Chemical Today January

January 2018 | Volume II | Issue VIII | ₹200

Expert Viewpoint

Engineering Plastics Cellulose & PVP

Insights

Color Trends China Market

Automation Interview

IT In Chemicals Analytic Models

A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION

TO OUR PLASTIC NEEDS Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

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The search for

eco-friendly materials I

n recent times one of the most commonly used item that has been part of both the international and national news is ‘Plastics.’ The news has been majorly regarding various countries and government banning the use of plastics. Naming a few, countries such as Canada, Africa, India have already banned plastics and issued guidelines related to the usage. Considering the environment pollution and sustainability challenges, the ban does seem a good move. But in all this negative publicity and mayhem, let us not ignore the advantages of plastics.

Plastic plays a very important role in many industries such as automotive, industrial and consumer appliances, infrastructure and construction, medical applications among others. Instead of making this material ‘the Devil,’ we can look at transforming plastic into a more biodegradable and environment friendly alternative. Various companies are working on different types of materials that can replace plastics. And among all the materials, bioplastics is carving a niche of its own. These bioplastics are derived from renewable feedstocks such as corn, sugarcane and cellulose.

Moreover, consumers can also make a conscious decision of choosing an ecologically safe material - the effort on an individual level, will propel the industry to seek environment-friendly solutions.

In our Sector View this month, we look at the bioplastics segment – the trends, materials and innovations for the user industry.

Considering operations for chemical companies, these companies generate lot of operational and shop floor data on a routine basis. However, only a fraction of this data is used by the key personnel currently for decision making. Using analytic models and a proper approach, the models can enable Chemical manufacturers move towards operational excellence in a true sense. For our ‘IT In Chemicals’ take a look at how manufacturing analytics can help manufacturers gain actionable insights, quickly diagnose abnormal conditions or potential problems and make better decisions leveraging the data generated by these systems.

As we move into the new year 2018, we plan to bring in many ‘Special Focus’ editions for major segments in the chemical industry. Keep reading as we unfold them month-on-month.

Wishing all our readers a happy and successful New Year 2018.

To connect and to give us a bouquet or brickbats, write to - editorial@worldofchemicals.com

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

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EXPERT VIEWPOINT ENGINEERING PLASTICS

Bert Havenith, Strategy & Intelligence Manager, DSM Engineering Plastics.

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CELLULOSE & PVP

Nelson Corda, General Manager of Consumer Specialties at Ashland, Asia Pacific excluding China & Global Sales Director – Home Care & Agro.

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ACADEMIC SPEAK Ayumu Tagami, PhD student at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Fibre and Polymer Technology / Wood Chemistry and Pulp Technology.

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AUTOMATION Todd Gardner, Vice President, Siemens Process Industries & Drives Division, US.

© 2018 worldofchemicals.com

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DIGITALIZATION

Chemical Today

is a monthly magazine focused on chemistry & the chemical industry.

CONTENTS

QUOTES 04

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

SOUTH EAST ASIA

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NEWS NATIONAL 08 INTERNATIONAL 10 NEWS ANALYSIS 11 MAKE A DIFFERENCE 12

EVENTS 24 CHEMICAL SECTORS AGROCHEMICALS 26 TP ELASTOMERS 30 POLYURETHANE 32 POLYMERS 34 ASSOCIATION PLASTICS INDUSTRY 42 GREEN CHEMISTRY 44 INTERNATIONAL FOCUS SOUTH EAST ASIA 50

SECTOR VIEW

BIOPLASTICS

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INSIGHTS COLOR TRENDS 2019 52 OPPORTUNITY IN CHINA MARKET 54 REPORT BIODEGRADABLE POLYMERS 56 ENGINEERING PLASTICS 58

ACADEMIC SPEAK R&D YOUNG TURKS 62 SAFETY WATCH 64

JOBS 66 IT IN CHEMICALS ANALYTIC MODELS 68

PRODUCTS 74

REPORT

BIODEGRADABLE POLYMERS

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

EQUIPMENT 76 GLOSSARY 78

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Published for January 2018.

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QUOTES

As part of the country’s policy initiatives on increasing India’s Import-Export ratio it is essential to focus on substantially increasing the contribution of foreign trade to the GDP. The approximate global potential for exports of products overseen by PLEXCONCIL, CHEMEXCIL, CAPEXIL & SHEFEXIL is $2050 billion and at present India’s share is only $36.85 billion (1.8 percent). Approximate domestic sales are around $282.50 billion. There is tremendous scope for increasing market share in exports.

Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister for Commerce & Industry, Government Of India.

Global trade and output are growing at their fastest rate since 2008 and we have to capitalize on these opportunities. According to the second volume of the Economic Survey for 2016-17, India’s exports need to grow at 25 percent plus annually over the next five years for India to reach a 5 percent share in world trade. This can be achieved only through reforms in trade policy by diversifying exports, rationalising tariffs and developing world class export infrastructure. Our constant endeavour is to increase our share of global trade and also use trade expansion as an effective instrument of economic growth and employment generation. The Government has placed great emphasis on diversification into new markets while carving out a greater niche in existing markets.

Shyamal Misra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

CAPINDIA 2018 is a very significant show for our members as we target to cross the $8 billion mark in 201718. Plastics are among the fastest growing industries in India experiencing a double-digit growth rate on an average. India is currently ranked among the top five consumers of polymers in the world and has 30,000+ plastic processing units employing over four million people across the country. During November 2017, India exported plastics worth $671.56 million, up 39.2 percent from $482.29 million in November 2016. Cumulative value of plastics export during April 17 – November 17 was $4.77 billion as against $4.17 billion during the same period last year, registering a growth of 14.5 percent. We strive to enhance our share of exports in the global marketplace, which is $800 billion upwards.

Ashok Basak, Chairman, PLEXCONCIL.

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

CAPINDIA 2018 will be bigger and better than ever before and will help us tap immense opportunities for growth, which exist in the fields of specialty chemicals, polymers and agrochemicals industries. The Indian chemicals industry with a market size of $145 billion is the seventh largest producer of chemicals worldwide and the third largest producer in Asia after China and Japan and we seek to enhance our share in the Global Chemical Industry, which is estimated at $4.3 trillion. It is a capitalintensive industry which employs approx. 2 million people in India. India is the third largest producer of agro chemicals globally and exports 50 percent of its production.

Specialty chemicals market has been growing at 14 percent over the last five years due to domestic consumption and the market size is expected to touch $70 billion by 2020. During April to October 2017, there was a growth of about 26 percent in the export performance of the CHEMEXCIL’s items aggregating to $8.45 billion.

Satish Wagh, Chairman, CHEMEXCIL.

CAPINDIA 2018 will be significant as it is the first mega industry event following Union Budget FY2019 and the implementation of GST, which will have a significant bearing on targeted exports in sync with the Government’s vision for Year 2022. The export target fixed for CAPEXIL products is $16.18 billion for the year 2017-18 which marks a substantial growth in exports compared to $14.71 billion in 2016-17. The construction and mining sectors are responsible for propelling India’s overall development. Exports of Construction Products were $2.5 billion during April to September 2017 showing a growth of over 30 percent compared to corresponding period last year. The export target for construction and allied industries stands at $16.18 billion in FY 2017-18 as compared to $14.71 billion in FY16-17. Exports of Mining products were $3.29 billion during April to September 2017 showing a growth of over 25 percent compared to April-September 2016. India is endowed with vast reserves of minerals and is amongst the top 10 countries for cast mineral and metal reserves.

R Veeramani, President, CAPEXIL.

SHEFEXIL’s frontline products exhibited at the event covered items such as Shellac and Lac Products, Guar Gum Powder, Tamarind Kernel Powder, medicinal Herbs/Extracts, Aleuritic acid etc. SHEFEXIL’S panel-wise exports stood at $2.43 billion in 2016-17, representing 4.4 percent of the world potential. Continuing with the positive growth exhibited by exports for the last twelve months, the figures for September 2017 have shown a growth of 22.06 percent in dollar terms valued at $143.60 million as compared with $117.64 million during September 2016. The cumulative value of exports for the April- September 2017 (H1FY18) period was $915.88 million as against $722.64 million, registering a positive growth of 26.74 percent in Dollar terms over the same period of last year. In quantity terms, total exports of SHEFEXIL increased by 27.42 percent. Cumulatively, the highest export growth was registered by Guar Gum, which was 75.95 per cent.

S K Ghosh, Chairman of Shellac and Forest Products Export Promotion Council (SHEFEXIL)

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

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QUOTES

India’s contribution in the chemical sector globally is 3 percent and this gives us a huge scope for growth. However, without new research and innovation in this field, we cannot make a quantum jump with qualitative bulk materials.

In order to ensure growth, we should have a common research facility for Chemicals, Petrochemicals and Pharmaceuticals. We therefore, seriously believe that we should invest in research, because it is a field where sky is the limit for growth and innovation.

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Of India.

Gujarat, known as the “chemical” hub of India contributes to more than 60 percent of the national petrochemical production and 35 percent of the national chemical production. A strong base of diversified chemical units across the value chain, a world class petrochemical hub located in Dahej PCPIR, chemical port, LNG terminals as well as supportive government policies are significant growth drivers for the chemical sector in the state.

Going forward value addition, innovation and sustainability need to become priority areas for the chemical industry in Gujarat.

Vijay Rupani, Chief Minister Of Gujarat.

We want the Indian chemical and petrochemical industry to be the world leaders. For this, whatever facilitation, promotion and assistance is required, we are ready for it. We want to promote the ‘Make in India’ idea globally. Make in India not only for the demand in India, but also to compete with the world.

Ananth Kumar, Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India.

Source: India Chem, Gujarat 2017.

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

Indian Solar Manufacturers’ Association (ISMA) members have expressed positive sentiments as manufacturing and ‘Make in India’ initiative gathered momentum. The phenomenal growth opportunity of Renewal Energy is unparalleled in the world today, looking at current and future energy consumption in India over the next 2-3 decades.

All stakeholders have immense opportunities especially those who make and develop products in India.

K N Subramaniam, CEO, Moserbear Solar Ltd and Treasurer, Indian Solar Manufacturers’ Association (ISMA).

The rise of e-commerce and access to new technologies has accelerated counterfeiting and other forms of illicit trade. That makes fighting counterfeit medical products an ever-more urgent priority for pharma companies – both in terms of patient safety and brand reputation.

Yann Ischi, Director, New Channels and Partnerships, SICPA.

Within the Volkswagen Group, we have a clear strategy for how we want to put battery-electric vehicles into series production across our brands and in many different market segments. However, a major qualification for success in the volume market is more powerful battery concepts. In Volkswagen Group R&D we are focusing on close cooperation, not only with industrial partners but also with the smart minds of the scientific community.

Dr Ulrich Eichhorn, Head, Group R&D, Volkswagen AG. Using reverse osmosis for pre-treatment means we can reduce the consumption of specific chemicals for resin bed regeneration by around 60 percent.

Ashraf Aly Mostafa, Project Manager, Alexandria Fertilizers Co (Alexfert).

India is a very important market for polyurethanes and has a wonderful potential for growth. When leaders of the industry from all over the world get together under one roof, it leads to better production and faster growth of the industry.

