Chemical Industry Journal 5

Chemical INDUSTRY JOURNAL WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

C 05 I

NEWS z

IJ J

WINTER 2016

greening The

of the chemical industry gathers pace

UK and World News

Green Chemistry REACH 1

Health & Safety

Toxicology

YOUR PARTNER IN ENVIRONMENT AND TOXICOLOGY ENSURING CHEMICAL REGULATORY COMPLIANCE WORLDWIDE      

Risk assessment of chemicals Strategies for REACH registrations and SVHC substances Chemical compliance and regulatory toxicology Environmental laboratory services Hazard classifications and Safety Data Sheets for your global market Software tools incl. our new ChemClass for classification of chemicals mixtures according to national or regional implementation of GHS

© DHI / Photo: ©

Contact: info@dhigroup.com For more information, visit www.tox.dhigroup.com

DHI Agern Allé 5 DK-2970 Hørsholm Tel: + 45 4516 9200

2

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

WINTER 2016

WELCOME z

Welcome

Shrugging off the ‘Dirty Man’ reputation Go back twenty or thirty years and the chemical industry had an appalling reputation and, while much of it was unfair, there was nevertheless a lot of truth in what people said.

Many chemical plants were dirty, did belch pollution into the atmosphere and rivers and were responsible for more pollution incidents than was acceptable.

The result was that the media revelled in reporting on the industry’s ‘Dirty Man’ status. I was a newspaper reporter in those days and it was not difficult to do it– you did not have to look hard for the scandals, the next hard-hitting report into pollution statistics, the next easy headline.

John Dean

Editor in chief

However, there was another side to the story, a side that did not receive anywhere near as much media attention but which was beginning to quietly transform the industry – the early stirrings of the green chemistry movement.

The result is that today things have changed for the better. Yes, problems remain but the industry is steadily improving its environmental performance and this edition of Chemistry Industry Journal focus on some of the work that is being done.

A lot of the innovation is coming out of green chemistry with researchers finding more environmentally friendly ways of producing and processing chemicals without the high levels of pollutants that caused all those problems in years gone by.

Central to the increasing acceptance by company bosses of the new thinking is not just the demands of regulators but also the promise that green chemistry offers to the bottom line.

In times past, many chemical companies were wary of green technologies because, although desirable in a perfect world, they were also expensive and the industry has always operated on tight margins.

Faced with an ‘old style’ technology and an environmentally friendly one that cost more, you can guess where most company bosses placed their support.

3

What has changed is the work by scientists to demonstrate the financial benefits of environmentally-friendly processes, either in reduced production costs or through improved levels of recycling which bring in income streams that were not available before.

Part of the recycling process is known as industrial symbiosis, which works by regarding one company’s waste as the raw materials for another firm, which can reduce costs, divert waste from landfill, reduce carbon emissions and open up new business opportunities by earning additional revenue from residues and by-products.

All of which means that the chemical industry is increasingly playing its part in the green revolution that is transforming other sectors.

The industry does need to embrace those changes because, in addition to increasing pressure from regulators, there is another commercial imperative attached to green chemistry; just as more and more people are asking tough questions about the methods used to produce food so the same will happen with the chemicals contained in their everyday possessions.

More and more people will ask if the company producing the plastic for their mobile phone did so without harming the environment, were their clothes manufactured without creating harmful waste, was the energy they use produced in as environmentally-friendly a way as possible? Such questions show how green chemistry and the bottom line are coalescing.

However, for all the industry is responding to the demands of a green world, something should still be borne in mind by those calling for change.

No one wants to go back to the bad old days, nor do we want to see a return of those ‘Dirty Man’ headlines, but we do have to remember that by its very nature, the chemical industry can be a grubby business. Many of the substances it uses are dirty. And no one amount of innovation will change that.

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

6

10

13

7

11

14

8

12

15

4

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

WINTER 2016

Contents

3

Introduction/Foreword

4-5

Contents

6-11

UK News

12-15

World News

20-29 Green Chemistry 30-41 REACH

20

28

42-45 Health and Safety 46-49 Toxicology

Editor

John Dean john.dean@distinctivepublishing.co.uk

29

26

Design

Distinctive Publishing, Unit 6b, Floor B, Milburn House, Dean Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1LE Tel: 0845 884 2385 www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk

Contributors

John Dean & Francis Griss john.dean@distinctivepublishing.co.uk

Advertising

Distinctive Publishing, Unit 6b, Floor B, Milburn House, Dean Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1LE Tel: 07813 874970 email: john.neilson@distinctivegroup.co.uk www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk

27

31 5

Distinctive Publishing or Chemical Industry Journal cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies that may occur, individual products or services advertised or late entries. No part of this publication may be reproduced or scanned without prior written permission of the publishers and Chemical Industry Journal.

z NEWS

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

Chemical supply programme continues to grow

Industry body NEPIC has announced that its programme to support smaller businesses working within the chemical industry supply chain is to continue.

Following a successful European Development fund bid via the North East LEP, NEPIC will continue its work in helping SMEs access through its unique industry mentoring approach.

The recently-launched SME Growth programme is a spin-off from the Cluster’s hugely successful Business Acceleration for SMEs programme that mentored 420 businesses in £50 million of new sales and generated more than 1,000 jobs.

SME Growth will focus purely on companies based in Durham, Tyneside, Wearside and Northumberland and provide direct access to a team of industry mentors, along with all important sales and marketing workshops and energy management support.

Programme manager and industry specialist Philip Aldridge said: “Industry’s message is loud and clear. They want to buy locally from a strong regional supply chain that can support a growing sector long into the future – and they are prepared to put the leg work in to achieve it.

“Through their support of this programme they offer invaluable knowledge and advice, coupled with direct access to an established network.

“The model is simple, yet highly effectively.

We work with companies to understand their business and offering. An access approach is agreed and industry mentors assigned. Once in place, companies then work with their mentors and the team at NEPIC to develop everything from positioning and pitch right through to product positioning and placement. Companies also gain access to the Cluster’s established network of businesses and likeminded contacts.

“There are no catches. This is a fully funded programme designed to arm local supplies with the skills, approach and contacts that will enable them to play a strong role the success of the sector and ultimately help them achieve business growth.”

Colin Bell, Business Growth Director at the North East LEP, said: “The North East LEP’s role is to deliver the Strategic Economic Plan to ensure the ongoing growth of the region and a key part of this is ensuring businesses can access the appropriate skills and have a strong supply chain around them.

“NEPIC’s SME Growth Programme is completely focused on building local supply chains within the chemical-processing industry, an area in which the North East has

6

an excellent reputation. This latest round of funding is testament to the success of the work carried out so far.”

The programme, which is supported by 170 industrialists from across the region, is a fully funded ERDF scheme, matched by industry and will support eligible SMEs from 2016-2018 inclusive.

SME Growth is a free service available to growth-orientated Durham, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland-based businesses employing less than 250 staff and with an annual turnover no greater than £40m per annum.

Supported by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership and part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, the NEPIC SME Growth programme will support eligible SMEs throughout 2016 – 2018 inclusive.

NEPIC, the North East Process Industry Cluster, is a membership organisation that represents the broad range of inter-related chemistry using industries in North East England. The Cluster works with its member companies to provide a more collaborative environment and ultimately support the long-term sustainable growth of the sector.

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

NEWS z

Teacher wins award

Tomorrow’s chemists benefit from collaboration Chemistry graduates are among those reaping the rewards of UniversityIndustry collaborations backed by GlaxoSmithKline.

Third year undergraduates and fourth year MSci Chemistry students in the School of Chemistry at The University of Nottingham are taking two new modules sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline to help train ‘research and industry ready’ graduates.

In turn, the final year students have discovered a new series of compounds that could provide a starting point for future optimisation work leading to a treatment for a chronic respiratory illness.

Conceived in 2010 as a module for 3rd year undergraduates that was taught by Dr Jonathan Fray, in 2011 the collaboration was extended to a Drug Discovery research project for final year students.

Over the past five years, 50 students have participated in ongoing research to discover a new treatment for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), a life-threatening lung disease.

Preliminary results have already been published in leading academic journals.

The research is co-led by Dr Simon Macdonald, a Director of Medicinal Chemistry in the Fibrosis and Lung Injury Discovery Performance Unit at GSK and a visiting professor at The University of Nottingham.

It is carried out in partnership with Thomas McInally, a Business Science Fellow at The University of Nottingham and Dr Andrew Nortcliffe a GSK Teaching Fellow.

Each year a group of 10 final-year undergraduates are taught how to analyse

and use the Structure Activity Relationships generated in the project to design novel compounds. Synthetic chemistry is subsequently carried out over two 10-week terms and biological and physicochemical screening data of the new compounds is generated by GSK. The organisers of the programme say that giving the students a unique insight into the pharmaceutical industry will equip them with the scientific and team-working skills required for their future careers.

A UK-based teacher has won the ENTHUSE Celebration Award, presented each year to recognise the impact that school and Further Education teachers, technicians and support staff have.

Ursula Lowe of Cambridge Regional College, who is funded by the Biochemical Society as part of its new STEM Insight scheme, was named as the winner.

Project ENTHUSE provides professional development for teachers and technicians across the UK. Funders include the Department for Education, the Wellcome Trust, BAE Systems, the Biochemical Society, BP, Institution of Engineering and Technology, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Rolls-Royce, Royal Commission for the 1851 Exhibition, IBM, Institute of Structural Engineers and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Thomas McInally,, Research Fellow in the School of Chemistry, said: “The project gives students first-hand experience of the processes used by scientists in the pharmaceutical industry to design and synthesise potential new drugs.

Centre opens

“They truly appreciate that staff from GSK come regularly to the university to teach modern drug discovery principles to ensure that the research being done is truly reflective of the real-world situation.

USA-based Calysta chose Teesside as the base for its facility to manufacture sample quantities of FeedKind® protein, a new fish and animal feed ingredient targeted at replacing fishmeal.

“The project has many challenges both for students and staff. However, the fact that we have identified a series of novel compounds that may provide potential leads for IPF is a tremendous achievement. It is testimony to the professionalism of everyone concerned and to the spirit of the initial concept. I am sure that both of these collaborative projects will be viewed as a great success for both GSK and the University and they have led to similar undergraduate projects in other schools.”

Produced using the world’s only commercially validated gas fermentation process, FeedKind protein is a natural, safe non-animal source of protein.

Dr Mcdonald said: “Through lectures, workshops and mentoring, our partnership with The University of Nottingham is helping students to gain a solid grounding in the chemistry of drug discovery. It is critical that we nurture the next generation of medicinal chemists, to ensure a future talent pool that is highly motivated and equipped to take on the drug discovery challenges of tomorrow and play their part in developing new medicines for patients.”

7

A new centre has been opened to help meet the protein demands of the world’s growing population.

Anna Turley, Member of Parliament for Redcar, officially opened the facility next to the Centre for Process Innovation.

Chair is appointed

Professor Ian Williams, from the University of Bath, has been elected Chair of the committee responsible for Physical Organic Chemistry within the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).

The IUPAC is the umbrella organisation uniting national chemical societies around the world.

z NEWS

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

WINTER 2016

Research ‘could reduce need for animals in testing’ University of Leicester researchers, including chemists, have developed a new approach for analysing toxic chemicals in complex samples that mimics the way mammals smell and taste.

The team says that the technique could reduce the need for laboratory animals in biomedical research and other areas of chemical testing.

Their study a fluorescent assay combines a mixture of environmental-sensitive fluorescent dyes and human skin cells that generate fluorescence spectra patterns distinctive for particular physiological conditions.

Using multivariate data analysis, the optical signal is further processed, providing qualitative information and fast diagnostics, which the team says offers a valid alternative to animals.

The study was inspired by the operating principle of the electronic noses and tongues systems which mimic mammalian smell and taste recognition, combining semi-specific sensors and chemometric techniques for monitoring biochemical processes.

The Leicester Biotechnology Group at the University of Leicester has used similar principles, replacing electronic sensors with dyes array and applied them with human cells.

While a digitised fluorescence image is a very high-dimensional vector - more than 250,000 numbers each - the number of tested chemicals is much less.

The researchers suggest the dimensionality reduction is the first task to overcome, with the challenge being how to transform the high dimension signal to a much lower dimension while keeping all important information safe.

Alexander Gorban, Professor of Applied Mathematics in the Department of Mathematics

at the University of Leicester, said: “Firstly, we represented each signal by its projections on other signals. Secondly, we applied the classical and very popular model reduction method, Principal Component Analysis, and found five main components of the signals.

“Then we used dozens of various linear and nonlinear data analysis methods for the fivedimensional signals and validate the classifiers on the previously unseen data. Our approach can be considered as ‘explicit deep learning’, an explicit version of widely popularized (implicit) deep learning algorithms.”

The results had high accuracy, with both specificity and sensitivity above 90% and Sergey Piletsky, Professor of Bioanalytical

Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Leicester, said: “The latest finding are a big step not only in toxicology, providing a modern, inexpensive and more efficient in vitro method but also in development of sensor assays for rapid quantification of a wide range of analytes which has always been a great challenge faced by analytical scientists.

“It can also reduce the need for laboratory animals in biomedical research, pharmaceutical industry, other areas of chemical testing and health diagnostics.”

The research is supported by The Dr Hadwen Trust.

Businesses cautiously optimistic after Brexit vote Chemical and pharmaceutical companies are continuing their positive outlook in the midst of significant postBrexit concerns.

That was the conclusion from The Chemical Industries Association second quarter member company business survey which found that looking to the next twelve months 89% feel Research & Development investment will either remain the same or increase, 87% of businesses believe exports will either remain the same or increase and 80% feel sales will remain the same or increase.

relationship with the Union and the exchange rate as some businesses reign in investment.

On the positive side, members felt there were opportunities for growth through expanded production capacity, new products coming on-line and other operational improvements.

While some investment is expected to take a hit from Brexit uncertainty, three quarters of companies will maintain or increase capital investment expenditure, while 71% say that employment levels will remain the same or increase.

The survey, conducted after the UK vote to leave the European Union, also highlighted worries of uncertainty over the UK’s future

8

The lower value of sterling is also expected to boost exports, a vital driver of growth for the UK’s leading goods export sector, although as a consequence import costs will increase.

Steve Elliott Chief Executive of the Chemical Industries Association, said “It is right we acknowledge that we are in uncertain times while the country exits the European Union, but our survey shows that there is still confidence that the UK can be a good place to do business. “

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

WINTER 2016

ADVERTORIAL

FREE access to valuable safety resource The Loss Prevention Bulletin is the leading source of case studies in process safety. The current issue focuses on a number of major accidents such as Seveso, Chernobyl and The Challenger Space Shuttle, all of which are marked by significant anniversaries this year.

To ensure that these lessons are shared as widely as possible, we have made this issue open access for all.

Visit www.icheme.org/lpb and click on the latest issue icon.

