Chemical Industry Journal 12

ISSUE12

SUPPORTED BY

UK AND WORLD NEWS • SUPPLY CHAIN • big interview • bULK LIQUID STORAGE • INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY • LEGISLATION

1ST & 2ND May 2019 Yorkshire Event Centre, Harrogate, Yorks

The brand new UK Chemical Industry Supply Chain Expo & Open Conference 2 packed days Unique supply chain expo Leading technology & solutions Industry partners & solutions Free technical conference Industry keynotes Hottest industry topics Skills clinics

FREE TO ATTEND

www.chemicalukexpo.com

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

| welcome |

Welcome

In which Brexit makes its presence felt Ellen Rossiter Editor in chief

Editor Ellen Rossiter ellen.rossiter@distinctivepublishing.co.uk

Design Distinctive Publishing, 3rd Floor, Tru Knit House, 9-11 Carliol Square, Newcastle, NE1 6UF Tel: 0191 580 5990 www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk

Advertising Distinctive Publishing, 3rd Floor, Tru Knit House, 9-11 Carliol Square, Newcastle, NE1 6UF Tel: 07813 874 970 email: john.neilson@distinctivegroup.co.uk www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk

Welcome to our latest edition of the Chemical Industry Journal, over which inevitably, Brexit casts a shadow – few topics can be of greater importance to our industry and indeed society at the moment.

In recent weeks, the impact on medicine supplies as a result of Brexit has frequently been in the news, with potential shortages of flu jabs and epi-pens both being cited, so we hear from the European Medicine Agency about those medicines for which there are concerns of a Brexit-related supply disruption.

With the situation changing on an almost daily basis, we seek advice from Sandra Strong, an expert in importing, exporting and customs procedures, on how the chemical industry can best prepare for Brexit.

Understanding our supply chains is key and Sandra pinpoints the chief considerations we need to keep in mind over the coming months.

Follow Sandra’s checklist to help your business prepare for our exit from the European Union, turn the pages to find out the detail.

For those involved in the manufacture of biocidal products, meeting mandatory product authorisations is a requirement in order to stay in the European market, so Michael Fink provides us with an overview of what such authorisation applications entail.

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

Whilst we’re on the topic of imports and exports, we learn about the crucial part played by bulk storage companies in the supply chain, situated as they are at the interface between sea, road, rail and pipeline logistics, bridging the gap between production and distribution.

On a separate note, whilst supporting the general aims of proposed legislation, Peter Newport of the Chemical Business Association (CBA) provides us with an insight into how business-to-business transactions involving corrosive substances could be affected and why a more focused approach is required.

3

Elsewhere, we hear more about the science and technology accord one year on – and how the UK and US are, in the words of Science Minister Sam Gyimah, ‘pooling our power to find the answers to the biggest scientific questions of today’.

Colleagues in our sector are constantly innovating, so find out how to protect your intellectual property and learn how a portfolio of patents can illustrate your business’s technology-leading work.

Innovation is at the heart of Dr Carol Treasure’s work pioneering animal-free science, we learn how what was once deemed alternative has become mainstream. Find out about the industry-leading research of Carol and her team designing tests which are more scientifically advanced and more robust than those previously available.

Discover what motivates Carol, how her ground-breaking in vitro testing work has gained widespread acceptance and about the animal-free safety and efficacy tests now available to industry.

Innovation is also central to the work of Mike Lodge and his team in showing how we can address the problem of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and why environmentally-friendly wastewater treatments are crucial.

Stepping outside of our comfort zone and taking an interdisciplinary approach is required if we are to meet our Paris commitments and develop more renewable energy, explains Professor Patricia Thornley.

Learn about the work underway at the £6m SUPERGEN Bioenergy Hub and Aston University’s European Bioenergy Research Institute, both of which are led by Patricia, and discover their part in helping us meet our zero carbon emissions target by 2050.

Just before we go to press, news breaks of the most recent recipients of the Nobel Prizes – see an overview in our ‘elementary’ section and read more news-in-brief from across the industry – it’s just over the leaf. You know what to do…

| contents |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

features

The importance of IP in the Chemical Industry

34

18 Preparing the chemical supply chain for Brexit The importance of Bulk Liquid Storage

4

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

| contents |

contents www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk

3

Introduction/Foreword

4-5

Contents

/

issue 12

6-7 Elementary News from our sector

8

50

Contributors

9-16 News 18-19

26-27

34-36

40-41

50-53 62-63

62

Supply Chain

Preparing the chemical supply chain for Brexit Companies stepping up efforts to ensure medicine supply post Brexit UK and US further collaboration by deepening ties in medical technology

Big Interview

We speak to Dr Carol Treasure, co-founder and CEO of XCellR8 which provides animal-free safety and efficacy tests. We learn how testing techniques that were once deemed alternative have now gained widespread acceptance.

Bulk Liquid Storage

Bulk liquid storage companies provide an essential interface between sea, road, rail and pipeline logistics for many different substances including chemicals.

CATCH

An industry led partnership supporting the process, engineering, energy and renewables sectors in the Humber region.

Intellectual Property

The importance of IP in the Chemical Industry

Legislation

CBA highlights problems with Proposed Corrosive Legislation

CBA highlights problems with Proposed Corrosive Legislation

5

/

| elementary |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

ELEMENTARY

The Nobel Prize in Physics

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics 2018 “for ground-breaking inventions in the field of laser physics”:

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2018 with one half to Frances H. Arnold, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA “for the directed evolution of enzymes” and the other half jointly to George P. Smith, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA and Sir Gregory P. Winter, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK “for the phage display of peptides and antibodies.

Two immunologists, American James P Allison and Japanese Tasuku Honjo, have won the Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering a form of cancer therapy.

Award for British chemistry professor

Organic prize for inorganic researcher

Long-sought carbon structure

Sir Martyn Poliakoff, Ph.D., research professor of chemistry at the University of Nottingham is the 2019 recipient of the American Chemical Society’s (ACS’) Grady-Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public. Since 2008, Poliakoff has collaborated with filmmaker Brady Haran in the production of nearly 650 videos about chemistry on the YouTube channel Periodic Videos. As of mid-September 2018, Periodic Videos had more than 1 million subscribers and was one of the most popular chemistry-related channels on YouTube.

UCSB Chemistry professor Alison Butler earns the Arthur C. Cope Scholars Award for excellence in organic chemistry. Alison Butler is one of those lucky few who realize their calling early in life. In her case, that calling was metal. “I remember in preschool, playing with iron filings and a magnet,” Butler recalled. “I just was fascinated and it’s always stuck with me.” As she learned more, she became evermore captivated by the patterns and relationships that underlie all of chemistry.

University of California, Berkeley, chemists have proved that three carbon structures recently created by scientists in South Korea and Japan are in fact the long-sought schwarzites, which researchers predict will have unique electrical and storage properties like those now being discovered in buckminsterfullerenes (buckyballs or fullerenes for short), nanotubes and graphene.

BASF first

Paper-based biobatteries Colloidal gold agreement

After two years of intensive research, BASF is now able to present prototypes of the world’s first particle foam based on polyethersulfone (PESU). The foam is characterized by its unique combination of properties: high-temperature resistance, inherent flame retardancy - and its extreme light weight coupled with great stiffness and strength.

The batteries of the future may be made out of paper. Researchers at Binghamton University have created a biodegradable, paper-based battery that is more efficient than previously possible.

One half has been awarded to Arthur Ashkin, Bell Laboratories, Holmdel, USA “for the optical tweezers and their application to biological systems”. The other half jointly to Gérard Mourou, École Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France and University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA and Donna Strickland, University of Waterloo, Canada “for their method of generating high-intensity, ultrashort optical pulses”.

The biobattery uses a hybrid of paper and engineered polymers. The polymers – poly (amic) acid and poly (pyromellitic dianhydride-pphenylenediamine) – were the key to giving the batteries biodegrading properties.

6

The ¾ million pound prize, announced by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, captures the increasing role of immunology in medical research and treatment. The Institute chose the winners for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation.

Expedeon AG has announced the signing of a licence and supply agreement for its colloidal gold with South Korea-based PaxGenBio, a privately held, independent developer and supplier of rapid, highly sensitive multiplex diagnostic kits. Expedeon’s colloidal gold is an aqueous suspension of spherical metallic nanoparticles manufactured to a high standard, demonstrating efficient antibody binding, for maximum sensitivity. PaxGenBio will deploy Expedeon’s gold nanoparticles in its MPCR-ULFA (multiplexed Polymerase Chain Reaction - universal lateral flow assays) technology.

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

| elementary |

ELEMENTARY

Further £14m EPSRC investment

£16m investment by EPSRC

Car fuel from waste plastic?

A new £14 million investment into the UK’s Catalysis Hub that will support a nationwide research programme has been announced by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Centred at the Research Complex at the Harwell campus in Oxfordshire, the Hub will co-ordinate a collaborative research program across the UK.

Three £5 million energy research hubs and a new £1 million network in solar energy that will build multidisciplinary collaborations between universities, academic bodies and industry have been announced by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Discarded plastic could be used to fuel cars in the future thanks to a ground-breaking process developed by scientists from Swansea University, who have been able to transform unwanted plastic into hydrogen which in turn could be used to run cars.

The three Supergen Energy hubs will be focused on Offshore Renewable Energy, Bioenergy, and Energy Networks, and will involve academics from 19 universities, and 70 stakeholder partners including 22 from industry.

Light-absorbing material is added to the plastic, before it is placed in an alkaline solution and then exposed to sunlight, which creates hydrogen.

Boost for steel innovation HSE investigation

New facility opens

Developing and testing new steel alloys will be up to 100 times faster, allowing new products to reach the market more quickly, thanks to £7 million of funding announced for a new “virtual factory” being developed by Swansea University, in partnership with Tata Steel and WMG, at the University of Warwick. The partners have won funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), through the Prosperity Partnership initiative.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is investigating the supply to schools of metal gauze mats which contain asbestos, after being made aware that two UK laboratory supply companies have supplied schools with gauze mats which contain asbestos. The metal gauze mats are designed for use over Bunsen burners. HSE has served enforcement notices on both companies.

DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products Company, LLC, a manufacturer of natural and renewably sourced ingredients, has opened a new warehouse and distribution centre located at its world-class manufacturing site in Loudon, Tennessee.

Birmingham scientist’s accolade

Aberystwyth’s top teaching accolade

One of the University of Birmingham’s leading scientists has been named amongst the UK’s most eminent engineering experts. Professor Zhibing Zhang has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in recognition of his outstanding chemical engineering research.

Aberystwyth University has been named University of the Year for Teaching Quality for the second year running. It’s the first time a university has been given the prestigious award for a second consecutive year by The Times / Sunday Times Good University Guide, which was published on Sunday 23 September 2018.

Distinguished for original research on micromanipulation of particles and encapsulation, Professor Zhang’s studies have been applied in industry to develop a series of high-value functional products, each with sales exceeding $100 million

7

The new facility will create a streamlined approach to servicing global customers who require various packaging sizes and bolster service around the world to consumers looking for bio-based solutions.

Short story or article to share?

Send them to our Editor, Ellen Rossiter, at ellen.rossiter@distinctivepublishing.co.uk

| contributors biodigestables | |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY | CHEMICAL JOURNAL INDUSTRY SUMMER JOURNAL 2018 |

Peter Newport Chief Executive of the Chemical Business Association (CBA)

Peter Davidson Executive Director of the Tank Storage Association

CBA is a not-for-profit business organisation representing the independent chemical supply chain in the UK. Its member companies distribute, pack, and blend over four million tonnes of chemicals each year with a market value of almost three billion euros.

Peter is responsible for all aspects of advocacy and lobbying on behalf of the bulk liquid storage sector. He is also tasked with promoting process safety leadership, helping members achieve excellence in this area and work toward becoming high reliability organisations. Peter works in close collaboration with the UK Government and Regulators and is a leading member of many cross-industry committees including the Federation of European Tank Storage Associations.

Peter is a key industry advocate to governmental and regulatory authorities in the UK and Europe. He is also a board member and current Treasurer of the European Association for Chemical Distributors (Fecc) and a board member of the International Chemical Trade Association (ICTA).

Sandra Strong Managing Partner of Strong & Herd Sandra is the managing partner of Strong & Herd, a consultancy specialising in importing and exporting and, in 2017, her company won the Export Controls Consultant of the year. Her day-to-day work involves helping companies to comply with import, export and customs procedures. She is a member of various Brexit advisory committees and the International Chamber of Commerce’s Committee for Incoterms Rules.

Neil Smith Cogent Skills

Mike Lodge, CEO at Arvia Technology Ltd

Dr Carol Treasure Co-Founder and CEO, XCellR8

A founder member of the PSM Competence Programme Board, Neil has taken a leading role in the development of the PSM training standards and assuring the programme is supported with the highest quality trainers. Neil leads the on the design of bespoke training for employers both within the UK and internationally, such as Unilever and Johnson Matthey.

Mike started his career as an aerospace engineer working in Canada, the US and Germany. He took an MBA and joined Mettler Toledo in a strategic marketing and M&A role. Mike joined Arvia as a Commercial Director in 2011 and has been CEO for the past 5 years, growing the company to a 40-strong team with a global presence.

Carol leads the team at award-winning lab XCellR8.

The company offers in vitro safety testing services to chemical ingredient manufacturers, which are 100% animal-free. XCellR8 has received regulatory recognition for its innovative animal-product-free adaptations of existing safety tests such as those for skin sensitisation, and Carol is passionate about developing new testing methodologies that are both scientifically and ethically sound.

Contributors

Maeve O’Flynn Associate and Patent Attorney with J A Kemp

Stuart Raynor Partner and Patent Attorney with J A Kemp

Maeve joined the firm in 2016, after working in-house since 2000 in both the oil and gas and chemical industries.

Stuart joined the firm in 2000. His work focuses on areas which include petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals and he has significant expertise in handing cases which involve polymers.

8

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

| news |

The more pesticides bees eat, the more they like them although more research is needed to determine this in bees.”

By Hayley Dunning Imperial College London Bumblebees acquire a taste for pesticide-laced food as they become more exposed to it, a behaviour showing possible symptoms of addiction.

This study of bumblebee behaviour indicates that the risk of pesticide-contaminated food entering bee colonies may be higher than previously thought, which can have impacts on colony reproductive success.

In research published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a team from Imperial College London and Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) have shown that bumblebee colonies increasingly feed on pesticide-laced food (sugar solution) over time.

The researchers tested the controversial class of pesticides the ‘neonicotinoids’, which are currently one of the most widely used classes of pesticides worldwide, despite the near-total ban in the EU. The impact of neonicotinoids on bees is hotly debated, and the ban is a decision that has received mixed views.

MANY STUDIES ON NEONICOTINOIDS FEED BEES EXCLUSIVELY WITH PESTICIDE-LADEN FOOD, BUT IN REALITY, WILD BEES HAVE A CHOICE OF WHERE TO FEED.

The team tracked ten bumblebee colonies over ten days, giving each colony access to its own foraging arena in which bees could choose feeders that did or did not contain a neonicotinoid.

They found that while the bees preferred the pesticide-free food to begin with, over time they fed on the pesticide-laced food more and visited the pesticide-free food less. They continued to prefer the pesticide-laced food even when the positions of the feeders were changed, suggesting they can detect the pesticide inside the food.

Lead author Dr Andres Arce, from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial, said: “Many studies on neonicotinoids feed bees exclusively with pesticideladen food, but in reality, wild bees have a choice of where to feed. We wanted to know if the bees could detect the pesticides and eventually learn to avoid them by feeding on the uncontaminated food we were offering.

“Whilst at first it appeared that the bees did avoid the food containing the pesticide, we found that over time the bumblebees increased their visits to pesticideladen food. We now need to conduct further studies to try and understand the mechanism behind why they acquire this preference”.

Lead researcher Dr Richard Gill, from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial, said: “Given a choice, naïve bees appear to avoid neonicotinoidtreated food. However, as individual bees increasingly experience the treated food they develop a preference for it.

Dr Gill added: “This research expands on important previous work by groups at Newcastle and Dublin Universities. Here, we added a time dimension and allowed the bees to carry out more normal foraging behaviour, to understand the dynamics of pesticide preference. Together these studies allow us to properly assess the risks of exposure and not just the hazard posed.

“Interestingly, neonicotinoids target nerve receptors in insects that are similar to receptors targeted by nicotine in mammals. Our findings that bumblebees acquire a taste for neonicotinoids ticks certain symptoms of addictive behaviour, which is intriguing given the addictive properties of nicotine on humans,

“Whilst neonicotinoids are controversial, if the effects of replacements on non-target insects are not understood, then I believe it is sensible that we take advantage of current knowledge and further studies to provide guidance for using neonicotinoids more responsibly, rather than necessarily an outright ban.”

9

| news |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

Chemists make breakthrough on road to creating a rechargeable lithium-oxygen battery Chemists from the University of Waterloo have successfully resolved two of the most challenging issues surrounding lithium-oxygen batteries, and in the process created a working battery with near 100 per cent coulombic efficiency.

The new work, published in Science, proves that four-electron conversion for lithium-oxygen electrochemistry is highly reversible. The team is the first to achieve four-electron conversion, which doubles the electron storage of lithiumoxygen, also known as lithium-air, batteries.

“There are limitations based on thermodynamics,” said Linda Nazar, Canada Research Chair of Solid State Energy Materials and senior author on the project. “Nevertheless, our work has addressed fundamental issues that people have been trying to resolve for a long time.”

The high theoretical-energy density of lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) batteries and their relatively light weight have made them the Holy Grail of rechargeable battery systems.

But long-standing issues with the battery’s chemistry and stability have kept them a purely academic curiosity.

Two of the more serious issues involve the intermediate of the cell chemistry (superoxide, LiO2) and the peroxide product (Li2O2) reacting with the porous carbon cathode,

degrading the cell from within. In addition, the superoxide consumes the organic electrolyte in the process, which greatly limits the cycle life.

Nazar and her colleagues switched the organic electrolyte to a more stable inorganic molten salt and the porous carbon cathode to a bifunctional metal oxide catalyst. Then by operating the battery at 150 C, they found that the more stable product Li2O is formed instead of Li2O2. This results in a highly reversible Li-oxygen battery with coulombic efficiency approaching 100 per cent.

By storing O2 as lithium oxide (Li2O) instead of lithium peroxide (Li2O2), the battery not only maintained excellent charging characteristics, it achieved the maximum fourelectron transfer in the system, thereby increasing the theoretical energy storage by 50 per cent.

“By swapping out the electrolyte and the electrode host and raising the temperature, we show the system performs remarkably well,” said Nazar, who is also a University Research Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Waterloo.

The lead author on the study is Chun Xia, a postdoctoral fellow, and co-author is Chun Yuen Kwok, a PhD student, both in Nazar’s lab.

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada in part funded the project through their Discovery Grants and Canada Research Chair programs, along with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Center for Energy Storage Research.