R C Bhargava, former CEO and current Chairman, Maruti Suzuki.

India today process 565,000 mtpa of polyurethanes and this is expected to cross the 1 million mtpa mark in the next three to four years. Polyurethane is a designers polymer unparalleled by any of its kind when it comes to allowing technologists to chemically design and develop specific end products.

Mukesh Bhuta, Chairman, IPUA and Promoter, Expanded Polymer Systems Pvt. Ltd. A host of forces are disrupting the chemical industry – geopolitical risks, changing customer desires, growth challenges, population changes, digital technology proliferation and pervasive volatility, to name a few.

Rachael Bartels, Managing Director and Chemicals & Natural Resources Global Industry Lead, Accenture.

The number of people in Asia without adequate access to a safe and nutritious food supply is growing - and that’s simply unacceptable. The responsibility to ensure everyone has enough healthy food to eat is a shared one. The plant science industry fully supports the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in the pursuit of wiping out world hunger, and is committed to ensuring farmers in Asia are empowered and enabled to produce more food for a growing population.

Dr Siang Hee Tan, Executive Director, CropLife Asia

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

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NEWS NATIONAL NITI AAYOG PUSHES FOR METHANOLBASED HYBRID VEHICLES

© ECOmove GmbH

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ndian government’s premier policy making body, Niti Aayog, has firmed up a hybrid vehicle policy that challenges the electric vehicle mission that’s being pursued aggressively, pitching methanol as a better alternative for the country.

The Aayog has reasoned that electric vehicles are neither cost-effective nor sustainable.

Methanol-based hybrid vehicles, it proposes, would run on electricity that would be generated on board from the chemical. This would not put additional pressure on electricity demand in the country.

The crux of the reasoning is that methanol can replace gasoline as it is easily available, does not cause pollution and has higher electrical mobility and efficiency, besides being highly cost-effective vis-a-vis electric vehicles, which would run on lithium-ion

batteries. It would reduce pollution and India’s dependence on fossil fuels.

“Lithium is not an easily available resource and the world will run out of the basic resource if all switch over to lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. Hence, it is not a sustainable solution,” a government official said.

Besides, India does not have the expertise to make lithium-ion batteries and will depend on China for such batteries and will only be able to assemble them in India with barely 15 percent of value addition, thus further widening the trade deficit in favour of China.

Niti Aayog member, VK Saraswat is aggressively pushing methanol and has suggested a roadmap to reduce the annual oil import bill by $100 billion by 2030

through extensive use of methanol in cooking gas and transportation fuel. Even the Indian Railways is exploring the use of methanol for its locomotives.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government wants only cleaner vehicles to ply on India’s roads by 2030 as part of its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the global agreement on climate change and to reduce spending on oil imports, which, according to one estimate, could double to an annual $300 billion by that year.

Methanol, a clear, colourless liquid, is easier to store than hydrogen and burns cleaner than fossil fuels, yielding water and carbon dioxide. Methanol can be obtained from sustainable bio sources and it is now also possible to manufacture synthetic, low carbon methanol.

AARTI INDUSTRIES BAGS RS 100 BILLION ORDER FROM SABIC INNOVATIVE

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arti Industries Ltd (AIL) announced that they have signed Rs 100 billion multi-year exclusive supply contract with global chemical conglomerate, SABIC Innovative Plastics US LLC. This contract entails supply of a high value speciality chemical intermediate over a period of 20 years. The supplies are expected to commence from 2020 with an estimated revenue generation of Rs 100 billion over the contract period.

With this deal, AIL is set to enter a new chemistry range, first of its kind in India and its end product is amongst the major growth initiatives for the customer.

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

AIL will be investing $35-$40 mn to setup dedicated large scale manufacturing facility for production of this speciality chemical intermediate and it will be built on the basic technology package received from the customer.

Rashesh Gogri, vice-chairman & managing director, said that this deal is testament to the increasing brand equity of AIL among targeted customers. It highlights the company’s strength as a ‘Global Partner of Choice’ in the global chemical industry.

The upcoming facility will be a 100 percent export oriented unit in Gujarat. As a part of this contract terms, the customer shall provide $42mn as an advance to AIL in instalments, which shall be adjusted against the supplies in future. This advance shall help reduce the net capital employed, enabling higher ROCE returns for this project.

AIL, a benzene based speciality chemical companies, globally ranks at 1st-4th position for 75 percent of its portfolio and is ‘Partner of Choice’ for various major global and domestic customers. Speciality chemicals segment contributed 81 percent, Pharmaceuticals segment contributed 14 percent and Home & Personal Care segment contributed 5 percent to its total FY17 consolidated revenues.

Coromandel is India’s second largest phosphatic fertiliser player with interests in fertilisers, crop protection, specialty nutrients, organic fertilisers. (File photo)

COROMANDEL TO ACQUIRE EID PARRY’S

BIO-PESTICIDES BUSINESS C

oromandel International Limited, India’s second largest phosphatic fertiliser player with interests in fertilisers, crop protection, speciality nutrients, organic fertilisers, has signed a term sheet to acquire the bio-pesticides business from E.I.D. Parry together with its wholly owned subsidiary Parry America, Inc, USA. The transaction is valued at Rs 338 crore, which includes purchase of bio-pesticides business of E.I.D. Parry together with its R&D unit, captive plantations and its wholly owned subsidiary Parry America Inc. The bio-pesticides business is engaged in the manufacture and marketing of neem based Azadirachtin technicals and formulations, plant extract based bio-

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

stimulants, etc. It has a manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu and a research and development centre.

Coromandel International feels that the complementary market presence in both Indian and global markets by both the companies provides an opportunity for both chemical and bio-pesticides to grow.

“The transaction is part of the strategic plan of the company to expand its Crop Protection business. With Organic movement gathering momentum in recent times, need for natural/microbial pest control solutions have been gaining traction,” said Vellayan, executive chairman, Murugappa Group which owns Coromandel International.

“The acquisition enables the company (Coromandel) to gain entry to this segment, provides access to the developed markets of US and Europe, enhance its presence globally addressing multiple crops and consumer segments and provide integrated pest management solutions,” Vellayan added.

“Post-acquisition, Coromandel will further strengthen its position in the crop protection segment. Combined R&D capabilities of both the businesses with diverse specialization on agrochemicals and biologicals can help in delivering new products which can offer unique positioning in the market,” said Sameer Goel, managing director, Coromandel International.

Source: Economic Times

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NEWS INTERNATIONAL BIRLA CARBON AGREEMENT WITH USEPA, TO PAY CIVIL PENALTY

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irla Carbon has entered into a consent decree with the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in connection with the USEPA’s national enforcement initiative to control air emissions from industrial sources including carbon black manufacturing facilities.

The company has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $650,000 and to invest approximately $375,000 towards additional environmental mitigation projects.

Birla Carbon has agreed to further reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOX), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter (PM) from its US carbon black plants in Franklin, La. and Hickok, Ks. It has committed to install advanced control technologies and continuous emissions monitoring systems. The control technologies will be installed and commissioned over the next four years at a cost of approximately $95 million.

Carbon black plays a key role in improving properties important to tyre manufacturing and tyre performance. (File Photo)

ITAFOS TO MERGE WITH CANADIAN MINING COMPANY GB MINERALS

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tafos, an integrated producer of phosphate-based fertilizers has entered into a definitive arrangement agreement to merge with GB Minerals, which owns the Farim phosphate project in GuineaBissau, West Africa, with a view to further develop the Farim project. Itafos is the second largest investor in GB Minerals since January 2014. GB Minerals shareholders said that it will benefit from the opportunity to participate in a combined company with enhanced technical expertise, project management capabilities and financial resources.

Directors and executive officers of GB Minerals, as well as Aterra, collectively holding 48.67 percent of the outstanding common shares of GB Minerals, have entered into voting support agreements with Itafos in respect of the transaction. Aterra to become and remain a shareholder in Itafos. The disinterested members of the boards of directors of both Itafos and GB Minerals have unanimously approved the transaction which is expected to close in late February 2018.

“The transaction with Itafos provides a clear path for the Farim project to be fully financed and developed with a group that has rapidly demonstrated it can transact and operate fertilizer businesses and we look forward to further updating shareholders of this exciting progress,” said Luis da Silva, president and CEO of GB Minerals.

“With the consolidation of Itafos’ interest in GB Minerals, Itafos further diversifies its strategic positioning and asset base with the Farim project, what we believe to be one of the highest quality phosphate projects in the world, and we look forward to continuing working with all its stakeholders as the project advances,” added Brian Zatarain, CEO of Itafos.

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

“As one of the leading global manufacturers of carbon black, Birla Carbon has a long history of engaging in sustainable operational excellence activities including continuing to look for ways to reduce any potential impact that our operations could have on the environments in which we operate,” said John Loudermilk, chief operating officer, Birla Carbon.

“This settlement resolves Birla Carbon’s involvement in the USEPA’s multi-year, industry-wide initiative to have the carbon black industry reduce air emissions significantly below those required by current regulations. While Birla Carbon has denied any noncompliance, we have agreed to enter into this consent decree as part of our continued commitment to the environment and to ensure ongoing reliable supply of Birla Carbon products to our customers.”

SIEGFRIED REACHES MANUFACTURING, SUPPLY AGREEMENT WITH KERYX

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iegfried and Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc have entered into a master manufacturing services and supply agreement. Siegfried will perform certain manufacturing activities at its manufacturing facilities in Saint Vulbas, France and Pennsville, New Jersey as well as to manufacture and supply GMP-grade quantities of the proprietary active pharmaceutical ingredient for Keryx’s drug product, Auryxia.

The agreement has an initial term ending on 31 December 2021 and will automatically renew after that for successive terms of one year each.

NEWS ANALYSIS NORTH AMERICA CHEMICAL MARKET NORTH AMERICAN CHEMICAL COS IN 2018 -

ELUSIVE TOP LINE GROWTH F

itch Ratings has a stable outlook on the North American chemical industry and most chemical companies issue ratings, supported by expectations of broad-based, solid economic growth, well-considered financial profiles and robust liquidity. Fitch expects that growth over and above GDP will remain elusive as a result of competitive pressures driving commoditization, high penetration in most markets, and lack of game-changing new products or chemistries.

Fitch expects chemical demand growth by volume to remain near GDP levels given penetration in most end markets across the consumer, manufacturing and construction sectors. It also expects the agricultural chemical and oil field service chemical sectors to continue to be challenged by relatively low commodity prices for end-market products in the short term.

“As industry competition grows, the ability of companies to hold onto premium pricing diminishes and commoditization accelerates,” said Monica Bonar, Fitch senior director.

Most rated North American issuers have solid financial profiles and robust liquidity that should be sufficient to withstand cyclical downturns. However, some commodity producers or producers that made leveraged acquisitions are above targeted leverage. Deleveraging through 2020 in most cases is expected through higher earnings and debt repayment.

M&A activity in the sector is likely to remain steady, as the ratings agency believes the same dynamics will continue to drive portfolio actions in the space.

Acquisition strategies are focused on delivering growth and cost synergies or transforming toward higher value-added content rather than reflecting conglomerate models. M&A activity is a hallmark of the sector and continues to represent the bulk of event risk.