1479_16 LPB ad vert 180x130.indd 1

15/11/2016 15:42

Positive : Partnership At Envigo, we help our customers achieve their REACH goals by applying our wealth of scientific experience and expertise, focused program management, expert data interpretation and an unrivalled depth of global regulatory knowledge.

Envigo are dedicated to helping our customers to create a healthier and safer world.

Download our new

REACH 2018 ‘Are you ready?’ white paper

envigo.com/REACH

9

z NEWS

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

WINTER 2016

Brexit Minister meets chemical industry leaders Robin Walker, Minister for the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) discussed the opportunities that Britain’s departure will present for the UK's chemical industry when he met industry leaders.

GSK announces new investment in UK manufacturing network GSK has announced that it will invest £275 million in its UK sites at Barnard Castle, in County Durham, Montrose in Scotland and Ware in Hertfordshire.

The money will go towards the company’s advanced manufacturing of new respiratory and biopharmaceuticals.

day to 140 global markets. The investment of £92 million will fund the construction of an aseptic sterile facility supporting the manufacture of existing and new biopharmaceutical assets in our pipeline.

Montrose in Angus in Scotland manufactures active ingredients for respiratory, HIV and vaccine products and employs more than 450 staff. The investment of £110 million will provide a new facility for the manufacture of respiratory active ingredients.

Andrew Witty, CEO of GSK said: “It is testament to our skilled UK workforce and the country’s leading position in life sciences that we are making these investments in advanced manufacturing here.”

Ware in Hertfordshire, employs 1,200 staff, manufacturing innovative respiratory products. The investment of £74 million will support further expansion of the company’s new Ellipta respiratory inhaler through additional manufacturing capacity at the site.

Barnard Castle in County Durham is one of GSK’s biggest secondary manufacturing sites, employing 1,100 people. The site supplies nearly half a million packs of products per

GSK says that the announcement will support current employment at the sites and is expected to lead to the creation of jobs.

The event was one of a series of business sector roundtables hosted by the department and it was chaired by the minister.

He and the industry leaders discussed the opportunities Brexit could present for the second largest UK manufacturing export sector, which employs 94,000 people.

Topics discussed included investment into research and development, energy supply, the regulatory framework and skills provision.

Robin Walker said: “My message to the industry is that Britain is the same outwardlooking, globally-minded, big-thinking country we have always been, and that leaving the EU offers us an opportunity to forge a new role for ourselves in the world.

“I look forward to working with the chemical industry, as we embark on this historic and positive moment for our nation and get the best deal for Britain’s businesses and manufacturers.”

Nick Sturgeon, Energy and Competitiveness Director of the Chemical Industries Association, said: “As a major exporter of manufactured goods, this was an early important opportunity for the country’s chemical and pharmaceutical business leaders.

"The Government does have a clear understanding of what we need – single market access, availability of people, affordable and secure energy and a science policy that stimulates growth - in order that our companies can continue delivering for the UK.” Senior executives attended from the following business and trade associations:

It is testament to our skilled UK workforce and the country’s leading position in life sciences that we are making these investments in advanced manufacturing here.

10

• Chemical Industries Association • Thomas Swan and Co. • Johnson Matthey • BASF • INEOS • Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechologies • Biorenewables Development Centre • Croda • Shott Trinova • Oxford Biotrans

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

NEWS z

Honour for company

Banner’s parent company 2M has been presented with the ‘Highly Commended’ award by the Chemical Business Association for the ‘Community Interaction Awards’ at the 2016 Annual Ceremony.

The commendation was given for the company’s efforts to help young people access Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) careers.

The company works with schools, disadvantaged students, apprentices and graduates to help them access the industry, both by giving our time and training and by giving them jobs and work placements.

New technique

Watering system wins award for chemical engineer

A young chemical engineer from the University of Surrey has been recognised by Bosch for her vision of how the Internet of Things (IoT) might transform our lives.

The award for Maz Chowdhury came in a competition run by Bosch to explore opportunities presented by the IoT, which connects sensors, software and services, using internet-enabled devices Maz, who is studying Chemical Engineering at the university, was recognised for inventing an automated watering system for lawns, which uses ground-based sensors to ensure that lawns and plants receive exactly the right amount of water they needed.

She was one of three winners of the competition. The others were Sophie Spooner, studying communications engineering at Aston University in Birmingham, who imagined the use of front and rear windowmounted micro-cameras that could record video footage in the wake of unauthorised entry into a vehicle, and Ka Man Wong, an engineering student at the University of Bath who envisaged a multi-sensory recycling container that could classify the type of waste that consumers were recycling.

Steffen Hoffmann, President of Bosch in the UK, said: “At a time of chronic skill shortages within engineering, the competition provided a platform for women to demonstrate the

ambition to solve problems and ideas to change the world.

“We challenged the brightest young female engineers to think about how the IoT might transform our lives, and they certainly delivered.”

We challenged the brightest young female engineers to think about how the IoT might transform our lives, and they certainly delivered.

11

Organic chemists at the University of York's Chemistry Department have discovered a cheap way to make new compounds with potential in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries.

The method uses catalytic amounts of silver salts together with cheap silica gel and transforms easily available starting materials into products with unusual 3D-shapes: Silver nitrate is the least expensive salt of silver metal and it is widely used to make photographic film. Silica gel, often used as a drying agent, is made from silicon dioxide, which is readily obtained from sand.

Funding secured

Fluidic Analytics Limited, a company founded by Professor Tuomas Knowles of Cambridge University’s Chemistry Department, has raised £5.3 million.

The company is revolutionising the field of protein characterisation through its new technology that allows proteins to be characterised in a rapid, accurate and cost-effective manner.

Along with Professors Chris Dobson and Michele Vendruscolo, Professor Knowles is a director of the Centre for Misfolding Diseases, whose primary mission is to develop a fundamental understanding of the molecular origins of the variety of disorders associated with the misfolding and aggregation of proteins, which include Parkinson's disease.

z WORLD NEWS

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

New power source could take robotics to the next level

Researchers have set out their ideas for new types of power sources to allow robotics to meet its full potential.

The researchers, who presented their work at the 252nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, said that robots that wash your dishes or smart T-shirts that power your cell phone may depend on the development of ‘stretchy’ power sources.

They say that traditional batteries are thick and rigid, which are not ideal properties for materials that would be used in tiny malleable devices.

In a step toward wearable electronics, the team has produced a stretchy micro-supercapacitor using ribbons of graphene.

Reserarcher Xiaodong Chen, Ph.D. said: “Most power sources, such as phone batteries, are not stretchable. They are very rigid.

“My team has made stretchable electrodes, and we have integrated them into a supercapacitor, which is an energy storage device that powers electronic gadgets.”

Supercapacitors, developed in the 1950s, have a higher power density and longer life cycle than standard capacitors or batteries and, as devices have shrunk, so too have supercapacitors, bringing into the fore a generation of twodimensional micro-supercapacitors that are

integrated into cell phones, computers and other devices. However, these supercapacitors have remained rigid, and are a poor fit for soft materials that need to have the ability to elongate.

In this study, Xiaodong, of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and his team sought to develop a micro-supercapacitor from graphene. This carbon sheet is renowned for its thinness, strength and conductivity.

The researchers’ first step was to make graphene micro-ribbons. Most graphene is produced with physical methods — like shaving the tip of a pencil — but Xiaodong uses chemistry to build his material.

He said: “We have more control over the graphene’s structure and thickness that way. It’s very difficult to control that with the physical approach. Thickness can really affect the conductivity of the electrodes and how much energy the supercapacitor overall can hold.”

The next step was to create the stretchable polymer chip with a series of pyramidal ridges. The researchers placed the graphene ribbons across the ridges, creating the wave-like structure. The design allowed the material to stretch without the graphene

12

electrodes of the superconductor detaching, cracking or deforming.

In addition, the team developed kirigami structures, which are variations of origami folds, to make the supercapacitors 500% more flexible without decaying their electrochemical performance.

As a final test, the team has powered an LCD from a calculator with the stretchy graphenebased micro-supercapacitor. Similarly, such stretchy supercapacitors can be used in pressure or chemical sensors.

In future experiments, the researchers hope to increase the electrode’s surface area so it can hold even more energy. The current version only stores enough energy to power LCD devices for a minute, he says.

The team received funding from the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore, under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) Programme of Nanomaterials for Energy and Water Management.

WINTER 2016

SUMMER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

z WORLD NEWS

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

ADVERTORIAL

Scientists are honoured The American Chemical Society has announced three scientists as winners of the 2016 ACS Nano Lectureship Award for outstanding contributions to the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology.

This year’s award winners are Lifeng Chi, Ph.D., Christopher Murray, Ph.D., and Andrea Ferrari, Ph.D.; each has been selected for exceptional research that embodies the journal’s mission to advance the field through new discoveries.

The ACS Nano Lectureship Award is sponsored

by ACS Nano in partnership with the 32nd European Conference on Surface Science (ECOSS-32).

Lifeng Chi, Ph.D., is a Professor at Soochow University. Her research focuses on supramolecular chemistry on surfaces, in particular molecular assembly and reactions,

molecular patterning and structured functional surfaces.

Christopher Murray, Ph.D., is a Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on the integration of precise nanocrystals into devices and technologies.

Andrea Ferrari, Ph.D., is a Professor and Director of the Cambridge Graphene Centre at the University of Cambridge. He is a pioneer in the study of graphene, focusing his research primarily on carbon nanomaterials.

When quality matters.

Nozzles Chemical and Pharma Hoses Expansion Joints Dry Disconnect Couplings

ELAFLEX LTD. · Riverside House, Plumpton Road, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, EN11 0PA1 Phone +44(0)1992/45 29 50 · sales@elaflex.co.uk · www.elaflex.co.uk

2013_Ad_When Quality matters_210x100mm.indd 1

12.06.2013 16:34:45

13

z WORLD NEWS

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

Drug targets killers Scientists are a step closer to providing treatments for three connected diseases after making a chemical which can kill the parasites that cause the illnesses.

Chagas disease, leishmaniasis and human African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, affect 20 million people worldwide and lead to more than 50,000 deaths annually.

They are caused by infection from parasites which have some similar biology and genomic sequence, suggesting that all three diseases could be cured with a single class of drug.

Using that information, the scientists identified an enzyme common to all three parasites and developed a chemical that binds to the “target” and prevents it from functioning.

The research, which was led by scientists from the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF), included collaboration with colleagues at the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD), University of York, University of Washington and the University of Glasgow.

As part of the work, three million compounds held in the Novartis chemical library were tested by a phenotypic screen against live parasites and the most active then modified more than 3,000 times using synthetic chemistry before the most potent one was identified.

Professor Jeremy Mottram, Chair in Pathogen Biology at the Centre for Immunology and Infection at the University of York, said: “It’s a breakthrough in our understanding of the parasites that cause the three diseases, potentially allowing them to be cured.

“This early phase drug discovery project will now move towards toxicity testing prior to human trials.”

The lead authors, who performed a significant part of the research at the University of Glasgow with in vivo imaging technologist Ryan Ritchie, focused on human African trypanosomiasis, a disease which is found in sub-Saharan Africa and which is transmitted by the tsetse fly.

The disease gets its more common name from the disturbance of the sleep cycle caused by the parasites infecting the brain, causing victims to fall into a coma and die.

scientists, but the team from York say they have made a breakthrough using an animal model of the human disease.

Dr Elmarie Myburgh, from the Department of Biology at York, said: “We were able to detect the parasite in the brain using an imaging system that detects the presence of genetically modified light-emitting parasites.

“We then tested the chemical developed by Novartis using our imaging method which showed that it can get into the brain and kill the parasites.

“That is a very important finding because the drugs that are really needed in Africa are those that kill the parasites in the brain of patients with sleeping sickness.”

Dr Myburgh added: “It is a great example of collaboration between industry and academic partners; by combining resources and expertise you can really make significant scientific progress.”

The team from York are now part of a Wellcome Trust-funded consortium looking at progressing new drug candidates for the treatment of human African Trypanosomiasis.

Finding a drug that can target the disease in the brain has always been a challenge for

Young talent is recognised The American Chemical Society (ACS) hosted the finals for the Chemistry Champions competition at its national meeting in Philadelphia. Mallory Hinks, a graduate student at the University of California, Irvine, was voted the 2016 Chemistry Champion after delivering a presentation about how the color of aerosols in the atmosphere can affect climate.

Runner-up was Chemistry Champion was Olga Zamudio, a professional chemist based in Vancouver, Canada,

The other finalists were • John Gleeson, graduate student at University College Dublin, Ireland • Nathan Turner, undergraduate student at Louisiana Tech University, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana • The four sem-ifinalists, who received science communications training in June 2016 along with the finalists, were • Robin DeClercq, undergraduate student at Kalamazoo Valley Community College

14

• Amanda Pluntze, chemistry professional from Bend, Oregon • Melanie Swannell, undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison • Wilson “Will” Shafer, Ph.D., researcher at the Center for Applied Energy Research in Lexington, Kentucky The scheme sets out to encourage the young scientists of tomorrow.

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

z WORLD NEWS

Companies join forces

The American Vanguard Corporation’s international subsidiary, AMVAC Netherlands BV, has joined with Chinese-based Huifeng Agrochemical Company, Ltd. Subsidiary Shanghai Focus Biological Technology Co., Ltd. to establish a technology R&D-focused joint venture based in Hong Kong.

Huifeng AMVAC Innovation Co., Limited will focus on technology transfer between the co-owners, including the development of new, proprietary agrochemical formulations and precision application systems for crop protection.

Company takes on threat to the citrus industry Life sciences company Bayer has set out a programme of activities which use chemicals to combat a disease threatening the global citrus industry.

Brazil, China and the United States are the biggest orange producing countries, accounting for 58% of global production, but the trade is threatened by citrus greening, which has spread around the planet in the past decade.

The culprit is an insect called the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri), which transmits a bacteria that causes Huanglongbing (HLB), better known as citrus greening disease.

Bayer has been showcasing its portfolio of solutions that combat the disease and Kai Wirtz, Global Fruit Crop Manager at the Crop Science Division, said: “This disease is the greatest threat to the entire citrus industry. Globally, millions of citrus trees have had to be culled as there is no cure available at the moment.

“The infection severely limits the flow of nutrients. The oranges, lemons and grapefruits do not grow or ripen as they should, and any fruits that do form are small and sour. Global

production has already drastically declined.

Countries especially affected are Brazil, the United States, and China.”

The company says that its pest management practices and chemical and biological solutions help to control the Asian citrus psyllid vector.

Bayer is supporting the Citrus Research and Development Foundation in Florida as it seeks to reduce the psyllid population and breed more resistant trees.

In Brazil, Bayer is collaborating with Fundecitrus, an association for citrus growers, to bring about faster development of technologies intended to ensure sustainability in citrus farming.

And to improve the situation in China, Bayer is funding research at the Chinese National AgroTech Extension and Service Center into spraying.

The infection severely limits the flow of nutrients. The oranges, lemons and grapefruits do not grow or ripen as they should, and any fruits that do form are small and sour. Global production has already drastically declined. Countries especially affected are Brazil, the United States, and China.

