December 4, 2007 -- Albemarle Corp., a developer of aluminum trihydroxide and other specialty aluminas for flame retardants, fillers and other industrial applications, announced that it will increase the prices for all of its specialty aluminas up to 15 percent, effective globally on all shipment made on or after January 1, 2008, or as contracts allow.

The price increases will take effect for the following Albemarle products: the MARTINAL aluminum trihydroxide (ATH) flame retardants; MARTIFIN specialty alumina pigments; MARTOXID aluminum oxide products; and COMPALOX activated aluminas. The company says the increases are needed to help offset rapidly escalating raw material prices, raw material freight costs, and energy costs required to manufacture these products.

Plastics compounders and polymer manufacturers use the MARTINAL flame retardants and technical services to add life-saving properties to wire and cable, roofing, flooring, pipe and other building and construction materials. MARTINAL fillers are also used to improve injection-molded plastic parts, insulating foams and certain electrical and electronic parts.

Also, Albemarle's specialty ATH products are applied as pigmented fillers and coating minerals in the paper and board industry (MARTIFIN specialty pigments); as high-quality calcined aluminas for the industrial ceramics, refractory, and surface treatment industries (MARTOXID aluminum oxides); and as adsorbents and catalysts in chemical processes and environmental protection (COMPALOX activated aluminas).