Recent regulatory changes in China to combat pollution should support better market fundamentals for energy intensive products such as plastics and urea. It does not expect the depreciating Chinese yuan to be a material drag on earnings from exports into China or translation of earnings from Chinese operations.

TiO2 producers should continue to benefit from pricing gains into 2018/early 2019 on the back of tight supply, robust demand and rising feedstock costs.

Fitch believes pigment producers are strongly incentivized to adopt a more disciplined pricing strategy since most are pure play, making it less likely for rising TiO2 prices to result in demand destruction. The lithium industry will see robust annual demand growth driven by demand from battery applications in electric and plug-in hybrid motor vehicles and grid storage. The global regulatory push toward lower emissions and renewable energy underpins strong demand growth.

Agricultural productivity will be roughly balanced with food demand resulting in modestly higher grain prices but not enough to relieve constraints on cost inflation such as rents, fertilizers, crop-protection chemicals and seeds, in the near term. Pricing pressure for fertilizers is expected to persist in the near term due to excess capacity, which is expected to abate some in 2018/2019. The ratings agency expects the overhang for potash to continue longer term.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

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NEWS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

AUTO MANUFACTURER BELGEE TO USE

BASF’S COATINGS 12

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

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elgee, one of the rising stars in the automotive industry has opened a new automotive production plant in Belarus, Europe, enhancing its cooperation with BASF SE. BASF’s coatings division supplies the respective coatings products for the car body as well as for the plastic parts. BASF is a single supplier for all coatings layers – comprising e-coat, primer, basecoat and clearcoat.

At the plant near Minsk, Belarus, SUVs for the Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian and Kazakh market will be produced.

Belgee is a joint venture which founded by Geely, one of the leading Chinese car producers, and Belarusian automotive manufacturer BELAZ. The cooperation is the result of an intense preparation.

“We are proud that we won Belgee as new customer for our comprehensive layer portfolio and that we can further strengthen our position on the Eastern European market,” said Monika Pander, account manager new business development, automotive OEM coatings, at BASF. “In the end, we were able to convince Belgee with the quality of our products and our technological knowhow,” added Ravil Bayazitov, local account manager, automotive OEM coatings, BASF Wostok.

“The successful international collaboration between all the teams from Germany, Russia and China was also a key to success,” said Markus Staubermann, technical project manager, BASF.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

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NEWS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

FORMULA E RACE COURSE USES

LANXESS PIGMENTS

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hat was exciting. Only in the last race of the season in Montreal the Brazilian, Lucas di Grassi won the championship 2017 in the FIA Formula-E. The former Formula 1 driver, JeanEric Vergne won the day’s victory. Formula E is a racing series for Formula cars with electric motors. At the race end of July, Bayferrox was also present. The inorganic pigments from LANXESS brought color to the race course at the Hydro-Quebec Montreal ePrix. The Inorganic Pigments (IPG) business unit supplied nearly 37 metric tons of charcoal-colored Bayferrox 340 pigments to Canadian pre-cast concrete producer Beton Brunet based in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, for the construction of 5.5 kilometers of concrete barriers that lined both sides of the 2.75 kilometer race course.

In motor sport, Formula E is a “sports platform for sustainability”.

Formula E uses city streets for the race course. The concrete barriers used to block off the course and separate the crowds from the raceway were specially designed and constructed for the

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

event at twice the size of standard barriers, and were adorned with Montreal’s city logo, adding aesthetic appeal.

“We were delighted about this exciting project, especially as sustainability is a great priority in Formula E,” said Lise Charron, account manager, North America for the IPG business unit based in Montreal. The barriers were engineered to last and be re-used for several more seasons, as Montreal has signed a three-year contract to host the race.

“Prior to this project, we had only worked with pigments on a small scale, so our experience in regards to usage and color targets was limited,” said Isabella Begin, project leader at Beton Brunet.

“We were happy to partner with LANXESS on this project and receive their support with color selection and handling. The pigment experts were able to recommend a package size that could be directly dropped into our production process, eliminating dust, waste, extra handling steps and potential weighing errors.

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NEWS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

UTICO, BOROUGE COLLABORATE FOR LONGEST

WATER TRANSMISSION PIPELINE

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orouge highlighted its partnership with Utico in carrying out the largest PE100 water transmission pipeline project in the GCC. Borouge provided Utico, the largest private utility company in the region, with a group of its creative polyethylene solutions to make pipes for the company’s water transmission pipeline project connecting four emirates Ras Al Khaimah, Um Al Quwain, Ajman and Sharjah. The 55 km pipeline, which ranges in size from 1,200 mm to1,400 mm diameter, has a peak capacity of 50MIGD and will eventually serve up to 900,000 people.

Utico chose Borouge’s BorSafe™ HE3490-LS and HE3490-LS-H grades for the production of their pipeline, which is both the longest and largest diameter PE100 water transmission pipeline in the region.

“This is a real testament that our solutions are reliable, sustainable and create value to businesses across the value chain,” said Ahmed Al Shamsi, senior vice president regional MEAE, Borouge.

“Due to the large diameter, the wall thickness of the 1,400 mm SDR 13.6 pipes is 103 mm, the highest transmission pipe wall thickness that has been produced in the region. They could only be produced using the extra low sag variant of Borouge’s BorSafe™ HE3490-LS-H grade,” said Abdulatif AlMulla, board director of Utico.

“Taking into account aspects such as the value of the desalinated water to be carried by the pipeline and cost of pumping water a distance of 55 km, we decided that a leak-free fully-welded pipeline having a smooth inner surface would be the ideal solution for our project,” said Arsenio Sembrano, general manager of Utico Transmission.

The 55 km of pipes and fittings were produced by two of Borouge’s leading UAE customers, namely Cosmoplast and Union Pipes Industry (UPI). Cosmoplast produced the majority of the pipeline length, whilst UPI produced the larger diameter pipes.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

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NEWS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

G-STAR RAW SELECTS ARCHROMA DYES

FOR DENIM JEANS

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-Star RAW recently introduced a new capsule collection of denim colored using Archroma’s EarthColours, a range of dyes made from recycled plant waste.

Archroma’s EarthVolours range recently came to public attention for being the Gold Winner of the OutDoor Industry Award 2017, Sustainable Innovations category.

Archroma’s Earth colours is a line of patented plant-based dyes, sourced from up to 100 percent renewable resources. Archroma developed EarthColours using non-edible waste products, from agriculture and herbal industries, to replace petroleum derived raw materials; which are the conventional raw materials used to synthesize dyes currently. This gives brands an alternative when looking for more natural ways of dyeing garments.

The three gorgeous colours available in the capsule collection: ‘Dark Plum’, ‘Asfalt’ and ‘Mazarine Blue’, are made from the nonedible parts of beetroot and saw palmetto, left over from agriculture industry or herbal extraction.

The collection hit stores 1 November and is available online.

“As denim innovators we’re always striving to challenge conventions – both in terms of style and future-proof processes.

The new G-Star’s jeans’ collection represents the embodiment of our sustainable mindset which guides our product design from start to finish,” said Frouke Bruinsma, corporate responsibility director, G-Star RAW. “G-Star is the very first denim brand to collaborate with Archroma to create a collection of colored jeans,” said Paul Cowell, global head of brand marketing, brand & performance textile specialties, Archroma. “By doing so, we hope they will inspire more denim brands and retailers to switch to sustainable dyeing ingredients that, like EarthColours, allow creating gorgeous colours – and at the same time are so much gentler on our planet. Because it’s our nature!”

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

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NEWS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

GE AVIATION TESTING 100 PERCENT

GEVO ALCHOL-TO-JET FUEL

GE Aviation had commenced jet engine combustor component testing with a jet fuel comprised 100 percent of Gevo’s renewable alcohol-to-jet fuel (ATJ). Testing being performed as part of FAA’s CLEEN program to promote use of bio-based jet fuels. (File Photo)

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

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evo Inc announced that GE Aviation had commenced jet engine combustor component testing with a jet fuel comprised 100 percent of Gevo’s renewable alcoholto-jet fuel (ATJ). The testing is being performed as part of the Federal Aviation Authority’s (FAA) Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise Program (CLEEN).

CLEEN is the FAA’s principal environmental effort to accelerate the development of new aircraft, engine technologies, and to advance sustainable alternative jet fuels, in conjunction with aviation industry leaders such as GE Aviation.

Specifically, this testing is designed to enable the greater displacement of petroleum-based jet fuel by bio-based alternative products. Bio-based hydrocarbon fuels have similar performance characteristics to the petroleum-based fuels used today, albeit with reductions in particulate matter and other air quality related emissions. Some bio-based jet fuels, such as Gevo’s ATJ, have the potential to improve performance, such as providing greater energy density which translates into better mileage.

GE Aviation is a part of General Electric Company, and is a world-leading provider of jet engines, components and integrated systems for commercial and military aircraft.

“GE Aviation’s collaboration with the FAA and Gevo under CLEEN is an excellent example of our long-standing commitment to sustainable aviation. Efforts such as this one are expected to help accelerate the transition from petroleum-based fuels to more environmentally friendly ones,” said Dr Gurhan Andac, engineering leader, aviation fuels & additives, GE Aviation.

“If we are truly going to reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from aviation, we need to be able to replace larger percentages of petroleum jet fuel with bio-based alternatives such as Gevo’s ATJ. The future is to replace the whole barrel of oil with bio-based hydrocarbons that stimulate the economy, mitigate GHG emissions, draw on abundant resources and enhance sustainability. We want to thank the FAA and GE Aviation for their vision in supporting projects like this one,” said Dr Patrick Gruber, Gevo’s CEO.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

21

NEWS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

SAMSUNG TO USE INEOS STYROLUTION’S

SOLUTION FOR HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES

I

neos Styrolution said that its Novodur Xspray grade has been selected by Samsung, for its new range of recently launched refrigerators and vacuum cleaners in Asia.

Samsung approached Ineos Styrolution for an eco-friendly grade that offers excellent paint-ability, ease of processing and superior metallic appearance from high luminance spray. The existing acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) grades available in the market require an additional primer treatment prior to the colour and clear coating process to improve the chemical resistance required for high luminance spray.

Ineos Styrolution’s newly developed Novodur Xspray is an ABS alloy that offers good chemical resistance and excellent paint adhesion that is required in high luminance spray painting to achieve the desired superior metallic appearance. The good chemical resistance also eliminates the need for the primer treatment process, hence resulting in eco-friendliness and better cost savings for the customer. Apart from refrigerators and

22

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

vacuum cleaners, Novodur Xspray can also be used for other household applications requiring a metallic appearance, for instance, coffee machines, air conditioner housing and top cover of washing machines.

“In line with the current consumer trend towards premium metallic appearance for household and electronics appliances, we are confident that Ineos Styrolution’s Novodur Xspray will set the benchmark for achieving superior metallic appearance with good chemical resistance in the industry,” said Dr JungSeop Lim, chief engineer, Samsung Electronics.

“Our speciality styrenics help address our customers’ expectations regarding aesthetics, eco-friendliness and costs savings.