15

Cracker starts up

The Dow Chemical Company has announced that its joint venture in the Middle East, the Sadara Chemical Company, has achieved a significant milestone with the start-up of its mixed feed cracker.

The complex in Saudi Arabia is at Jubail Industrial City II and the ethylene and propylene produced will be converted into a wide range of value-added plastics and specialty chemicals through Sadara’s other manufacturing units.

Testing centre opens

BASF has opened its new Application Technology Center at its Crop Protection division headquarters in Limburgerhof, Germany.

The centre offers a large-scale commercial sprayer set-up capable of conducting tests of new crop protection products under realistic farming conditions.

Lars Wittkowski, Vice President of Global Formulation Development & Analytics at BASF`s Crop Protection division, said: “Through the evaluation of the application process in a commercial large scale sprayer, we can optimise the application properties of products towards higher robustness. Farmers will be able to achieve better spraying results.”

ADVERTORIAL

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

Smithers Viscient offers business solutions through knowledge and technology After Brexit – What next for the Chemicals and Pharmaceutical Industry: Erick Nfon, Regulatory Scientist Smithers Viscient UK While the political and social fallout from the Brexit vote is still being debated and assessed by media commentators and the public at large, one thing is clear: the vote will have major implications for the chemicals industry.

The question for the chemicals industry is what next for the various regulations and directives governing the chemicals industry (e.g. REACH, PPPR, BPR, CLP, and Directive 2001/83. This paper looks at the implications with respect to two legal acts that currently regulate the chemicals industry (including pharmaceuticals) – Directive 2001/83 and the REACH regulation. The chemical industry (including pharmaceuticals) is one of the UK’s biggest manufacturing sectors, and is the country’s biggest manufacturing exporter.

It employs about 500,000 people directly, and supports several hundred thousand jobs throughout the economy. According to Chemicals Industry Association, chemical and pharmaceutical businesses in the UK (represented by the Association) contributed over £15 billion to the GDP of the UK, with exports of nearly £50 billion each year.

As withdrawal is not set to occur for at least two years, as outlined under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the immediate impact of the Brexit vote is likely to be minimal since these Regulations and Directives will likely remain in place unless the UK government decides to change them. The medium-term impact willmainly derive from the outcome of the negotiations between the UK government and the EU. The options are very limited and most forecasts foresee an interest on both sides to maintain the status quo or something as close to the status quo as possible since a short-term slowdown or a long period of uncertainty could cause gaps for example in the regulation of medicinal products in the UK since pharmaceutical regulations are currently largely determined at the EU level. However, the possible options for the UK at the end of the negotiations could be: • The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) adopts the Swiss model (i.e. MHRA work independently to authorise medicinal products but work closely with the EMA under sharing agreements and mutual agreements) or • The MHRA work with the EMA although the UK is outside the EU (similar to the EEA countries Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland).

• The UK develops a totally UK centric drug approval system since pharmaceutical regulations are currently determined at the EU level.

The most common legal acts drawn at the EU level that directly affect the chemicals and pharmaceutical industry in the UK include amongst others the REACH Regulation and the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR). REACH created the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and Titles XIII and XIV of REACH required each Member State to appoint a Competent Authority (CA) and maintain an appropriate control system for enforcement.

REACH also recognises the need for high levels of co-operation, co-ordination and exchange of information between the Member States, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the European Commission regarding enforcement. This arrangement will remain in the foreseeable future and will not affect the REACH 2018 deadline.

While it is not yet clear what the outcome of the negotiations between the UK and the EU could be, the expectation is that the UK will try and negotiate to obtain a situation similar to the one that Norway currently has in place with the EU. The so-called Norway model means that the UK decides to adopt all EU Regulations but stays out of the EU. This option carries the most risks from a political point of view. Norwegian officials can attend expert level meetings organised by the European Commission to discuss proposals for Regulations and its ministers are invited to attend some EU ministerial council meetings when it is relevant for both sides, but they have no way of influencing the outcome since they have no vote. The Norwegian Prime Minister recently described this arrangement as a situation that forces Norway to act like a lobby organisation in Brussels. Furthermore although Norway’s membership in the European Economic Area (EEA) does not cover certain areas of EU cooperation (e.g. agriculture, fishing) it is part of the Schengen agreement. Norway’s participation in the single market means Norway implements according to some estimates about threequarters of all EU laws. This option is not likely to be acceptable even to people who campaigned to stay in the EU. Another possible option is for the UK to negotiate to stay out of the EU as well as the EEA, which will require that the UK stays out

WE’VE GOT IT COVERED

of the common market. Although this looks like a worst-case scenario for the UK chemicals industry, it was actually seriously discussed by some politicians with the expectation that the UK will be free to negotiate trade deals with other countries without any interference from the European Commission. In this case, all UK chemical companies that export products to the EU would have registration and authorisation obligations under REACH as other companies in the US, China Japan and Canada. Because only EU-based companies or organisations can participate as registrants under REACH, UK companies will have to either nominate their importer or appoint a third party in the EU as their Only Representative to fulfil REACH responsibilities.

Most importantly, UK companies that violate REACH will be subject to penalties in the country they exported to. Penalties for REACH violations vary by member state and could be as high as €55 000 000 in Belgium; €4 500 000 in Poland. EU Member state could also utilise other legal and commercial instruments such as injunctions, market withdrawal and product confiscation. Thisseems to be the option with the greatest risk and cost implications for the UK chemicals industry.

A third option could be for the UK to stay out of the EU but negotiate some form of deal with the EU in which the UK has no obligations, but has full access to the common market without the associated free movement of people – the so-called Norway light model. Although this will be the best option for the chemicals industry, it is difficult to see why the EU will accept such an arrangement since this will open the door of contagion within the rest of the EU: the possibility that other member states nations might also drop out of the union, which could prove terminal to the European project if that member state happened to be a founding member state within Eurozone.

Although all that is possible to do at this stage is to speculate on the post-Brexit Chemicals regulation approach in the UK, there are only two certainties at this stage: one is uncertainty and the other is that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will re-locate from its current headquarters in London. Smithers Viscient will continue to monitor the developments and keep its clients in the chemicals and pharmaceutical Industries informed on potential compliance issues in Brexit’s aftermath. www.smithersviscient.com info@smithersviscient.com

Environmental Fate • Plant & Animal Metabolism • Analytical & Product Chemistry • Ecotoxicology • Product Development Testing • Avian & Wildlife & Mammalian Toxicology Residue Chemistry • Global Chemical Notification • Endocrine Testing • Risk Assessment & Modelling • Regulatory Services • Pollinators

16

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

WINTER 2016

ADVERTORIAL

Is your next regulatory deadline within REACH?

Your Product, Our Priority The next REACH registration deadline is in May 2018 and there is expected to be over 70,000 registrations covering 30,000 substances*. It is anticipated that there will be a significant increase in demand for testing and analytical services in the CRO industry.

Let Smithers Viscient be your partner throughout this process, providing expert advice and testing services to meet your submissions needs.

Call us now on:

01423 532 710 info@smithersviscient.com | www.smithersviscient.com

*ECHA registration Directorate

17

ADVERTORIAL

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

Tackling the perennial problem of corrosion Worldwide, the annual costs resulting from corrosion has been reported at US $2.2 trillion.

If it were possible to eliminate these costs altogether, the potential saving for the global economy would be equivalent to over 3% of gross world product (GWP). It is unlikely that we will ever completely eliminate these costs, or that remediation will not also have an associated cost; but, undoubtedly, large cost savings can be achieved.

The annual cost incurred in infrastructure could be significantly reduced if optimal corrosion control practices were factored into builds at the design phase. This would increase initial costs; because, it would require improved surface preparation of structural metals through the use of acid corrosion inhibitors and advanced coatings methods.

However, many of the current costs are ongoing and result from a culture of lower tender acceptance and, therefore, these maintenance costs can certainly be reduced and, in some cases, eliminated.

the acids to remove rust and scale, without corroding the metal surface.

Passenger cars and lorries rely on fluids in closed systems in order to function. The fuel system contains liquid petrol or diesel, which can contain traces of water. The coolant system typically contains water or glycol/ water fluid. The lubricant system contains oil, and the transmission system requires a separate gear oil or ATF fluid.

The costs of maintenance of public infrastructure are incumbent upon tax payers.

Maintenance of other transport and office infrastructure in private ownership is vital to the health of the economy.

and equipment is vital to maintenance schedules and key to maintaining continuity of industrial output and transport of goods and personnel. Downtime costs and replacement costs can be large and should be minimised.

Christopher Brady, Managing Director of Brad-Chem Ltd, a leading manufacturer said “Industry awareness of corrosion issues is growing significantly due to education, and the US study.”

Parts washing and impregnation are important for the pressure resistance sealing and maintenance of metal parts for automotive and industrial applications. Parts cleaning is usually in water, often at elevated temperature, and under corrosive conditions, which can damage or stain surfaces, which may then require multiple washing cycles.

Roads, runways, and rails must function year round. In winter, surfaces can become covered in snow, which compacts to form a hazardous slippery surface that must be cleared for transport safety.

Melt water from de-icing and track clearing can be corrosive, and may have costly, damaging effects on street furniture, structural metals, bridges, vehicles, tracks and points. These costs can be mitigated by addition of effective corrosion inhibitors to deicing media. Since melt water drains to ground water, it is vital to use non-hazardous, readily biodegradable corrosion inhibitors.

Ensuring the integrity of metal parts in machinery, transport, infrastructure, vehicles

Turbine cleaning helps to ensure the service life of items of aerospace and power generation equipment, which are often made of advanced alloys that need to be protected using flash rust corrosion inhibitors.

Industrial preventative maintenance fluids are predominantly water based and the runoff is usually okay to discharge to water courses.

These applications require corrosion inhibitors that are readily biodegradable and nonhazardous.

Acid cleaning and metal surface treatment require acid corrosion inhibitors that allow

18

Without corrosion inhibitors all of the enclosed systems in passenger cars would corrode, leading to regular equipment failure, lots of downtime and high costs for repairs and replacement parts.

Christopher Brady said “Much of our R&D expense over the past 5 years has been devoted to solving these issues.”

Cargo ships and ferries require regular maintenance of the integrity of resistant marine paint coatings on the metal parts.

These vehicles also contain closed systems.

Trains, and aeroplanes are often made with extensive use of advanced alloys and it is vital that any maintenance fluids used will not corrode these metal parts. The consequences of corrosion in these applications could be severe and therefore, any corrosion inhibitor used must be meet exacting approval test standards.

If the harmful effects of corrosion can be significantly reduced, the potential cost savings for the world economy are significant and spread across many manufacturing and engineering sectors. Use of best corrosion control practice and corrosion inhibitors offers the possibility of reduced downtime, maintenance and equipment costs.

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

Brad-Chem Innovation and Manufacturing Excellence • Water / glycol corrosion inhibitors • Tacky additives • Lubricant additives • Moly dispersions • Graphite dispersions • Multi-metal corrosion inhibitors

BRAD-CHEM www.brad-chem.co.uk

+44 (0) 1942 261 024 19

ADVERTORIAL

z GREEN CHEMISTRY

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

WINTER 2016

greening The

of the chemical industry gathers pace

With pressure growing all the time for the chemical industry to shrug off its ‘dirty’ tag and do more to protect the environment, the ideas of green chemistry and increased recycling are gathering pace all the time.

As a result, many companies and research organisations have come forward with initiatives that allow the industry to be more environmentallyresponsible and which offer exciting commercial opportunities.

The concept of green chemistry is a relatively new idea which developed out of initiatives to reduce pollution and minimise the industry’s impact on the planet.

It came about because by the mid-20th Century, pollution choked many of the world's waterways, acid rain damaged forests, there were holes in the earth's ozone and some chemicals in common use were suspected of causing or directly linked to cancer and other conditions.

Increasingly alarmed, many governments began to regulate the generation and disposal of industrial wastes and emissions and industry responded. The result has been a breathtaking array of breakthroughs.

Read what the Father of Green Chemistry has to say about this subject on the next page...

20

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

21

GREEN CHEMISTRY z

z GREEN CHEMISTRY

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

WINTER 2016

A Chat with Paul Anastas – The Father of Green Chemistry

By Emma Crow-Willard

Paul T. Anastas is a Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Yale University in the United States and the director for the Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering at Yale. In 1980 he founded the field of Green Chemistry while working in the US EPA. I joined him in his office at the Yale University to discuss the past and future of green chemistry.

Q: HOW DID YOU GET INTERESTED IN CHEMISTRY?

I grew up on a beautiful little hill just south of Boston, overlooking some of the most gorgeous wetlands you could ever imagine. When I was eight years old these were replaced by very large glass buildings, banks, and insurance companies. I was tremendously distraught, and wanted to do something. My father was a high school biology teacher, and he said something

to me that I’ll never forget: if you really care about something, if you love something, then you’ll care enough to learn about it. And so, that was really the beginning. I knew I needed to understand how the world worked because I cared about the world, and my pathway into science was through the environment.

As a freshman at college, I carried out a synthesis in a research laboratory that resulted in these gorgeous crystals precipitating out of

22

a solution. I knew, for the first time, that I had made something, a particular combination of atoms, that had never been made before, and that the universe had never seen.

That was so empowering and exhilarating. That was what made me fall in love with chemistry.

So I really love the combination of not just understanding the world as it is, but being able to create and design and introduce new things into the world.

WINTER 2016

Q: WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE ARE SO EXCITED ABOUT GREEN CHEMISTRY TODAY?

Our entire society and economy is based on the materials we transform into the products of modern life, and we’ve been figuring out how to do that for a couple hundred years.

The good news is that we have done an astounding job of putting molecules to work for us that produce particular functions. We can produce everything from new medicines, to new ways of raising food, communication, and transportation, all these different things.

The bad news is that because we used a reductionist framework of how we approach problem solving, at the same time that we solved important problems, we created other unintended consequences.

We created problems related to human health and the environment: degradation of ecosystems, depletion of resources, degrading health of children and wildlife; the problems that we all know. And we’ve been doing that for a long time.

Luckily Rachel Carson brought our attention to these facts. And so, the reason that everybody is paying attention to green chemistry now is because we’ve been able to figure out how to getting away from the absurdity of all of these unintended consequences, and designing things to not only function and perform well, but do so in a way that keeps our health, and the environment, ecosystems thriving – and are profitable.

Q: GREEN CHEMISTRY WAS STARTED 25 YEARS AGO. WOULD YOU CONSIDER IT A “MATURE FIELD”?

Oh no! I think that calling something a “mature field” is one of the worst insults that one can give.

Maturity is the stage right before death! No, I consider it very much a nascent and emerging field. The first phase of green chemistry was doing a very good job at identifying the worst elements of chemistry and finding ways to do them differently, to increase efficiency, to eliminate toxic solvents. And that is great. But that’s not anywhere near the power and potential of green chemistry.