10

HSD Safety half-page ARTWORK.pdf

1

25/08/2016

12:08

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

Combination GHS Labelling Use a single label instead of buying multiple labels to comply with GHS Regulations. Print your product information, transport diamonds, company branding and much more on one large format label - the perfect solution for drums and IBCs. The Neuralabel 600e handles continuous media, from a roll-to-roll format to fanfolded or sheet-fed media.

Dura-ID Solutions are the exclusive European distributor for the Neuralabel 600e.

Example Label:

Speak to our Chemicals experts today to discuss your current labelling needs.

Call us on: 0114 242 2111 Email: chemicals@dura-id.com Visit us: www.labels-for-chemicals.com

11

| news |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

Thornton energy project ‘captures’ students’ scientific imagination Chemical Engineering students at the University of Chester’s Thornton Science Park have had the opportunity to be part of research taking place on site, into a new technology for carbon capture.

Energy experts at the University have been partnering up with local start-up energy company, PMW Research Ltd, over the research and development of continuous cryogenic separation - a new technology patented by sister company PMW Technology Ltd. Removing carbon dioxide (CO2) cryogenically means that CO2 can be captured in a solid form. When exhaust gases containing carbon dioxide are cooled to a low temperature (around minus 100 degrees) the CO2 is deposited as a frost, which makes it easier to separate from the exhaust gases. The process goes through different stages – once the CO2 frost is formed, it is carried into a separate section, where it is warmed to recover the CO2. This can then be collected locally, before it is transported for injection deep underground for storage. The process’s patented concept is called A3C technology.

University students have been working with PMW Research Director Paul Willson and Dr Carolina Font Palma, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering, to progress the research.

Dr Font Palma explains more: “Paul came to Thornton Science Park with a novel idea two years ago. Through the European Regional Development funded Eco-Innovation Cheshire and Warrington programme, we have been working with Paul, to take his concept through research and development (R & D). As you can imagine, the process for the cryogenic CO2 capture is fairly complex, so

we are working in stages to get to the main objective.”

Through Eco-Innovation, PhD student, David Cann, has been assigned to the project. In the first stage of the process, he has been setting up a custom screw conveyor (a mechanism that uses a rotating helical screw blade) from a specialist supplier, to circulate metallic beads around the process. The beads will ultimately provide the cold surface onto which carbon dioxide will deposit as frost in future experiments.

Chemical Engineering students worked on the project as part of their University work placements. Second year student Katie Russell designed a frame/structure to host the screw conveyor using computer drawing software, and then constructed it with David Cann. Then first year student Jaskiren Bussan helped with designing experiments and in the initial testing of the screw conveyor.

Dr Font Palma added: “We are really pleased that the frame construction and the set-up of the screw conveyor have been achieved through student placements. Katie and Jaskiren worked hard with the support of Eco-Innovation Technician John Morris.”

The next stage in making carbon capture possible will be the installation of a column where the beads will be recirculated by the screw conveyor to be chilled and put into contact with the incoming exhaust gas to remove the CO2.

Paul Willson said: “I am delighted to see the progress on the experimental rig. Katie and Jaskiren have done excellent work under David’s guidance and with John’s support. They have made the first steps on the exciting progression which will see the core of the A3C process put to work.”

“I am delighted to see the progress on the experimental rig. Katie and Jaskiren have done excellent work under David’s guidance and with John’s support. They have made the first steps on the exciting progression which will see the core of the A3C process put to work.”

12

WE ARE REALLY PLEASED THAT THE FRAME CONSTRUCTION AND THE SET-UP OF THE SCREW CONVEYOR HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED THROUGH STUDENT PLACEMENTS. KATIE AND JASKIREN WORKED HARD WITH THE SUPPORT OF ECO-INNOVATION TECHNICIAN JOHN MORRIS.

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

| news |

KCMC collaborates with the Henry Royce Institute to help connect innovative SMEs The Knowledge Centre for Materials Chemistry, the UK’s innovation broker in materials chemistry, announces its collaboration with the Henry Royce Institute for the upcoming Materials Accelerator Forum. The event, taking place on the 13th November in Manchester,will help to connect SMEs using materials chemistry in the development of advanced materials.

afford and access scientific support, particularly if they don’t have networks within universities and other research organisations. The Royce wants to provide SMEs with open-access to the research capabilities typical of a large multinational company. Our facilities can be accessed at reasonable rates by SMEs, and we also provide funding for proof-of-concept research projects.”

The Henry Royce Institute, the UK national centre for advanced materials, has designed the forum to help SMEs developing advanced materials connect with the UK’s largest portfolio of equipment and expertise in advanced materials research, simplifying and facilitating their route to commercialisation.

Through their extensive network of contacts, including SMEs utilising materials chemistry in the development of advanced materials, KCMC can complement the existing arrangements for business engagement at the Royce. KCMC has worked with the University of Manchester for over nine years, helping them to establish and deliver mutually beneficial collaborations with companies. This relationship means they can support the interaction of the institute with companies across a number of industrial sectors.

A flagship for the accelerated discovery and development of new materials systems, the Royce represents nine founding partners across the UK. These include the universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield and Imperial College London, as well as the National Nuclear Library and the UK Atomic Energy Authority.

Each partner champions a core research area and works collaboratively with the other institutions to share their facilities and expertise. The breadth of research areas includes health and medicine, electrification of transport, improving electrical devices and safer air travel.

Royce Chief Scientist, Regius Professor Philip Withers, says “Start-ups and SMEs are a driving force for innovation in materials in the UK, but it can be difficult for them to

On the 13th November, the first Royce Materials Accelerator Forum will be hosted at the National Graphene Institute in Manchester and will welcome SMEs, funders, advisors and supporters from across the country. This forum is the first in a series of proposed events and will be a way for the community of SMEs to connect with leading academics and innovators.

The Materials Accelerator Forum on the 13th November will be the first in a series of events aimed at engaging SMEs with the Henry Royce Institute. Find out more at www.royce.ac.uk/materials-accelerator-forum-2018/

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT TAX RELIEF SPECIALISTS

GET YOUR CASH FROM HMRC

Call COODEN TAX CONSULTING NOW!

Validate your claim,

No Win No Fee

Call us on: 01424 225 345

@CoodenConsults

Office 8

Charter House

email us on: info@coodentaxconsulting.co.uk

www.coodentaxconsulting.co.uk

43 St Leonards Road

Bexhill on Sea

Cooden half page February22 2016.indd 1

East Sussex TN40 1JA 22/02/2016 17:41

13

| news |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

“Toxic Trio” in cosmetics creates possible emerging liability risks, according to new report Chemicals in personal care products may expose manufacturers and suppliers to latent liabilities Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) and Praedicat have released Emerging Liability Risks: The ‘Toxic Trio,’ a new report examining how chemicals commonly found in beauty products may place manufacturers and suppliers at significant liability risk as well as their potential impact on the insurance industry.

The cosmetics industry uses hundreds of chemicals in manufacturing, dozens of which can be present in the final product, leading to potential consumer and workplace exposure, particularly in nail and hair salons.

Three chemicals have particular notoriety for their use in nail polish – dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene and formaldehyde. Scientists have identified this “Toxic Trio” of chemicals, which are also used in perfumes, body lotions and other personal care products, as hazardous.

With global sales for skin care products estimated to grow by 40 percent to $180 billion by 2024, manufacturers and suppliers face liability risk if bodily injuries are linked to “Toxic Trio” exposure. These risks include:

“Insurance companies currently offer general liability and standalone product recall policies to assist companies with the significant costs that could occur from a “Toxic Trio” event.”

Product recalls if a product containing one of the “Toxic Trio” is deemed risky to consumers by regulators, whose attention is increasing.

Product mislabeling is a growing threat. Manufacturers who market their products as being “three-free” could be held liable if their products contain any of these chemicals, even if it is not their fault.

Latent liability from DBP affecting both consumers and workers has the potential to generate in excess of $100 billion in losses to the U.S. economy, based on Praedicat’s model estimates, due to the broad exposure.

“Companies need to implement rigorous testing to reduce the risk of mislabeling and proactively monitor scientific literature to identify future risks rather than reacting to public perception or regulatory action,” said Michael Hohmann, Global Head of Liability at AGCS. “By leveraging science-based business intelligence from Praedicat, AGCS helps clients make more informed decisions about the chemicals, products, substances and processes involved in their business.”

Insurance companies currently offer general liability and standalone product recall policies to assist companies with the significant costs that could occur from a “Toxic Trio” event.

To view Emerging Liability Risks: The ‘Toxic Trio,’ please visit: www.agcs.allianz.com/insights/white-papers-andcase-studies/emerging-liability-risks-toxic-trio

14

Loss Prevention Bulletin The leading source of case studies in process safety, with an archive of lessons learnt spanning over 40 years Process industry accidents can result in catastrophic losses such as fatalities and multiple injuries, as well as substantial economic loss, property destruction and harm to the environment.

IChemE’s Loss Prevention Bulletin (LPB) is a well-established means for the process industries to communicate information on accidents, enabling other organisations to learn vital process safety lessons, without repeating the same costly mistakes.

All articles in LPB are reviewed by experienced safety professionals to ensure accuracy, relevance and consistency throughout the publication.

www.icheme.org/lpb

Loss Prevention Bulletin Loss Prevention Bulletin Loss Prevention Bulletin Focus on HF acid Improving process safety by sharing experience Improving process safety by sharing experience

Issue 232, August 2013

Improving process safety by sharing experience

Loss Prevention Bulletin

Issue 246, December 2015

tanker unloading

Issue 246, December 2015

Improving process safety by sharing experience

Loss Prevention Bulletin

Company licences available for this essential resource

Improving process safety by sharing experience

Corrosion — causes, dangers, prevention and case histories

Issue 245, October 2015

Managing contractors Are there contractors in your system?

Issue 244, August 2015

Corrosion inspection — no basis for complacency

Major accidents involving contractors Observations on contractor management

Corrosion-related accidents in petroleum refineries

Process industry construction risk management

Corrosion under insulation (CUI) — out of sight, out of mind

Contract worker in incinerator roof fall Fatalities caused by excess heat in confined spaces Communicating the hazards of benzoyl peroxide

Listen to your contractors

Corrosion under insulation — case studies

Explosion in a cooling tower – lessons learned from managing contractors

Methanol tank explosion and fire — the role of corrosion

Contractors special Injuries caused by

Reflections on managing contractors’ activities

The hazards of confined space operations

LPBcover246.indd 1

LPBcover245.indd 1

25/11/2015 10:39

LPBcover244.indd 1

25/11/2015 10:39

02/10/2015 11:07

04/08/2015 15:51

Methanol tank HAZOP failure explosion and fire — Why HAZOPs can fail the role of corrosion

ADVANCING CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WORLDWIDE

LPBcover246.indd 1

quicklime

Tyre recycling – laboratory scale risk assessment

Corrosion inspection — no basis for complacency Anatomy of HF acid tanker unloading Corrosion-related accidents in petroleum HF acid leak from refineries tanker unloading Corrosion under flange insulation (CUI) — Mukuru-Sinai fuel out of sight, out of spill mindand fire disaster

Operator Corrosionseverely under burned in a—trimethyl insulation case indium studiesexplosion

Corrosion special

Corrosion special

Chemical reactivity and HAZOP studies

Corrosion — causes, dangers, prevention and case histories

MB0082_18

| news |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

Printable solar cells a step closer with new design principles

By Hayley Dunning Imperial College London Researchers have found out why new kinds of solar materials are so good at harvesting light – and have provided design rules for making them better.

This opens up the opportunity to design flexible solar cells, which could be used in buildings and clothing.

Traditional solar panels are made from hard, silicon-based materials that are efficient but relatively expensive and not very adaptable. New ‘organic’ solar cells are instead much more flexible – both in terms of how they can be tailored by tweaking the chemistry, and how they can be physically bent.

Organic solar materials can also be produced as inks, meaning devices based on these materials can be massproduced cheaply by spraying or printing.

However, organic solar cells are currently not as efficient at transforming light energy into electricity as common silicon solar cells. Scientists have recently made progress with new types of organic materials, but they didn’t know exactly how the new materials are able to reach these levels of efficiency, preventing them from making them even better.

Now, in new research published in Nature Materials, researchers from a large international team, including Imperial College London, have determined how the new materials work, and how they can be improved even further.

UNKNOWN EFFICIENCY Dr Artem Bakulin, from the Department of Chemistry at Imperial, said: “The lightweight and flexible nature of organic solar cells means they can be moulded into any shape we want. There is great potential for organic solar cells to be integrated into buildings and vehicles, or even be incorporated into the fabrics that we wear. Cheap, lightweight solar panels can also be easily transported and installed in parts of the world without power.”

Researchers knew that in organic materials there were large energy losses, meaning they were not efficient at converting solar energy into electricity.

This is because part of the energy coming from light particles (photons) has to be used for ‘charge separation’ – to help electric charges (so-called ‘electrons’ and ‘holes’) created by photons to move away from each other, so they can later generate electrical current.

In the vast majority of organic solar cells developed in the last 30 years, at least 30 per cent of the energy carried by the photons is lost in charge separation. In the last couple of years however, a new class of organic materials has been introduced, commonly known as ‘non-fullerene acceptors’ (NFAs).

NFAs have helped to reduce the charge separation losses almost by half and brought the efficiency of organic solar cells to around 14 per cent. This is remarkable, given that the theoretical limit for efficiency is around 30 per cent, and most common silicon cells can attain 25 per cent in lab settings.

NEW RULES FOR NEW MATERIALS In collaboration with six other groups around the world, Imperial researchers developed and studied a large set of efficient NFA-based solar cells and discovered a possible reason behind their successful performance.

Using advanced ultrafast laser techniques they observed that in these devices, the electrons and holes that are bound together and unable to generate current are not lost, but can convert back to the initial excited state with an energy matching the photon that created them. In this way, energy losses are reduced and device efficiency can reach the record values.

With their new understanding, the team also formulated the key set of rules that may lead to even more efficient organic solar cells in the future.

The researchers at the seven research institutes in the US, China and Europe have together produced around a dozen different materials, some of which have been reported previously and others that are completely new. They have used these to demonstrate that the proposed rules agree with experimental results, despite some of the rules overturning previous ideas.

Tom Hopper, from the Department of Chemistry at Imperial, said: “Until now the development of organic solar cell materials was mostly done by a synthetic trial-and-error approach. We hope that the design rules that we have laid out will be useful to scientists interested in the development of efficient organic solar cells.”

16

THIS OPENS UP THE OPPORTUNITY TO DESIGN FLEXIBLE SOLAR CELLS, WHICH COULD BE USED IN BUILDINGS AND CLOTHING.

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL SUMMER 2018 |

| news |

hfl

consulting Safety Sustainability Profitability

Supporting sustainably safe and profitable operations.

Most would agree that good business performance is linked to good operational and process safety performance, built on sound practices and procedures.

At HFL Consulting, we provide a unique blend of leadership, management, consulting, engineering and training services, that makes us the natural partner of choice for many of the UK’s most prominent chemical manufacturing and chemical using companies.

Find out more about how we can help improve your performance.

T 0161 304 5902 E info@hflconsulting.uk W hflconsulting.uk

People Plant Process Productivity 17

| supply chain |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

Preparing the chemical In her presentation to the Chemical Business Association’s recent Brexit Conference, Sandra Strong, left, of the international trade consultants, Strong & Herd LLP, gave delegates an action checklist to help them prepare for Brexit. This is a summary of her presentation.

It is vitally important for businesses to understand their supply chain today because, whatever the outcome of Brexit negotiations, there will be changes – and some opportunities for optimising the ways you manage your supply chains.

The Chequer’s Agreement (on 6 July 2018) suggesting a ‘third way’ represented a shift in the UK Government’s position. At the core of this proposal, is the establishment by the UK and the EU of a free trade area for goods - but this is still only a proposal.

For some businesses, the UK being an independent country will bring about very few issues and result in further supply chain opportunities. For others, it will require some reshaping and reassessment of current procedures to mitigate any impact on existing supply chains.

If Brexit slows the movement of goods through the supply chain – through customs, ports, logistics – it could change how stock is distributed, the network design needed to cope, and the facilities needed to hold stock.

(7) What is the commodity code number for the goods you send into the EU27 from the UK? Using the existing trade tariff what import duty rate and special customs measures or licensing/ registrations apply to commodity codes?

(8) Do you export to non-EU countries that have a preferential free trade agreement with the EU and issue a preference document/ statement, for example Canada, South Korea, Mexico, Turkey, Switzerland? What would the duty impact be on your overseas customs if they had to pay duty because UK was no longer a party to the free trade agreement?

(9) Do you issue or receive Long Term Supplier Declarations (LTSD) so that either you can issue preference documents on export outside the EU or your EU customer can use your goods to evidence their exports qualify when sold to non-EU countries?

(10) Import regulations – supplies to and from EU27/ UK will be subject to customs entries and therefore will come the international rules relating to valuation rules (especially how you value free of charge shipments and intercompany supplies), rules of origin and potential impact of additional origin based duties and tariff measures such as import licenses

(1) What do you ship into the EU27, including goods moving temporarily, goods returned, shipments for and after repair, samples, exhibitions?

Each business will have its own answers to these questions, but only when you have answered each of the points will you be able to map the supply chain and understand the potential impact - not just on the flow of goods but also on additional areas such as the cost of customs tariffs.

(2) How much do you bring in from EU27 countries (again including goods moving temporarily, goods returned, shipments for and after repair, samples, exhibitions)?

We recommend that you begin discussions with suppliers and customers so that you can begin to explore the division of any additional costs a post-Brexit trading scenario may bring.

To prepare for Brexit and assess its likely impact, companies should consider the following questions:

(3) What delivery terms (Incoterms Rules) do you use on EU movements to and from the UK? Do we buy or sell at the two extremes EXW or DDP – how will the costs change if we have a customs border?

(4) Distribution set up – do you move goods out of a warehouse based in one of the EU27 countries? Do you import from outside the EU and supply under free circulation rules into the EU27. Do any of our UK based suppliers bring goods in from the EU27?

(5) Movement of goods – do you currently export or import by road to/from non-EU countries? Will these movements need customs entries and transit guarantees to move about the EU27 post-Brexit?

(6) What is the commodity code number for the goods brought into the UK from the EU? Using the existing trade tariff what import duty rate and special customs measures or licensing/ registrations apply to these commodity codes? Do we currently pay a low or zero rate of customs duty because of an EU preferential trade agreement, for example EUR1, ATR, GSP?

It is also a good time to explore other options such as buying direct from an overseas supplier rather than through an EU based distributor, establishing a closer relationship with a EU27 partner or selling direct to non-EU countries to provide additional support to the overall income of the business.

STRONG & HERD LLP Strong & Herd LLP is a widely respected consultant in all areas of International trade. S&H LLP are a ‘one-stop-shop’ for any international trade question or export training, export support, import training and customs compliance requirement. Staffed by highly skilled associates working in specialist areas such as Excise, Customs computer systems, DEFRA requirements, UK/EU VAT, finance and payment methods, dangerous goods, USA ITAR rules, managing agents and distributors.