Complementing our extended range of material solutions, we are excited to collaborate closely with Samsung to provide the best material and best technical service and support throughout the entire project,” added ChiGyu Kang, global key account manager, Ineos Styrolution.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

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EVENTS 14 – 16 January 2018 ICPPE

UPCOMING EVENTS

Location : Hotel Kuta Central Park Bali, Indonesia Organised by: CBEES Website : http://www.icppe.org/ 5th International Conference on Petroleum and Petrochemical Engineering will be held in Bali, Indonesia. It directs towards addressing main issues as well as future strategies of the global energy industry.

23 – 24 January 2018

Asia Adhesives and Sealants Markets

Location: Bangkok, Thailand, Centre for Management Technology Organised by: Centre for Management Technology Pte. Ltd Website: www.cmtevents.com/main.aspx?ev=180102&pu=273508 Asia adhesives and sealants markets focuses on the growth/trends of the adhesives & sealants market. Products showcased are beneficial for the automotive, construction, paper & packaging, electronics, textile & footwear etc industries.

23 – 24 January 2018

MERTC

Location: The Ritz Carlton Manama Bahrain Organised by: World Refining Association Website: http://mertc.wraconferences.com/ The conference will cover various segments and will be an excellent platform to unite senior oil refining and petrochemical professionals with industry suppliers.

23 – 26 January 2018

Interplastica

Location: Expocentre, Krasnaya Presnya Moscow, Russia Organised by: Messe Dusseldorf Website: http://www.interplastica.de/ This event showcases products like machinery and equipment for the plastic and rubber industries, raw materials and auxiliaries, plastics and rubber products, services for the plastics and rubber industries, logistics etc.

11 – 15 June 2018

ACHEMA

Location: Frankfurt am Main, Germany Organised by: DECHEMA Website: http://www.achema.de/en/home.html This event showcases products like machinery and equipment for the plastic and rubber industries, raw materials and auxiliaries, plastics and rubber products, services for the plastics and rubber industries, logistics etc.

20 – 21 June 2018

Chemspec Europe

Location : Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany Organised by: Mack Brooks Exhibitions Ltd Website : http://www.chemspeceurope.com/2018/english/ The meeting place for international trade and valuable networking within the fine and specialty chemicals industry.

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

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AGROCHEMICALS SOIL FERTILITY

DECLINING SOIL FERTILITY:

INDIAN AGRICULTURE NEEDS RENEWED FOCUS ON SOIL HEALTH

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

BY RAJESH AGGARWAL

I

ncreasing penetration of agricultural inputs has helped Indian farmer achieve record food grain production year after year. For the record, the government estimates an all-time high total food grain production of 272 million tonnes in 2016-17.

However, this does not automatically imply that all is hunky dory on India’s agricultural front. India’s land area is about 2.5 percent of the global land area, and it supports more than 16 percent of the total human population along with around 20 percent of the global livestock population.

Clearly, the pressures of constantly increasing production have in turn resulted in a persistent decline in soil fertility– a major challenge that Indian agriculture is currently facing.

With rising population, limited availability of agricultural land, small land holdings and declining soil fertility, India is under serious threat of losing its food surplus status in the near future. According to estimates, the demand for foodgrains is expected to increase from 192 million tonnes in 2000 to 355 million tonnes in 2030.

But, is our ‘fatigued’ soil healthy enough to meet these targets?

Excessive tillage takes a toll Over the years, increasing pressure on limited agricultural land in India has resulted in overuse of chemical fertilizers on soil, excessive tillage, jettisoning of age-old organic soil revival practices

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

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AGROCHEMICALS SOIL FERTILITY

and lack of appropriate crop rotation. This has resulted in soil degradation and loss of fertility, which are emerging as major challenges for the Indian farmers.

Soil degradation is estimated to be severely impacting the 147 million hectares of cultivable land in India, causing a successive deterioration in its productive capacity. In the recent years, experts have witnessed a worrying sign of declining total factor productivity and compound growth rates of major crops. In several agricultural regions across the country, there has been observed a gap between nutrient demand and supply including decline in organic matter status, deficiencies of micronutrients in the soil, soil acidity, salinization, and sodification.

If we do not take this disturbing trend into account and start acting now, our country might be saddled with vast swathes of land rendered infertile by lack of sagaciousness and long-term thinking. Experts say one of the main ways forward is to make agriculture more sustainable and reviving the age-old practices of soil regeneration while balancing the same with judicious use of agrochemicals. The agrochemical industry must also rise to the occasion and invest in producing organic biological products that help improve the health of Indian soil.

What causes soil fertility loss?

Apart from natural factors such as floods, volcanoes, and earthquakes, a number of human-induced factors such as deforestation, ill management of industrial wastes, over-grazing by cattle, and urban expansion, are also responsible for loss of soil’s productive capacity. Widespread land degradation caused by inappropriate agricultural practices has a direct and adverse impact on the food and livelihood security of farmers.

Inappropriate agricultural practices that contribute to this include excessive tillage, frequent cropping, poor irrigation and water management and unscientific rotation of crops. Decline in soil organic matter causes limited soil life and poor soil structure.

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

According to a document prepared by the Indian Institute of Soil Science on the subject, contrary to increasing food demands, the factor productivity and rate of response of crops to applied fertilizers under intensive cropping systems are declining year after year. The current status of nutrient use efficiency remains quite low for most nutrients. For example, in case of Phosphorus, soil’s nutrient use efficiency has been found to be a meager 15-20 percent; for sulphur 8-12 percent and for nitrogen 30-50 percent. Deterioration in the chemical, physical and biological health of the soils are to blame for this condition.

Conventional practices followed by farmers such as leaving the land fallow for some time to allow it regain its lost nutrition, and appropriate crop rotation have been junked in favour of continuous cropping which has led to declining in Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) content to 0.3 - 0.4 percent in the country when it should ideally be at 1 to 1.5 percent. {Organic matter plays a key role in maintaining soil fertility by holding nitrogen and sulphur in organic forms and other essential nutrients such as potassium and calcium. The loss of organic matter is accelerated by frequent tillage.} Soil organic carbon plays a key role in maintaining soil fertility by holding nitrogen, phosphorous and a range of other nutrients for plant growth, holding soil particles together as stable aggregates improving soil properties such as water holding capacity and providing gaseous exchange and root growth, plays an important role as food source for soil fauna and flora and even suppresses crop diseases and it acts as a buffer against toxic and harmful substances e.g. sorption of toxins and heavy metals.

As a result of human activities releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the carbon pool in the atmosphere has increased and the elevated carbon dioxide is considered to be a contributory factor to the danger of global warming and climate change. Soil organic carbon is the largest component of the terrestrial carbon pools,

approximately twice the amount of carbon in the atmosphere and in vegetation. If more carbon is stored in the soil as organic carbon, it will reduce the amount present in the atmosphere, and therefore help to alleviate the problem of global warming and climate change.

Need for greater investment in organic products All this brings us to the vital question of how we can ensure that India’s growing foodgrain needs are met while at the same time the soil health and fertility is nurtured and improved. And the answer lies in turning the focus on biological products to improve soil health, propagating the judicious use of agrochemicals, reducing excessive dependence on fertilizers and pesticides while also reviving practices such as intelligent crop rotation.

With a long-term vision of improving agricultural sustainability, Insecticides India Limited has embarked on a path of innovation to produce products that can transform the health of India’s battered soil. Our latest innovation Kaya Kalp is a bioproduct that has been created to improve soil’s organic capacity and productivity by replenishing its nutrients, increasing its organic carbon, and improving its physical and chemical properties.

Enhancing sustainable food production through improved soil health is not just the job of the government and cultivators.

The agrochemical industry also has a responsibility to invest with a renewed vigour in biological products that can rejuvenate soil health organically. At the same time, the need of the hour is to educate farmers about what they can do to improve the health of their nutrient depleted soil by following practices such as crop rotation and using organic manure boosters such as cow dung and dried leaves.

It is also pertinent to educate them about judicious use of agrochemicals and attain a fine balance between chemical and organic products – both of which are critical to India’s food sustainability goals.

Author:

Rajesh Aggarwal is Managing Director, Insecticides India Ltd.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

29

TP ELASTOMERS MEDICAL GRADE

MEDICAL GRADE TPE FOR

DIRECT CONTACT WITH

MEDICATIONS

APTAR PHARMA RELIES ON MEDICAL GRADE THERMOPLASTIC ELASTOMERS (TPE) FROM KRAIBURG FOR EYE DROP PACKAGING.

Abu Dhabi Medical Devices Company puts its trust in THERMOLAST® M products of KRAIBURG TPE. The medical grade TPE is used in innovative auto-disable singleuse syringes.

Ophthalmic squeeze dispenser (OSD) from Aptar Pharma with components made of medical grade thermoplastic elastomers of the product group THERMOLAST® M from KRAIBURG TPE for direct contact with medications.

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

BY JOSEF NEUER

A

new ophthalmic squeeze dispenser (OSD) from Aptar Pharma, a leader in drug delivery systems, incorporates several functional components manufactured using a newly developed grade in the THERMOLAST® M family of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) for medical applications from KRAIBURG TPE. Both companies are headquartered in Germany and have multiple manufacturing locations around the world.

The TPE components come into direct contact with the medical eye drop formulation. Because of this, Aptar Pharma requires the use of materials classified as medical grade plastics in compliance with the stringent regulations for the primary packaging of sensitive medications.

Dry eyes can be caused by various medical conditions, such as diabetes, rheumatism and thyroid disorders, and also by draughts or contact lenses, and even prolonged exposure to computer monitors.

Moisturising eye drops are a time-proven remedy. However, they seldom contain preservatives, which cause allergic reactions in many people. Due to its microbiological safety as well as easy and precise dosing capabilities, the ophthalmic squeeze dispenser (OSD) from Aptar Pharma has been in widespread use as a dispenser for eye drops that contain no preservatives for several years. To further optimise the product, the manufacturer sought a thermoplastic processable material that allows direct contact with medications.

KRAIBURG TPE supported Aptar Pharma in choosing the material through to series production with a comprehensive medical technology service package. The result is a new component manufactured from a new THERMOLAST® M material developed

by KRAIBURG TPE for the medical and pharmaceutical market. Stefan Ritsche, president, global market development at Aptar Pharma, has said that in close cooperation with KRAIBURG TPE, his company was able to further improve the exemplary safety and integrity of the OSD, without compromising its intuitive and convenient use.

Guaranteed integrity Aptar Pharma’s OSD is the only repeateduse dosing system in the world thus far approved by the FDA for liquid medications

that do not contain preservatives. The design contains no metal parts whatsoever in the drug flux and is therefore also suitable for very sensitive formulations. The purely mechanical functioning principle of the seal membrane and spring unit eliminates the possibility of microbiological contamination of the liquid.

KRAIBURG TPE has been working in cooperation with Aptar Pharma for a number of years. Early integration in the project allowed KRAIBURG TPE to contribute its full range of know-how and experience and to offer the customer a TPE solution that fulfils all requirements, including the specified sterilisation.

THERMOLAST® M compounds are sterilizable with EtO gas, superheated steam (134°C) or gamma ray treatment (2 x 35 kGy).

Maximum purity and conformity Purity, tolerance, quality, continuous availability and safety of the materials used are top priorities in medical technology and are subject to stringent regulations.