The power and the potential of green chemistry is in developing the new science, the new chemistry, the new products, the new molecules, the new transformations, that are not only going to eliminate toxic solvents and improve efficiency, but genuinely provide function and performance we’ve never seen before. Green can be defined as “young, fresh, and new,” and I think one of the goals of green chemistry is to try to be ever-green.

Q: YOU ARE CONSIDERED THE “FATHER OF GREEN CHEMISTRY”. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT TITLE?

Honestly, I’ve been very fortunate to be part of a global community of people pursuing and advancing green chemistry. Whether they’re academics, in industry, NGOs, or government, the greatest honor of mine is being considered a part of that community.

I was lucky when I was a very young scientist in

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

the Environmental Protection Agency to have two brilliant mentors, Dr. Roger Garrett and Dr. Joe Breen. I went to the EPA when I was 27 years old, and launched the green chemistry program when I was 29, in 1991. I give them all the gratitude in the world for allowing me and encouraging me in developing the first programs in this field. Roger Garrett first introduced me to Joe Breen by saying “Joe, meet the father of green chemistry”, and Joe probably introduced me at hundreds of events and conferences using that title in the years that followed. That’s why the title actually means a tremendous amount to me.

We lost them both to cancer extremely young.

And I honestly believe that without their support and their vision, none of what I was trying to build would have been possible. So if there’s a reason that I embrace that moniker it’s only because of where it came from, and that’s Joe Breen and Roger Garrett.

Q: WHAT IS THE BIGGEST SUCCESS OF GREEN CHEMISTRY?

Causing people to think differently. Back in 1991 there were some things that were just, the way you thought about things. There’s this great Mark Twain quote “It’s not the things that you don’t know that get you into trouble, it’s the things that you know for sure, that just ain’t so.” One of the things that we knew for sure back in 1991 was that if we want the products of modern society, we have to use toxic chemicals. We knew for sure that environment was going to simply be a cost drain, it was never going to be a money maker.

And if you look over the past 25 years, each of these things have been shown that they “just ain’t so”. By design, you can make things non-toxic, make them degradable. We can use less energy by design. Not at the end of pipe, but we can avoid waste rather than ever create it. Everything doesn’t have to be made from petroleum but can be made from renewable feed stocks. Businesses are choosing green chemistry as a strategy because it helps them meet their environmental performance while making good business sense and making more money. So the biggest accomplishment of green chemistry is changing the way people think to know what’s possible, to actually make sustainability into a practical reality rather than just a slogan.

Q: SO IT STILL HAS A LOT OF ROOM TO GROW, GIVEN HOW MANY CHEMICALS WE DO STILL USE THAT ARE VERY DANGEROUS, BUT YOU FEEL LIKE THERE HAS BEEN A BIG IMPACT EVER SINCE THE START OF GREEN CHEMISTRY, AND EVEN SINCE SILENT SPRING? Oh, absolutely. Who knows, I think that maybe 1% of green chemistry’s ultimate power and potential have been touched. So it’s like we are at the power of computing in the 1940s perhaps, we are at the very beginning as far as I can see.

Q. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST FAILURE OF GREEN CHEMISTRY?

On the one hand, you have all of this new science filling up scientific journals, but yet,

23

GREEN CHEMISTRY z

the vast majority of the public doesn’t have any idea what green chemistry is. They don’t know what they can demand, they don’t know what they can ask for, they don’t know that green chemistry is possible.

The biggest failure of green chemistry is that we have missed the power of story. We have not translated this critical advance into something that’s real for everyday people. This needs to be one of the priorities going forward.

Q: WHICH SECTOR OF INDUSTRY BENEFITS MOST FROM GREEN CHEMISTRY? I think that there are sectors that have really taken some leadership. Really complex chemistries that have historically generated a lot of waste as a percentage of their products really stepped up. Pharmaceuticals historically produced a lot of waste for every pound of product. They recognised that, and have taken amazing advances in green chemistry.

See personal care products, cosmetic companies, recognising that their products are going to be slathered over everybody’s bodies, and in some cases like shampoos and soaps, their time in the use phase can be a matter of seconds before they’re sent down the drain and introduced into the environment. That sector has taken it very seriously, and there’s some great green chemistry going on there as well.

There are some sectors where it hasn’t been as integrated, and I would say that there hasn’t been any sector, any company, that has systematically incorporated green chemistry into all aspects of its business, so there’s plenty of room for improvement.

Q: How do you envision the future of green chemistry?

There should be no student that graduates from any chemistry degree that doesn’t know the fundamentals about how to make the products of their trade and use the tools of their trade so that it doesn’t cause adverse consequences.

Additionally, I think what we really see is people understanding that green chemistry is not just a set of 12 isolated Principles but rather a cohesive system and needs to be looked at in a systematic way. We have to get away from making unsustainable products and processes a little bit more efficiently or a little bit less wasteful and instead cross over into genuinely good, helpful, non-depleting performance, products. By looking systematically we get genuine innovation, top-line growth, with new products, and new processes.

That’s a big part of where green chemistry has to go, and is going. Green chemistry being recognised as not just an isolated field, but actually a fusion, not working with, but a fusion with other fields, with toxicology, with engineering, with synthetic biology. Ideally, the future of green chemistry is that the term “green chemistry” goes away, because it’s simply the way we do chemistry.

z GREEN CHEMISTRY

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

RenewChem RenewChem is a non-competitive club comprising senior industrialists looking to fast-tracksustainable manufacturing and the circular economy within their companies.

Current members of RenewChem include both multi-nationals Croda, Unilever, Nestle, GSK and small to medium enterprises Anatune and Brocklesby. The blend of companies and diverse sectors enables cross-sector thinking, open innovation and creation of new supply chains, markets and business opportunities.

“Green manufacturing will involve changes to the way chemical measurements are made.

Anatune builds automated systems for chemical analysis, using chromatography and mass spectrometry. We see that fresh opportunities will flow from green manufacturing initiatives; being a member of RenewChem gives us insight into future analytical needs and lets us contribute our specialised knowledge to the programme.”

RAY PERKINS, CEO, ANATUNE

The need for RenewChem has been evidenced through several stakeholder meetings that address the change face of chemical manufacturing within a global context of sustainability. The chemical industry is under stress despite a global chemical market forecast to more than double in the next 20 years; from €2.6 trillion (2015) to €5.6 trillion (2035).

Europe is losing market share and facing stiff competition from Asia. As the balance of power shifts from the EU to the Asia then there are consequential losses, which in some cases may be irreversible; decline in existing infrastructure, loss of highly skilled jobs, brain-drain and lack of inward investment.

The EU chemicals industry is entering a new age, Chemistry 4.0, which seeks to better use of resources, multi-feedstock supply, a digitised integrated industry set-up, customer applications and new business models, in short, sustainable chemistry within the confines of a circular economy.

The chemical and allied industries are now important stakeholders within the United Nations (UN) sustainable development agenda. In September 2015, the UN Sustainable Development Summit agreed to adopt findings of the document “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” setting out 17 Sustainable Development goals (SDGs) to protect the planet, end poverty, and ensure prosperity for all. SDG 12 strives to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns; promote resource and energy efficiency, sustainable infrastructure, and provides access to basic services, green and decent employment and a better quality of life for all. Importantly, SDG 12 targets to achieve the environmentally sound management of

chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle by 2020. The environmentally sound management of waste through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse and the notion of a systemic approach and cooperation among actors operating in the supply chain, from producer to final consumer will stimulate circular thinking, responsible innovation, and doing more and better with less.

The UN agenda sets key targets to reduce waste but also protect natural resources which are to be achieved by 2030: • the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources • to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses • to substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse • to ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature • Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production Both established and emerging global economies view waste as a bioresource for our next generation energy, chemicals or platform molecules and materials, lessening the burden on crude oil, as of strategic importance. (Bio) waste as a resource has been recognised of national importance by the UK Government following their 2015 report, “Building a high value bioeconomy – Opportunities from Waste” as a result of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee report, “Waste or resource? Stimulating a Bioeconomy” published a year earlier, both evoking the need for a UK bioeconomy for future sustainable development. The reports highlight a significant market for renewable chemicals, already estimated €54bn worldwide and forecast to rise to €78 billion by 2018. Similarly, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Biopreferred program reports that a biobased economy contributes a total $369 billion to the U.S. economy each year while 4 million jobs were supported, directly and indirectly, by the biobased economy. Small and medium enterprises (SME’s) are an important driver for new growth as the EU bioeconomy (not restricted to waste feedstocks) has a turnover of about €2 trillion, employs around 22 million people, mainly in rural areas and often SME’s, and represents 9% of total

24

employment in the EU. Each euro invested in EU-funded bioeconomy research and innovation is estimated to enable €10 of value added in bioeconomy sectors by 2025.

“Brocklesby has been built on generating value from renewable waste streams utilising numerous green technologies. RenewChem provides an opportunity to conduct excellent research in understanding new feedstocks, processes and applications as well as building business interactions towards a circular economy”

ROB BROCKLESBY, MANAGING DIRECTOR, BROCKLESBY

RenewChem aims to transform our educational mind-set. Our future scientists and engineers must be aware of sustainability at the outset and not as an after-thought. They need to possess both scientific, business and social skills. There is a lack of such graduates qualifying from universities across the globe and we also need to upskill out existing workforce to be in tune with sustainable chemical manufacturing. RenewChem will include the first fully integrated Centre for Graduate Training (CGT) in Sustainable Chemical Manufacturing. The Centre will be to bring together all aspects of what it takes to make sustainable chemistry a reality in manufacturing, including research projects, and training in chemistry, bio-resources, change management, and commercialisation.

We aim to both re-educate current workforces and develop a new generation of entrepreneurial, business-minded sustainable chemists.

RenewChem operates from the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence (GCCE), Department of Chemistry at the University of York, led by Professor James Clark and Dr Avtar Matharu. Housed in newly built state of the art research facilities and bespoke Industrial Engagement Facility he GCCE is internationally-leading in green chemistry and sustainable industrial technologies. A dedicated team of 90 personnel in the Centre have an established track record of global impact and excellence in academia and industry.

For further information about RenewChem and its benefits please contact Dr Rob McElroy RenewChem Manager. email rob.mcelroy@york.ac.uk; tel 01904 324527

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

GREEN CHEMISTRY z

Training

Research

Membership Benefits

• Centre for Graduate Training (CGT) in Sustainable Chemical Manufacturing

• Wide opportunity to sponsor projects

• All members have a seat on the Industry Advisory Board

• Early stage, pathfinder projects or MSc projects (1 to 6 months)

• Guide training to reflect cutting edge issues

• Training activities at PhD, MSc and CPD levels • Suite of on-line courses

• 1 year MSc by research • 3 year Ph.D

• Foundation material • Industrialists can gain that provides a basic access to introduction to a wide range • Cutting edge research of relevant topics specialisms • Specialist technical modules • Excellent facilities for more in depth training, developed in collaboration • Early sight of new results with industry • Results of long term, high quality research project

• Opportunities to meet with and advise graduate students • Opportunity to foster new collaborations between other partners

Dr Rob McElroy (RenewChem Project Manager) Tel: +44(0)1904 324527; e-mail: rob.mcelroy@york.ac.uk 25

z GREEN CHEMISTRY

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

WINTER 2016

Team comes up with new synthesis method Green chemistry innovations are honoured Green chemistry innovations from developing new forms of yeast to creating new types of catalyst have been honoured.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has honoured both individuals and companies in a scheme which recognises technologies developed to turn climate risk and other environmental problems into business opportunities. The winners in the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award scheme were: Professor Paul Chirik of Princeton University for discovering a new class of catalysts that are used to produce silicones, found in silicone rubber, tires, shampoos, furniture fibres and paper coatings without using hard-to-obtain platinum. This could reduce the mining of ore which reduces costs, greenhouse gas emissions and waste. This technology could cut energy usage by 85 billion BTUs/year, waste generation by 8.5 million kg/year and carbon generation by 21.7 million kg/year

CB&I, The Woodlands, Texas and Albemarle for developing and commercialising safer technology to produce alkylate, a clean gasoline component produced at about 30 billion gallons per year, 60% of which is produced in North America. CB&I, Albemarle and Neste have replaced traditional toxic and corrosive liquid acid catalysts with safer technology that has a lower environmental impact.

Dow AgroSciences, LLC of Indianapolis, for developing Instinct®, an additive that reduces fertilizer nitrate leaching into ground and surface waters. It also reduces atmospheric nitrous oxide emissions. Nutrient pollution is one of America’s most widespread, costly and challenging environmental problems and retaining nitrogen longer in the plants’ roots helps reduce the problem.

Verdezyne of Carlsbad, California, for developing a yeast that produces a chemical used to make high performance nylon for hairbrushes toothbrushes, adhesives, coatings, fragrances, and automotive and aviation oils. In addition to using a plant-based feedstock and having lower greenhouse gas emissions, this process is also safer because it does not use high temperatures or concentrated nitric acid.

During the 21 years of the awards, EPA has received more than 1,600 nominations and presented awards for 109 technologies.

Winning technologies have been responsible for annually reducing the use or generation of more than 826 million pounds of hazardous chemicals, saving 21 billion gallons of water and eliminating 7.8 billion pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent releases into the air.

Newlight Technologies of Costa Mesa, California, for developing a plastic made from methane-based greenhouse gas. It is now used to make bags, cell phone cases, containers, furniture and other products, and has been adopted by Dell, Hewlett Packard, KI, Sprint, Virgin, the Body Shop and other companies. The plastic is carbon negative and less expensive and has equal or greater performance than traditional petroleum-based plastic products.

Jim Jones, EPA’s assistant administrator for chemical safety and pollution prevention, said: “These innovations reduce the use of energy, hazardous chemicals and water, while cutting manufacturing costs and sparking investments.

“They even turn pollution into useful products.

Ultimately, these manufacturing processes and products are safer for people’s health and the environment. We will continue to work with the 2016 winners as their technologies are adopted in the marketplace.”

26

Chemists at The University of Texas at Arlington in America have used green chemistry principles to devise a more environmentally-friendly, less expensive and more efficient water-based system for the synthesis of organic compounds used in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, cosmetics, plastics, textiles and household chemicals.

Most organic synthesis depends heavily on volatile organic solvents, which typically pose environmental and health hazards and are costly, whereas the new medium, which is 80-90% water with fluoroalcohol, produces considerably higher yields of product than pure organic solvents.

Another advantage is that the mixture forms two separate phases during the reaction, which means that the resulting products can be easily separated and centrifuged out of the mixture. Typically, additional organic solvents are used to facilitate the separation and extraction of product.

Morteza Khaledi, dean of UTA’s College of Science and co-investigator of the project, said: “Our new system could facilitate cheaper, safer and more efficient industrial reactions across a variety of sectors dependent on synthesis of organic compounds.