S&H LLP supports small, medium and large companies helping to manage exports and international trade. Strong & Herd LLP also provides an outsourced shipping office customs compliance function.

18

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

| features |

supply chain for Brexit

“It is vitally important for businesses TO understand their supply chain today because, whatever the outcome of Brexit negotiations, there will be changes – and some opportunities for optimising the ways you manage your supply chains.”

19

| supply chain |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

Companies stepping up efforts to ensure medicine supply post Brexit Focus is now on 39 centrally authorised medicines, down from 108 The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has revised the number of centrally authorised medicines (CAPs) for which, based on current knowledge, there are concerns of Brexit-related supply disruptions from 108 to 39. This revision results from EMA’s follow-up activities with the marketing authorisation holders of the 108 medicines that were identified as deemed to be at risk of supply shortages once the United Kingdom (UK) leaves the European Union (EU) on 29 March 2019 in EMA’s survey on industry preparedness earlier this year.

Results of the survey showed that marketing authorisation holders for 58% of the 694 CAPs with an important step in their regulatory processes in the UK were on track with their regulatory planning to ensure that their marketing authorisations would remain valid once the UK leaves the EU. However, for 108 medicines (88 human and 20 veterinary) EMA had serious concerns that there might be potential supply shortages.

After EMA contacted the marketing authorisation holders of these 108 medicines between July and September, reassurance on the planning was received for a significant proportion of these medicines.

“Over the past few months, EMA has made a concerted effort to reach out to the marketing authorisation holders of these 108 centrally authorised medicines to minimise the risk of supply issues for patients,” said Noël Wathion, EMA’s Deputy Executive Director. “This is a positive development for human and animal health, and, as regards the remaining 39 medicines, we want to take this opportunity to remind the marketing authorisation holders of these medicines to step up their planning now to protect patients and animals from non-supply.”

Marketing authorisation holders for over half of the 108 medicines have either taken steps to transfer their marketing authorisation to an EU27 country, change their qualified person for pharmacovigilance (QPPV), relocate their pharmacovigilance system master file (PSMF), adapt their logistics, supply chains and contracts, or relocate some manufacturing sites . According to EU law, the marketing authorisation holder, the QPPV, the PSMF and certain manufacturing sites need to be based in the European Economic Area (EEA) in order for a company to be able to market a medicine in the EU. For each of the 39 remaining products (25 human medicines and 14 veterinary medicines), EMA is analysing how to minimise supply disruptions and any resulting impact on public and animal health.

The Agency will work directly with the marketing authorisation holders of these products to address the outstanding issues on an ongoing basis. It will also discuss with its scientific committees relevant mitigation measures, including recommendations on possible therapeutic alternatives to which patients could be switched if necessary.

This information is being shared with participants at an industry stakeholder meeting taking place at EMA today.

BACKGROUND ON THE SURVEY The aim of the EMA survey, which was launched in January 2018, was to obtain information on the timelines for submission of the necessary regulatory changes and to identify CAPs potentially at risk of supply shortages.

The survey was sent to marketing authorisation holders of the 694 CAPs (661 human and 33 veterinary products) who are located in the UK or who have quality control, batch release and/or import or manufacturing sites, or a QPPV or PSMF in the UK

20

FOR EACH OF THE 39 REMAINING PRODUCTS (25 HUMAN MEDICINES AND 14 VETERINARY MEDICINES), EMA IS ANALYSING HOW TO MINIMISE SUPPLY DISRUPTIONS AND ANY RESULTING IMPACT ON PUBLIC AND ANIMAL HEALTH.

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

| features |

UK and US further collaboration by deepening ties in medical technology Science Minister Sam Gyimah has visited Boston, Houston and Washington DC marking one year on from the signing of the landmark science and technology accord.

Following his return, he confirmed a new fact-finding mission to Texas for UK businesses and academics to open up opportunities to the UK Life Sciences sector During the visit, the Minister met with leading academic institutions, innovative businesses and tech disruptors to learn first-hand how the US supports innovation Marking one year on from the UK signing a landmark Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement with the US, Science Minister Sam Gyimah has visited Boston, Houston and Washington DC to meet disruptive businesses, hear from innovators and announce a further research partnership in medical technology.

The minister confirmed a winter fact-finding mission with UK experts from the life sciences sector set to visit Texas to seek out opportunities for global innovation. Both the UK and Texas have a stellar reputation in the life sciences and the US state is home to America’s leading cancer hospital.

During the November visit, businesses and academics will explore new access to US markets for more UK innovators.

A total of 17% of UK research and development investment is financed from abroad, and the modern Industrial Strategy commits to keeping the UK connected to other leading international sources of ideas and learn about advances being made around the world.

Science Minister Sam Gyimah said: “Science has no borders. By collaborating with our US colleagues, we are pooling our power to find the answers to the biggest science questions of today and making the most of the inventions of tomorrow.

21

“Building on our reputation as a global force in science is at the heart of our modern Industrial Strategy and we will continue to learn with and from international innovators to push new boundaries.”

The Minister used the opportunity to learn how leading academic and business partnerships between the UK and the US are commercialising technology. One example being the partnership between the University of Cambridge and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston which is developing research programmes to generate new ideas and encourage entrepreneurship that improve productivity and competitiveness.

During the trip the minister met: LearnLaunch and its member community to learn about the emerging Education Technology in Boston.

Aerospace start-ups in Houston and NASA’s senior leaders at the Johnson Space Centre and in DC to promote UK investment in aerospace and to highlight our ambitions for the UK space sector.

With the Challenger Education Centre about how we can work together to use space to inspire and challenge more young people to take up stem subjects.

National Institutes for Standards and Technology (NIST) where he discussed the vital role that science and technological standards play in supporting US innovation.

| advertorial |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

Mandatory biocides authorisation puts pressure on industry Since the early days of the EU Biocidal Products Directive (BPD) and now the EU Biocides Product Regulation (BPR) one thing has been clear: In order to stay on the European market, biocidal products must have an authorisation in accordance with the harmonised requirements. In other words: No authorisation - no market.

Manufacturers of biocidal products are, however, a very diversified group of industries. Consequently, the full impact of the regulatory pressure in terms of deadlines, workload and costs has been perceived very differently from industry to industry.

REQUIREMENTS TO THE DISINFECTION INDUSTRY THEN AND NOW One industry feeling the regulatory pressure right now is the disinfection industry covering healthcare, food and feed, veterinary hygiene and private hygiene. For a long time, this industry did not have to comply with the harmonised rules since the work was heavily delayed within the EU. Furthermore, before harmonisation of the rules, most EU countries had very few regulatory requirements, mostly in the form of minor notification schemes or similar. As a result, disinfection manufacturers were used to easy market access.

But with application deadlines for product authorisations approaching, the industry has been forced to take action in order not to lose market access. This is a major shift in requirements and workload, and the impact on the industry and the market is starting to show. Of course, it goes without saying that fewer products will be authorised and fewer market players will be left due to the cost-intensive burden on the industry.

WHY AN AUTHORISATION APPLICATION IS SUCH A HUGE TASK The data and documentation requirements for authorisation of biocidal products are based mainly on the exhaustive requirements known from the pesticides and pharmaceutical regimes. This is why preparing an application for an authorisation is so demanding. The applicant needs to have a full set of data for the biocidal product. This includes data on physical and chemical properties, analytical data, efficacy data, toxicological data, eco toxicity and fate data. Much of this data does not exist as there were no such previous requirements for disinfectants.

As a result, the data must be generated from scratch - and within a short time span.

On top of the data requirements, applicants must prepare high-quality exposure and risk assessments for human health and environmental impacts. These assessments require highly skilled personnel. In addition, the EU requires applicants to report data and risk assessments in specific expert formats such as the IUCLID (known from REACH), the SPC (summary of product characteristics) and the PAR (product assessment report).

In short, applicants must possess skills and resources in analytical chemistry, efficacy, toxicity and eco toxicity to prepare successful biocidal products applications.

FACTS ABOUT THE DHI BIOCIDAL TEAM We offer regulatory and documentation assistance to industry and authorities: • consortia management for BPR authorisation • preparation of dossiers on biocidal active substances, biocidal products and biocidal product families • exposure and risk assessment of active substances and biocidal products • data search, data gap analyses, testing strategies • toxicological and eco toxicological evaluations • phrasing of claims, notifications and expert reports

MICHAEL FINK Michael Fink is the biocidal regulatory expert at DHI specialised in the BPR and associated regulations. As part of the biocides team at DHI, he has supported industry in obtaining authorisations of insecticides, disinfectants, antifouling products and preservatives. Recently, he has successfully supported clients that work with in situ generated biocidal active substances to obtain cost-efficient authorisations.

Michael has profound experience in performing toxicological risk assessments, human exposure scenarios and efficacy for dossiers on biocides on behalf of authorities and industry. In addition, his experience includes management of industry consortia and he is highly skilled in communicating with ECHA and member states competent authorities.

22

LEAN BACK AND LET US GUIDE YOU! We are your experts in toxicology and regulatory compliance Let us guide you in getting your products launched quickly in the market – anywhere in the world.

We have more than 30 years of global expertise and knowledge in product safety and environmental risks.

What is your need?

• Worldwide chemical registrations • Toxicological risk assessments • Strategies for SVHC authorisations • Safety data sheets

Visit us at tox.dhigroup.com Want to know more?

Call us at +45 4516 9144 for an informal chat about your options.

Or go to tox.dhigroup.com to learn more.

Your portal to GHS information Did you know that there are loads of information for you at ghs.dhigroup.com?

Get access to translation of H & P statements in more than 40 languages, hazard pictograms, substance classifications and much more.

DHI Agern Allé 5 DK-2970 Hørsholm Denmark

Educate your Boss IAN TRAVERS EXPLAINS HOW YOU CAN HELP YOUR SENIOR TEAM TO UNDERSTAND AND FULFIL ITS DUTY TO SAFETY

Who has the biggest impact on process safety in your organisation?

Is it the operators and shift managers who ensure manufacture continues smoothly on a daily basis, the engineers who continually strive for improvements in process integrity, efficiency and effectiveness, or the senior leaders who set the culture and direction of the organisation?

In reality, all of these people and more have a role to play in managing process safety, and each has to recognise just how important their influence is on the continued safe operation of a major hazard organisation. Of course, it can be difficult to help others – especially those senior leaders with a non-technical background – to recognise the effects that their decisions can have on process safety.

From my experience of meeting with non-technical senior leaders, it’s crucial not to use the sort of niche, technical terms that you might freely exchange with your peers. If your audience doesn’t understand the jargon that you’re using, then frankly the discussion will be useless to them.

Effective communication is about the audience not the author. Believe me, this isn’t he time to be getting out your Swiss Cheese model. You need to tailor your message in non-technical language.

I hope this article finds its way into the hands of senior business leaders, and if you are looking at ways to get their attention, I would urge you to pop it into your bosses’ inboxes. If this article has found its way to you and you’re a non-technical reader then it’s important to clarify that by ‘process safety’ I mean the way in which major hazard risks are managed and controlled, rather than risks to occupational or personal safety. I’m not talking about systems to prevent slips, trips or falls but rather much larger incidents that not only harm health but can cause multiple fatalities, as well as huge environmental, financial, and reputational damage.

We mustn’t forget that major hazard businesses have the potential for catastrophic impact. The exploration and production of oil and gas, the manufacture and storage of chemicals and petrochemicals, and the generation of energy involve complex processes with in-built intrinsic hazards that need careful management. The measures your business needs to contain such hazards in a controlled way are equally as complex. This requires a systematic approach to managing risk, based on having several layers of protection to guard against each process risk, and robust emergency arrangements in case the worst does happen.

Senior leaders need to recognise how important their influence is on the safe running of hazardous processes or the execution of a major project, whether the activity is located on their doorstep, or on the other side of the world. It might not be immediately obvious for example, what effect reducing the number of maintenance hours, or extending the frequency of inspections of critical process plant or delaying shutdowns or turnarounds can have on the safety of a plant, but the future consequences can be extreme.

The need for this recognition from the Board becomes especially pertinent if you reflect on the investigations into a number of high profile accidents such as the explosions and fires at BP’s Texas City oil refinery and the Buncefield fuel storage depot in the UK, which identified various technical failings, but also how shortcomings in leadership by senior executives contributed to the incidents.

Addressing these shortcomings is not easy, as while it is easy enough to focus on any number of training courses available for engineers, it can be much harder getting the attention of senior leaders of major hazard organisations; despite the fact that understanding the risk from a major accident is just as important as understanding every other type of business risk, if not more so.

The good news is that industry and the regulator have developed recognised training standards in process safety leadership and process safety management for everyone from front-line operators to the chief executive of a major hazard organisation.

The prime offering coming from this partnership is a one-day programme, Process Safety Leadership for Senior Executives.

When we first developed these standards in 2012, I truly believed this to be a ground-breaking piece of work. It filled that gap in training for senior leaders and has been proven to be appropriate for all executive boards, no matter what size the company or where in the world they are located. In fact, since we established these industry recognised training standards, over 1,200 business leaders have been engaged in the training programme, and a total of 10,000 + business leaders, managers and operators have benefited from an increased awareness, knowledge and understanding of what good practice in process safety management looks like.

To read more on this article go to www.cogentskills.com

| big interview |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

Pioneering animal-free science In this issue of the Chemical Industry Journal, we speak to Dr Carol Treasure, co-founder and CEO of XCellR8 which provides animal-free safety and efficacy tests. We learn how testing techniques that were once deemed alternative have now gained widespread acceptance.

A VISION AHEAD OF THEIR TIME “Bushra Sim and I set up the business ten years ago – when non-animal testing was so new that it wasn’t widely understood – but we were determined to accelerate the acceptance of 100% animal-free testing.

“We were committed to achieving this by concentrating on the scientific element - providing tests that were more scientifically advanced and robust than those that were available. Having witnessed animal testing in laboratories earlier in my career - I was convinced that there had to be a better way,” explains Carol.

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION XCellR8 swiftly made a mark in the cosmetic and broader chemical industry providing 100% animal-free safety testing, which was recognised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the

European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). XCellR8 also gained Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) accreditation – meeting the exacting standards required.

“The ban on animal testing in the cosmetic industry in Europe from 2013, brought our work to a wider audience and placed us ahead of the curve in offering in vitro testing,” explains Carol. “As many cosmetic ingredient manufacturers are divisions of larger chemical companies, our work soon snowballed, as clients wanted the reassurance that came with knowing we met the requirements of the highly regulated cosmetics industry.”

Not only are XCellR8 leading the field in conducting nonanimal testing – but their lab is believed to be the only one globally that guarantees that no products will be used in their processes that are derived from animals or that have been tested on animals at any point. As a privately owned company, they are wholly independent and are not associated with any organisations that test on animals.

WORLD-LEADING INNOVATION XCellR8 is a rare example of a company that can genuinely lay claim to being world-leading for not only do they carry out animal-free in vitro tests – but the team has designed many of these tests too.

Reworking existing published methods, the team eradicate any animal components, replacing them with fully human or synthetic alternatives, then gain validation for them under strict international criteria - paving the way for the rest of the industry.

Currently, XCellR8 is developing a human cell-based replacement for the LD50 acute toxicity test, in partnership

26

THE BAN ON ANIMAL TESTING IN THE COSMETIC INDUSTRY IN EUROPE FROM 2013, BROUGHT OUR WORK TO A WIDER AUDIENCE AND PLACED US AHEAD OF THE CURVE IN OFFERING IN VITRO TESTING

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

| big interview |

with Lush and FRAME (Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments), thanks to a grant from Innovate UK (Technology Strategy Board).

INDUSTRY-LEADING AND EVIDENCE-BASED “Many animal tests used over the years were never validated,” explains Carol, “there was nothing to benchmark them against, it simply became commonplace to use them.

While the tests we’ve developed have been rigorously tested, meeting strict international validation requirements at multiple test labs, so customers have confidence in them.”

Far from offering an ‘alternative’, XCellR8 provides testing that is more scientifically advanced than traditional options, as well as being ethically sound and completely animal-free.

Such is the industry-leading nature of their work that the company has been supported by principle funding bodies including the European Horizon 2020 programme, as well as Innovate UK. XCellR8 was awarded the Lush Prize for Training in 2013, in recognition of the hundreds of scientists they’ve trained in animal-free testing techniques, shortly after which, they began modifying and developing cell culture tests for Lush.

Earlier this year, XCellR8 celebrated completing 1000 safety tests for Lush, meaning dozens of cosmetic products have proven safety data without animals being harmed.

GOING THE EXTRA MILE During our discussion, it becomes clear that the XCellR8 team provide far more than the tests commissioned – offering advice and support to their clients that goes far beyond this remit – a particular help to SMEs and start-ups that are attempting to get off the ground.

“Adding value to the testing process for our clients is an integral part of what we do. Our team go above and beyond conducting and delivering test results – assisting clients in interpreting those results and understanding the implications of them for their business,” explains Carol.

“We frequently provide strategic direction for businesses, enhance their knowledge of the tests available, what can be achieved with them, how and where they best fit into their processes and identify any gaps in those processes. We often provide in-house training for our clients and assist them in understanding emerging methodologies.”

27

A TIMELY AND EFFICIENT SERVICE “We strive to exceed our customers’ expectations in all that we do - delivering excellence -whilst also providing services that are timely and efficient. Not only are our tests of the highest standards, but our customers are constantly surprised at how quickly we turn them around.

“Many companies are still working towards their REACH registrations and we are assisting many new clients as our quick turnaround time is helpful to them. We have a strong and loyal customer-base because we deliver on time.”

Such is their success that XCellR8 now provide services to companies around the globe, across the broad spectrum of the chemical industries and beyond, from SMEs to multinational organisations.

Their tests have been utilised in the agro-chemical, aerospace and automotive industries, in numerous cosmetic and personal care products, as well as many household products we use daily.

In order to meet the increasing demand for their services, XCellR8 has just moved into new, larger premises in Daresbury, Cheshire – enabling them to take on more employees and increase capacity - bringing their services to more clients.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE “We are always looking to the future and are interested in hearing prospective clients’ wish lists of the tests they require - we’ve frequently designed, and gained approval for new in vitro tests, such as those for skin sensitisation, and our state-of-the-art facilities are enabling us to invest more time and resources into R & D work.

“There has been a massive turnaround in the last five years and what was once alternative are now the default requirement of many regulations, there is an ever-increasing demand for in vitro tests and we’re excited about new technologies, such as 3D printed skin models and organ-on-a-chip which will continue to improve the safety of products for humans.” info@x-cellr8.com x-cellr8.com

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

| news |

Single molecule control for a millionth of a billionth of a second Physicists at the University of Bath have discovered how to manipulate and control individual molecules for a millionth of a billionth of a second, after being intrigued by some seemingly odd results.

Their new technique is the most sensitive way of controlling a chemical reaction on some of the smallest scales scientists can work – at the single molecule level. It will open up research possibilities across the fields of nanoscience and nanophysics.

An experiment at the extreme limit of nanoscience called “STM (scanning tunnelling microscope) molecular manipulation” is often used to observe how individual molecules react when excited by adding a single electron.