THERMOLAST® M compounds from KRAIBURG TPE are tested in accordance with relevant standards such as USP Class VI, ISO 10993-4 (haemolysis), ISO 10993-5 (cytotoxicity), ISO 1099310 (intracutaneous irritations) and ISO 10993-11 (acute system toxicity). In addition, a drug master file (DMF) for the materials is on file with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). KRAIBURG TPE is committed to consistent adherence to the specified formulation and manufacturing process. Any necessary changes are announced and implemented in accordance with a defined change control process. After announcement of a change, KRAIBURG TPE guarantees delivery for a period of 24 months and also has the purity of the raw materials guaranteed by its suppliers.

More applications with THERMOLAST® M The Aptar Pharma OSD, is just one of numerous high quality pharmaceutical dispensing products that benefit from the use of TPEs approved for medical applications from KRAIBURG. The company is also providing grades of THERMOLAST® M for syringes, for example.

Especially in developing countries, syringes that are contaminated through unauthorized reuse cause innumerable infections, often with life-threatening consequences. In response to this problem, Abu Dhabi Medical Devices Company (ADMD) has developed an Auto Disable syringe (AD syringe), which activates at zero seconds and cannot be refilled and reused. The key to this technology is in the small TPE seals manufactured from THERMOLAST® M: the suction from filling the syringe with liquid activates an integrated one-way valve. After the medicine is injected, a plastic pin in a TPE seal closes the opening to the needle, sealing it reliably. The needle is blocked, preventing reuse of the syringe. This Auto Disable (AD) mechanism effectively eliminates the risk of transmitting infections from one patient to another by pathogens carried by the blood, such as HIV or hepatitis B. Global health organizations such as WHO, UNICEF, PAHO and UNRWA acclaim these syringes and use them in their vaccination programs around the world.

ADMD has also launched a one-of-akind and patented AD Needle, with the same technology as the AD Syringe. The AD Needle can be mounted on singleuse standard syringes or prefilled syringe, transforming them into auto-disable syringes.

“We chose KRAIBURG TPE as our development partner in this ambitious project because THERMOLAST® M has all the relevant ISO 10993 certifications and provides a reliable seal for our system in contact with media,” said Mounir Haddad, General Manager of ADMD. “In combination with extensive support offered by the company with its medical service package, we can be certain of maintaining our high quality requirements and product safety in the future, as well. The cooperation between the two companies extends to two syringe types of different sizes.

Compounds for medical technology or medical applications are manufactured at KRAIBURG TPE only on special equipment reserved for these products.

The company offers its customers in the medical and pharmaceutical sector an extensive service package that ensures maximum control with respect to quality, safety and reliability Author:

Josef Neuer is from Product Management, EMEA at KRAIBURG TPE.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

31

POLYURETHANE ELASTOMERS

KEEP ON ROLLING 32

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

M

illions of sports enthusiasts have them in their homes and use them regularly in their spare time – we’re talking about inline skates. These provide enjoyment for leisure skaters on a gentle skate through parks or along river banks, a rush for speed skaters as they race at a faster pace, or the chance to perfect the tricks and jumps of aggressive inline skating in skate parks. It’s amazing what the little wheels have to withstand – jumping, braking, fast changes in direction – and despite all that, they still need to have a long service life!

What are the most important features of the wheels?

These days, almost all inline skate wheels are made from polyurethane. This is a plastic that is pretty hard and can be used to replace rubber or even metal. LANXESS produces polyurethanes under the brand names Adiprene® and Vibrathane®. “Our family of castable specialist elastomers offers skaters a particularly comfortable ride and good grip. The wheels are very abrasion-resistant, and exhibit low rolling resistance and low heat buildup. This gives them an especially long service life. The material is therefore extremely versatile and meets consumer demand for innovative, comfortable and attractive skate wheels,” explained Michael Timm, head of marketing and development.

The elastomers for inline skates are produced in a variety of hardness grades and wheel sizes. The larger the wheel, the faster you can go, so speed skaters use really big wheels. The tricks in inline skating, on the other hand, require small wheels, as these are much more maneuverable, sturdier and easier to control.

In addition to the size of the wheels, the hardness of the plastic is also vital. The harder the wheels, the faster they are and the longer it takes for them to wear down. Soft wheels, on the other hand, are much slower, but easier for beginners to control.

To meet the various technical requirements, LANXESS offers the wheel producers the chance to jointly develop and customize suitable elastomer formulations in the technical service center. This ensures that inline skaters always have the correct material to meet their requirements.

Thanks to their diverse range of hardnesses, polyurethanes are highly versatile and are used for more than just leisure sports. In fact, hot-cast polyurethanes are so stable they are even used for the cores of roller-coaster wheels. They can withstand enormous loads and speeds without losing their shape or becoming overheated, thus making sure thrill-seekers enjoy a fun ride in safety.

Source: LANXESS

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

33

POLYMERS TRANSPORTATION

ADVANCED POLYMERS HELP TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY

REACT TO

CHANGE 34

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

C

hart this decade’s production figures from the Society of Indian Automotive Manufacturers, and you will need plenty of space on the Y-axis. Total output has climbed from 2.03 million vehicles in 2011, to 2.53 in 2017, a 20 percent increase.

Absolute growth is not the only change coming to India’s transportation industry. Last August the government made waves when it announced its goal of an all-electric vehicle future for India by 2030. Will it come to pass? At this point it is difficult to predict, but it is a safe bet that change will remain a constant in the industry.

Where will the changes take India’s transportation industry, and how can advanced polymers help manufacturers react to change? Consider three trends in the global automotive industry.

Transition to electric vehicles: Whether all vehicles will transit to electric vehicles in the coming decades is debatable, but there will be many more electric vehicles sold in the coming years. “The advent of electric vehicles will create many new opportunities for polymers, in under-the-hood applications but also in vehicle interiors,” said Kelly Wessner, transportationmarketing director, Specialty Engineered Materials, at PolyOne. Interest and demand growth is high, but consumers remain concerned about the limited driving range of electric vehicles, noted Wessner. To increase range, OEMs are considering strong, lightweight polymers to replace metal, because heavier vehicles consume more power and do so at a faster rate.

“Replacing metal with durable polymer components can extend the distance driven per charge while also enabling vehicles to stand up to the normal wear-and-tear of driving,” Wessner said. “For PolyOne, that means interest is high among electric vehicle manufacturers in our advanced composites, including Gordon™ thermoset continuous fiber solutions, Polystrand™ thermoplastic continuous fiber solutions, OnForce™ LFT long fiber reinforced materials, and reSound™ NF natural fiber reinforced materials.”

Replacing metal with polymer-based solutions is not new for the transportation industry, but increasing the range of electric vehicles poses more challenges than simply reducing weight. For example, polymers used in under-the-hood applications must contend with supercharged batteries. “We are seeing increased demand for flame retardant materials in under-thehood applications, as batteries become bigger and more power-dense,” explained Wessner.

Advanced polymers can help manufacturers keep apace of the changes in the transportation industry.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

As batteries increase in size, so too does their weight.

This added weight needs to be offset elsewhere on a vehicle. Managing heat from the batteries also is a concern, and here, thermally conductive polymers may prove an effective solution, Wessner noted.

“The flipside of managing heat from the batteries is managing cold temperatures, which affect battery performance and drop the driving range of vehicles.

PolyOne is collaborating with carmakers interested in its Therma-Tech™ thermally conductive materials to help solve these battery-related thermal challenges at both ends of the range,” she added.

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POLYMERS TRANSPORTATION

Interiors, not Engines, as a Differentiating Factor Car-savvy consumers for a long time have bought vehicles based on a car’s engine, which defined a vehicle’s speed and fuel economy.

As electric vehicles gain market share, the importance of engine technology will drop. OEMs, seeking a way to differentiate, are eyeing a vehicle’s interior as the next battleground for consumers.

Late last year, PolyOne launched its Smartbatch™ Fabric FX color and additive concentrates for automotive interior applications.

These materials help automotive manufacturers design and efficiently manufacture attractive interior parts that mimic the appearance of being covered with textile, explains Gary Fielding, global marketing director for Color & Additives at PolyOne. The technology can also support manufacturers in the consumer goods, furniture, and other industries who want to raise the perceived quality of their products.

Manufacturers applying fabric to polymer parts in a secondary processing step can transit to SmartBatch™ Fabric FX formulations and realize cost savings while increasing flexibility in the production process. Adding textile to a part adds to its consumer appeal; the textile softens the look and feel of the surface. But using textile requires multiple manufacturing steps, as well as managing the purchasing and storage of the textile. The SmartBatch™ Fabric FX solutions provide a manufacturer the flexibility to dose the innovative concentrate directly at an injection molding machine, with ready-to-use parts exiting the mold, explains Gary Fielding. Smartbatch™ Fabric FX masterbatch can be incorporated into many types of polymers, including PP and PC/ABS, the two typically used in automotive interiors. The fabric graining and color can be tailored to maximize interior color harmony.

Potential automotive applications include A-, B- and C-pillars, door panels, and other interior parts. Without the drone of engine

Manufacturers Discuss Challenges, Opportunities during Seminar More than 60 experts from India’s transportation industry joined PolyOne for a seminar in Gurugram to discuss ways that advanced polymers could help support the development of the country’s industry.

“In India we are seeing increased use of 2K (multi-material) molding, and increased use and interest in advanced polymer materials,” said Vikas Vij, managing director of PolyOne’s operations in India.

Manufacturers interested in 2K molding turn to PolyOne for the hard and soft materials, and also for its expertise in the design of these parts. “We are a global leader and one of the very few companies

noise, passengers in electric vehicles will hear more ambient road noise. Thermoplastic elastomers able to dampen the vibration of a vehicle’s components, such as PolyOne’s Versaflex™ VDT materials, can play a part in reducing this noise and improving the driving experience, explained Wessner.

Reduce weight without compromising strength and safety Whether to improve fuel economy or reduce the use of electricity, the shift to lightweight materials will continue. Lightweighting solutions from PolyOne include its OnForce™ LFT long fiber reinforced solutions, which offer a high strength/weight ratio at densities well below those of metals, plus the processability of a thermoplastic. PolyOne also offers solutions such as its OnCap™ foaming agents, which are selected for applications such as instrument panels.

In one case study presented at a recent event in Gurugram, PolyOne’s Devendra Jain, business development manager India for PolyOne, noted that the company’s OnCap™ chemical foaming agents were able to reduce the weight of a 2.5 kg instrument panel (glass fiber reinforced PP) by 9 percent, while the competition—a physical foaming process- only achieved 5-6 percent weight reduction. And in contrast to physical foaming systems, the OnCap™ CFA solution required no capital investment.

These trends offer a quick look at how specialty polymers can help the transportation industry meet its challenges. “We anticipate the trends we have seen in the automotive industry over the last 3-5 years will accelerate,” added Wessner. “Lightweighting will remain a key topic, coupled with passenger comfort, safety, and more efficient manufacturing. These trends pose challenges, but our lineup of solutions for the industry is strong. It’s a great time to be developing new polymer-based solutions for the automotive industry.”

in India able to offer engineered polymers as well as thermoplastic elastomers,” noted Vij. In early 2017 PolyOne added capacity to manufacture formulations based on polyamide, polyacetal, and other engineering thermoplastics, at its facility in Pune. The new capacity enables PolyOne to support customers with specially engineered materials in addition to the color and additive concentrates that already were produced domestically in India.