“Using water as a solvent is ideal as it is benign, plentiful, cheap and not harmful to the environment. This is a clear step forward towards a ‘green’ organic synthesis process. The organic solvent can even be recycled after the reaction, which is an additional bonus for the environment. ” Co-investigator Nathaniel Weisner, of North Carolina State University, said “We stumbled onto this reaction when we were investigating a completely different project. However, this serendipitous research really opens up whole new opportunities to improve the environmental impact of the organic synthesis process that is the basis of so many of the products that surround us.”

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

GREEN CHEMISTRY z

Report calls for more backing for Carbon Capture and Storage According to a new report Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) deployment must be viewed as an urgent priority if the world is to achieve the global warming limits identified in the Paris Agreement.

Launched by the CCS Forum, the report urges policy-makers and governments to avoid focusing on the near-term targets to the detriment of long-term goals.

Written by a group of experts from academia, industry, and government supported by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Energy Centre, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Royal Society of Chemistry and Imperial College London, the report was developed following a three-day CCS Forum conference, held at the Royal Academy of Engineering in February 2016.

Focusing on the Paris Agreement, in which the world agreed to limit global warming to 2oC, the report says that 120-160 gigatonnes of CO2 will have to be stored until 2050. Research findings from the CCS Forum experts show that the capacity to do this are available through oil and gas reservoirs, unminable coal seams and deep saline aquifers.

The report highlights the need for funding if the technology is to help tackle climate change and comes after significant cuts to CCS were made by the UK government at the end of last year.

Professor Stefaan Simons, IChemE’s Energy Centre Chair and Dean of the College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences at Brunel University London, said: "We no longer have the luxury of prevarication. CCS offers an opportunity to decouple the use of fossil fuels from climate change.

“The CCS Forum report is an important step in the future prospects for CCS, as, for the first time, it suggests radical ways in which we can rethink the economic and technological development of the process, making it more attractive to investors and government decision-makers alike. Without such changes in perspective, we will not get past the barriers to deployment and, more importantly, we risk not meeting our carbon reduction goals in time to mitigate disastrous climate change.”

Lead author Dr Niall MacDowell, from IChemE’s Energy Centre and Imperial College

London, said: “Our report represents the views of leading CCS experts from around the world, including power and industry, capture, utilisation, transport and storage, and identifies the key research and development needs for this area for the coming decade.

I hope this will provide a meaningful contribution to CCS cost reduction and help remove the final barriers to the deployment of this vital technology.”

The Energy Research Partnership’s Andy Boston said: “Decarbonising the power system requires generation technologies that are not just low carbon, but are also dependable and flexible. CCS stands head and shoulders above other technologies in providing all that is required to keep the lights on whilst providing a pathway to large-scale industrial decarbonisation.”

Consortium starts work on carbon capture programme A contract that puts Teesside at the forefront of carbon capture and usage technology has been awarded by Teesside Collective, the cluster of energy-intensive industries working together to establish Europe’s first clean industrial zone.

Lotte makes PPT needed by major soft drink brands for the manufacture of 15 billion recyclable drinks bottles every year.

It produces about 55,000 tonnes of CO2 annually and a capture plant would capture 90% of that.

A consortium of Pale Blue Dot Energy, Costain and the UK Centre for Carbon Dioxide Utilisation at the University of Sheffield has been commissioned to design a CO2 capture unit at Lotte Chemical at Wilton, near Redcar, and develop a business case to sell the CO2.

The consortium will also design a demonstration centre on Teesside which can be used by companies wanting to scale up ‘near to market’ carbon utilisation technologies, mostly for heavy industrial processes such as the manufacturing of aggregates, fertilisers and other chemicals.

27

Pale Blue Dot will be leading project management and working on business and commercial models. Costain will be engineering the carbon capture unit at Lotte and the UK Centre for Carbon Dioxide Utilisation at the University of Sheffield will be designing the demonstration centre and commercial and operating models.

The Government is providing funding for Teesside Collective to continue to scope out the possibilities offered by industrial CCS in the North East.

z GREEN CHEMISTRY

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

Technology ‘could produce clean fuel from carbon dioxide’ Researchers are working on a technology that could convert carbon dioxide into a clean fuel, reducing the amount of harmful greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere.

Funded through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council the project aims to develop a process for converting waste CO2 captured from industrial processes and use it for fuel production.

The technology is based on the use of energy from biological and electrochemical sources. First, the organic matter in wastewater is broken down by microbes, generating a small amount of electric energy.

This energy is then used to convert CO2 to formate - a derivative of formic acid, which goes through a SimCell reactor – a specialised reactor containing microorganisms, where it is transformed into a liquid fuel that the research team hope could be used for transport and heating.

Led by Newcastle University, the fouryear project brings together a team of researchers from the universities of Oxford, Sheffield, Surrey, and South Wales, as well as industrial partners including Northumbrian Water and Tata Steel.

Dr Eileen Yu, from the School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, is the project’s Principal Investigator, said: “Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide are at their highest level ever and expected to increase because we are still so reliant on fossil fuels. We need to have ways of dealing with CO2 emissions, and if we can harness it as a fuel source instead of allowing it to go into the atmosphere, CO2 then becomes a resource rather than a waste product.

“There is growing evidence that electrochemical and biological processes can be combined with organisms to convert chemical energy to fuel but it is still early days so the challenge now is to take the technology further.”

The development comes as a report suggests that a significant majority of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) want their energy supplier to be more committed to renewable energy.

The report, commissioned by Haven Power, revealed that while 72% say they

28

would like energy suppliers to be more committed to renewables, only 11% would rate their current energy supplier as excellent when it comes to renewable energy support and options.

Jonathan Kini, Chief Executive of Haven Power, said: “That so many SMEs are dissatisfied with their existing energy supplier is perhaps unsurprising, but the sheer scale of the discontent revealed in this report remains shocking. SMEs want more from their supplier and a commitment to renewable energy is one of the demands they are pushing for. “

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

GREEN CHEMISTRY z

Recycling wastewater Wastewater recycling the focus for researchers

Project seeks to use chemistry to recycle tyres Scientists have developed a new way to re-use discarded tyres by returning them to their chemical building blocks, which allows them to create more tyres.

According to the Rubber Manufacturers Association, nearly 270 million tyres were discarded in the US in 2013, more than one per adult living in the country. Thousands get stockpiled in landfills and, because tyres are non-degradable, they could potentially survive indefinitely.

The team says that more than half go on to become fuel — shredded scrap tyres that get mixed with coal and other materials to help power cement kilns, pulp and paper mills and other plants – but environmentalists are concerned that emissions from the practice could be adding harmful pollutants to the air.

One possible solution would be to make new tyres with degradable materials and, since 2012, the research team led by Hassan S. Bazzi, Ph.D., at the Texas A&M University campus in Qatar, has been working on the technology.

They started with a basic molecule called cyclopentene. Cyclopentene and its precursor cyclopentadiene are low-value major components of the abundant waste from petrochemical refining, in particular its steamcracking operation C5 fraction, which contains hydrocarbons with five carbon atoms.

With colleagues at the California Institute of Technology, they have been experimenting with catalysts to string cyclopentene molecules together to make polypentenamers, which are similar to natural rubber.

Currently, synthetic-rubber makers use butadiene as their base material, but its cost has recently gone up, opening the door to competition so the team turned to cyclopentene as a potential alternative.

Calculations showed that polymerizing cyclopentene and degrading it under relatively mild reaction conditions — and thus requiring minimal energy and expense — should be possible.

Robert Tuba, Ph.D., one of the lead researchers on the project, said: “The basic idea behind this project was to take a byproduct of the petrochemical industry and turn some of it into recyclable value-added chemicals for use in tyres and other applications. We want to make something that is good for the community and the environment.”

In progress are new studies that mix the synthetic rubber with other tyre materials, which include metals and fillers. The researchers are also scaling up their lab experiments to see whether the tyre industry could realistically use their processes.

Robert said: “If the fundamental studies are very promising — which at this point, we believe they are — then our industry partner will come in to continue this project and bring the material to market.”

The researchers received funding from the Qatar Foundation and the Qatar National Research Fund.

29

'Smart' bricks which can recycle wastewater and generate electricity are being created as part of a new project which is also seeking to recover phosphates.

The 3.2m LIAR (Living Architecture) scheme is co-ordinated by Newcastle University and includes experts from the universities of the West of England, Trento, the Spanish National Research Council; LIQUIFER Systems Group and EXPLORA. The project will develop blocks able to extract resources from sunlight, waste water and air. They are able to fit together and create ‘bioreactor walls’ which could then be incorporated in housing, public buildings and office spaces.

Each block will contain a microbial fuel cell, filled with programmable synthetic microorganisms developed by experts at UWE Bristol.

Robotically activated, each chamber will contain a variety of microorganisms specifically chosen to clean water, reclaim phosphate, generate electricity and create new detergents. The living cells that will make up the wall will be able to sense their surroundings and respond to them through a series of digitally coordinated mechanisms.

The researchers also aim to find ways to reclaim phosphate – a mineral which is becoming increasingly scarce – and create new detergents using the blocks.

Rachel Armstrong, Professor of Experimental Architecture at Newcastle University, UK, who is co-ordinating the project, said: “While this project deals with very small amounts of the substance, the insights we will be able to gather into how communities may collectively harvest reusable substances from their wastewater could potentially create an economy through redistributing resources through councils, or other interested parties such as washing machine manufacturers.”

The LIAR project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

z REACH FEATURE

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

Chemical companies urged to carry on as normal following

Brexit vote

It is still too early what impact the UK’s recent Brexit referendum vote will have on European legislation like REACH, according to one of the organisations that advises companies on the rules.

DEFRA has said that the REACH registration deadline of 31 May 2018, should be complied with.

The comments come from REACHReady, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the UK-based Chemical Industries Association (CIA) which was formed in 2006 to provide support to companies affected by the REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) Regulation.

“The statements from government and the UK chemical industry’s largest trade association, the CIA, indicate that the situation has not yet changed in terms of short to medium-term regulatory compliance. Therefore, the 2018 deadline, for which time is already scarce, still needs to be addressed.”

According to a statement from the organisation, the most prudent approach is to continue as usual until the full implications of the vote to leave the European Union become clear.

REACHReady says that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) expects to see continued compliance with EU chemicals legislation, including: REACH.

REACHReady says: “The dust has settled after the UK’s vote to leave the EU and the political climate has stabilised slightly over the past few months. Uncertainty remains over what exactly the chemicals regulatory landscape might look like.

“What is apparent is that whilst the situation may change with respect to REACH, CLP and BPR, it is still too early to predict what will happen and when.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), which has appointed Andreas Herdina to lead on matters relating to the referendum, has continued to implement the regulations.

Indeed, ECHA and the representative EU chemical industry bodies recently took an important step towards improving communication around chemical safety in the supply chain.

30

As part of the work, ECHA, the European Chemical Industry Council and the Downstream Users of Chemicals Coordination Group will encourage member companies to make use of sector use map information.

Registrants can use the information when preparing dossiers to register substances.

According to the joint statement from the three organisations: “Already for some time, sector use maps have been recognised as an important input for ensuring high quality registration dossiers.

“Their routine use has, however, not yet been institutionalised. This is something the above stakeholders wish to change and use maps will be increasingly important as more smaller chemical companies become involved in REACH for the final 2018 registration deadline.”

ECHA says that it will support industry in ensuring that communication on safe use up and down the supply chain is comprehensive, effective and easy to understand.

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

REACH FEATURE z

What is apparent is that whilst the situation may change with respect to REACH, CLP and BPR, it is still too early to predict what will happen and when.

31

z REACH FEATURE

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

The 2018 Reach Registration Deadline & SMEs Dr Chris Eacott of Stewardship Solutions looks at some of the stumbling blocks of REACH for SMEs The final registration deadline for substances produced or imported in the EU in quantities of 1-100 tonnes/year is 31 May 2018. Since this deadline concerns relatively low-volume substances, a high number of small and medium-sized (SME) businesses are expected to get involved in the registration process.

Costs of Letters of Access (LOAs) - which entitle the purchaser to rights of access to a REACH registration even though he has not contributed directly to the process of generating the registration information and dossier - can be very high or even extortionate. Other, sometimes significant charges must also be taken into account, including European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) fees, analytical costs and consultancy charges.

It is important to accept that the costs of REACH need to be shared across industry.

However, does the EU Commission really expect ‘fairness and transparency’ to be the universal norm in REACH consortia, which largely operate as monopolies, charging essentially what they like for LOAs?

WHAT SHOULD SMEs DO?

Inexperienced SMEs who adopt a do-it-yourself approach to REACH compliance in order to avoid consultant costs are making costly errors.

Some have inadvertently placed themselves in the wrong Substance Information Exchange Forum (SIEF) and subsequently undertaken incorrect registrations; it can be difficult and costly to change these. Others have failed to undertake registrations in time and found themselves subject to enforcement action.

Most substances placed on the EU market have yet to be registered and many more SMEs will be shouldering LR responsibilities than was seen at the previous 2010 and 2013 deadlines.

Invariably, they will be inexperienced and require significant specialist support. These LRs should allow plenty of time – perhaps up to one year, depending on their circumstances - to set themselves up in consortia with other SIEF members and fulfil all the tasks associated with their special role.

Even if a SME is not a LR, it may still need to undertake a Joint Submission (JS) registration, the most common route to a REACH registration. In this case, most of the technical work on a substance is completed by the consortium members and/or their consultants and the SME buys into the substance registration via the LOA. Under REACH rules, the LOA applicant is entitled to request a full explanation of the basis for the LOA charges. Since these can be complex and include different types of technical and administrative costs, independent valuation of LOA charges is best left to REACH experts.

Should a valuation conclude that some or all LOA charges and/or technical content is unjustified, it is permitted to opt out of some or all parts of the JS registration in order to reduce costs, avoid association with unnecessary animal tests, etc. If it is further decided that the LR or consortium is failing to negotiate fairly regarding the terms of provision of the LOA and/or the JS registration Token, a referral of the dispute to ECHA is permitted. In these circumstances, ECHA may itself grant access to the JS registration.

An agreement will probably need to be signed in order to become a member of a JS registration. This usually runs to many pages

When necessary, SMEs should be prepared to accept specialist REACH support given the considerable complexity of the legislation. When choosing a REACH consultant, care should be exercised and key questions might include: • Tell me about your experiences of working with SME businesses on REACH compliance.

Can you provide references & testimonials?

• Are there legitimate measures I can take to reduce my REACH costs, including avoiding registration myself?

• What types of REACH registrations have you undertaken (lead, joint, opt-out) and how will you select the best option for my business?

• Do you know how to value LOA charges and have you ever negotiated with Lead Registrants (LRs) or consortium managers to reduce these?

• What is your experience of performing optout registrations according to ECHA rules, in the event that unfair or excessive LOA charges are encountered?

32

and often contains considerable legalistic language and jargon for the unwary. The temptation for the SME is to simply sign the agreement and hope it is not disadvantaged, but this is to take a big risk.