A traditional chemist may use a test-tube and a Bunsen burner to drive a reaction; here they used a microscope and its electrical current to drive the reaction. The current is so small it is more akin to series of individual electrons hitting the target molecule. But this whole experiment is a passive process– once the electron is added to the molecule researchers only observe what happens.

But when Dr Kristina Rusimova reviewed her data from the lab while on holiday, she discovered some anomalous results in a standard experiment, which on further investigation couldn’t be explained away. When the electric current is turned up, reactions always goes faster, except here it didn’t.

Dr Rusimova and colleagues spent months thinking of possible explanations to debunk the effect, and repeating the experiments, but eventually realised they had found a way to control single-molecule experiments to an unprecedented degree, in new research published in Science.

The team discovered that by keeping the tip of their microscope extremely close to the molecule being studied, within 600-800 trillionths of a metre, the duration of how long the electron sticks to the target molecule can be reduced by over two orders of magnitude, and so the resulting reaction, here driving individual toluene molecules to lift off (desorb) from a silicon surface, can be controlled.

The team believes this is because the tip and molecule interact to create a new quantum state, which offers a new channel for the electron to hop to from the molecule, hence reducing the time the electron spends on the molecule and so reducing the chances of that electron causing a reaction.

At its most sensitive this means the time of the reaction can be controlled for its natural limit to 10 femtoseconds down to just 0.1 femtoseconds.

Dr Rusimova said: “This was data from an utterly standard experiment we were doing because we thought we had exhausted all the interesting stuff – this was just a final check. But my data looked ‘wrong’ – all the graphs were supposed to go up and mine went down. “

29

Dr Peter Sloan, lead author on the study, added: “If this was correct, we had a completely new effect but we knew if we were going to claim anything so striking we needed to do some work to make sure it’s real and not down to false positives.”

“I always think our microscope is a bit like the Millennium Falcon, not too elegant, held together by the people who run it, but utterly fantastic at what it does. Between Kristina and PhD student Rebecca Purkiss the level of spatial control they had over the microscope was the key to unlocking this new physics.”

Dr Sloan added: “The fundamental aim of this work is to develop the tools to allow us to control matter at this extreme limit. Be it breaking chemical bonds that nature doesn’t really want you to break, or producing molecular architectures that are thermodynamically forbidden. Our work offers a new route to control single molecules and their reaction. Essentially we have a new dial we can set when running our experiment. The extreme nature of working on these scales makes it hard to do, but we have extreme resolution and reproducibility with this technique.”

The team hopes that their new technique will open the door for lots of new experiments and discoveries at the nanoscale, thanks to the options that it provides for the first time.

| brenntag |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

Industry first for Brenntag Chemical Industry Journal continues to follow Brenntag UK & Ireland. We meet Russel Argo, Regional President, Brenntag UK & Ireland, to discuss the company’s recent developments, sustainability and Responsible Care initiatives, and innovating for added value.

Exciting projects are ongoing to further enhance our fleet, blending, packaging, liquid filling and specialised storage capabilities. Our teams are progressing a strong pipeline of commercial and technical developments across life and material sciences and water treatment: for instance Clorious2, the first continuous chlorine dioxide generator to employ the peroxodisulphate process, the “Total Concept” which is the innovative drinking water solution for animal nutrition, AdBlue products for the consumer market, to mention just a few. These are exciting times for our teams!

THE BIOCIDAL PRODUCTS REGULATION (BPR) IS A HOT REGULATORY TOPIC CURRENTLY Indeed, the Biocidal Products Regulation which establishes a system for making biocidal products (BPs) available in the EU, features the fast approaching deadline of 1 January 2019 for all applications for authorisation of BPs based on sodium hypochlorite.

Russel Argo

RUSSEL, HOW HAS THIS YEAR BEEN FOR BRENNTAG SO FAR? 2018 has been incredibly successful for us. We are continuing to work on exciting large scale programs of strategic investment in people, training, acquisitions and infrastructure, to underpin our growth in key areas, and some significant network and logistical projects are nearing completion. Work has been continuing on the new major distribution facility in the North East (reportedly in the region of £7m total investment- CIJ) which comes just as the existing Newcastle depot marks 100 years as a chemical manufacturing and distribution facility in the region.

The new site is planned to be operational by December 2018, and having been designed bespoke to cater for our customers’ business needs will have specialised dedicated storage for life and material science products, state of the art tank farm, blending facility and associated filling systems, and many more.

Following the opening of the multi-million pound Midlands Industrial Blending facility last year, our Midlands, Lutterworth site is currently having a major Acetic Acid filling facility installed. The facility is due to be fully operational by November, with ISO 9001, FEMAS, ESAD and British Retail Consortium (BRC) accreditation and registration for Food and Feed storage.

We have over 3,000 customers in the UK & Ireland with an interest in Sodium Hypochlorite for biocides, and from what we are seeing the implementation of the BPR poses a challenge across the supply chain, with some key industry players describing it as “a race against time”. However, as a member of EuroChlor and the Pure Sodium Hypochlorite Product Group, Brenntag sees both the challenges and benefits to this regulation. One of the over-riding principle aims of the BPR is to make sure the products that are used on the EU market are safe to use and can provide the biocidal effectiveness the supplier claims. As a longterm producer and marketer of Sodium Hypochlorite we are well placed to ensure our customers understand their obligations and also help them navigate the complexity of the regulation.

I urge the companies involved in branding, packaging or diluting (and therefore selling) Sodium Hypochlorite solutions into the UK / European market as a Biocidal Product (BP) to take action, as failure to do so will result in their products being taken off the market at the end of 2018. This is necessary for both existing and new BPs based on Sodium Hypochlorite to remain on the market until the final BP authorization which is likely to be granted in 2021.

Our Biocides team can offer further advice and discuss options that are best for all of our customers and suppliers.

LET’S TALK ABOUT BRENNTAG SUSTAINABILITY AND RESPONSIBLE CARE INITIATIVES We manage the largest fleet of chemical returnable packaging within the UK & Ireland chemical sector, and take responsibility for our impact on the environment

30

“EXCITING PROJECTS ARE ONGOING TO FURTHER ENHANCE OUR FLEET, BLENDING, PACKAGING, LIQUID FILLING AND SPECIALISED STORAGE CAPABILITIES. OUR TEAMS ARE PROGRESSING A STRONG PIPELINE OF COMMERCIAL AND TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS LIFE AND MATERIAL SCIENCES AND WATER TREATMENT.”

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

| brenntag |

BrenntagGiving: making a difference in local communities

extremely seriously, always seeking the ways to reduce this impact further. For instance, we believe that initiatives in areas of plastic use, including the packaging used to supply chemicals, could help to address the issue.

The use of plastics has seen an increased public focus, and the UK Government has made it very clear that it is their intention to reduce the amount of plastic in circulation and the associated waste. Many companies, including household names, have signed up to the UK Plastics Pact to cut plastic pollution over the coming years. Our commitment to returnable packaging options includes the management and maintenance of the packaging, applicable certification, testing and tracking through the course of their life-span, from the point of first use through to the end of its use. We work with our customers to find the best solution: clearly there is the potential to positively impact sustainability credentials by using returnable packaging, plus of course the added benefit of eliminating any disposal costs that are currently paid for the collection and disposal of empty chemical packaging.

We do have an option for non-returnable packaging which is an area we are conscious does not promote the best use of a container. To that extent, we make every effort to ensure that all our customers are aware we offer a returnable packaging option- it is important to foster a collaborative approach across the supply chain.

31

As a member of the UN Global Compact since 2014, and one of the top performers for Ecovadis, where Brenntag are operating to Gold Recognition Level, we are dedicated to delivering in the area of responsible care. For many years now, we have taken part in the Responsible Care/ Responsible Distribution (RC/RD) programme and as such we implement the eight guiding principles laid down in this global programme covering Legal requirements, Management of risk, Policies and documentation, Provision of information, Training, Emergency response, Ongoing improvements and Community interaction.

We have recently obtained our Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Membership. This is exciting news and yet another sign of our commitment to quality as we pursue industry specific third- party verifications. All our distribution sites are BRC accredited: Brenntag Bradford, Dublin, Bristol, Glasgow, Lutterworth and Swansea sites are of the highest AA grade with regards to BRC Storage and Distribution, whilst Manchester, Widnes, Belfast and Scunthorpe are AA with regards to BRC7 Food Safety Standard. Our Widnes site, which stores food, pharma and animal nutrition ingredients and provides food solutions blending services (along with Belfast site), and is home to our Food Application technical facility, has held the BRC certification continuously since 2012.

Continued on page 32

| brenntag |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

Acetic Acid Filling and Dilution, Midlands

Continued from page 31

Life Science / Food, Widnes

HOW ACTIVE IS BRENNTAG IN THE COMMUNITY?

LAST YEAR WE SPOKE ABOUT INNOVATION IN THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY…

The duty of care we as a business feel we owe to our local communities is very important to us. Community interaction is an integral part to Brenntag’s concept of sustainability, and indeed is one of the eight guiding principles of the Responsible Care Programme. We believe it is important to address the question: how can we, as part of a globally active company, define our role in the supply chain and in our society?

Indeed, and how innovating for added value can take a number of forms. We look to achieve excellence in every aspect of our business, such as to supply products quickly, efficiently, safely, conveniently and in full regulatory compliance. As a business we continue to raise the bar in terms of safety, in regards to our organisational safety culture and, as a distributor, setting the standards for the safe delivery of chemicals in the industry. At the end of last year we started an implementation of a major project: Brenntag Mobile Delivery Management System (or “TranSend“, as it has become known internally).

We see ourselves as part of each of the local communities where Brenntag operational sites are located, as a “corporate citizen”, and we maintain a close dialogue with them. Each of Brenntag’s facilities across the UK and Ireland has a long history of engaging with local communities via a variety of projects and initiatives. Due to the diversity of local charitable engagements at regional and local levels of our operations, we realise the need to ensure the voices of each of the local sites are heard and the efforts of employees supported and recognised across the company. Back in 2015, as part of our People Focus Agenda, our employees developed the BrenntagGiving Programme, which three years on has delivered literally hundreds of projects across the UK & Ireland, truly making a difference where it matters the most: at causes close to our employees’ hearts.

Only last year we raised close to £30,000 in the UK & Irelanda reflection of the efforts of our many colleagues who have taken part in various activities, whether by contributing funding, donations in kind, expertise or personal commitment to fundraising. I am amazed and proud of the work and efforts our colleagues put into making our community better, and was delighted to support our teams further with the introduction of a Volunteer Day where our employees can spend their working day at a registered charity of their choice- giving the potential of over 700 days per year of Brenntag employees directly contributing.

WHAT DO YOU THINK HAS BEEN THE REASON BEHIND THE SUCCESS OF BRENNTAGGIVING? Each site is empowered to make their own decisions on how to get involved and where to direct their efforts.

BrenntagGiving encourages individuals and groups of our employees to become more active and mindful in their local community as well as national fundraising awareness. In many cases, our employees get involved personally, collecting money and donations in kind or investing time and manpower in support of a wide variety of charitable causes, often for some deeply personal reason. We are immensely proud of our efforts to build relationships with communities across the UK & Ireland, benefitting the general public, our business partners and the chemical industry. I think the success of our ongoing community programs lies in ensuring the Community Interaction is truly a “people’s business”. Everything we achieve as a business is accomplished with and through our employees, who generate ideas, connect people within the communities and deliver projects that benefit various public groups, both immediately and in the future.

This project has proved to deliver a true step change in management of chemical delivery through our bulk and distribution fleets. Safe transportation of chemicals is essential in responsible distribution, whilst the nature of chemical distribution traditionally dictates vast amounts of paperwork to handle specific delivery, compliance and safety instructions, especially for multiple delivery types and different products. Our goal was to implement a mobile solution to rationalise business processes across different fleets and remove the need for drivers to handle paper documentation- which is yet another sustainability initiative generated by our teams. We were also looking for a system to provide accurate delivery information and data integrity to validate all compliance and safety checks, including deliveries made by third parties (Brenntag operates over 100 own fleet, supplemented with third party vehicles where required- CIJ). The System App ensures that drivers follow our specified safety and compliance checks before departure and at the customer site.

As a result, we now have full transparency of our delivery and collection process in real-time and can react quickly to any exceptions as they arise. Brenntag is the first chemical distributor in the UK to go live with this revolutionary delivery management system. Safety of our employees, our business partners and members of public is an absolute priority to us. Our safety initiatives – such as the global Brenntag Enhanced Safety Thinking, including Personal Safety Action Plans- are all developed to encourage our employees to ensure safety is in our cultural DNA. It is their direct involvement, ideas, initiatives and understanding of the importance of safety that enable us to continuously raise the bar on safety performance.

This is of course only one example of the major strides Brenntag are making as part of our digital future, and 2019 will see major new launches from us. Exciting times ahead: our aim is to drive change in the industry, and it is coming.

32

Brenntag Mobile Delivery Management System app

| bulk liquid storage |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

The importance of Bulk Liquid Storage Bulk liquid storage companies provide an essential interface between sea, road, rail and pipeline logistics for many different substances including chemicals, transport and heating fuels, animal feed and foodstuffs. They play a necessary role in the supply chain required to import and export goods to and from the UK, either as raw material, intermediates of finished goods. A network of import terminals, inland terminals and distribution hubs across the UK provide the bulk liquid storage capacity required for many businesses.

TANK STORAGE AND TANK STORAGE OPERATIONS Terminal operating companies typically fall under two categories, either: Those that own the product in their tanks – for example major oil company terminals, and trading companies, or Those that provide third party storage – that do not own the products in their tanks.

Because of the varied nature of the products stored and the operations that take place terminal operators have a range of commitments and responsibilities both to their customers and to the regulatory authorities: Safety, Health and Environmental Quality Security, including cyber security

Third party storage businesses provide neutral and independent bulk liquid storage solutions for their customers. Tank space is available for all market players and provides an essential part of the supply chain for many industries.

Contract conditions

Terminals provide the means to import and export products through various means including sea-going vessels, inland barges, road tankers, rail cars and pipelines. They typically store large volumes of liquids and do not normally store packed products, for example those in Intermediate Bulk Containers.

Tax and customs

Regardless of whether a terminal operator provides third party storage or stores their own products, all are committed to achieving high standards of safety and are regulated closely by relevant agencies. In the UK, the Tank Storage Association (TSA) represents the interests of businesses which operate 76 COMAH (Control of Major Accident Hazards) terminals, and 219 non-COMAH terminals.

KEY FACTS ABOUT TANK STORAGE Europe provides approximately 30% of the world capacity for bulk liquid storage through a network of hundreds of terminals providing logistical support for industry, authorities and the armed forces. In principle any liquid product that is transported in bulk can be stored in a bulk liquid terminal.

Terminal operating companies could store a single product or multiple products, and can provide supplementary services such as blending, packaging, canning, drum filling, water treatment and analysis, warehousing and bonded alcohol storage.

Product requirements and registration (for example REACH) Construction and maintenance

IMPORTANCE OF LOCATION Terminal locations are strategic and aim to satisfy the needs of the market and wider supply chain (their customers).

They may also be placed to capitalise on product patents.

For certain products, for example transport fuels, terminals may be considered as Critical National Infrastructure by Governments due to their importance in providing essential services to a country.

When considering the location of a terminal it is essential to consider access to logistical connections – is there unrestricted access to international ports, inland waterways, pipelines and road networks.

Terminal operations are present throughout the world; however, storage hubs have become established in the United States, Europe, Middle East and Asia to provide the necessary storage required for global commerce in bulk liquids.

TERMINAL ASSETS Terminals are essentially a collection of tanks, pipes, pumps and valves. They are typically not considered process plant (even though they may carry out some very simple processes such as blending).

34

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

| bulk liquid storage |

Marine loading arms Whilst pipework and ancillary equipment are common, tank design will depend on the nature of the products stored, for example: Floating roof tanks are most commonly used for products with high vapour pressures such as Gasoline and Naphtha Fixed roof tanks are most commonly used for Diesel and Fuel/Gas Oil Chemical products are typically stored in smaller closedcircuit tanks manufactured from Stainless Steel

Because of the varying nature of substances stored for customers in independent storage, one of the challenges the sector face is understanding the changing nature of regulation and standards that apply.

LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT Bulk liquid storage plays an important role in the logistical supply for many different sectors and businesses, one definition can be described as:

Temperature controlled tanks for storing viscous or other temperature sensitive substances

‘the intermediate accommodation for conservation of liquid products – i.e. products in large definite volumes but of no fixed shape. Bulk liquid storage provides the interface between production and distribution’

Spheres and spherical tanks are used to store products under high pressure

Bulk liquid storage can change its nature depending on the logistical function it is providing, for example:

Local and European legislation will often determine environmental requirements for the storage of bulk liquids, including: Vapour recovery Primary, Secondary and Tertiary containment

35

General storage, for multi-purpose use to several customers Dedicated storage, for specific substances, customers or infrastructure needs (for example transport fuels) Continued on page 36

| bulk liquid storage |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

Continued from page 35

Tailor-made storage, for specific customers and substances which require special handling, design and construction of storage facilities Value added storage, whereby the terminal provides additional intermediate services such as blending and packaging Strategic storage, storage for political purposes (for example Compulsory Stocking Obligations, Military use) Terminals provide an essential component of many complex supply chains and therefore form part of the system of organisations, people, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product from a supplier to a customer or end user. A terminal operator could appear multiple times within a supply chain providing storage for base, intermediate and finished materials.

Because of their role within the supply chain, terminal operators play an important role in helping to regulate imbalance between production and consumption or supply and demand. This is achieved through coordination and collaboration with suppliers, intermediaries, third party service providers and customers.

Decisions on inventory management – the products stored, when and for how long – are influenced by many different factors including: Facility engineering – the necessary assets, maintenance, health safety & environmental design & compliance, energy design & availability and quality management Information Technology – the necessary systems in place to manage inventories internally and externally with customers, regulators and relevant government departments (customs) Strategic and commercial information – replenishment lead times, carrying costs, inventory forecasting, demand forecasting and physical available space

CHALLENGES IN EUROPE Managing terminal operations is a complex business due to the varying inventories of products stored and the different regulations and standards that apply. These inventories can often change quickly depending on the needs of the customer and the end market, with Europe having some of the most stringent environmental laws compliance can be challenging. Terminal operators are also faced with meeting the demands of new European directives such as the Network Information Systems and General Data Protection regulations – which could bring heavy fines for non-compliance.

There is a need to take a practical approach to regulation – 2004 saw 940 EU regulations on Health, Safety and the Environment. In 2013 this number was 1,724. This places a very heavy burden on the sector, one which supports many other businesses and provides essential services to the public such as transport and heating fuels.

Europe has an increasing demand for the import of Aviation and Diesel fuels. This change has been partly influenced by European refiners coming under greater pressure from large complex and modern refineries in the Middle East and Asia (often not subject to the same environmental standards).

With global markets open to traders and importers there is a need to ensure that storage capacity is available to meet this increased demand.