“Interest among Indian manufacturers in our specialty engineered solutions, such as Bergamid high performance materials, Bergadur reinforced materials, and Maxxam flame retardant formulations, is on the rise. Making these materials available locally highlights our commitment to collaborate more

effectively with customers in India,” said Holger Kronimus, vice president Europe and general manager, Specialty Engineered Materials, at PolyOne. The purpose-built facility in Pune was opened in 2014. Colorants and additives produced there serve multiple enduse markets, including transportation, electronics & electrical, healthcare, wire & cable, and packaging.

“India offers many growth opportunities for our customers, and this facility provides room for expansion as well. Based on the high level of interest from those who attended our seminar in Gurugram, as well as other recent events, future additions may include Therma-Tech™ thermally conductive formulations and LubriOne™ wear-resistant materials,” added Vij.

Source: PolyOne Corporation

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

37

EXPERT VIEWPOINT ENGINEERING PLASTICS

ENGINEERING

THE FUTURE OF PLASTICS Bert Havenith, Strategy & Intelligence Manager, DSM Engineering Plastics discusses how engineering plastics is making its way into the future of engineering in various industries.

BY SHIVANI MODY Global trends and development in engineering plastics.

Some of the prominent trends in the area of engineering plastics include the increased use of high performance plastics such as PA46 (Nylon 46), PPA (polyphthalamides), PPS (polyphenylene sulphide), LCP (liquid crystal polymers) and PEEK (polyetheretherketone). The other notable trend is increased use of specialty grades in all EPs and HPMs; like long-term-heat-stable grades, low-friction grades, thermoconductive grades, laser-directstructuring grades, high barrier grades, highly reinforced grades.

Growth potential for engineering plastics.

There is a tremendous growth potential for engineering plastics in Asia Pacific and India due to multiple factors such as high GDP and industrial production growth. These regions still have relative low usage percentage in cars giving a huge growth opportunity.

Engineering plastics - material of the future Engineering plastics are becoming good replacements for traditional engineering materials such as metals or thermosets in various industries such electrical & electronics, automotive, consumer appliances etc among others. The reason for this shift is mainly due to the quest for, light weighting in automotive, miniaturization and/or thinnovation in electronics and finally, lower system costs (plastics enable function integration within components).

Also different industries have different demands. Specific demands center around global availability of materials, global quality control and global service elements such as CAE design support.

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

Lightweight trends with engineering plastics.

Light weighting with engineering plastics and high performance plastics is already done for decades in automotive, especially in and around the powertrain and in interior; the main known examples here are air inlet manifolds, air ducts, radiator endcaps, oil pans, air bag containers, pedal and pedal boxes etc. Currently metalto-plastic conversion activities center around parts with even more demanding load requirements such as engine mounts, EPS steering housings and structural parts in the body/chassis area.

Engineering plastics requirement in developed and emerging markets.

Engineering plastics usage in Japanese and Chinese and NorthAmerican cars is percentage wise lower than in European cars, which is also partly caused by the fact that tailgate emission legislation are still the most stringent in Europe (something which implies that here in Europe more technology is incorporated to cope with that).

Future applications of engineering plastics.

One of the areas for applications of engineering plastics can be in the automotive industry. The themes related to the auto industry can be around the lower tailgate emissions and lower fuel consumption. Here engineering plastics solutions can be long-term-heat stable grades (< 230 C, 5000 hrs in turbo parts and AIM/CAC). The other can be low friction grades for chain tensioners in timing systems and high stiffness grades for metalto-plastic conversion.

The other themes in the auto industry can be for the connected cars and electrical cars (BEV, PHEV). In this case the engineering plastics solutions can be blisterfree reflow solderable and LDS grades for SMT connectors.

Moreover, low halogen containing e-friendly grades thermoconductive and/or EMI shielding grades (ECUs) and hydrolysis resistant grades (HV battery cooling) can also be the other engineering plastics solutions. Considering the electronics industry some of the themes can be around thinnovation and wearables.

For this, the engineering plastics solutions can be high flowability grades for connectors, structural parts, frames and soft touch grades for wearable straps.

Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s engineering plastics business in Asia Pacific and India markets.

Over 40% of DSMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s engineering plastics turnover is generated in Asia. We have a strong position especially in electronics. We have production units in Greater China, Japan and India. Apart from this, we have our marketing & sales presence in most Asian countries.

R&D focus.

ForTii Ace: high stiffness grades (for metal-to-plastic conversion)

Our team of researchers constantly strive to meet the demands of the customers and have come up with various grades of engineering plastics which are more long term temperature resistant, more chemical resistant, has less friction, has high structural performance, more sustainable etc.

ForTii JDX8: blisterfree reflow solderable

Some of the examples are:

Xytron: dimensional stable, highly chemical resistant grades

Stanyl Diablo: long-term-heat stable grades

Stanyl, ForTii: high flowability grades (connectors, structural parts, frames)

Stanyl HGR2: low friction grades (chain tensioners in timing systems)

ForTii LDS: LDS grades Stanyl TC: hermoconductive and/or EMI shielding grades (ECUs) Akulon HR: hydrolysis resistant grades (HV battery cooling)

Arnitel XG: grades for wearables

Limitations of engineering plastics.

One of the limitations are that the advanced composites are based on carbon fiber reinforcement which are still too expensive for mass produced Light Vehicles (this might change for Battery Electrical Cars).

Impact of crude oil pricing on engineering plastics business.

The crude oil prices have been volatile in recent times and mostly been on the rising trend. This increasing crude oil prices imply increased raw material costs, which have to be passed on towards customers downstream. On the other hand this would in turn provide more opportunities for light weighting solutions based on engineering plastics, as more consumers are requesting for light weight cars in order to offset higher gasoline prices.

Challenges faced by engineering plastics manufacturers.

Among all the challenges, the most dominant one is related to new solutions development and innovation. Increasing amount of diversified grades in portfolio implies a lot of additional costs in the area of quality control, regulatory affairs, OEM spec generation, UL listings to name a few.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

39

EXPERT VIEWPOINT CELLULOSE & PVP

CHANGING CHEMISTRIES

OF CHANGING TIMES Nelson Corda, General Manager of Consumer Specialties at Ashland, Asia Pacific excluding China & Global Sales Director – Home Care & Agro, talks at length about the cellulose & PVP industry and the ways in which it can transform the way India enjoys food. He also talks about the need for emerging countries to embrace new technology and enable businesses to grow.

BY DEBARATI DAS Trends in cellulose ethers, vinyl pyrrolidones market.

Given the green, renewable nature of the chemistry and their inherent functional benefits, cellulose ethers see widespread use within the industry. In paints & coatings, cellulose is used in water based paints to give the right viscosity so that it doesn’t sag and drip. Previously, oil-based and solventbased paints were used, but the industry is now quickly moving towards solvent free and water-based paints, which is giving a major boost to the cellulose business.

In pharma, there is a growing demand for highly functional materials and a lot of innovation is happening in cellulose. We are witnessing similar growth patterns in construction, personal care, and food industries as well. In food, however, challenges remain as the raw material is not yet approved. Once cellulose is approved for this use, for example in instant noodles,

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

it’s consumption will increase substantially.

Similarly, Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) is a time-tested chemistry. Pharma grade PVP is used extensively in pharmaceutical products most of which are for the export market. Customers are increasingly aware of the high-quality and consistency provided by the company. Large Indian pharma companies and strong branded medicines do try to maintain the global standards.

The government is aware of this quality gap in ingredients and is now tightening the norms to use the same quality standards as the US and EU markets for Indian finished pharmaceutical medicines, and this should help rejuvenate the pharma grade PVP market in India.

Sectors showing increased demand for cellulose ethers and PVP. Sectors such as pharma, food and personal care are witnessing huge growth. There is a

huge growth potential in the food industry which has numerous cellulosic applications.

There are already certain products which use cellulose like food, drinks with pulp-like ingredient in them which are nothing but hydrocolloids combined with cellulose to give that pulpy texture. Going forward, cellulose can play a bigger role in developing the Indian food industry. Our company is always solving, and here we are launching different grades of cellulose for food industries. Products like whipped cream, which is not easily available in India, will soon enter the market. We will also see cellulose in different formats of food - like fruit juices converted into jelly and ice creams which are creamier and have a richer flavour.

Meeting customer demands.

Our customers are still learning about the applications and use of our products.

To educate them and increase their

understanding of the value we bring, we have set up various labs across India for pharma, coatings and personal care. We strive to formulate products and provide solutions to customers depending on their specific needs. As solvers, we understand our customer needs and create and apply specialized chemistry in ways that enable customers to amplify the efficacy, refine the usability, add to the allure, ensure the integrity, and improve the profitability of their products and applications.

Comparing developed markets with emerging markets.

Innovation in the developed market is amazing, and most of the development that is happening in Europe and the US, are later transferred to other parts of the world. When you support a new trend in the market, it involves a lot of investment in terms of launching the product, selling it and bearing the risk of failure. In the western world, because of huge consumer base most companies can afford to take the risk, develop new formats and applications, and finally reap huge rewards when the products are a success. It is only then that the emerging countries take charge and bring the technologies and the products to their countries. Not many innovations from the emerging countries go to the developed countries. But the trend is slowly changing and many innovations are happening here too. Increasingly we’re seeing larger companies in Asia and India invest in unique differentiated products for local market needs. The company is well positioned to help drive and support these efforts and we have a network of high-end applications and R&D laboratories in the region to support these needs.

Company’s business footprint in Asia.

We have three reportable segments Specialty Ingredients, a global leader in cellulose ethers, vinyl pyrrolidones and biofunctionals.

Specialty Ingredient’s end markets offer comprehensive and innovative solutions for today’s demanding consumer and industrial applications. For these end markets, key customers include: pharmaceutical companies; makers of personal care products, food and beverages; makers of nutraceuticals and supplements; manufacturers of paint, coatings and construction materials; packaging and converting; and oilfield service companies.

Our second segment, Composites, is a global leader in unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins and gel coats.

The products in the Composites business provide an array of functional properties including corrosion resistance, fire retardance, ultraviolet resistance, water and chemical resistance, high mechanical strength, impact and scratch resistance

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

and high strength-to-weight ratios. Key end markets include transportation, construction, marine and infrastructure.

The third segment is Intermediates and Solvents, which is a leading producer of 1,4 butanediol (BDO) and related derivatives, including tetrahydrofuran and n-methylpyrrolidone. These products are used as chemical intermediates in the production of engineering polymers and polyurethanes, and as specialty process solvents in a wide array of applications including electronics, pharmaceuticals, water filtration membranes and more.

We have a strong presence in India and over the past few years, we have rapidly grown to become a sizeable business with growth as the cornerstone for the company.

Ashland is present in India through six sites, including joint manufacturing, sales and warehouse facilities.

Company’s R&D focus.