There could be clauses in an agreement which compel the SME to contribute to future, as yet unknown costs, even though these may not be justified. Many LOAs are poor value for money and a lot of re-work of technical data could be required. Some consortia are known to have undertaken unjustified animal testing with which an SME may not wish to be associated, for example when selling to the cosmetics sector. Agreements should only be signed when the SME’s obligations are fully understood.

Irrespective of any requirement to register their materials under REACH, all SMEs should establish a REACH plan. This should clearly identify registration and other obligations and costs, those substances/products which the SME believes it is likely to be able to support through REACH (or not), and the ‘who, what, when, how’ practical steps to achieve overall REACH compliance.

Dr Chris Eacott

Managing Director, Stewardship Solutions Ltd, UK +44(0)1706 220901 chriseacott@stewardshipsolutions.co.uk www.stewardshipsolutions.co.uk

REACH & CLP Compliance Specialists LOA Valuations

Opt-out Registrations

Joint Registration

Authorisations

Lead Registrations

Strategy & Planning

Supply Chain Compliance Auditing

Downstream User Support

Safety Data Sheets

Only Representative Services

Hazard classification reviews

Training

Plus BPR, Agrochemicals, Cosmetics...and more

Access your FREE REACH and CLP guidance now: www.stewardshipsolutions.co.uk

T: +44(0)1706 220901 M: +44(0)7834 676908 E: chriseacott@stewardshipsolutions.co.uk

Winner Chemicals Northwest 2015 Service Provider of the Year Award

K ey t o S u cce s s f u l G l o b a l Co m p l i a n ce

DISCOVER A BETTER WAY TO MANAGE YOUR CHEMICAL COMPLIANCE PROJECTS. EUPHOR is a one-stop-shop solution designed to manage and track your registration activities from start to finish using a single platform.

We help chemical organizations streamline compliance processes, monitor registration dossiers in real-time, and enhance collaboration with team members.

WHY EUPHOR? is the only software solution designed in partnership with Product Stewardship professionals specifically for the Chemical Industry, allowing you to complete complex compliance projects successfully and with peace of mind.

dashboard

virtual compliance room

document upload

data management

automated workflow

10010110 01000101 10110010 00010000

automatic reminders

completeness checklist

configurable system

pre-configured queries web-based application

SCHEDULE A DEMO TODAY: www.euphoreach.com | info@euphoreach.com | +1 (919) 946 5275

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

REACH FEATURE z

The Benefits of Adopting a Registration Management Software

Too many Compliance Departments in the Chemical industry are still using a mix of desktop tools to manage critical regulatory projects such as registration dossiers. As Compliance teams become a strategic part of chemical organizations, software service providers develop solutions to support their activities. In this article, we list the benefits of digitalizing compliance processes and automating regulatory activities.

Regulatory Compliance has significantly evolved to become a critical aspect of the chemical industry. First and foremost, business viability and continuity depends on the ability to conform with health, safety and environmental regulations. Failure to properly register or notify substances can result in fines, clients’ dissatisfaction and the ban of a product in strategic markets.

Keeping up with these ever-changing health and environmental chemical regulations presents an ongoing challenge for companies.

Besides the complexity of the legal framework, the intricate supply chain prevailing in the industry and the limited resources intensify the difficulty for Regulatory Affairs departments to efficiently collect chemical data and fulfil compliance activities.

Despite these challenges, many companies are still using inadequate desktop tools to manage and track the multitude of tasks and data necessary to meet legal requirements.

Adopting an elaborate, configurable and robust compliance management software can empower your organization to sail smoothly across regulatory waters, improve performance, mitigate risk and ensure successful compliance.

EUPHOR, a Global Registration Management Solution, aims to provide a virtual compliance room where teams can work together seamlessly towards the completion of their registration dossiers. Let’s look at some of the key benefits you can gain from adopting such platform.

IMPROVED PROJECT MANAGEMENT EFFICIENCY

The goal of a Registration Management Solution is to standardize and automate the complex registration processes. Within EUPHOR, users follow pre-defined workflow based on the legal requirements and substances’ information. This allows you to cut the amount of time spent on fulfilling administrative tasks and be able to judiciously plan and assign resources and focus on higher-level activities.

ENHANCED DATA MANAGEMENT

The era of time-intensive, manual filing processes is over! Centralizing and automating data collection eliminates the risk of losing documents and allows you to gain more accurate, higher quality data. EUPHOR offers a central platform for all your compliance documents, permitting rapid sharing, safe storage and easy retrieval of information down the line.

HARMONIOUS TEAM COLLABORATION

You can centralize your teamwork in a virtual compliance meeting room where team members can collaborate and fulfil their duties. EUPHOR links users to a specific set of rights, tasks and individual deadlines based on their roles and responsibilities. The system will act as an additional team member, ensuring that everyone is reminded of their tasks and up-to-date with information relevant to them. This makes

35

team work easier, increases accountability, and improves your team’s performance.

REDUCED REPORTING TIME

You no longer have to worry about spending hours analyzing data and building reports. By automating processes and keeping track of all relevant compliance information, EUPHOR provides you with an instant, real-time snapshot of your projects status and relevant data. With a simple click of a button, you can now build higher-quality reports and dashboards will keep you informed of the progress of your projects, its timeliness and actual costs vs. budget.

Overall, let’s not forget that the main benefit is to stay a step ahead of the regulatory environment and ensure proper compliance in regulated markets. Software solutions are here to help you achieve this goal with peace of mind and confidence. So, don’t wait any longer to make the switch from manual to streamlined registration processes!

For more information: www.euphoreach.com info@euphoreach.com

z REACH FEATURE

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

COUNTDOWN FOR KKDIK The Final countdown has already started for the Turkish REACH abbreviated as KKDIK, to be officially published by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation (MOEU).

After several delays as a result of some unexpected road incident and a couple of following ministerial changes, the regulation is expected to be published before the end of the year. However, some of the questions and worries of the industry remain unanswered for the time being. It is anticipated that these questions will find the answers on the way to the registration period that will start in 2019.

It is inevitable that there will be slight differences between EU REACH and KKDIK, the first one being that the pre-registration tonnage band will not trigger the deadline for registration. Registration period or the deadline for registration will be same for all substances pre-registered and a 3 years time frame is envisaged for the registration period.

One of the important additional requirements of KKDIK when compared with EU REACH is that Chemical Safety Report should be prepared, signed by Certified Risk Assessor.

More details about the requirements for the qualified person to prepare the Chemical Safety Report, certification and Certifying Bodies will be available in Annex XIIX of KKDIK soon. However, this will create a business line for many newly graduated chemists, chemical engineers etc. and local experts in Turkey who even have no EU REACH experience and understanding of the concept.

The same applies to Only Representative Business which is new in Turkey and many small consultancy companies are and will be launched to help companies comply although they have no understanding of the EU REACH and and will gain experience on the way while trying to help clients. So manufacturing companies should be very strict and demanding while making the decision to appoint an Only Representative in Turkey as well as the experts they will work with in order to comply with this complex legislation.

The data requirements for compliance to KKDIK will be the same as in EU REACH considering this regulation is nearly a copypaste in Turkish language of the Regulation (EC) no 1907/2006, with minor changes that are necessary for the Turkish manufacturers to fully comply with. Eventually, KKDIK is an EU Implementation Project output for the purpose of aligning Turkish chemicals regulatory management to that of the European Union (EU) since EU membership negotiations process which started in 2005 is also ongoing despite the political ups and downs.

Many Members of the Consortia and Lead registrants believe that it is a wise decision to share the data used in EU REACH registrations and agree that this eventually increases the regulatory value of the data. Some of the consortia members have already started setting up the procedures for giving the registrants the right to refer to data for K-REACH Compliance purposes. Now with KKDIK coming soon, the question arises. Will these consortia soon start doing the similar assessments for compliance purposes to KKDIK in Turkey? Will this also put the burden on the shoulders of the companies ? For several EU REACH Compliant Turkish chemicals manufacturers and EU located companies who have already registered or getting

36

ready to register substances for EU REACH until 2018 deadline, submitting registration dossiers with the similar or identical data for compliance to KKDIK means “two fold cost and additional effort” as the usage rights of the data should be paid. MOEU requests all information to be entered into the online MOEU database system called “Chemicals Registration System” abbreviated as KKS in Turkish. Correct translation of the information would be crucial. So the question remains - is there a better solution to this challenging new regulatory compliance process for Turkey ?

The good news is in contrast to the ECHA Dossier Submission Fees, MOEU Dossier Submission Fees are cheaper. However, the data required for KKDIK still resides at the ownership of the EU REACH Consortia for only EU REACH use. Industry is well aware that there is no point in repeating the tests which is contrary to the main aim of the REACH Regulation. So the price has to be paid.

Companies who have already notified their substances to comply with Turkish By-Law on Inventory and Control of Chemicals often known as CICR and substances with hazard classification to Turkish CLP known as SEA, have gained experience in this area.

However, KKDIK is far more complicated and those companies would need to do their pre-registrations for KKDIK as CICR will be replaced by KKDIK once published.

Please contact RGS if you are not compliant with Turkish Chemicals Laws or need more details on our services and the status of your substances.

Dr. Yaprak Yüzak Küçükvar RGS Turkey Branch Manager www.reach-gs.eu

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

37

REACH FEATURE z

z REACH FEATURE

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

WINTER 2016

Covering all Industries If you would like to promote your organisation please contact Distinctive Publishing on 0845 884 2343 or email john.neilson@distinctivegroup.co.uk

See our full portfolio on: www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk/publications

Track, MONITOR, MANAGE, CONTROL

Regulatory Compliance Software Find out more about chemtracÂŽ: +44 (0)1524 594155 info@chemtracglobal.com www.chemtracglobal.com

Software solutions for regulatory compliance and chemicals management 38

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

REACH FEATURE z

A basic guide to REACH Substance Identity and Analytics for first time registrants in Phase 3 Feedback from ECHA on phases 1 and 2 was particularly critical of identity quality; “correct and unambiguous substance identification is a frequent shortcoming in registration dossiers”. A simple review of the requirements is therefore of value.

According to the REACH legislation, substances fall into three broad categories: • Single constituent (main component typically >80%, with the remainder being impurities) • Multi-constituent substances (no single component at >80% but two or more between >10% and <80%, with impurities also possible) • Undefined, Variable, Complex or Biological (UVCB, defined by the starting material and the process, no impurities possible, all contained materials are constituents) For single and multi-constituent substances, all impurities >1% must be identified and named. This limit drops to >0.1% if it is believed that the impurity may be hazardous.

The total composition of the substance in both cases must add up to 100%. Note that multi-constituent substances are not just formulations. Instead, they are cases where it is physically impossible to create the two substances individually while maintaining the same properties.

For UVCBs, all components present at >10% must be identified. However, naming those under 10% is also an advantage, even if only by a structure proposal. Unknowns should be grouped as far as possible and categorised according to general structure type or key similarities.

The standard recommended analytic techniques are UV-Visible and IR spectroscopy for basic identity, NMR spectroscopy and/or mass spectrometry for precise identity and GC or HPLC for purity. It is important that these techniques are employed to the maximum extent to avoid the demand for repeat analysis.

For example, consider also acid and alkaline environments in the UV-Visible spectrum and ensure the NMR spectrum is run fully and not just to the point of the expected peaks.

These techniques should not be considered as exhaustive. Further tests, as appropriate to the substance nature, should be added in order to justify the identity. Examples of additional techniques are: XRD, atomic absorption, carbon v metal balance, GPC, database comparisons, CHN combustion analysis, Karl-Fischer or silver

nitrate titration, BET surface area and electron microscopy Traceability is essential for high quality reporting and GLP should be employed if further toxicity tests are envisaged. A good starting point on each report would be; substance name, CAS number, batch number, manufacturing data, batch expiry date, purity pre-estimate, substance nature and appearance, laboratory name, laboratory address, analysis date, operator name and signature plus laboratory manager name and signature.

A detailed interpretation of the results should be provided explaining clearly how this indicates the declared composition. The raw data, spectra and full method description should also be given. It is important that the declared composition covers all sources of the substance as handled by the legal entity. This is particularly relevant for importers whose materials may come from diverse non-EU sources. As a result, multiple spectra may be required.

The lead registrant will usually release a basic Substance Identity Profile which is usually limited to just the substance identifiers

39

(such as CAS and EC number) and maximum level of any common impurities. Prescriptive analytical instructions are not normally given. The co-registrant therefore remains fully responsible for their private analytics, identity and composition with the lead having no responsibility for certifying these or confirming any applicability to the joint registration.

Full liability for the substance identity in a submitted registration (lead or co-registration) lies with the individual registrant. ECHA and the national authorities are unable to accept any aspect of liability so unsupported statements, based on identity belief or assumptions, will generally be met with a request to provide further proof.

Finally, it is vital that analytics are carried out as early as possible. Experience has shown that surprises often emerge such as the identification of previous false identity assumptions. Addressing such issues closer to the registration deadline may not be possible and could prevent a successful registration.

For further information please go to envigo.com/REACH

z REACH FEATURE

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

Peter Jenkinson, Toxicologist, CEHTRA

ECHA and REACH Evolution Dossier compliance reviews are now becoming common place and those hastily compiled, 2010/2013 read-across arguments and data waivers are being found to be sub-standard according to the higher thresholds now in place. For example, a comparison of the readacross assessment framework (RAAF) against early read-across arguments can reveal them to be woefully inadequate. Data waivers that appeared to be robust when we were all learning about REACH 5 or 6 years ago can now appear simplistic and deficient.

The tools that we use to submit our dossiers, such as IUCLID and CHESAR, are continually updated to include improved functionality (although many think they get less and less user-friendly), but they also contain tighter restrictions on what may or may not be included in a dossier. Just when you thought that you had got to grips with IUCLID5 you discover that IUCLID6 is almost unrecognisable and that re-training is required.

The principle of one substance one registration is now being enforced with the exclusion of opt-outs. So, even if you migrated your individual NONS dossier in good faith and believed that it was a job well done, if there

are other registrants also with individual dossiers, and one of them decides to do a tonnage update, then all the other individual registrants are affected. ECHA will require that one of the registrants takes the role of lead and submit the updated joint registration dossier and the other registrants will have their individual dossiers blocked and be forced to join the same joint submission. In addition, the joint dossier will need to be upgraded to comply with the data requirements of REACH for the relevant tonnage level. This may mean having to pay to share someone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existing data, or even the commissioning of new studies to fill any data-gaps. The resources needed to manage these situations were probably excluded from most registrantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; REACH budget estimates. Note that even if the individual registrants do nothing then ECHA will eventually impose the one substance one registration principle, it is just a matter of time.

Fortunately, as in evolution in nature, improved performance of the hunter is matched by that in the hunted. Tools and resources are available to the registrant that may help to minimize costs and avoid protracted dossier update procedures. For

40

example, QSAR models are now much improved compared to those available at the start of REACH. Perhaps even more important, the ability to use them in a compliant and robust way has been developed by some registrants and consultants. Furthermore, many have gained the experience to use their toxicology and ecotoxicology knowledge and experience to construct valid and robust readacross arguments and data waivers.