Storage Terminal demand for the bio content of transport fuels increase. Both scenarios will continue to rely on bulk liquid storage.

Finally, the impact of BREXIT is still unknown. What influence this has on global supply chains and the domestic UK market is yet to be seen. To read more about the challenges of BREXIT, visit the newsroom on the TSA website.

CONCLUSION Bulk liquid storage provides an essential part of the logistical supply chain for many different sectors. Whilst transport and heating fuels represent a larger proportion of the products stored, terminals also store chemicals, food stuffs and agricultural products that influence many aspects of our lives. With bulk storage and intelligent distribution, the industry can also achieve a positive environmental impact – cutting down on packaging and reducing transportation miles.

There is an increasing demand for storage capacity, and in order to meet this demand industry and governments should work closely to ensure that any barriers to this growth are minimised.

MORE INFORMATION The TSA represents the interests of forty-five member companies engaged in the storage of bulk liquids and the provision of products and services to the sector. Collectively members operate over 290 terminals and distribution hubs in the UK and have over 8 million cubic metres of storage capacity in the United Kingdom (UK) and Republic of Ireland (ROI).

For more information about the TSA and how to become involved visit www.tankstorage.org.uk.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Peter Davidson is Executive Director of the Tank Storage Association and sits on the Executive Committee of the Federation of European Tank Storage Associations (FETSA).

In the long term there is a need to consider demands for future fuels. Many governments have set de-carbonisation targets which implies a falling demand for fossil based fuels in the future – will there be an increased demand for alternative liquid fuels, and in the interim, will the

36

CHEMICAL COMPANIES FROM OAMPS Our more than 30 years of experience with fuel distributors made the addition of chemical companies in the last decade a natural transition. Over the last few years we have been developing our offering and we now provide specialist insurance services to the full range of chemical industries.

We won’t just arrange standard commercial insurance for you, our core package includes cover for risks unique to the chemicals sector: - Crisis-management and media protection - Cost of Stock Debris Removal - Clean-up of Own Land (following a sudden & unforeseen spillage of product) up to £250K as standard - Stock Cost Fluctuation (to manage product cost variations) 15% uplift - High Public Liability limits of indemnity available - Statutory Environmental Protection up to the Public Liability limit of indemnity - Rehabilitation Services Clients of OAMPS will automatically benefit from Level 2 & 3 Environmental Response Service in the event of a spillage 24/7; we offer Level 1 Environmental Response Service at a discounted rate. We can also offer specialist driver training in ADR and CPC at a discounted rate via our parent company.

WHAT TYPE OF BUSINESSES DO WE WORK WITH

CONTACT

Companies who manufacture, blend, wholesale, import/export, store and/or haul chemicals across a diverse range of industry sectors

T: 01372 869700 E: info@oamps.co.uk

OAMPS is a trading name of Pen Underwriting Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA 314493) Registered Office: The Walbrook Building, 25 Walbrook, London, EC4N 8AW, Registered in England and Wales. Company Number: 5172311

| a week in the life of |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

A week in the life of…

Michael Cleuvers is Managing Director at knoell, a chemical consulting company headquartered in Germany with numerous affiliates in Europe, the USA and the AsiaPacific region. He is responsible for knoell´s consultancy business and the corresponding business development for Chemicals and Biocides, dealing with any kind of regulatory and technical service required for the compliant marketing of chemical products in many different target markets.

MONDAY Each Monday, my week starts with our Executive Board meeting, where the Managing Directors representing our Chemicals, Biocides, Crop Protection and Health Care business discuss any upcoming issue on a strategic level.

This time a major topic is the globalization of our services, which is continuously driven by increasing needs of our clients, due to the quickly changing regulatory landscape particularly in, but not limited to Southeast-Asia. In the afternoon, I have several other internal meetings, with the heads of our Business Units and the Business Development team. We talked about our attendance at various big conferences, like the ChemCon, which will take place in Budapest in mid of November. We are a sponsoring partner and one of my colleagues will give a presentation about regulatory changes in South Korea.

TUESDAY Today I start with a conference call with my colleague Iain MacKinnon, who is the Managing Director of our affiliate Dr. Knoell Consult Ltd. located in Cardiff. Our Cardiffteam is completely integrated in the group wide capacity planning and corresponding project work, so there is always something to talk about. Of course, an issue that cannot be ignored is BREXIT. As currently nobody knows what the result will be, the only thing we can conclude is that we will have a solution in place for any imaginable outcome. For sure this discussion is something to be continued……

In the afternoon, I attend a meeting of our Biocides team, who is doing a “lessons learned” session, as we always do after big or complex projects we have finished to reflect on potential room for improvement.

WEDNESDAY Today we welcome an important client in the company headquarter in Mannheim, who visits us to get an idea about the level of global support we can offer. We start with a tour through our brand new building, which is a good icebreaker. We discuss the various options for a good office design, also in terms of having fixed offices for every employee versus more flexible setups, where anybody is free to pick almost any free desk in the building. Later on, it becomes obvious that one of the biggest challenges for

globally acting chemical companies is the monitoring of regulations and the progress of their implementation. It is a very fruitful meeting, helping to understand on the one hand exactly the client’s needs, and on the other hand presenting our services to match these needs.

THURSDAY This morning we exchange at the management level some news about our internal “task forces”. We have established teams to develop those business fields, which we added in the recent years to our portfolio, like cosmetics or food contact material. The progress here is remarkable, and again we are driven by the market who is demanding regulatory and scientific solutions not only for one or the other country, but also on a global scale. This is the reason why for these topics also our global Business Development team is involved right from the beginning. In the afternoon, I check options for flights to Japan, as every autumn I stay there for one week to visit clients and to meet with the employees of our Tokyo office. Since the company is growing, we have to move to another place early in 2019, and we already have identified a very good option.

FRIDAY I’m in Wageningen (The Netherlands) today, where we have established an office about six years ago. Our main business here was initially related to the EU REACh regulation, and besides the technical work for registration dossiers and risk assessments, we also manage some REACh consortia and offer the Only Representative Service for non-EU companies who want to register their chemicals in the European Union. Quite recently, we have been successful in diversifying our business in The Netherlands by hiring two experts from the Dutch authority for Biocides (the CTGB), which is also located in Wageningen, and another expert dealing with the authorization of crop protection products.

Before I drive home, I’m entering a Dutch supermarket to buy some typical Dutch food and sweets that are not always available in Germany. Thus, now I’m perfectly prepared for an enjoyable weekend.

38

Solutions for Global Chemical Compliance Handling chemical products in a way that minimizes the risk to man and the environment is not an isolated local task. Companies selling their products internationally, will often face specific regulations for the safe use of chemicals in their target markets.

Considerations need to take into account global initiatives and frame works like GHS, SAICM or TDG but also numerous country specific approaches for the risk management of chemical products.

Knoell with its global network of affiliates and partners keeps track of the developments concerning global chemicals management and supports its clients with the most suitable strategy for their products and target markets.

Our services include, but are not limited to:  Strategic advice on how to comply with global regulatory duties  Identification of components that require special attention due to their hazard and risk profile  Complete registration services for EU, Switzerland, Turkey, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, ASEAN countries, USA, Canada, Australia and others incl. local representation  Complete Global Safety Data Sheet management

We have been an independent service provider for industrial chemicals, agrochemicals, biocides, veterinary medicine, medical devices, cosmetics and food contact materials since 1996 at sites within Europe, Asia and the USA. For further information visit www.knoell.com or call us.

Dr. Knoell Consult Ltd. Dr. Iain A. MacKinnon Managing Director Tel +44 29 2034 9880 imacKinnon@knoell.com www.knoell.com

knoell Germany GmbH Dr. Thomas Berbner Regional Director Business Development EMEA - Industrial Chemicals Tel +49 621 718858-126 tberbner@knoell.com www.knoell.com

| catch |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

An industry led partnership supporting the process, engineering, energy and renewables sectors in the Humber region CATCH (Centre for Assessment of Technical Competence Humber) is an industry led partnership supporting the process, engineering, energy and renewables sectors in the Humber region.

Created in 1999 to support the development of the £6 billion Humber chemical and chemistry using sectors, CATCH now boasts members and partners drawn from across the process engineering, energy, engineering and renewable sectors, their associated supply chains, regional and national government agencies and local authorities.

CATCH’s approach to industry training is unique. Not only do we have world class facilities, but we work in partnership with multiple training providers including local further education colleges and private organisations who are recognised as leaders in their field – finding you the right solutions. CATCH operates the world renowned £12 million training facility in North East Lincolnshire that offers industry authentic training and assessment without the risks associated with processing hazardous materials.

Our combination of facilities and flexible, responsive approach attracts local, national and international learners from many leading companies operating in the high hazard industries. So, if your organisation has a training or assessment need, why not talk to CATCH Skills and find out how we can help?

BECOME A MEMBER OF CATCH! Becoming a member of CATCH gives you various opportunities to network with companies such as; Cristal, Philips 66, BASF, Novartis, Total LOR and many more.

The membership gives you access to all the networks and

40

events. The CATCH networks are forums where colleagues share best practice, discuss issues and collaborate on projects across the industry. Networks include Engineering Managers, Environmental Managers, Health & Safety, HR Managers, Science Industry Apprenticeship Consortium and Skills & Competency. We also host a variety of events and conferences including Major Hazards, a full programme with guest speakers allows for in-depth considerations to be voiced. This level of membership is appropriate for manufacturers and producers in the chemical, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, process, energy and renewable sectors. Also included in this category are local authorities and universities. The membership fee will be required annually. Having access to the networks allows you to get an inside on what is going on in the various companies within our Humber region. To find out who are already CATCH members you can find the list on our website under ‘CATCH Network’ – www.catchuk.org Since 2016, CATCH have also been offering employers training through CATCH Skills, a technical training provider specialising in Mechanical, Process and Health & Safety

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

| catch |

training. We have a wide range of courses available for both individuals looking to learn new skills or employers looking to develop their existing team. We also work with clients to build bespoke courses to match their specific training needs and can deliver @ CATCH or on client site. CATCH Skills are also ECITB accredited which allows us to deliver MJI10, Small bore tubing, Safety Passport, LATs and Technical Tests for MJI10 and Small Bore tubing. The training provision of CATCH Skills comes from the requirements of the members and the output from the networks. This ensures that we can assist our members with all their training and competency requirements from booking a short course, to offering a managed service.

We pride ourselves on offering quality, real-life practical industry training utilising our impressive facilities including an operational three storey process plant with control room, bunded tank farm, process simulator, Skills Enhancement Centre, access zone, CompEx zone and confined space entry zone as well as engineering workshops and classrooms. Through this we can contextualise our training courses to include scenario based practical examples of the hazards of industry, without any of the risk. All of our trainers come from an industry background to ensure they have the relevant skills and experience to be delivering a high level of competency based training.

The range of training we offer varies from an Introduction to industry for University Chemical Engineering students as part of their degree course, Pre-apprenticeship programmes for employers to help induct their new apprentices into industry before they start their course, bespoke training packages delivered on clients site to meet their requirements and short courses that delegates can book on regularly here at CATCH. The USP of the CATCH facility is the fully operational Process Plant. This allows us to offer Process Operations training at all levels including emergency scenarios and response training. CATCH Skills are now expanding their reach by delivering more out of region, national and international training with a view to replicate the CATCH model in other countries.

CATCH and ConCom members receive 10% of bookings when booking a room or a CATCH Skills training course.

To find our course calendar or to book courses online you can find this on the CATCH Skills section of our website, www.catchuk.org or call the team on 01469 552841.

CATCH is made up of training providers that we have on site. This allows CATCH to offer apprenticeships and higher education learning. The site itself has around 120 apprentices a year train in a variety of disciplines including Electrical and Mechanical Maintenance, Instrumentation, Welding & Fabrication and Process Operations. The apprentices spend a year here on site full time combining classroom based theory knowledge with practical training ensuring they leave the centre with a high level of skills to be able to contribute to industry straight away. The variety of training providers on site also allows us to offer a wider range of training courses as all providers specialise in different areas such as Electrical, Process Safety, Bulk Liquids Storage and Operations, Scaffolding and more.

These training providers are; North Lindsey College, Safety and Access, Reynolds, Roxby, AIS, HETA and ESC.

CONTRACTOR COMPETENCY The Humber Contractor Competency Forum was formed in 1999 by a group of collaborating clients and supporting contractors to establish and develop high standards of competency for companies and their employees working on the Humber Bank process industry sites. Membership of the scheme for clients is by acceptance of the principles of ConCom, the responsibilities of client members and payment of the appropriate annual membership fee. The ConCom team carry out audits around every 2 years on

contractors who are working on, or clients are intending to use. The audits are made available to the client members, so the contractor is only audited once. ConCom supports contractors in improving their systems and competency by promoting and sharing best practice and providing training targeted at areas found to be weak during system or site audits. The Humber Pre-Qualification scheme (PreQual) is a joint part of ConCom where the client companies share a common Pre-Qualification Questionnaire template and nominate new suppliers/contractors to be pre-qualified.

A new scheme called PreVal (short for Pre-Validation) has been introduced which gives companies interested in working for the Humber bank industries a first opportunity to be Pre-validated to our Clients PQQ standards. Several companies have successfully completed PreVal and are now working for clients along in the Humber process industries.

As part of CATCH we have sub brands, each brand represents what we do here at CATCH. Room Hire is a very popular feature here at CATCH, whether you are organising a big event or just need a room for a meeting. Many rooms can be hired out for as long as they are required for. Our brand-new CATCH Skills building, ‘The Hughes Building’, now allows delegates to have access to our restaurant whilst on site and each building is equipped with hot drink machines for break times when required. The bookings team aim to find the perfect room for your group size, date and duration. Flipcharts, projectors, speakers, free wifi and many other pieces of equipment are free to hire during your event or meeting. We had a visit from our local MP who said the facility was “very impressive”. We are continually receiving positive feedback from our customers.

Pre- booked tours are free of charge and are a fantastic way of seeing how CATCH can accommodate you. You can also pre-book a tour of our process plant to see how CATCH operate and where the training is carried out.

HOW TO CONTACT US? You can find us on Twitter, Facebook and Linked In just by typing in ‘CATCH’.

Visit our website to read more about what we can offerwww.catchuk.org Alternatively you can call the team on 01469 552828 or email info@catchuk.org Simply inform the team what you’re enquiring about and we will put you through to the correct person.

41

| feature |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

Step outside of your comfort zone Why an interdisciplinary approach is crucial for developing renewable energy

Speaking of her work leading the Hub, Patricia comments, “The Hub brings together a network of universities, academics, industry partners, policymakers and stakeholders across the UK. “Together, we are focusing our efforts on increasing the contribution of bioenergy to meet the UK’s environmental targets and energy needs; whilst addressing the challenges posed by these goals.”

“As a society, we have a much greater awareness of the environmental impact of our actions – but if you want to make a difference you have to make something - it is insufficient to be aware of it – you need engineering, chemical engineering.

Professor Patricia Thornley

The £6M SUPERGEN Bioenergy Hub has just relocated to a new research centre at Aston University, so in this issue, we speak to Professor Patricia Thornley, principal investigator of the hub and newly appointed Director of Aston University’s European Bioenergy Research Institute.

Patricia is uniquely placed to take the lead in these projects, as a chartered physicist with over 25 years’ experience of bioenergy and a career that has spanned both industry and academia. She led the hub from its launch in 2012 until 2017; and leads it once again, as it moves to a new home in Birmingham.

During her career, Patricia has been involved in many of the UK’s early bioenergy plants, addressing the complex engineering implementation of these projects, and before taking up her new appointments, held the Chair of Sustainable Energy Systems at The University of Manchester.

42

“We are at the forefront of research in this area – but we are not working in a silo - what we are doing is translational, we work to deliver sustainable bioenergy systems, in a coherent and cost-effective way.

The Hub is jointly funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The value of the Hub’s work is that it takes a multi-disciplinary approach to develop bioenergy systems, delivering a diverse range of projects.

Work is well underway, with a portfolio of over 40 projects completed in the first phase of the Hub, 6 new work packages under way and opportunities for the wider UK bioenergy research base to develop new ideas with the project’s £1.3m flexible funding initiative.

“There is a huge amount of knowledge, capability and understanding within the partners of the project, which is helping to expand the limits of energy production and demonstrate the viability of these systems,” explains Patricia.

“People fear that the economic cost of serious carbon reduction is higher than using fossil fuels. We need to bolster the economic argument for using renewable energy by scaling up the technology, improving the economic replication of it and demonstrating it in small-scale facilities.”

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

SUPERGEN projects encompass fundamental science and address the engineering challenges presented by bioenergy systems, whilst also looking at the broader social and economic impact of them too. The Hub’s core programme of work examines: Biomass resources – led by the University of Aberystwyth, Pre-treatment and conversion – co-led by Imperial College, Aston and The University of Manchester Vectors – led by the University of Bath Systems – led by University of Manchester “At the moment, Bioenergy makes up just 7% of our energy in the UK and it needs to be much, much more. Heat and transport, account for a huge amount of our energy usage – so we are focusing our decarbonisation efforts on these areas.

“In order to meet our Paris commitments of effectively no carbon emissions by 2050, there is much work that needs to be done. Bioenergy has a unique role to play in meeting this commitment.

“That’s why it is so important that Industry, policymakers and academics work together to address these challenges; and why many of our projects take a whole-systems perspective to comprehensively evaluate the potential of emerging technologies.

“We need to be sure that these projects will make a difference, that they meet the standards of the industry, producing energy that is fit for the end user, whilst providing real benefits for the environment and achieving all of this is a way that is practicable and economically viable.”

Complementing her work leading the Bioenergy Hub, Patricia has also been appointed Director of Aston University’s European Bioenergy Research Institute (EBRI), where she will build on the pioneering work of Professor Tony Bridgwater, delivering bioenergy and energy systems research.

| feature |

Aston is a world-leader in energy research and the European-funded institute is developing this work, collaborating and often leading, on many different European projects.

However, the EBRI team also works on bridging the gap between the commercial and academic sectors, showing industrialists and SMEs in the Midlands, the opportunities afforded by the bioenergy sector.

Moving forward, Patricia will broaden the institute’s research focus, making it more outward looking, going beyond the technical aspects of their work to embrace wider sustainability issues. All the while, engaging with a broader range of policymakers, stakeholders and industry partners to communicate their research findings.

“It’s important that we see beyond the thing that we are most comfortable with and step outside of our comfort zone if we are to achieve our goal of providing a practical renewable energy foundation.”

Seeing more women take up STEM subjects is another aspiration of Patricia’s, recently she chaired an EPSRC panel which chose eleven projects at UK universities aimed at improving equality, diversity and inclusion within engineering and the physical sciences.

In addition, Patricia wants to see the knowledge we’ve gained in Europe be translatable to developing countries.

“We need to look at global climate change holistically, and take into account international development issues, helping to improve agricultural practices, energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases.

“Providing alternative fuels for people who don’t have secure or easy access to energy sources is a priority – delivering systems that are robust, straightforward and scalable – technology that can be used locally.”