At Ashland, as solvers, we are always working on innovations. One recent innovation was to deliver medicine through a controlled dosage. Medicine dose can be controlled if it is in the form of powder or capsule, but the same is difficult in liquid form. The amount of liquid medicine ejected from a tube or a bottle depends on the force applied by different people on the medicine container and hence it is difficult to control the right dosage. A customer came to us with this problem. We used our cellulosic technology to convert this liquid formulation into a gel of certain viscosity and then worked with a packaging company to develop a unique nozzle aperture. With this, no matter how much pressure was applied on the tube, the right amount of liquid dose medicine is ejected.

In another example, our lab worked with the customer to develop Metformin tablet which has the same active ingredient in a smaller size of tablet. This makes it easier to swallow for older patients. These are big successes in the Indian market.

Company’s functional polymers for better bio-availability of complex drugs.

When developing these kinds of polymers, you must do a lot of research on how the polymers take the active ingredients into the system. It depends not just on our polymers but also the expertise of our customers who formulate together. Bio-availability is becoming of immense importance because if a product is not bio-available, then the medicine that you consume simply passes through and is excreted out of the body. Our polymers can enable the active ingredients in such a way that the polymers start biodegrading and begin releasing the active ingredients into the system for maximum benefit. Similarly, we

have bio adhesive polymers. For example, a customer wanted its product to give 24 hours’ activity. Our polymer, GantrezTM, fixated the active ingredients in the mouth and as the polymer biodegrades, the active ingredient has a slow and sustained release in the mouth providing activity for 24 hours. A lot of research is being done in our molecular R&D facility in the US.

Challenges faced.

The biggest challenge in India and other emerging markets is that they want the best quality product at the cheapest price.

But it doesn’t work that way. Any modern technology starts a bit expensive to recover the investment for R&D. But the emerging markets do not want to pay the initial price and instead want to adopt the technology only when the global volume rises and the prices come down. This is a trend happening all over the world. But now certain countries are reversing this trend. China, for instance, which focused on volume at very cheap price, are now focusing on quality and regulations. They have realized that there is a limit to cutting down on prices and there is a certain basic quality parameter that needs to be maintained.

We see India trending in the right direction and becoming a highly quality conscious market not just because of global business or government regulations, but also because the level of awareness among people has risen significantly. Customers are not just reading the labels behind every packet they buy, but are also researching the products, the ingredients, and the organization to assure the quality of the product. In the next ten years, we expect India to be moving towards a very strong quality platform with premium products rather than mass products.

Sustainability in business.

A few of our raw materials come from cotton, wood pulp, and guar. We buy the raw materials preferably from sustainable sources and ensure that we are developing a circle wherein whatever we are consuming is produced back to not deplete our resources.

Company’s growth plans.

We are constantly looking for opportunities to expand and strengthen our base in India. We already have two manufacturing partners in India – a composites plant in Kandla and a defoamer plant in Pune district. We are also aiming to target our local domestic market in the pharma and food business. We plan to expand our blending units for our food business and are looking for active Indian partners for our agro business. Over the last decade, we have grown significantly and have heavily invested in our labs in India.

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ASSOCIATION PLASTICS INDUSTRY

PLASTICKING

SUSTAINABLE GROWTH Harshad Desai, Chairman, All India Plastic Manufacturersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association (AIPMA) Seminar Committee talks at length how plastics can help shape a better life. He also speaks about the dire need for the industry to innovate and be sustainable enough to survive.

Desai is also the Co-chairman of AIPMA Technology Centre, Business Advisor at Bloom Seal Packaging Pvt Ltd and Ex-executive Director at Hitech Plast Ltd.

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BY SHIVANI MODY Opportunity for the plastics industry in India.

Plastic products give great opportunities to entrepreneurs, specially small and medium scale industries. Plastics are used in household, packaging, pharma, medical, engineering etc fields. There is a greater awareness for using grinding-scrap and recycled plastics for auto, road, clothing, carpets etc. Only the PET bottle scrap industry is more than Rs 3500 crore industry, excluding the use of HD, LD and PP etc material’s consumption, which is much more than PET and other engineering plastics. Plastic wastage is being used for fertilisers, fuel energy, road building etc. Approximately 2 ton of scrap is used in 1 km of road building. There are different grade of plastics for each fields. There are unlimited opportunities and prospects for plastic products in all fields. Today household, pharma and automobile industries are making maximum use of plastic components.

R&D and innovation in the plastics industry.

In India, processors are competing with international products & markets, with latest technology & machines. Many governments e.g. Andhra govt. have started making plastic roads. Various governments have started implementing the law for use of plastic scrap and education, awareness and training is being given to manufacturers & users. Today in India, 70 percent of plastic is being reused in form of second-scrap plastic in processing products. Organizations like All India Plastic Manufacturers Association (AIPMA) and Plastindia Foundation, are regularly organizing exhibitions, seminars to educate and bring the latest technology in India, giving all knowledge to manufacturers to produce world class products and compete in the open market. We have institute like CIPET to help and guide-train the youngsters, students. AIPMA is taking a lead in setting up an international standard Plastic University to educate and train people. AIPMA is also starting a one of its kind training and testing centre in Mumbai, at AIPMA house II, which will also have R&D facilities.

Improving plastics industry’s business activities in Asia Pacific markets.

The original RCEP negotiations among sixteen partner countries, including Ten ASEAN Member countries and its dialogue partners Australia-China-Japan-New Zealand- South Korea are at crucial stage, India already has FTA agreement with ASEAN as a whole & comprehensive bilateral FTA agreement with Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. India is also negotiating separate bilateral FTA with Australia and New Zealand for several years. On the other hand, India has had limited experience in undertaking trade negotiations with China.

Only agreement with both countries, are part of Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) that is limited preferential trade agreement. India and China trade has grown manifold, India’s import in 2015-16 was about $61.7 billion but the export value was only $9.1 billion in the same year. India has to improve here. The methodology should be studied to understand how the other trade partners are faring with China with the use of FTA. Our export promotion council needs to study and meet the industry representatives, government officials, think tanks and

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

our embassy. Indian government & industries will have to take bold steps to cut imports and increase export to Asian countries.

We will have to give priority for the import of essential products, mother machineries & necessities. At the same time control the import of non-essentials and other household, electronic products by imposing higher duties to protect small and medium scale industries. Indian government should give extra incentives to export oriented industries to improve the balance of payment.

Making plastics environment friendly & sustainable.

Indian industries should be trained and educated to basic environmental and friendly manufacturing processes.

Manufacturers should not produce films, bags below 50 microns, people should be trained to keep dry and wet scraps separately.

AIPMA and other organisations have started activities in this direction by putting bottle grinding machines at various places and metro stations. At present more than 12,000 numbers of bottles as being grinded at metro stations. AIPMA has generously contributed by way of finance and physical interaction to clean Versova beach and help in Swachh Bharat program. AIPMA is also encouraging the use of Bio degradable plastics and steps are already being taken for the maximum use of bio degradable plastics to make environment clean and healthy. AIPMA with the help of various governments is taking the initiative to establish plastic parks at various locations, keeping in mind the environment friendly atmosphere.

Suggestions for the chemical/raw material providers for the plastics industry.

Plastic products are petroleum products. All raw materials are blended with chemicals. The different grades like PVC, PET etc, are made with the help of chemical formulation. The proper blending, composition can help standardise the products and processes, to reduce pollution.

Issues faced by Indian plastics manufacturers.

Plastic products are replacing aluminium, paper and glass. The basic raw material of this industry is petroleum hence the major worry is fluctuation in basic price of raw materials. Since it is not controlled the prices keep changing and it is difficult to control the production and selling prices. In India, electricity is yet another major worry. The cost is high and supply is not regular. Electricity is nearly 1/3rd of the cost of plastic products.

GST has also played a big role by reducing the percentage in some products, but it still needs correction. Government should charge NIL duty GST on scrap to encourage the use of more scrap and help control the cost. Exporters are facing major problem in collecting their GST refund from the government. In spite of assurance from various departments, the process is still not user friendly. Exporters should be given higher subsidies and more encouragement to help the industry to compete in international market. Indian industries should make maximum use of second- scrap materials. Training centres and institute should help the plastic industries to meet today’s quality and quantity demands. Indian entrepreneurs are capable to deliver the goods and be leaders in international market.

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GREEN CHEMISTRY GLOWING PLANTS TO REPLACE LAMPS Illumination from nanobionic plants might one day replace some electrical lighting.

I

magine that instead of switching on a lamp when it gets dark, you could read by the light of a glowing plant on your desk.

MIT engineers have taken a critical first step toward making that vision a reality.

By embedding specialized nanoparticles into the leaves of a watercress plant, they induced the plants to give off dim light for nearly four hours. They believe that, with further optimization, such plants will one day be bright enough to illuminate a workspace.

The researchers used silica nanoparticles about 10 nanometers in diameter to carry luciferase, and they used slightly larger particles of the polymers PLGA and chitosan to carry luciferin and coenzyme A, respectively. To get the particles into plant leaves, the researchers first suspended the particles in a solution. Plants were immersed in the solution and then exposed to high pressure, allowing the particles to enter the leaves through tiny pores called stomata.

“The vision is to make a plant that will function as a desk lamp — a lamp that you don’t have to plug in. The light is ultimately powered by the energy metabolism of the plant itself,” said Michael Strano, the Carbon P. Dubbs professor of chemical engineering at MIT and the senior author of the study.

The researchers’ early efforts at the start of the project yielded plants that could glow for about 45 minutes, which they have since improved to 3.5 hours. The light generated by one 10-centimeter watercress seedling is currently about one-thousandth of the amount needed to read by, but the researchers believe they can boost the light emitted, as well as the duration of light, by further optimizing the concentration and release rates of the components.

This technology could also be used to provide low-intensity indoor lighting, or to transform trees into self-powered streetlights, the researchers said.

MIT postdoc Seon-Yeong Kwak is the lead author of the study, which appears in the journal Nano Letters.

Plant transformation Previous efforts to create light-emitting plants have relied on genetically engineering plants to express the gene for

luciferase, but this is a laborious process that yields extremely dim light. The method developed by Strano’s lab could be used on any type of plant.

For future versions of this technology, the researchers hope to develop a way to paint or spray the nanoparticles onto plant leaves, which could make it possible to transform trees and other large plants into light sources.

“Our target is to perform one treatment when the plant is a seedling or a mature plant, and have it last for the lifetime of the plant,” Strano says. “Our work very seriously opens up the doorway to streetlamps that are nothing but treated trees, and to indirect lighting around homes.”

The researchers have also demonstrated that they can turn the light off by adding nanoparticles carrying a luciferase inhibitor.

This could enable them to eventually create plants that shut off their light emission in response to environmental conditions such as sunlight, the researchers said.

The research was funded by the US Department of Energy.

Nanobionic Plants Plant nanobionics, a new research area pioneered by Strano’s lab, aims to give plants novel features by embedding them with different types of nanoparticles. The group’s goal is to engineer plants to take over many of the functions now performed by electrical devices.

Lighting, which accounts for about 20 percent of worldwide energy consumption, seemed like a logical next target. To create their glowing plants, the MIT team turned to luciferase, the enzyme that gives fireflies their glow. Luciferase acts on a molecule called luciferin, causing it to emit light.

Another molecule called co-enzyme A helps the process along by removing a reaction byproduct that can inhibit luciferase activity.