The message is, that if you are confronted with an unexpected ECHA compliance letter, or the need to update your migrated NONS dossier into a REACH-compliant dossier, or just need to update your dossier into IUCLID6, then seek help and advice from a high-quality consultant before simply accepting all the demands of ECHA. Remember that ECHA is obliged to follow the letter of the law when they inform you of the perceived problems or data-gaps in your dossier. But, there is often more than one route to dossier compliance, and some options are much quicker and cost effective. QSARs and toxicologic scientific expertise can be applied and can result in compliant dossiers without the need for expensive studies, and may save the use of vertebrate animals into the bargain.

?

K C E H C C E E C B N T I A I T L E P L T ’ N COM DO

!

E T A M K C E H

Has ECHA reviewed your dossier & requested more data?

ECHA dossier reviews can reveal vulnerabilities and a need for expensive additional data. We can help to reduce cost with our scientific expertise and QSAR services, by strengthening read-across arguments, data waivers, etc.

CEHTRA provides regulatory services with: High scientific quality - Optimized cost - Respect for deadlines  if you need a reliable consultancy, please contact us 

www.kreatis.eu

www.cehtra.com

in silico testing in partnership with

z HEALTH AND SAFETY

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

COMAH 2015: 18 months on…

Almost 18 months have passed since the introduction of the COMAH Regulations 2015. Has the transition been smooth, or have obstacles risen along the way? This article looks to reflect on Safety Reports submitted since the regulatory update and consider what this means for the future of risk management at COMAH sites.

June 2015 saw the official introduction of the latest COMAH regulations. At first glance, the amendments from the 1999 regulations appeared minimal. Changes included ‘top tier’ designations becoming ‘upper tier’, ‘onsite’ and ‘offsite’ emergency plans becoming ‘internal’ and ‘external’ emergency plans and more emphasis on domino sites and provision of information to the public.

The most significant alteration appeared to be regarding the Globally Harmonised System (GHS) for the classification of chemical substances and mixtures and the change to the European Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulations. Operators have to determine CLP classifications for their inventory, which can influence the tier the establishment falls into and the level of demonstration required in the COMAH report by the operator.

It wasn’t anticipated that these changes would make a huge difference to the safety report, but almost 18 months on, feedback from the Competent Authority (CA) has started to filter through and it has become apparent that the biggest changes have been occurring in the background, particularly with regards to the release of the 2015 Safety Report Assessment Manual (SRAM). The SRAM has been updated to align with the new regulations and the removal of duplicated criteria and merging criteria where necessary has made it more streamlined. It is also clear that the SRAM attempts to link aspects of the safety report, enhancing the belief that it should be viewed as a holistic document.

The most significant change is that the criteria presented within the SRAM is more demanding, and where previously criteria could be assessed as ‘partially met’ or ‘generally met’, this ‘middle’ ground has been removed. Safety reports can now only be assessed as either meeting the criteria or not.

To meet criteria, all relevant items included in the descriptions and the necessary supporting information has to be provided. Removal of this middle ground results in a reluctance from the assessor to say criteria is met and

the likelihood of more deficiencies appearing within safety reports.

This stringent criteria and assessment method has come as a shock, mainly to operators who submitted their safety report within the period between the launch of the COMAH Regulations and the SRAM. With regards to reports which have not met criteria, a potential argument arises as to whether this is because the criteria was never met or whether it is the change in expectation from the CA. It is important to acknowledge that an updated SRAM is a necessity, and it being more detailed is positive; findings from incidents such as Buncefield are being clearly reflected meaning that within industry as a whole, lessons are being learnt. The joined up way of thinking within the SRAM is also welcomed. It helps to demonstrate to both the regulator and operator that the establishment’s approach to risk management is rounded and provides reassurance that the right level of emphasis is being placed on major accident hazard management.

Even with more comprehensive assessment requirements, it is essential that criteria is fully met. To ensure this, there is the potential to lean towards a changing safety report, largely in relation to the detailed content and justification required to fully close any gaps which may result in deficiencies. Having to

42

heavily justify is likely to result in lengthier reports, increasing the possibility of significant data being lost amongst the masses of information.

Whilst the primary purpose of a safety report is to demonstrate to the CA that all the necessary measures have been taken to prevent major accidents, and to limit their consequences to people and the environment, it should also be a useful reference document for those working onsite, allowing them to understand the levels of risk they are exposed to everyday and how the establishment controls it. Altering the safety report with the sole aim of meeting the criteria within the SRAM can lead to the operator losing ownership of their safety report. Finding the balance between the two is likely to be a challenging, but key task.

Jennifer Carroll Jennifer.carroll@ras.ltd.uk Carolyn Nicholls Carolyn.nicholls@ras.ltd.uk

RAS RISK & HAZARD MANAGEMENT

Understanding and facilitating the effective management of risk is our core business.

Our expertise covers the full range of risk assessment and management services across:

Safety Risk

Business Risk

Environment Risk

Only when the risk facing an organisation is well understood can it be effectively managed.

Key to the successful identification, assessment and management of risk is engagement with the right

people, using the right processes at the right time. We believe we are different to many of our competitors and our approach is distinctive, we don’t always walk the well-trodden path but look at each client’s particular risk context and develop a tailored solution, working in partnership with our client.

We work across all aspects of risk, from Quantitative Risk Assessments and Predictive &

Consequence modelling, through to the ‘softer’ risks which may affect an organisation’s reputation.

+44 (0) 1244 674 612 • enquiries@ras.ltd.uk • www.ras.ltd.uk

z HEALTH AND SAFETY

Tanker Fall Prevention & Safe Loading Systems

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

LIQUID LOADING & SAFE TANKER ACCESS

Established in 1987

WINTER 2016

MEET ALL HSE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE PREVENTION OF FALLS FROM ROAD TANKERS WITH OUR ACCESS & LOADING SOLUTIONS Tanker Safe Access Systems & Folding Stairs Our access platforms & gantry’s offer:- Safety hand rails, Anti-slip flooring & kicker plates - Low cost modular design & fast on-site installation - Wide range of height & platform sizes FOLDING STAIRS adjust to height of tanker - Safety working cage to prevent falls - Spring balanced for easy operation Loading Platform & Folding Stairs

TopTank Unit With ISO Tank Safety Cage

Mobile Tanker Access - For locations where fixed gantry’s are not suitable - Integral access ladder & fall prevention cage - Height adjustable cage to fit all size tankers - Easy one person operation - Double size ISO container cage option - Meets HSE tanker fall prevention recommendations Chemical Loading & Unloading Arms - Ensures the safe & clean transfer of liquids - Used to safely load many hazardous & corrosive chemicals - Spring balanced for light & easy operation - Options include pneumatic control, high level shut off & vapour recovery - Removes requirement for manual handling of heavy hoses & couplers Tanker Loading Safety & Control Equipment A range of complimentary equipment to protect personnel & plant from accidental drive offs & unsafe load sequences including:- Earth-Rite RTR – Tanker static grounding system - Trapped Key Interlock system – Sequential control of loading operations - Traffic barriers – Safely control tanker movements in loading & unloading operations.

Molasses Top Loading Arm, Folding Stairs & Access Gantry

The safest way to protect personnel from the hazards of working at height during tanker access operations

44 email: sales@IFCinflow.com web: www.IFCinflow.com tel: +44 (0) 1268 596 900

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

HEALTH AND SAFETY z

Managing the Load - Tanker Loading Safety More than 2000 injuries to people falling from vehicles are reported to the HSE each year.

Many of these injuries are broken bones or head injuries resulting in weeks off work and subsequent operational issues for employers. The most serious of these injuries are often caused by falls from the tops or backs of road tankers and ISO tank trucks.

INTRODUCTION

The loading of chemical tankers is subject to stringent health and environmental safety procedures, and it’s vital to ensure operators are covered by best working practices, especially those working at height on the top or back of tankers. This procedure is tightly governed by the HSE’s Work at Height regulations 2005.

FALL PREVENTION VS FALL PROTECTION

Fall protection – The HSE definition is ‘work equipment which minimizes the height and consequences of a fall’. Simply put it is the means of trying to catch an operative if they fall and trying to protect them from any injury which may result from such a fall. Equipment such as harnesses, lanyards, protective clothing and even nets and crash mats are used for this type of protection.

Fall prevention – is defined as ‘work equipment which prevents a fall’, with the most desirable method being collective equipment such as loading and unloading gantries with guard rails, tanker access stairs, large tanker safety cages and multi-level platforms.

The old saying ‘prevention is better than cure’ might spring to mind and relevant equipment is available to ensure the highest standards of safety when working on and loading tankers.

A hierarchy of control exists for all work at height operations including tanker truck loading. All options should be considered when implementing a fully integrated tanker loading and fall prevention solution for site operations that include working on top of trucks. The hierarchy is: Eliminate the need to access the tops of tankers - move to a bottom loading / unloading arrangement with the use of articulated bottom loading arms or hoses.

Implement purpose built gantries - provide loading and unloading gantries built to suit the layout of the loading plant including guardrails and safe methods to access, work on and exit the top of tankers • Utilse tanker safety features - such as ladders, walkways and hand rails installed on the tanker

• Use mobile access solutions – lightweight, mobile ladder systems with hand rails and safety cages

known as Teflon) whereas heated versions might be used to handle certain high viscosity liquids such as bitumen and even chocolate.

• Operate using fall arrest/fall protection systems – The use of harnesses, lanyards and rail systems. This is widely considered as the least desirable option within the Work at Height Regulations.

Loading arms - available for top and bottom loading, these are often be supplied ‘made to measure’ to suit specific chemical loading plant requirements.

Globally, more companies are deciding to invest in a fully integrated fall prevention system. A system can be designed and implemented comprising of a loading gantry with secure guardrails to meet the loading plant’s requirements.

FALL PREVENTION EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET TODAY

Multi-level Platforms – Variable height platforms designed to offer a full working area from which the operator can access the top of the tanker through a series of removable floor panels, thus eliminating the need to stand on the tanker at all. An excellent option if you cannot guarantee the configuration, shape or size of the tankers.

Safety cages – The traditional way to ensure safety whilst working on top of a tanker. These safety cages enclose the operator in a boxed ‘pulpit’ style cage and come in sizes from 1.4m square up to total tanker systems enclosing the full tanker. This option eliminates any need for fall protection systems or reliance on tankers with the correct railings, etc.

Folding stairs - available in various guises to suit requirements. They can be supplied as part of a new loading gantry installation, or separately to bolt onto an existing set up; they fold for easy movement.

Mobile access systems- Where fixed gantries aren’t practical, or for lower activity sites where fixed gantry facilities wouldn’t be cost effective. These systems comprise of a ladder and safety cage that can be easily moved around the site to provide a safe method of accessing the top of a tanker.

Tanker loading and unloading solutions The chemical industry makes many demands on loading equipment due to the diversity of the products handled. For example, highly corrosive materials require loading arms lined with a durable material such as PTFE (better

45

Various materials such as stainless or carbon steel can be specified to suit the chemicals being loaded, and a variety of liquids can be catered for with heated designs, specific linings, wide temperature operating ranges and high pressure limits.

CONCLUSION

It is advisable for any company whose operations include the need to access, load or unload tankers to perform a full assessment of their current facilities and many would benefit from a full, bespoke loading and fall prevention system designed to suit their particular operations.

Switching from a top to bottom loading arrangement will mean tankers are loaded safer and quicker as it’s far easier to access tankers at ground level than to work at height.

In terms of fall prevention and protection, making it as safe as possible to access and safely work on the top of tankers is the main consideration and priority should be given to prevention including collective work equipment such as variable height platforms and large safety cages. There is a general acceptance that the increased initial investment in fixed equipment would be more than offset by vastly improved long term site and operator safety. The added benefit is often an increase in efficiency to accessing tankers.

Minimising your organisation’s risk associated with chemical use For any organisation, understanding the risk from chemicals is key to protecting human health and the environment.

For those affected, getting to grips with the risks, responsibilities and regulatory requirements is likely to sound complex and onerous.

World Class Independent Advice However, help is at hand. At the National Centre for Environmental Toxicology (NCET) we are widely considered to be the UK's leading independent advisor on the risks posed to human health and to the environment by chemicals, micro-organisms and other naturally occurring and man-made substances.

We work with businesses of all types and sizes to ensure they fully understand their legal responsibilities and we work alongside them to achieve compliance.

Experience Matters Depending on your in-house resources and expertise, the NCET team is able to offer as much – or as little – guidance as you need.

From our headquarters in Swindon, we have a highly experienced and dedicated team of mammalian and eco-toxicologists, chemists and microbiologists, exposure and computer modellers, as well as regulatory experts, all of which work together to provide a multi-disciplinary approach to providing chemical safety.

Hazard Identification Our team regularly carries out hazard identification of chemicals (identifying the potential adverse health effects the chemical may cause), as well as hazard characterisation (determining at what level the potential hazards occur). Such hazard identification forms the centrepiece of most, if not all, work carried out by the centre.

Compliance and Regulation Once chemical hazards have been identified, our multi-disciplinary teams work together and the hazard information is applied to various regulatory regimes and frameworks including REACH, Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR), Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS), Ecolabel & Product Degradability Assessments and Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 for cosmetics amongst others.

Moreover, data from the hazard characterisation can be utilised to carry out full human health or environmental risk assessments, where levels of chemicals we or the environment may encounter are compared against so called ‘safe’ levels.

Rapid Response System NCET’s team of scientists manage the Toxicity Advisory Service for the United Kingdom Water Industry Research (UKWIR) and Environmental Toxicology Advisory Service (ETAS). Our team provides advice and guidance on the toxicological impacts in the event of chemical spills or pollution incidents, including human effects, effects on aquatic environment, soil and sewage and the fate and behaviour or chemicals.

Providing advice to industry, utilities, Government and the public, NCET is the UK’s leading independent advisor on the risk to human health and the environment from chemical spills involving surface, ground and drinking water.

Toxicology on Demand NCET has recently launched a toxicology subscription service to provide expert toxicology support to clients on an ad hoc basis without the need for the accompanying administrative burden.

Clients can buy credits over 6 or 12 months at a reduced rate, and spend them on multiple short-term questions or longer-term projects. Examples of questions to date include:

• • •

•

Provision of advice on a hazard classification, Data gap analysis, study evaluation, study monitoring and dossier formation for a chemical to be registered under REACH, Comparison of hazards for structurally similar chemicals, using toxicity data and quantitative structural analysis relationship (QSAR) modelling, and Calculation of an acceptable level of chemical in drinking water that would not pose a risk to human health.

Here to Help Whatever the toxicology question, be it REACH or WRAS; water or soil; cosmetics or dyes, quick hazard classification or long term chemical registration, NCET is able to help.

We always aim to respond with clear, uncomplicated advice that will help you to achieve a clear understanding of what is required and of course, compliance.