Patricia, it is clear, is committed to using the scientific knowledge that underpins her work to make a difference in the real world. www.aston.ac.uk

43

AT THE MOMENT, BIOENERGY MAKES UP JUST 7% OF OUR ENERGY IN THE UK AND IT NEEDS TO BE MUCH, MUCH MORE. HEAT AND TRANSPORT, ACCOUNT FOR A HUGE AMOUNT OF OUR ENERGY USAGE.

| advertorial |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

DSEAR Compliance: Beyond Hazardous Area Classification The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR) are in place to ensure that establishments with substances which could cause an ignited incident have identified and appropriately managed their risks, but when we think about DSEAR, what’s the first thing that springs to mind?

For most, it’s probably hazardous area classification and zoning maps, which are a key and tangible deliverable to demonstrate compliance. The Regulations, however, go much further than this and the less tangible organisational aspects are often eclipsed by the technical requirements.

The result of this is not only a weaker demonstration, but a misunderstanding of the risk and how to control it, leading to inefficient resource management. In this article, we explore how organisations can ensure they are taking a comprehensive, but pragmatic, approach to DSEAR by integrating the key principles into the wider management system.

DSEAR is not all about risk assessment and identifying potential flammable atmospheres. There is a requirement to demonstrate that at an establishment, the risks are fully understood and managed through the identification and application of appropriate control measures (both technical and organisational), emergency planning and effective communication and training. The foundation of all of these requirements is a comprehensive set of principles and processes which together form a safety management system, but often when trying to demonstrate compliance, the role of the SMS is undervalued.

A focussed management system must ensure that there are the right processes in place to identify the risks. Once identified, the system must ensure that the correct control measures are in place to manage the risk to a level that is As Low As Reasonable Practicable (ALARP). These measures must be allocated and maintained correctly by competent

people who understand the risk. It must be ensured that the measures remain effective in light of any ageing mechanisms or changes to the plant and process which might occur in their lifetime. This is achieved by ensuring that the risk assessment is continuously reviewed and remains current; and so the cycle continues. Each aspect summarised here is linked back to the processes involved in a safety management system, and so it is important to ensure that any demonstration of compliance with DSEAR creates the right balance between the technical and organisational aspects, giving due consideration to the SMS. In the rest of Europe where the ATEX directive is in force, there is a requirement to write an Explosion Protection Document (EPD) which details all of the arrangements on site for compliance. In Great Britain under DSEAR, however, there is no requirement for such a document to duplicate information in existing written systems which already describe the aspects of compliance.

It could be tempting for sites already under other regulations for managing dangerous substances, such as COMAH, to assume that a sufficient demonstration of DSEAR compliance is already made in their Safety Report, eliminating the need for an additional documentation.

However, it is important to consider that DSEAR requires that all dangerous substances are taken into account, unlike COMAH which is applicable to certain substances in specified quantities, and so the documentation at COMAH sites is not always sufficient. It can therefore be deemed beneficial to have in place some sort of DSEAR compliance document to make the demonstration that a site fully understands and manages all of its risks. This document can act as a platform to demonstrate that risk management within an organisation goes well beyond the ‘where’ in the hazardous area schedule; it also has in place a well thought out safety management system which demonstrates the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘how’ and ‘why’. This combination of perspectives allows for a comprehensive understanding of DSEAR and ensures that a robust demonstration can be made.

44

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

| nepic |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

South Tees – The Single Biggest Development Opportunity in the UK

In October 2017, an ambitious 25-year plan to redevelop a huge area south of the Tees and create 20,000 jobs was announced by Tees Valley Mayor, Ben Houchen. Hailed the beginning of a new era of economic development in Tees Valley, the transformation of the 4,500-acre former SSI steel works site would lead to a hotbed of new industry and pump an additional £1 billion into the Teesside economy, creating well paid jobs in new industries.

Spearheaded by the South Tees Development Corporation (STDC), the Master Plan proposed growth to the Tees Valley economy through the creation of a world-class industrial park on the River Tees. And, with a focus on industrial investment, would create skilled jobs, heavily focused on manufacturing innovation and advanced technologies within a high value, low carbon, diverse and circular economy.

In addition to the four industrial zones identified for potential development, the Master Plan’s vision also incorporates significant transport connectivity and infrastructure proposals, along with costal community zones, heritage preservation and the enhancement of environmentally important habitats.

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND DEVELOPMENTS Since Prime Minister Theresa May officially launched the South Tees Development Corporation, the first Mayoral

Development Corporation outside of London, significant developments have been achieved. First came the Autumn Budget announcement that saw a £123 million cash boost to support the ongoing maintenance and clean-up of the former SSI site, which provided a significant kick-start to proposals.

Since then, STDC revealed that over 100 expressions of interest had been received from global companies looking to base themselves here. During a key-note speech in May 2018, the Mayor disclosed that we will soon see the first announcement of private investment on this site since the South Tees Development Corporation was written into statute. This anchor project of “national significance” is a multi-billion-pound energy plant set to create thousands of jobs and many more across the supply chain.

South Tees Development Corporation welcomed a VIP delegation from Heathrow as part of its bid to become a logistics hub for the London airport’s proposed expansion.

46

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

| nepic |

Logistics hubs will help to make sure that businesses from across the UK can be part of the supply chain for Heathrow’s new third runway. At these hubs, components of the airport will be pre-assembled before being transported to the London site. Heathrow expansion is considered to be a critical infrastructure project for the UK that is expected to deliver up to £5billion in economic benefits and 5,100 jobs across the North East.

Furthermore, Sirius Minerals was reported to be the first company to sign up to taking a lease on land for storage facilities, as it builds its £3.2bn polyhalite mine and Wilton processing facility, and industrial giant, Ineos, has indicated that the site may be in the running for its new UK car manufacturing plant.

A landmark partnership agreement with energy and utilities firm, Sembcorp, has too been signed to maximise investment opportunities across both the STDC and Wilton International Sites. Both sites have seen massive interest from global investors, with Wilton securing more than £1.5billion of new investment in the past 15 years.

To ensure that both areas fulfil their potential and attract the right kinds of businesses to the most appropriate sites, STDC and Sembcorp have now signed a Memorandum of Understanding – an agreement to jointly promote investment and direct businesses to the most appropriate site for their requirements.

Tees Valley Mayor, Ben Houchen, reflects on the SSI closure “But we can’t talk about the Development Corporation without mentioning the major reason for it in the first place. 2,000 reasons in fact.

2,000 men and women who lost their livelihoods on that fateful day in 2015. An end to 170 years of steelmaking on Teesside. I remember when the news broke. We all do. I pray that the people of Teesside never have to ensure such a seismic shock ever again.

“So, two and a half years on, I want us to take a moment to recognise what has been achieved by the SSI Taskforce. 98 per cent of those who lost their jobs are back in work. 300 new start-ups supported. 23,700 training courses funded. £50 million invested. These aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet – these are real people, real families and real communities. While many have found a new path in life following SSI, we owe it to the former workers, their families and the rest of the Tees Valley to make a success of the South Tees Development Corporation.”

OWNERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY However, as businesses line up to invest, the final piece of the jigsaw – securing ownership of the land - is required and Mayor Houchen has “every confidence we will find a solution”. The former SSI site is currently owned by the Official Receiver and charged to three Thai banks. An inprinciple agreement was made between the STDC and the banks to buy the land.

A final agreement will need to be agreed by the Official Receiver and the boards of the banks, which is hoped can be progressed before the end of 2018. A significant milestone for the corporation, these developments would allow the site to be bought back and speed up regeneration efforts and get spades in the ground sooner than previously thought.

The UK government currently pays for the safety, security and upkeep of the former SSI steelworks site, through the South Tees Site Company that manages the site on behalf of the Official Receiver.

A draft transition plan has been put to the Cabinet of the Tees Valley Combined Authority for approval to transfer the long-term responsibility of the former SSI steelworks site from London to Teesside.

In preparation for the transfer of ownership and responsibility, STDC is developing a business case to government which outlines how much cash will be required from central government to allow the STDC to manage the financial risks of taking responsibility of the land.

ABOUT SOUTH TEES Situated at the mouth of the River Tees, the area benefits from river access and encompasses the major port facilities of Teesport. Importantly, the area includes significant operators such as PD Ports, Redcar Bulk Terminals, British Steel, BOC and Northumbrian Water, and it also benefits from the major industrial complex of Wilton International, operated by Sembcorp, all of which are critical to realise successful outcomes for the redevelopment and regeneration programme.

The South Tees area has some of the lowest operating costs in the UK, with rents and rates about half of most major cities, and a quarter of those in London and Aberdeen. The

47

area is also home to a large, experienced and highly skilled workforce, with the lowest staff turnover of any UK region, guaranteeing companies investing in South Tees access to a secure, highly efficient workforce.

One of the key commitments of the Devolution Deal, which was signed in October 2015, was the opportunity to be given the authority to create new Mayoral Development Corporations (MDCs) within the Tees Valley area. MDCs can draw on a wide range of powers, covering infrastructure, financial incentives, regeneration and land acquisition, devolving powers from central government to the local area. The decision to create a Development Corporation for South Tees was part of the area’s response to the closure of the SSI Steelworks and the wider strategy to drive forward growth and investment, create jobs and support local communities.

ENSURING LOCAL PROCUREMENT Ensuring local procurement is a key part of the Master Plan and vitally important. The vision of the Development Corporation will see the area completely transformed and businesses must be ready for the supply chain opportunities that will present themselves.

NEPIC fully endorses the South Tees Development Corporation’s vision and ambition, which has the potential to transform the entire local economy, providing substantial numbers of well-paid jobs and modern and innovative manufacturing facilities that could compete with anywhere on earth.

Having engaged NEPIC members via an industry specific consultation event with STDC, and formally fed into the process, we will continue to keep members informed about the exciting prospects taking place and help them to make the most of those opportunities for their own businesses. www.nepic.co.uk

| advertorial |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

Protection for installments in conflict zones, a new technology that could save the chemical industry In recent years, drone and missile sabotage attacks on refineries and storage farms have become more frequent and significantly more dangerous. These attacks have already caused billions of dollars in damages to the oil and chemical industry.

The most recent incident happened in June 2018, at the Fida Oil Farm in Ras Lanuf, Libya.

Since 2014, at least one oil tank has been destroyed in Libya every year due to sabotage attacks. In June 2018, violent clashes between the forces of rival armed groups resulted in another incident that once again destroyed precious property. Three oil tanks at the Fida Oil Farm, west of the Ras Lanuf oil terminal were hit and caught fire, as a result of the heavy shelling. The ensuing fire was so intense that the smoke was easily visible from outer space. Reports indicated that the storage tanks held more than 440,000 barrels of crude before they were hit – a value of more than USD 30 million by itself. Later, as events unfolded and escalated, a third tank caught fire. Local reports from the site claimed that firefighters were running out of foam quickly and without proper equipment and safety measures in place, they had no real hope of extinguishing the blaze. Industry experts estimated the damage to be around USD 100 Million.

One would think that these types of events are extremely rare; yet in reality, they happen more often these days than ever before.

Without implementing the right defense systems, the damage of such an attack could inflict on a refinery or massive storage tank facility ranges from hundreds of millions to billions of dollars.

Unfortunately, despite continuous and strenuous research efforts throughout the fire protection industry, it has presented a challenge to identify a solution that could prevent such events from escalating into catastrophe.

Now it seems that there is finally hope on the horizon.

One company from Sarnen, Switzerland called Swiss Fire Protection Research and Development has been focusing on combating the threat such attacks are posing to the oil & gas and the chemical industry, and has consequently

developed a complex system to save chemical facilities in case of sabotage attacks – and naturally also in accidental fire events.

During the past 3 years, SFPRD has been developing the fourth generation of the Pressurised Instant (Pi) Foam fire suppression technology, which, compared to the previous versions is far more efficient and economical. This most recent version of the Pi Foam fire suppression technology is capable of extinguishing a full surface fire on a storage tank in merely 3.14 (pi) minutes – even on the biggest ones.

When it comes to firefighting of such a blaze, the first 5 minutes following the ignition plays a crucial role. Usually, this is the time frame in which the wall of a storage tank above the product level will reach 500 degrees Celsius, which can result in significant structural damage.

Traditional foam technologies require a large capacity water supply to produce the foam, as well as powerful pumping stations to allow for adequate pressure. However, the Pi Foam technology differs from these in the sense that it doesn’t rely on water source and pumping stations in times of crisis, so there is no need for a high-pressure water system at all.

Instead of using foam generators, the Pi foam is created by using soluble gas – and when it is released, the foam expands by itself. Unlike traditional foam technologies where the mixing occurs after the ignition, this new foam creation technique allows for serious preparation and time-saving as it occurs in advance. After mixing, the foam is stored in a pressurised vessel and is ready to be used immediately if needed. Moreover, if stored under the right circumstances, the foam premix can keep its condition and characteristics for at least 5-10 years.

Some energy companies around the world are already choosing Pi Foam for protection to great effect. These include Chevron and Oiltanking, among many others.

SFPRD is offering free construction budget planning for first time customers (partners) in sabotage affected areas. The company has made it their mission to research, evaluate and improve industrial fire prevention, protection and emergency systems for the most endangered areas in the world.

Find out more at www.pifoam.ch and www.sfprd.com.

48

Swiss Fire Protection Research & Development AG, based in Sarnen, Switzerland, has produced the revolutionary Pressurized Instant Foam System, a Foam-Based Fire Extinguishing Technology that is on track to become the new norm of fire extinguishing in the Oil, Pharmaceutical, Chemical & Vegetable-Oil Industries. Our company is looking for either (1) a buyer/licensee or (2) a consulting firm to assist in the sale of our technology.

| intellectual property |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

The importance of IP in the Chemical Industry

Optimising a process, developing a new formulation, finding a new use for a compound, upgrading a reactor – chemists and chemical engineers are constantly innovating. This innovation can generate Intellectual Property (IP) – intangible assets that can be used by an enterprise to create value.

A variety of legal means are available to protect IP. A registered trade mark can protect a product name or a logo.

A registered design can protect the appearance of a product.

Copyright, an unregistered IP right, subsists in a variety of works such as images, written articles and software, and legal action can be taken to prevent unauthorised copying.

Confidential information, including trade secrets, can be protected by the use of appropriate contracts when sharing the information outside of an enterprise.

Patents are a form of IP that are granted for technical developments. They are particularly valuable in the chemical industry and provide a 20-year monopoly to the innovator. Patents are granted on a national or regional basis by Intellectual Property Offices around the world and maintenance fees are paid throughout the term of the patent to retain the monopoly right.

A patent protects an invention, which may relate to a product, a process, or the use of a product. The scope of the monopoly right is expressed by one or more claims in the patent, describing the features of the invention. The patent owner can exclude competitors from operating within the scope of the claims, preventing activities such as making or selling a patented product or using a patented process.

BUT WHAT CAN I DO WITH MY PATENTS? Many enterprises obtain a patent, or indeed a vast patent portfolio, relating to their technology but then struggle to extract value from their patent rights. Obtaining patents can be costly, particularly if protection is acquired for multiple products or processes across a broad range of territories.

Enterprises must consider their patent strategy if they want to ensure a suitable return on their investment.

Of course, many patent owners create value from their patents by launching their own products onto the market and enforcing their patent rights to prevent competitors from launching copycat products. In order for this strategy to be successful, the patents must have appropriate scope, covering not only the product that has been launched but also close variants thereof. Often a patent owner will seek to defend an exclusive position by having a patent that protects the key features of its product, together with additional patents which relate to similar products which “ring-fence” the key patent.

Licensing or sale of patents can create value for the patent owner. Having a patent portfolio in a particular technology area may allow a business to enter into cross-licensing, whereby an enterprise gains access to the technology of

others by offering its own technology in return. Without its own patent rights, a business may find that it is excluded from a market because it has nothing to bring to the negotiating table. Historically, cross-licensing has been very important and visible in the electronics and telecommunications industries, particularly where industry standards are adopted. However, it can also be important in the chemical industry, particularly for complex technologies that rely upon the interaction of multiple elements, e.g. a chemical formulation containing a number of components or a chemical process having multiple steps.

A valuable function of a patent or patent portfolio is to act as an advertisement for an enterprise’s technology. This can be important for large businesses, who can point to the number of patents they have in a particular technology area as proof of their technological leadership. This can also be important for start-ups seeking investment, as patent rights will signal to investors that the start-up has technology that no other firm can offer.

ONCE I HAVE A PATENT, CAN I LAUNCH MY PRODUCT? It is a common misconception that once you have a patent then you will not encounter any legal difficulties when launching your product. A patent is an exclusive right, allowing the patent holder to prevent others from operating within the scope of the patent. However, it does not guarantee that your activities will not fall within the scope of a competitor’s IP rights. It is very common for the patent rights of different companies to overlap such that a new product embodying Company A’s patented technology could also be reliant upon licensing in patented technology from Company B. The IP rights of competitors present substantial risks that must be managed. The term “freedom to operate” is used in the IP world to describe an assessment of whether the IP rights of competitors could prevent an enterprise from carrying out its desired commercial operations. In any IP strategy, ensuring freedom to operate is critical. A single competitor patent could prevent the launch of a new product or the start-up of a new plant. Indeed, enforcement of a competitor patent could mean the recall and destruction of all stocks of a new product, or could mean that a vast chemical complex has to shut down.

Managing the risks posed by competitor patents is a difficult task given the large numbers of patent applications filed each year. In 2017, over 165,000 new patent applications were filed at the European Patent Office. Of these, around 40,000 related to chemical technology. Staying aware of competitor patents is clearly a challenge.

50

ACCORDING TO THE CHEMICAL ABSTRACTS SERVICE, MORE THAN 70% OF NEW SUBSTANCES ADDED TO THE CAS REGISTRY COME FROM PATENTS RATHER THAN JOURNAL ARTICLES.

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

| intellectual property |

“A valuable function of a patent or patent portfolio is to act as an advertisement for an enterprise’s technology. This can be important for large businesses, who can point to the number of patents they have in a particular technology area as proof of their technological leadership.”

Various tools are available to monitor competitor IP rights.

Searches and alerts can be used to identify patents in a particular technology area. Targeted freedom to operate studies can be carried out before launching a new product or process to ensure that the new product or process is not within the scope of any competitor rights. Global trade mark searches can be carried out to assess whether a brand name is already protected by a competitor.

Awareness of competitor IP rights is likely to have value beyond ensuring freedom to operate. Patents are a valuable source of technical information. According to the Chemical Abstracts Service, more than 70% of new substances added to the CAS registry come from patents rather than journal articles. Using advanced searching techniques and visualisation techniques such as patent landscaping can provide detailed technical information and can offer valuable information about trends in innovation.

WHAT NEXT? Once an enterprise has obtained patent protection and has ensured that it does not infringe the rights of competitors, it may be tempting to sit back and wait for the profits to roll in. However, without careful management, the costs of an IP portfolio can increase substantially.

