, marketing director for the Polyolefins Unit, will speak on "The petrochemical market of Latin America". Dr. Adriane Simanke, researcher for the Braskem Center for Technology and Innovation, will address the subject "Structure, Properties and Applications of Ultra-Heavy Molecular Weight Polyethylene".

Braskem is the Brazilian petrochemical company that invests the most in technology and innovation. Every year, R$50 million are invested in these areas. The company has about R$330 million in technological assets, distributed among seven pilot-plants and 11 labs.

The Center for Technology and Innovation is the most complete and well-equipped in the Latin American petrochemical industry and it relies on a highly specialized team, capable of providing support to clients in the development of processes, products and applications, as well as with prospecting new markets and business. The technological base also allows for the launching of resins with more aggregate value and accelerates the substitution of plastic in place of traditional materials.

Braskem was the first Latin American petrochemical company to patent nanotechnology, considered the most promising technological frontier in the area of polymer science and of new materials. In 2005, the company reached a total of 137 registered patents, which proves its technological autonomy.