For more information on NCET or to discuss a routine enquiry please contact us on:

01793 865032 | advice@ncet-uk.org www.ncet-uk.org

The National Centre for Environmental Toxicology (NCET) is the UK's leading independent advisor on the risks posed to human health and to the environment by chemicals, micro-organisms and other naturally occurring and man-made substances.

At NCET, hazard identification and characterisation are at the centre of everything we do.

NCETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team of specialists include experienced mammalian and eco-toxicologists, chemists and microbiologists, exposure and computer modellers, as well as regulatory experts, all of which work together to provide a multi-disciplinary approach to providing chemical safety.

We have extensive experience of dealing with national and European regulators.

Our range of services can be tailored to support you and help you acheive your business goals.

Waste

Water

Soil

Environment

Hydro carbons

Food & Feed

Human health

Chemicals

Risk Assessments

Products Agro Chemicals

Environmental Cosmetics

Regulation Eco Label

CLP

BPR

REACH WRAS

For more information on NCET or to discuss a routine enquiry please contact us on:

01793 865032 | advice@ncet-uk.org | www.ncet-uk.org

z TOXICOLOGY

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

REACH 2018: The immense challenge ahead – are you prepared?

The countdown is on - act now to comply with your obligations under REACH – Chemex can assist with your regulatory testing requirements…

It is widely recognised that the next REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) deadline of May 2018 will affect many more substances than the previous phases in 2010 and 2013. As this stage is targeting the smaller volumes (1-100 tonnes per year category), it is likely to affect many small and medium size businesses who may not have had previous experience in registering substances with ECHA (Europe Chemicals Agency).

Companies of all sizes will be affected and are responsible for the safety of the chemicals they place in the EU market. The full spectrum of businesses within the industry will have some responsibilities under REACH, from chemical manufacturers and suppliers through to importers and downstream users. It is crucially important to get professional advice, especially for those smaller organisations that may not have the in-house expertise, to ensure a full understanding of their obligations in the registration process. Do not underestimate the significant challenge that lies ahead, the REACH deadline of 31 May 2018 may seem some way off, but don’t be fooled! In terms of assessing need, arranging the necessary laboratory testing and putting together the required dossiers, it really isn’t that long! Even at this stage, laboratory capacity across Europe is filling up fast with lead times for testing being extended considerably.

Assess your responsibilities now and start preparations to ensure you fulfil your regulatory obligations before the deadline.

The following ECHA links may be useful in understanding more about how REACH may affect your organisation: https://echa.europa. eu/reach-2018 and https://echa.europa.eu/ regulations/reach/understanding-reach Chemex can help you achieve your goals in a timely manner, but planning early is the key to success. It is vital to implement your REACH plan without delay. ACT NOW – CHEMEX CAN HELP YOU!!!

have considerable experience in dealing with chemicals for the Oilfield sector. Should you require any assistance with the regulatory requirements in this area, the following documents, published by ECHA and DECC respectively, may be helpful: Guidance on Information Requirements & Chemical Safety Assessment Chapter R.7b: Endpoint specific guidance https://echa.europa.eu/ documents/10162/13632/information_ requirements_r7b_en.pdf

Established in 1987, Chemex is proud to be celebrating its 30th anniversary year in 2017. Chemex has evolved over the years to our current status as a well-respected, GLP Compliant Ecotoxicology Laboratory offering high quality laboratory services to a range of industries worldwide. Our services cover a broad spectrum and include both Freshwater (for REACH) and Marine Ecotoxicology (suitable for OSPAR/OCNS registrations) testing against a range of species. A wide selection of Environmental Fate studies are also on offer along with Terrestrial studies, using species such as Earthworms. In addition, many Physico-Chemical properties can be determined, as required for REACH registrations. We have a wide range of instrumentation in-house, available to provide GLP compliant analytical support for studies.

Chemex works to internationally recognised guidelines including OECD, OPPTS, PARCOM, JMAFF and ISO with studies performed in support of new chemical registrations, REACH requirements, data gap filling and other nonregulatory purposes.

Chemex has been an associate member of EOSCA (European Oilfield Speciality Chemicals Association) for many years, we therefore

48

Reach Guidance Document for the Offshore Industry – Version 17 – Mar 2016 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/ system/uploads/attachment_data/ file/533720/REACH_Industry_Guidance_ Document_-_V17.1_-_March_2016.pdf We have built our reputation by providing a competitively priced, reliable service and believe that we offer a personal approach that can be lost with larger organisations. At Chemex, we know that good communication is key and our staff are encouraged to work closely with clients at every stage of a project to ensure we are meeting their requirements.

Our experienced Study Directors are available to assist with technical queries regarding studies at any stage and we believe that a high level of client contact is crucial.

For further details on Chemex capabilities and how we can help you to move forward with your REACH testing plans, please visit our website www.chemex.co.uk or contact us on enquiries@chemex.co.uk for a competitive quotation.

Visitors to our site near Cambridge, UK are always welcome, please call to arrange a meeting today on +44 (0)1954-252519.

Chemex Environmental International Ltd, Cambridge, UK

WINTER 2016

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

49

TOXICOLOGY z

■

Applying supply chain knowledge in authorisation and registration dossiers

■

Ensuring safe & smart use of chemicals

■

Managing & creating informative (e)SDSs

royalhaskoningdhv.com

Supporting enterprises in the field of Environment, Health & Safety

Our services: > GBK – EMTEL® 24/7 Emergency Response

> Management Systems

> Regulatory Compliance

> Product registration

> Contract Support

> Training Partner

> Chemicals Law and Hazardous Substances Ordinance

> Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor

> Dangerous Goods regulations

> IT-Consulting services

> Workplace Safety > Company responsible officer

GBK GmbH Global Regulatory Compliance Königsberger Str. 29 55218 Ingelheim/Germany Managing Director: Bjoern Noll

> USA-Service > Logistics Consulting

Tel: +49 61 32 / 9 82 90 - 0 Fax: +49 61 32 / 8 46 85 gbk@gbk-ingelheim.de www.gbk-ingelheim.de

lutetium granules

bismuth telluride

III-IV nitride materials

trontium doped lanthanum

regenerative medicine

organo-metallics thin film 1

H

1.00794

Hydrogen 3

Li

2 1

4

Be

2 2

green technology

refractive metals 6.941

thode

Na

Beryllium

2 8 1

12

22.98976928

19

nuclearK

2 8 8 1

20

39.0983

con

Rb

Ca

2 8 8 2

21

2 8 18 8 1

38

85.4678

Sr

2 8 18 8 2

39

87.62

56

Y

Csarsendie Ba La gallium 137.327

Cesium

fuel

87

Fr (223)

Francium

88

Ra (226)

40

89

Ac (227)

Radium

2 8 18 18 9 2

2 8 18 10 2

Zr

72

41

Nb

Hf

73

Ta

178.48

104

Ce

2 8 18 19 9 2

140.116

Th 232.03806

Thorium

super alloys

Rf (267)

105

Db

Mo

74

W

(268)

2 8 18 13 1

2 8 18 32 12 2

43

Tc

75

Re

Sg (271)

2 8 18 13 2

44

Ru

2 8 18 32 13 2

76

Os

Bh (272)

Seaborgium

2 8 18 15 1

45

Rh

Hs (270)

Bohrium

59

2 8 18 21 8 2

Pr

140.90765

Praseodymium 2 8 18 32 18 10 2

91

2 8 18 32 20 9 2

Pa 231.03588

60

Nd

2 8 18 22 8 2

144.242

Protactinium

U

238.02891

Uranium

Pm

2 8 18 23 8 2

(145)

Neodymium 92

61

62

2 8 18 32 14 2

77

Ir

Sm 150.36

Promethium 2 8 18 32 21 9 2

93

Np (237)

Neptunium

nanofibers

2 8 18 32 22 9 2

63

94

Pu (244)

Plutonium

Eu

109

Mt (276)

95

Am (243)

Pd

78

Pt

63.546

2 8 18 18

47

Ag

2 8 18 32 17 1

79

Au

Ds (281)

80

196.966569

Zn Cd Hg

111

Rg (280)

Darmstadtium

2 8 18 2

31

Ga

49

In Tl

Roentgenium

112

Cn (285)

32

64

Gd

2 8 18 25 9 2

65

157.25

96

Cm

Americium

(247)

66

158.92535

Gadolinium 2 8 18 32 25 8 2

Tb

2 8 18 27 8 2

2 8 18 18 3

50

97

Curium

Bk (247)

67

113

Nh (284)

2 8 18 32 27 8 2

98

Cf (251)

Berkelium

Californium

rare earth metals

Ho

2 8 18 29 8 2

99

Es (252)

Einsteinium

2 8 18 18 4

51

2 8 18 32 18 3

82

Pb

Sb

83

Bi

207.2

114

Fl (289)

2 8 18 5

34

Se

52

Te

Flerovium

115

Mc (288)

uperconductors

35

Br

84

2 8 18 18 6

53

36

2 8 18 18 7

54

Neon

I

85

Er

2 8 18 30 8 2

69

Tm

167.259

100

Fm (257)

2 8 18 31 8 2

168.93421

101

Fermium

Md (258)

Yb

116

Lv (293)

2 8 18 32 8 2

71

2 8 18 32 32 8 2

103

Lu

Mendelevium

102

No (259)

Nobelium

Kr 83.798

Krypton

iron

2 8 18 18 8

Xe liquid 131.293

Xenon

2 8 18 32 18 7

86

2 8 18 32 18 8

(210)

(222)

Astatine 2 8 18 32 32 18 6

117

Ts (294)

Tennessine

Radon 2 8 18 32 32 18 7

materia Og

118

(294)

2 8 18 32 32 18 8

Oganesson

ionic

2 8 18 32 9 2

solar energy

Lutetium

Lr (262)

2 8 18 32 32 8 3

Lawrencium

nano gels

LED lighting tungsten carbide

optoelectr

gold nanoparticles

hafnium tubing

2 8 18 8

174.9668

Ytterbium 2 8 18 32 31 8 2

ite

Po purity At Rn silicon high

Livermorium

173.054

Thulium

2 8 18 32 30 8 2

70

tant

anod

39.948

Argon

Iodine

2 8 18 32 18 6

2 8 8

Ar

126.90447

(209)

Moscovium

2 8 18 7

20.1797

79.904

Polonium 2 8 18 32 32 18 5

18

Bromine

nuclear

Nd:YAG TM

mischmetal

germanium win

ultra high purity material

macromolecule

gadolinium wire

2 8 18 6

127.6

2 8 18 32 18 5

2 8 7

2 8

Ne

35.453

Tellurium

Bismuth 2 8 18 32 32 18 4

Cl

78.96

2 8 18 18 5

10

Chlorine

Selenium

Now Invent.

anti-ballistic ceramics

He

Fluorine

32.065

208.9804

Lead 2 8 18 32 32 18 3

17

2 7

18.9984032

S

121.76

2 8 18 32 18 4

2 8 6

F

Sulfur

Antimony

titanium robotic parts

fuel cell materials

P

As

9

15.9994

74.9216

Tin

Erbium 2 8 18 32 29 8 2

33

2 6

Oxygen

Arsenic

nickel foam

carbon nanotubes

2

neodymium foil

68

Holmium 2 8 18 32 28 8 2

2 8 18 4

118.71

Nihonium

164.93032

Dysprosium

Sn

16

30.973762

72.64

Thallium 2 8 18 32 32 18 2

Copernicium

162.5

Terbium

2 8 18 32 25 9 2

Dy

2 8 18 28 8 2

Ge

2 8 5

O

Phosphorus

Germanium

204.3833

Mercury 2 8 18 32 32 18 1

2 8 18 3

8

14.0067

28.0855

114.818

81

15

N

2 5

Nitrogen

Si

Indium 2 8 18 32 18 2

2 8 4

Silicon

69.723

2 8 18 18 2

7

12.0107

Gallium

200.59

Gold

2 8 18 32 32 17 1

Al

2 4

Carbon

26.9815386

Cadmium 2 8 18 32 18 1

14

Aluminum

112.411

Silver

195.084

110

48

2 8 3

C

10.811

Zinc

2 8 18 18 1

6

Boron

65.38

107.8682

Platinum 2 8 18 32 32 15 2

30

Copper

106.42

2 8 18 32 15 2

2 8 18 1

2 3

quantum dots 2 8 18 25 8 2

laser crystals

stable isotopes

Cu

Palladium

Meitnerium

Europium 2 8 18 32 24 8 2

46

192.217

151.964

Samarium

2 8 18 16 1

Iridium 2 8 18 32 32 14 2

29

Nickel

102.9055

Hassium

2 8 18 24 8 2

Ni

2 8 16 2

58.6934

Rhodium

190.23

108

28

Cobalt

Osmium 2 8 18 32 32 13 2

2 8 15 2

58.933195

101.07

186.207

107

Co

Ruthenium

Rhenium 2 8 18 32 32 11 2

27

Iron

(98.0)

183.84

106

Fe

2 8 14 2

55.845

Technetium

Tungsten 2 8 18 32 32 12 2

26

54.938045

95.96

2 8 18 32 11 2

Mn

2 8 13 2

Manganese

Molybdenum

Dubnium

platinum ink

buckey balls

42

180.9488

Rutherfordium

Cerium 90

Biosynthetics

B

palladium shot

europium phosphors

dielectrics

CIGS

2 8 18 12 1

Tantalum 2 8 18 32 32 10 2

25

51.9961

92.90638

2 8 18 32 10 2

Cr

2 8 13 1

Chromium

Niobium

Hafnium 2 8 18 32 18 9 2

24

50.9415

91.224

Actinium

58

pintronics

V

2 8 11 2

Vanadium

Zirconium

Lanthanum 2 8 18 32 18 8 2

photovoltaics

od

2 8 18 9 2

138.90547

Barium 2 8 18 32 18 8 1

Ti

23

47.867

Yttrium

57

2 8 10 2

Titanium

88.90585

2 8 18 18 8 2

132.9054

22

Scandium

Strontium 2 8 18 18 8 1

Sc

2 8 9 2

44.955912

Calcium

Rubidium 55

semiconductors

40.078

Potassium

37

Mg

2

Helium

13

Magnesium

vandium

4.002602

5

2 8 2

24.305

Sodium

battery lithium

yttrium

scandium-aluminum

iridium crucibles

surface functionalized nanoparticles

9.012182

Lithium

11

cerium polishing powder

aerospace ultra-light alloys

1

solid

nanoribbons

crystal growth

atomic layer deposition

dysprosium pellets

nano dispersions

electrochemistry

metamaterials

99.999% ruthenium spheres

erbium doped fiber optics advanced polymers

shape memory alloys

sputtering targets

rhodium sponge

electrochemistry osmium

metalloids

alternative energy

nanomedicine

single crystal silicon

tantalum

tellurium

diamond micropowder

catalog: americanelements.com Š2001-2017. AmericanElementsisaU.S. RegisteredTrademark.