IP Offices around the world typically structure patent maintenance fees such that they increase substantially towards the end of the 20-year period. The public policy reason for this is to encourage right holders to relinquish their monopolies if they are no longer exploiting the technology, thereby releasing the technology into the public domain. It is essential to carry out regular maintenance reviews of a patent portfolio, deciding where rights can be dropped, to avoid substantial increases in costs.

IP audits and IP valuation studies are useful tools that can be used to ensure that a business has an IP strategy that is fit-for-purpose and an IP portfolio that can create value from innovation.

WHO CAN HELP? Patent Attorneys are experts in IP law and can assist with all aspects of obtaining and assessing patents.

Most Patent Attorneys based in the UK are qualified both as Chartered Patent Attorneys and European Patent Attorneys, having legal training in IP law and a degree in science or engineering.

Maeve O’Flynn

Stuart Raynor

This article was written on behalf of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys

by Maeve O’Flynn, Associate and Patent Attorney and Stuart Raynor, Partner and Patent Attorney at J A Kemp. www.jakemp.com

51

| intellectual property |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

Chemistry patents: they’re simpler than you think In the world of chemical inventions, any key decision-maker managing a programme of research and development has important decisions to make regarding the subject matter and timing of any new patent applications. Where new inventions are a vital component of any research and development business, correctly identifying and protecting new technology as it emerges is vital in securing the commercial interests of a company and ensuring its value in the eyes of potential investors remains ever increasing.

Scrutinising and identifying subject matter of commercial importance to your own company is fundamental to obtaining valuable patent protection. As such, when choosing inventions to pursue with patent applications, it is important to identify which developments have the largest potential market or represent key improvements in any given technological field. Often patents in these areas provide the most benefit to a company, preventing third parties from using proprietary technology or providing a suite of patent rights which provide the basis for a licencing business model.

Additionally, patent rights which lie within the operational field of a major competitor can be of significant commercial value.

Such ‘disruptive’ patent rights often prove a thorn in the side of competing companies, forcing them to seek alternative solutions to continue their operations. The filing of disruptive patent rights can also form the cornerstone of a commercial Intellectual Property strategy, hindering the activity of a competitor to such an extent they are forced to acquire the disruptive patent rights, and the company holding them, for a healthy valuation.

PATENTABILITY OF INVENTIONS Once a commercially significant research technology has been identified, the next question to answer concerns its patentability. The key criteria to be evaluated are the novelty and inventiveness of an invention given everything publicly available before the filing of a patent application.

NOVELTY The first of these criteria, novelty, is usually quite simply determined. In general terms, for an invention to be considered novel by any patent office it must include a

combination of features which has not previously been publicly disclosed. For example, a composition may be novel if it includes components which have never previously been combined, whereas a method of manufacturing a compound will be novel if it contains steps or processes which were previously unknown. Alternatively, even if a product or compound is known, it is certainly novel to claim this product or compound for use in a previously unknown role.

INVENTIVENESS Once the novelty of a compound or method can be established, the next matter to consider is inventiveness. This is an area in which companies typically struggle in establishing the patentability of an invention, often because they view the matter of inventiveness through the wrong pair of eyes.

When reviewing the issue of inventiveness, patent offices around the world conduct their analysis through the eyes of the ‘skilled person’. The skilled person is an imaginary construct, a person who has read most of the literature in a given technical field but has very little imagination with which to combine this literature to develop new technology. Put simply, the skilled person is devoid of innovation and is very reticent to stray from the teachings of the published literature.

The nature of the skilled person is something which is frequently overlooked by companies when considering filing patent applications for any new invention. Naturally, the decision-makers and researchers considering which new inventions are suitable for patent protection are far more innovative and perceptive than the hypothetical skilled person. As such, there is often a strong tendency for companies to dismiss innovations as obvious and without inventiveness when, through the limited eyes of the skilled person, these developments involve an inventive step. The bar for inventive step is almost certainly lower than you think!

TIMING: WHEN TO FILE After identifying a commercially relevant invention and determining that this invention may be both novel and inventive, the next matter to consider is the appropriate time to file any new patent application. Whilst it is

52

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

| intellectual property |

IMPACT OF COMPETITORS

absolutely correct that any patent application must be placed on file before an invention is non-confidentially disclosed, the situation is often more nuanced.

In a modern-day research facility, during the time any invention remains confidential development will be ongoing.

As such, every day that passes the invention will become more advanced, and any newly filed patent can focus more clearly on the advantages of the invention and contain more evidence to support these purported advantages. On the other hand, delaying the filing of a patent application provides greater opportunities for third parties to file their own patent applications directed towards the technology of interest. As such, choosing the most appropriate time to file any patent application is a delicate balance taking into account the strength of the patent application, the commercial interests of the business and the activities of third parties.

While timing the filing of a patent application is a delicate balance, there are certain rules which do place hard boundaries on the timespan for filing any patent application.

The most commonly known of these is, of course, that a patent application should not be filed once an invention has entered the public domain. With this in mind, if it becomes necessary to publicise any new developments for commercial reasons, any patent application should be filed at the latest on the same day the invention is announced to the public.

At the other end of the scale, patent applications should never be filed before an invention is developed to the stage where it can be placed into effect. The patent system is a bargain between applicants and the government, where in return for a twenty-year monopoly on an invention an applicant has to provide detailed instructions regarding providing the invention within the patent application. As such, if your invention is not sufficiently developed that you can include these detailed instructions when filing your patent application, it is almost certainly too early to file.

Third party activities often place further constrictions on the filing of chemically focused patent applications. For example, if two companies are entering into a period of collaboration and joint development, it is often preferred to place patent applications on file before the collaboration commences to ensure each party can firmly establish what intellectual property they owned before working together. Alternatively, if research is occurring in a rapidly developing area of technology, the activities of third parties may result in the filing of patent applications at an earlier stage of development than in other, more mature, areas of technology. Finally, company objectives specifying the filing of a specific number of patent applications in a given quarter or financial period may also affect the timing of any new patent applications.

Deciding on the filing and timing of new patent applications is an increasingly important area for many research directors.

However, determining the most commercially relevant inventions stemming from the development process and the most appropriate time to place new patent applications on file as outlined above provides the blueprint for building a valuable patent portfolio for your business, whatever its size.

Dr Thomas Gibb is a UK and European patent attorney. He joined Chapman IP after completing a PhD in Chemistry at Imperial College London. Thomas’ PhD focused on devices for single molecule detection and their integration into microfluidic platforms. Prior to his PhD he obtained both a First Class MA and MSci in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, specialising in Materials Science and Metallurgy.

If you would like to talk through your patent position with us, we’re always happy to have an initial no-obligation conversation. Please get in touch at thomas.gibb@ chapmanip.com or call +44 (0) 23 8000 2022.

MAKING YOUR IDEAS WORK HARDER

Southampton • Munich • Cardiff

As UK, German and European Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys and IP lawyers, we are specialists in helping individuals and organisations protect, manage and enforce their intellectual property rights.

We specialise in protecting and defending IP in complex technologies, working with clients in Life Sciences and Chemistry, IT and High-tech, Engineering, and the Design and Creative sectors.

Get in touch today. We’re always happy to help.

www.chapmanip.com| T: +44 (0) 23 8000 2022 | F: +44 (0) 23 8000 2023| E: info@chapmanip.com

53

| advertorial |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

Blocked nozzle

Complete row of nozzles not working

The Advantages of Cooling Tower Tuning Cooling tower OEMs often assemble their systems from a collection of components manufactured by multiple suppliers selected to meet both technical and commercial challenges to create a bespoke range of cooling towers.

There are a number of key components that are essential for effective heat exchange to occur, and it’s often the case that changes and improvements can be made to optimise your cooling tower performance.

As with most systems it is usually possible to take the Cosworth, Cooper or AMG approach and fine tune your system to achieve better results.

Tuning basically means creating the best possible conditions from the right pieces of equipment to achieve the greatest performance, and in cooling towers it is no different.

This is not to say that each individual component of your cooling plant can or should be changed, as it is possible to change things for the worse unless you have a true understanding of how each part interacts with each other to the benefit of the whole system.

In a car engine the most important consideration for performance is getting the fuel to the right places at the right time,sufficiently aerating that fuel and effectively handling the exit gases from the engine.

This is no different in a cooling tower, where the water entering the system needs to be evenly distributed across an effective heat exchange surface, and that it comes into contact with a sufficient volume of air that is also evenly distributed.

Incorrect Fill installation leading to cascading water Where cooling towers suffer from low or no flow throughout the cooling surface, air flow will be concentrated as these areas offer the lowest resistance to airflow, this results in the wetted areas of the towers being starved of air and thermal performance rapidly decreasing,whilst also leading to higher potential drift rates as the higher air velocity through the partially wetted channels can drag water out of the tower.

While some towers can handle larger variations in flow, many do not, your system in many cases will review the outlet temperature and drive the airflow to achieve set point, if the airflow is not effective, then your fans will absorb more power to try and achieve the cold water set point.

Water height is 30mm, whereas it should be nearer 100mm

Couple this with a changing demand on your system, where maybe your cooling requirement has reduced, then you have an oversized unit going like the clappers to try and reject the heat with only a portion of the airflow being effective.

This is just one area that can be looked at to improve performance and lower operating cost that is virtually cost free. Taking this approach to each and every key component of your cooling tower can yield some great benefits.

Blocked Distribution Pipe In our travels around the UK looking at cooling systems some of the easiest wins when tuning a cooling system come from getting the water balanced across multiple units as well as evenly distributed throughout the equipment.

Maldistribution of water flow will generally spread the system load unevenly across the available cooling surface.

This will mean that the units with the highest water flow will need to reject the largest heat load, which will drive cold water temperatures higher which can be detrimental to your process. The units with the lower load may be able to deliver water at a lower temperature, but may also suffer from maldistribution leading to areas of low or no water flow.

Modifying fill choices, optimising fans,improving distribution, preventing air bypass,and improving air flow in general can get your cooling towers singing the right tune, and cost you less to run whilst delivering colder water to your process.

To find out more please contact us and we can carry out an initial review on your system to see if there are things that can be done to improve performance an reduce operating cost. Call us or visit our website: DHD Cooling Limited Sansome Lodge, Sansome Walk, Worcester WR1 1LH Telephone: 01905 317 370 Email: info@dhdcooling co uk Website: www.dhdcooling.co.uk

54

Refurbishment, Maintenance, Design and Installation Solutions for Industrial and Commercial Cooling Challenges throughout Europe Cleaning and Maintenance Delivered on an ad hoc or contracted basis, cleaning, maintenance and servicing for air and water cooling systems from DHD Cooling, delivers maximum operational efficiency with minimum downtime.

Cooling Solutions Supply of evaporative, hybrid, dry and adiabatic cooling systems and specific complementary products designed to assist cooling are key services from DHD Cooling.

Performance Enhancement No matter what kind of air cooling system you use, it’s highly likely that you’ll reduce costs and improve efficiencies by adding seasonal protection screens.

Systems Reconditioning Fuelled by comprehensive technical knowledge and a problem solving approach, DHD Solutions report on, recommend and deliver efficiency improvements for all industrial cooling units.

Tel: +44 (0)1905 317 370 www.dhdcooling.co.uk

ChemiGuard® If you offload from this….

Then you need some of these…..

PRESSURISED

PUMPED

ChemiGuard® Tanker Offloading Available for pressurised and pumped offload systems

loss-of-containment in Chemical Engineering (lɔs əv kənteɪnmənt) or LOC

Noun (Chemical Engineering: Process safety)

Loss-of-containment happens when a fluid which is usually contained somewhere escapes from that place.

Loss of containment incidents are a common threat underlying operations across the Chemical Process Industry.

Source –

Health & Safety Laboratory Loss of Containment Incident Analysis HSL/2003/07

Uncontrolled releases accounted for 88% of loss of containment incidents.

63.6% of all substances released during incidents were subject to the COMAH regulations.

The cause of any incident or accident, including loss of containment, can usually be traced back to a failure of safety management. Analysis revealed that the vast majority of incidents (81%) were a result of the organisation failing to adequately plan and implement procedures for a variety of risk control systems.

The loss of containment resulted in 12 fatalities and 379 injuries of which 76 were classed as major injuries and 100 as three day plus injuries under RIDDOR. Chem Resist believes that prevention is the key to minimise the threats that loss of containment pose; our ChemiGuard® range of products is designed specifically to manage loss of containment primarily in tanker offloading and dosing applications.

ChemiGuard® offers a safe and effective way to operate when offloading chemicals into bulk storage and IBC’s etc. The many features include integral bunds & lockable doors which means any failures of valves, gaskets etc. would not pose a risk to the operators or environment.

ChemiGuard® cabinets are made from UV stable material and are easily installed or integrated into existing systems.

Transfer is Temporary, Safety is Permanent All ChemiGuard® products can be COLOUR CODED as required e.g. to identify different liquid streams

ChemiGuard® - Enhancing your site safety Tel: +44 (0) 1924 499466 Email: chemiguard@chemresist.com www.chemresist.com

| feature |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

EDCs in our water: the alarming truth Reports show that Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals are entering the environment at unsafe levels for both humans and wildlife. Here, Mike Lodge, CEO at water and wastewater treatment specialist Arvia Technology discusses the issue and how the chemical industry can address the problem.

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) are accumulating in the environment from a variety of sources. The chemicals can mimic the body’s natural hormones and have been linked to various health issues.

The endocrine system is one of the two main regulatory systems in the body which consists of glands that secrete hormones which are carried in the bloodstream around the body. These hormones help to control bodily functions such as reproduction, growth, and development. An EDC is an exogenous substance that changes the function of the endocrine system, affecting the way an organism or it’s offspring reproduces, grows, or develops.

These chemicals have been found in a variety of everyday products such as electronics, plastics, pesticides, cosmetics, toys, food containers and antibacterials.

Examples of EDCs include bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, certain pesticides, and pollutants such as dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

The list of potential health issues which EDCs have been linked to includes asthma, obesity, diabetes, reproductive abnormalities and infertility.

Research has found that some even potentially cause cancer.

ENTERING OUR WATER SUPPLIES Consumers can reduce their exposure to EDCs by avoiding certain cosmetic products and eating organic foods that do not contain pesticides. Even making sure rooms are properly cleaned and ventilated can be a way to avoid EDCs as research has found that household dust can collect chemicals from electronics, furniture, baby products and more.

Luckily, knowledge surrounding EDCs is increasing, however there are still a vast number of products which include the dangerous chemicals, making it difficult to completely avoid exposure to them.

58

APPROXIMATELY 1,000 CHEMICALS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO POTENTIALLY HAVE ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING EFFECTS.

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

| feature |

In addition to direct exposure, we are also unintentionally contaminating our water supplies.

One of the ways in which contamination of water occurs is through the excretion of waste material from the body.

A large majority of the chemicals used in cosmetics and pesticides are not fully metabolised, meaning they are then passed into our water.

Improper disposal of products which contain EDCs poses a problem, with many people still believing the correct way to dispose of unused pharmaceuticals is to flush them down the toilet.

In relation to the chemical industry, wastewater effluent from manufacturing sites is also a major contributor to polluting the environment with EDCs. Wastewater discharged from these facilities has been subject to increasing attention.

Due to the various ways these contaminants are reaching our environment, many river systems and waterways are now coursing with chemical waste. Often, trace levels of chemical waste are not removed by traditional treatment processes, meaning the same compounds could find their way into sources used for drinking water.

If the problem is to be tackled, a holistic approach is needed from both consumers and the chemical industry alike.

BEGINNING TO TACKLE THE PROBLEM With an issue of this scale, finding a single solution is unrealistic. Beginning to understand which chemicals carry the potentially damaging effects is a step in the right direction.

Worryingly, approximately 1,000 chemicals have been reported to potentially have endocrine disrupting effects.

Education on EDCs will help everyday consumers of products; however, the responsibility also falls on chemical manufacturers to reduce the amount of chemicals they use which are already known to have dangerous effects.

Fortunately, policymakers are taking steps in the right direction with the introduction of regulations such as REACH which calls for the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals.

The UN recently released a list of chemicals which had been through at least one “thorough scientific assessment”, having been identified as potential EDCs. The list comprised 45 substances under 18 chemical groups including phthalates, bisphenols and parabens.

The reduction and eventual removal of EDCs from products and manufacturing processes is the only complete solution for chemical companies, however with an issue of this magnitude, this will inevitably take time.

The UN recently released a list of chemicals which had been through at least one “thorough scientific assessment”, having been identified as potential EDCs. The list comprised 45 substances under 18 chemical groups including phthalates, bisphenols and parabens.

59

ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY WASTEWATER TREATMENT The effective removal of chemical compounds from wastewater streams on-site at chemical manufacturing sites is the initial step. However, although traditional wastewater treatment processes can partly remove EDCs, some traces will still be detectable in effluents.

Many tertiary wastewater treatment processes such as Ozone, Hydrogen Peroxide and Fentons use large doses of chemicals to eradicate trace level compounds. Not only does chemical dosing come at a high price, it also produces a toxic sludge which requires transportation and specialist secondary treatment. This has created a demand for more economical and environmentally-friendly solutions, as in most cases, these processes are not sustainable long-term options.

The good news is that technology is rapidly advancing in this area. There are now state of the art solutions for the reduction of hard-to-treat contaminants from water and wastewater streams.

Advances in technology mean that it is now possible to remove part per million to part per billion levels of EDCs, pharmaceutical residues, personal care products, manufacturing chemicals and pesticides from wastewater.

Arvia’s Nyex™ solution combines adsorption with electrochemical oxidation to provide an alternative solution to treat water without chemical dosing or sludge production. Organic compounds are selectively targeted, adsorbed and oxidised, leaving the wastewater stream safe and compliant for discharge to the sewer, the environment or reuse.

Conveniently, the system capable of effecting these changes can be easily integrated into an existing treatment train, requiring minimal manpower and maintenance. Rather than treating the whole body of water, organisations can now be more selective, targeting the problematic compounds with smaller operating costs.

Effective wastewater treatment at the source of pollution is the first step in addressing an issue which is widespread.

There are alternative treatment options available to support with environmental strategies and manufacturing best practice.

Policymakers are already taking the right steps with the registration and evaluation of EDCs – however both the chemical industry and consumers must begin to counteract the wider problem through the reduction in use and reliance on products which include these chemicals.

The effects of EDCs on our bodies and the environment could be extremely damaging and wastewater treatment must form part of an industry wide effort to counteract the problem.

For more information visit www.arviatechnology.com

EMTEL

R

YOUR TRUSTED PARTNER FOR OVER 30 YEARS

GBK is your experienced consulting partner for hazardous substances and dangerous goods worldwide and at any time.

+ 24/7 EMTEL

R

global emergency telephone number

+ International

EHS consulting

+ Allround service for Europe, China & North America

+ Dangerous goods

advisory, trainings & seminars

SPECIFIC GHS SERVICES FOR CHINA AND FOR THE EU GHS Services for China

GHS Services for EU

or learn more at gbk-ingelheim.de/en/

Get into contact with us:

+49 (0)6132 982 90-0 gbk@gbk-ingelheim.de

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

| legilslation |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

CBA highlights problems with Proposed Corrosive Legislation Peter Newport

The Chemical Business Association (CBA) has highlighted several legislative and practical concerns with the provisions of the Offensive Weapons Bill currently being considered by Parliament.

Introducing new controls on the sale of firearms, knives, and corrosive substances, the Bill is a response to a series of recent terrorist and criminal attacks using these weapons.

“CBA is purely focussed on the sale of corrosive substances,” said CBA’s Chief Executive, Peter Newport.

“However, these protocols do not currently include checking that the person placing the order or accepting the subsequent delivery is over 18 years of age as required by the draft Offensive Weapons Bill,” said Peter Newport.

“Checking someone’s age has been a long-standing part of the process for the retail sale of alcohol or tobacco, but it cannot easily be incorporated into business-to-business transactions,” he added.

CBA points out that the term ‘delivered into the hands of a person aged 18 or over’ used in the Bill obliges delivery drivers to verify the age of the person physically receiving the order.

This requires additional training both in handling the verification process, examining any corroborating documentation, and managing the outcome should doubts remain concerning the age of the recipient. This procedure adds several levels of complexity and cost to the delivery process.

“Whilst we understand the public concern that has prompted the legislation, we do not believe firearms, knives, and corrosive substances can effectively be covered in a single piece of legislation primarily designed to control retail rather business-to-business transactions,” he said.

REGULATORY ISSUES

In its submission to the House of Commons Committee reviewing the Bill, CBA has emphasised the differences between retail and businessto-business chemical transactions, the additional costs involved for CBA member companies, and the potential overlap with existing chemicals legislation.

CBA believe that aspects of the current Bill potentially conflict with existing regulations. For example, the use of the term ‘clearly marked to indicate that it contained a corrosive product’ requires suppliers to add - at significant cost - additional labelling over and above the current requirements of the Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures Regulation (CLP).

BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS

Similarly, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) along with the CLP labelling regulation both already contain provisions to explain to users that the substance or mixture is corrosive. Adding further information to the packaging increases the probability of confusion but may also be contrary to existing regulatory provisions.

When CBA member companies sell corrosive substances, they are engaged in business-to-business transactions that, despite being fundamentally different from retail transactions, fall within the new definition of ‘remote selling’ adopted by the Bill that would cover orders received by telephone, fax, on-line, or by e-mail.

For regular business customers placing repeat orders, security factors will already be known and may simply require checking. For new customers, CBA member companies apply the ‘Know Your Customer’ protocols agreed jointly with the Home Office and the National Counter Terrorism Security Office to ensure the order, company, and the proposed application are legitimate.

62

Peter Newport said, “We support the general aims of the proposed legislation, but believe a more focussed approach for corrosives is required to ensure its overall provisions are pragmatic, proportionate and sustainable for the industry sectors serving legitimate users.”

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

| legilslation |

“We support the general aims of the proposed legislation, but believe a more focussed approach for corrosives is required to ensure its overall provisions are pragmatic, proportionate and sustainable for the industry sectors serving legitimate users.�

63

| reach |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

Poison centres: Start making preparations today!

Jenny Butcher

Chemicals Executive REACHReady

SETTING THE SCENE Back in 2016 Member States voted in favour on the Commission’s proposal to harmonise information submitted to poison centres on hazardous mixtures.

Following this vote Annex VIII to CLP was published in 2017 highlighting the harmonised information relating to emergency health response. But what does this mean for industry? Article 45 of CLP requires Member States to appoint a body for receiving information on the composition of hazardous mixtures that are placed on the market. However, the requirements for each Member State differ meaning that companies have to submit different data in different formats across the EU. The introduction of Annex VIII implements a harmonised format to the notification submitted to the Member States.

WHEN DO I HAVE TO NOTIFY? The amendment to CLP doesn’t apply until 1 January 2020 BUT notification is already a legal requirement in most Member States. Therefore, if you notify before the amendment comes into force you have until 1 January 2025 to update to the new format. However, if you haven’t notified the following deadlines, determined by the mixture’s final use, will apply; consumer use 1 January 2020, professional use 1 January 2021, industrial use 1 January 2024.

WHAT INFORMATION DO I NEED TO SUBMIT? Part B of Annex VIII details the information that is required for the submission. The notification should include the following data; product identifier with trade names and Unique Formula Identifier (UFI), details of submitter consistent with the label details, classification of the mixture and label elements, mixture composition within set concentration bands, toxicological information & type and size of packaging along with the product categorisation code.

HOW DO I SUBMIT A NOTIFICATION? ECHA developed several tools at the beginning of 2018 that will aid companies when making a notification. These include the Poison Centres Notification (PCN) format, UFI generator and EU Product Categorisation System (EU PCS). The PCN format is the structure in which information on hazardous mixtures has to be submitted to the Member State appointed bodies. The format is based on the data requirements stated in Part B of AnnexVIII and will be compatible with IUCLID 6 from October 2018 after its scheduled update.

The UFI is a new notification requirement under Annex VIII and will need to be included on the product label. The UFI links the notified mixture information to a specific product on the market. The UFI generator uses the company’s VAT number and mixture formulation number to create a 16 digit alphanumeric code. The final version of the UFI generator is already available via the poison centre website.

The EU PCS was designed to help companies describe the intended use of their mixture. Each mixture will need to be assigned a single product category. Where mixtures have dual or multiple uses only the main intended use would be selected.

The product category needs to be included in the notification.

Throughout 2018 ECHA will be developing a centralised submission and dispatch system – PCN portal. It is expected that the first version will be launched in Q1 2019 with further updates later that year.

FORESEEN ISSUES? Several industry sectors have raised workability issues with the requirements of Article 45 and Annex VIII. A major concern for many sectors is the narrow concentration ranges that have to be applied to the mixture composition which could lead to thousands of individual notifications.

To look into these issues the European Commission has initiated a new study which is expected to last for one year with interim results due beginning 2019.

REACHREADY’S RECOMMENDATIONS Notify today under the current regulation in order to benefit from the longer transitional period until 1 January 2025 Start making preparations by assessing product portfolios to determine the final intended use and therefore the deadline for notification under the harmonised format Start producing UFIs and set up a management system to track the product – UFI combinations Want to know more? REACHReady is offering a new event specifically on the new poison centre requirements. Delegates will gain an understanding for their responsibilities and obligations whilst being able to ask our experts questions. This event will be running on 18 December in London. For further details and to book your place please see www.cia.org.uk/reachready/ Events/Event-Details/eventDateId/1182 or contact us at enquiries@reachready.co.uk

64

       

    

    

    



    

| news |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

£81m Materials Innovation Factory to develop new products to meet society’s biggest challenges officially opened stage. The range of expertise here in Liverpool can make a big contribution to meeting those challenges and to driving economic growth.”

Professor Dame Janet Beer, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool, said: “The opening of the Materials Innovation Factory is an important milestone for the University of Liverpool. The institution is known for its world-class research in advanced materials and these impressive new facilities will serve to further accelerate progress.

“The applications for our research in this area are truly exciting, with the potential to answer some of the greatest challenges facing the world today in fields such as sustainable energy, healthcare and manufacturing.”

David Blanchard, Chief Research & Development Officer at Unilever, said: “This is an important next step for the partnership between Unilever and the University of Liverpool and a signal of our continued commitment to investment in the UK. With the world changing and innovating at a rapid pace, it’s key for Unilever R&D to work closely with strong, expert partners. The Materials Innovation Factory is a best practice example of this type of collaboration.”

Opening – from left to right: Professor Dame Janet Beer, David Blanchard, Chief Research & Development Officer at Unilever, Gyimah MP, Science and Universities, Sir Venki Ramakrishnan, President of the Royal Society, Professor Andy Cooper, University of Liverpool

The University of Liverpool’s Materials Innovation Factory, an £81 million facility dedicated to the research and development of advanced materials, has been officially opened by the President of the Royal Society and Nobel Laureate, Sir Venki Ramakrishnan.

A collaboration between the University and Unilever, the Materials Innovation Factory brings together materials chemistry expertise with the latest computational and robotic equipment to accelerate research and reduce the time it takes to develop new products which have the potential to address a range of societal challenges.

The 11,600m2 state of the art facility represents a 21st century research environment providing laboratory and office space for University researchers and Unilever scientists from the global Research and Development (R&D) Centre for Home Care and Personal Care products in Port Sunlight.

In addition, the facility, which boasts one of the highestconcentrations of materials science automation robotics in the world, can also accommodate other academic or industrial users on a flexible, open-access basis to facilitate cross-disciplinary collaborations, innovation and knowledge exchange.

Sir Venki Ramakrishnan, President of the Royal Society and Nobel Laureate, said: “The strength of material science in the North West is, to a great extent, built on the collaboration between academia and industry which is so well embodied in the Materials Innovation Factory.

“Whether it is human health, sustainability or a range of other areas, advanced materials offer tools by which we can tackle some of the big challenges we face on the global

66

Sam Gyimah MP, Science and Universities minister said: “This inspiring facility bring together some of the UK’s most talented scientists and academics, with cutting edge robots and computers, to meet the future challenges our society will face.

“I want to see the UK continue to grow its reputation as an innovation superpower and with government and private sector investment in new research facilities like this one in Liverpool, we are striving towards our ambition for 2.4% of GDP to be spent on research and innovation by 2027.”

Located in the heart of the city’s Knowledge Quarter, the Materials Innovation Factory was awarded £11m through the government’s UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF), a programme administered by Research England (formerly HEFCE), which helped secure significant private co-investment towards the project.

It also houses the Liverpool contribution to the Henry Royce Institute, a national institute for materials science research and innovation.

Research activity in the Materials Innovation Factory spans the fields of organic materials, inorganic materials, nanomedicines, sustainability, genomic sequencing and high throughput formulation.

In particular, two world leading research groups, led by Professors Andy Cooper FRS and Matt Rosseinsky FRS, are creating innovative new materials with a range of uses: from porous molecular organic solids and liquids which can capture harmful pollutants to new materials for the harvesting, storage and conversion of low-carbon energy.

The Leverhulme Research Centre for Functional Materials Design, created to drive a design revolution for functional materials at the atomic scale, is also located in the facility.

EUROPEAN UNION • TURKEY • JAPAN • CHINA • KOREA • TAIWAN RGS S.A. - Belgium Head Office + 32 (2) 234 77 77

RGS A.Ş. - Turkey Subsidiary + 90 (212) 454 09 93

info@reach-gs.eu

www.reach-gs.eu

europium phospho

cerium sputtering target | news |

| CHEMICAL INDUSTRY JOURNAL |

dielectrics catalog:americanelements.com scandium powder

yttrium granules lanthanum rods

holmium disc 1

1

H

2 1

Li

Nd:YAG

4

6.941

11

Na

yttrium

Beryllium 12

22.98976928

19

K

Mg

erbium fluoride sputtering targets

Magnesium

medicine

2 8 8 1

20

39.0983

Ca

2 8 18 8 1

2 8 8 2

21

22

Ti

44.955912

Calcium 38

2 8 9 2

Sc

40.078

Potassium

37

2 8 2

24.305

Sodium

39

85.4678

2 8 18 9 2

87.62

40

nadium

55

Cs

2 8 18 18 8 1

56

132.9054

Ba

57

2 8 18 32 18 8 1

88

Francium

(226)

2 8 18 18 9 2

La

72

Hf

89

thin film

Ac (227)

Radium

41

Nb

73

Ta

2 8 18 32 18 9 2

104

Rf (267)

Mo

74

W

105

Db (268)

Rutherfordium

2 8 18 13 1

43

2 8 18 32 12 2

Sg (271)

Dubnium

2 8 18 13 2

Tc

75

Ce

59

Pr

2 8 18 21 8 2

60

140.116

140.90765

Cerium

Th

Praseodymium

2 8 18 32 18 10 2

91

Pa

2 8 18 32 20 9 2

Bh (272)

144.242

92

Thorium

ten carbide

231.03588

U

(145)

238.02891

Protactinium

93

Np (237)

Uranium

Neptunium

2 8 18 32 22 9 2

Os

108

Hs (270)

2 8 18 24 8 2

63

150.36

(244)

2 8 18 32 14 2

Plutonium

nano ribbons

77

Ir

46

Pd

109

Mt (276)

47

106.42

Ag

2 8 18 32 15 2

78

Pt

79

195.084

Meitnerium

110

Ds (281)

30

Zn

Au

2 8 18 18 1

48

Cd

Darmstadtium

Rg (280)

31

Ga

14

Si 28.0855

49

In

112.411

2 8 18 32 18 1

80

Hg

Roentgenium

Cn (285)

72.64

2 8 18 18 3

50

114.818

2 8 18 32 18 2

81

Tl

200.59

112

Ge Sn

Uut (284)

Copernicium

2 8 18 32 18 3

82

Pb

Eu

64

95

Gd

65

157.25

2 8 18 32 25 8 2

96

Americium

(247)

Curium

Tb

2 8 18 27 8 2

158.92535

Gadolinium

Am Cm (243)

2 8 18 25 9 2

97

Bk (247)

Berkelium

Dy

2 8 18 28 8 2

67

162.5

Terbium

2 8 18 32 25 9 2

66

98

Cf (251)

68

2 8 18 32 28 8 2

Californium

99

Es (252)

Er 167.259

Holmium

Erbium 2 8 18 32 29 8 2

Einsteinium

100

Fm (257)

Fermium

51

2 8 18 32 32 18 3

114

Fl (289)

69

Tm

34

Se

52

Te

121.76

2 8 18 32 18 4

83

Bi

84

2 8 18 32 32 18 5

116

208.9804

115

Uup (288)

70

alternative energy

Yb

2 8 18 18 6

53

2 8 18 18 7

54

I

Kr

2 8 18 32 32 18 6

117

crystal

83.798

Xe

2 8 18 18 8

131.293

Iodine

85

2 8 18 8

Krypton

126.90447

2 8 18 32 18 6

europiu

39.948

Argon

79.904

Xenon

2 8 18 32 18 7

86

cone sit

2 8 18 32 18 8

Po At Rn electrochemistry (210)

Lv (293)

(222)

Astatine

Uus (294)

Livermorium

71

36

Bromine

(209)

2 8 18 32 8 2

2 8 18 7

niobium

Radon

titanium

2 8 18 32 32 18 7

Ununseptium

118

Uuo (294)

2 8 18 32 32 18 8

Ununoctium

terbium ingot Lu

2 8 18 32 9 2

cerium polishing powder 168.93421

173.054

Thulium

2 8 18 32 30 8 2

101

Md (258)

174.9668

Ytterbium

2 8 18 32 31 8 2

Mendelevium

102

No (259)

Lutetium

2 8 18 32 32 8 2

Nobelium

103

Lr (262)

2 8 18 32 32 8 3

macromolec

Lawrencium

nano gels

gadolinium wires

atomic layer deposition

anti-ballistic ceramics

Now Invent. dielectrics

Br

Polonium

Ununpentium

2 8 18 31 8 2

35

127.6

Bismuth 2 8 18 32 32 18 4

2 8 18 6

2 8 8

Ar

35.453

Tellurium 2 8 18 32 18 5

Neon

18

Chlorine

78.96

2 8 18 18 5

20.1797

2 8 7

Cl

32.065

Antimony

Flerovium

2 8 18 30 8 2

S

17

2 8

Ne

Fluorine

Selenium

Sb

207.2

Ununtrium

164.93032

Dysprosium 2 8 18 32 27 8 2

Ho

2 8 18 29 8 2

2 8 18 18 4

Lead

aluminum nanoparticles

2 8 18 25 8 2

As

2 8 18 5

10

18.9984032

2 8 6

Sulfur

74.9216

Tin

204.3833

113

P

16

2 7

F

15.9994

Arsenic

118.71

Thallium 2 8 18 32 32 18 2

33

9

Oxygen

30.973762

2 8 18 4

2 6

O

Phosphorus

Germanium

Indium

Mercury 2 8 18 32 32 18 1

32

15

rod

Helium

14.0067

2 8 5

2

He 4.002602

8

Nitrogen 2 8 4

Silicon 2 8 18 3

2 5

N

12.0107

69.723

2 8 18 18 2

7

Carbon 2 8 3

Gallium

Cadmium

Gold

111

Al

Zinc

196.966569

2 8 18 32 32 17 1

2 8 18 2

65.38

Silver

Platinum 2 8 18 32 32 15 2

2 8 18 1

107.8682

2 8 18 32 17 1

10.811

Boron 13

2 4

C

26.9815386

63.546

2 8 18 18

6

Aluminum

Copper

Palladium

192.217

2 8 18 32 32 14 2

Cu

B

2 3

nanodispersions

TM

advanced polymers

ttering targets

2 8 18 16 1

Iridium

single crystal silicon

rbium doped fiber optics

Rh

29

Nickel

102.9055

Europium 2 8 18 32 24 8 2

Pu

Ni

2 8 16 2

58.6934

Rhodium

151.964

Samarium 94

45

Hassium

62

Promethium 2 8 18 32 21 9 2

2 8 18 32 32 13 2

Bohrium

2 8 18 23 8 2

2 8 18 15 1

190.23

Nd Pm Sm

Neodymium

refractory metals 232.03806

61

76

28

Cobalt

Osmium

107

Seaborgium

2 8 18 22 8 2

Ru

2 8 15 2

58.933195

101.07

186.207

quantum dots 2 8 18 19 9 2

44

Rhenium 2 8 18 32 32 11 2

Co

Ruthenium 2 8 18 32 13 2

Re

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

180.9488

diamond micropowder 90

42

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

Actinium

58

2 8 18 10 2

178.48

Lanthanum 2 8 18 32 18 8 2

50.9415

Zirconium

138.90547

Barium

Fr Ra tantalum (223)

2 8 18 18 8 2

V

24

2 8 11 2

Vanadium

91.224

Yttrium

137.327

Cesium 87

88.90585

Strontium

23

Titanium

Rb Sr Y Zr rhodium sponges Rubidium

2 8 10 2

47.867

Scandium 2 8 18 8 2

5

surface functionalized nanoparticles

9.012182

Lithium

2 8 1

Be

2 2

2

dysprosium metal

99.999% ruthenium spheres

1.00794

Hydrogen 3

praseodymium

gadolinium acetate

ultra high purity ma

europium phosphors

platinum ink solar energy

Experience the Next Generation of Material Science Catalogs

metamaterials LED lighting one of the world's first and largest manufacturers and distributors of nanoparticles & rmet anode As silicon rods nanotubes, American Elements’ re-launch of its 20 year old Catalog is worth noting.

super alloys

osynthetics iron ionic

In it you will find essentially every nanoscale metal & chemical that nature and current technology allow. In fact quite a few materials have no known application and have yet to be fully explored.

CIGS laser

spintronics rare earth

But that's the whole idea!

American Elements opens up a world of possibilities so you can Now Invent!

www.americanelements.com

dysprosium pellets

68 palladium shot

zirconium nanofabrics

photovoltaics

crystal growth gadolinium wire

Š2001-2018.AmericanElementsisaU.S. Registe redTrademark.