The MIT team packaged each of these three components into a different type of nanoparticle carrier. The nanoparticles, which are all made of materials that the US Food and Drug Administration classifies as “generally regarded as safe,” help each component get to the right part of the plant.

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Illumination of a book (“Paradise Lost,” by John Milton) with the nanobionic light-emitting plants (two 3.5-week-old watercress plants). The book and the light-emitting watercress plants were placed in front of a reflective paper to increase the influence from the light emitting plants to the book pages.

SORGHUM CULTIVARS CAN PRODUCE THOUSANDS OF GALLONS OF ETHANOL Scientists see a future in which we convert sorghum to biofuel, rather than relying on fossil fuel.

S

weet sorghum is not just for breakfast anymore. Although sorghum is a source for table syrup, scientists see a future in which we convert sorghum to biofuel, rather than relying on fossil fuel.

That potential just grew as University of Florida researchers found three UF/IFASdeveloped sorghum varieties could produce up to 1,000 gallons of ethanol per acre.

“Sweet sorghum has the potential to be an effective feedstock for ethanol production,” said Wilfred Vermerris, a UF/IFAS professor of microbiology and cell science and a co-author on the study.

Ethanol produced from sweet sorghum can be used for auto and jet fuel, UF/IFAS researchers said.

UF/IFAS researchers picture big fuel potential from sorghum partly because it’s

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

so abundant. Sorghum is the fifth largest cereal crop in the world and the third largest in the United States, according to the US Department of Agriculture. In 2014, the US was the largest producer of sorghum in the world. UF/IFAS scientists like sorghum because it can be cultivated twice a year in Florida, requires little fertilizer, uses water efficiently and can be drought resistant, UF/IFAS research showed.

For a newly published study, UF/IFAS scientists wanted to see if they could use the three sweet sorghum cultivars as raw material for bioethanol production.

Eulogio Castro, a former visiting assistant professor at UF/IFAS and lead author of the study, worked with UF/IFAS researchers to grow the sorghum cultivars at the UF/IFAS Plant Science Research and Education Unit

in Citra, Florida. Castro is now a researcher at the University of Jaen in Spain.

Once researchers grew and harvested the sorghum, they took it to the UF/IFAS Stan Mayfield Biorefinery Pilot Plant in Perry, Florida. There, they processed the crop and collected the sugar-rich juice from the stems, which could be directly fermented to fuel ethanol. The bagasse — the dry, pulpy residue left after extracting the juice from the plant — was processed to generate an additional source of fermentable sugars that could also be converted to ethanol.

They found potential for the crop to produce up to 1,000 gallons ethanol per acre from the combined juice and bagassederived sugars.

The new study is published in the journal Industrial Crops & Products.

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SECTOR VIEW BIOPLASTICS

A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION

TO OUR PLASTIC NEEDS A

polythene bag for grocery, a disposable coffee cup, a discarded broken toy- there are so many plastic items that we discard everyday which ends up in the landfills, polluting and degrading our planet bit by bit. If only these things were made of bio-based plastics, imagine the difference that we can make to the world.

© icis.com

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

BY DEBARATI DAS

D

espite rising environmental concerns and an even bigger concern over the amount of plastic waste chocking the ecology posing a serious threat to the biodiversity of the planet, plastics form an integral part of each of our lives. At any point of time, knowingly or unknowingly, we have at least one item made of plastic on us. This only proves, that despite not being very environment friendly, plastic as a material, has an invincible role to meet our daily requirements.

Nonetheless, the world is becoming more aware of the grave consequences that lies ahead. And hence, international brands are doubling their efforts to keep their carbon counts low and are switching to better, safer materials for their products; customers are making a conscious decision of choosing an ecologically safe material over plastic; and people are making individual efforts of minimizing the use of plastics in their daily lives.

So, although the need for the qualities of this material will never diminish, it is time that plastic evolves and transforms into a more biodegradable and environment friendly alternative. Various companies are working on different types of materials that can replace plastics. And among all the materials, bioplastics is carving a niche of its own.

Bioplastics are the family of plastics derived from renewable feedstocks such as corn, sugarcane and cellulose. These biobased plastics are eco-friendly in numerous ways- they are produced from renewable feedstocks, there is no dependence on fossil fuel and they have the potential to reduce carbon footprint therefore reduce global warming. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The shocking amount of landfill waste shows the urgent need for big brands to accelerate work in new, sustainable materials such as bioplastics. Bioplastics can now perform almost exactly like petroleum-based plastics under mechanical stress and at boiling temperatures,â&#x20AC;? said Paul Mines, CEO, Biome Bioplastics.

Biodegradable bioplastics degrade completely through biological actions, into biomass, carbon dioxide or methane, and water. All this is reinforcing the plastics industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s effort to create a sustainable material and although it is yet to reach its

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

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SECTOR VIEW BIOPLASTICS

full potential, several brands, companies and industries have begun making bioplastics as their material of choice.

“Making the change to bio-based sources is a multi-step journey. It is not a one-step process, nor an easy one at that, because ready-made solutions just don’t exist.

Solutions need to start from scratch,” said Erin Simon, deputy director of packaging and material science at World Wildlife Fund.

Not just its eco-friendly nature, but easy availability of feedstocks and favourable government policies are also the reasons why manufacturers are eager to shift to biobased plastics. This popularity of bio based plastics is also leading to new trends in the end user industries. Bioplastics are now being used in numerous industries such as rigid packaging, flexible packaging, textiles, consumer goods, agriculture, construction, electrical & electronics among others.

According to Research and Markets report, the global bioplastics market size is expected to grow at a CAGR between 28% and 28.5% between 2017 and 2023. Packaging is one of the major sectors to experiment with biodegradable plastics since packaging is needed in enormous quantity but for the shortest period, resulting in the accumulation of huge amount of waste.

The use of bio plastics in the packaging industry is changing the dynamics of the industry by drastically decreasing and/or recycling the accumulated waste.

Currently, even though, bioplastics for packaging markets represent a small share of the global plastic packaging market value, it has a high growth potential in the future. According to a new research from Smithers Pira, the global bioplastics for packaging industry alone is forecast to grow from 2017–2022 at an annual average rate of 17% to a market value of almost $7.2 billion.

Bottles manufacturing also accounts for a large share in this industry and is expected to grow manifolds by 2020. In 2015, CocaCola was the first company to use the world’s first PET plastic bottle made entirely

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

from plant materials. Their PlantBottle™ packaging used groundbreaking technology to create a fully recyclable plastic bottle made from renewable plant materials and made plant-based packaging alternative a reality. Following the suit, many companies are now reaching out to bioplastics to reduce the enormous number of plastic bottles piling up in landfills. Food service disposables is another category which is fast picking up pace. Several countries have begun to ban single-use food serviceware made of conventional plastics to be replaced with material which are not just compostable, but home compostable. This is opening a huge opportunity for new research and development for compostable plastics.

Several innovations happening across the globe is opening up new opportunities for bioplastics. Eastman Chemical Company, a leading producer of cellulosic materials, recently introduced Eastman TRĒVA™, a breakthrough in engineering bioplastics with a superior combination of sustainability and safety benefits, end-use performance improvements, and design and brand flexibility. The bioplastic material can be used in numerous applications like eyeglass frames, wearable electronics, headphones, and many other personal devices that come in direct contact with the skin; electronics, housings, intricate cosmetics cases, and other products which require high design and complex specifications; and automotive interior components which needs chemical resistance along with will providing aesthetics. “Eastman leveraged nearly 100 years of cellulosic expertise in the design and testing of TRĒVA™ to meet the improved sustainability profile and performance needs of brands, fabricators, molders, and other companies across the value chain,” said Burt Capel, vice president and general manager of Eastman’s Specialty Plastics business unit.

Another company, Biome Bioplastics, is working towards dramatically cutting down on the wastage of coffee cups with its takeaway beverage cups made from plantbased sources including plant starches and tree by-products such as cellulose.

According to the company, this is the first time that such bioplastic materials for disposable cups and lids have been made that are fully compostable and recyclable.

“For such a simple product, disposing of a single coffee cup is a very complex problem.

Most cups are lined with oil-based plastic and the lids made of polystyrene making recycling impossible, even when placed in the right bin. When 2.5 billion takeaway cups are thrown away each year, and less than one per cent are recycled, each cup adds up,” said Mines. “Our solution is making biopolymers that can be made into fully biodegradable coffee cup and lid combinations. The result being a bio-based takeaway cup disposable either in a paper recycling stream or food waste stream. In appropriate composting conditions our cups and lids will disappear to carbon dioxide and water within three months,” he added.

Stringent government rules imposed in many countries have already seen a sharp switch to bioplastics. But reports suggest that by 2020, Asia Pacific region will be the largest consumer of bioplastics globally followed by North America and Europe.

Eco-friendly initiatives by corporates and abundant availability of raw materials for manufacturing bioplastics are prominent factors driving growth in Asia Pacific bioplastics market. However, high cost of production is one of the major factors that is hampering the industry growth. But the good news is that more and more companies are taking up their share of responsibility towards maintaining sustainability.

While the potential for bioplastic market is huge, the actual usage of these materials will largely depend on whether manufacturers can grow their production capabilities fast enough to meet the demand providing them at an acceptable cost and performance levels as per various industry standards. Several researches across the globe are working to make bioplastics a reality by deriving it from new sources of feedstocks including bagasse, wood chips, straw, switch grass, etc and thereby finding new ways of addressing the challenges associated with bioplastics.

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49

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS SOUTH EAST ASIA

RISE OF THE CHEMICAL SECTOR

BY NAMRATA SHARMA

B

eing an important financial hub, South East Asia is home to some of the preeminent emerging countries in the world. The region, by and large, has continued to export raw materials and import manufactured goods. The chemical industry in the region is on a solid footing, with Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand among the lucrative markets. Singapore too has emerged as one of the leading chemical industry hubs with petrochemical and specialty chemical products creating a window of opportunity. Singapore is further expanding its chemical industry by focusing on high value-added specialty chemicals. A majority of leading chemical companies run their manufacturing and research & development centers in South East Asia. South East Asia chemical sector produces all three ie. basic, specialty and consumer chemicals.

Singapore Offers Promising Outlook for Specialty Chemicals Singapore is home to some of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest chemical plants. The hub of the chemical industry in Singapore is Jurong Island. Singapore currently plays host to over 100 leading chemical companies.

Specialty chemical companies are shifting from developing products to solutions.

Hence, various research institutes in Singapore offer industry-relevant research and development through collaboration with companies to develop innovative solutions. For instance, the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) located at Jurong Island is focusing on supporting top chemical companies to develop new solutions. Moreover, in

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

order to comply with regulatory and environmental standards, companies are focusing on developing eco-friendly solutions.

The growing demand from end-use industries has increased growth prospects for various specialty chemicals such as specialty polymers, electronic chemicals, and mining chemicals. Singapore is likely to further expand the chemical industry by producing specialty chemicals that serve areas such as offshore and marine engineering, lubricants and water treatment. Hence, many chemical companies have benefited from leveraging Singapore as their manufacturing hub.

Singapore continues to support chemical industry, as various initiatives by the government are underway to improve sustainability and competitiveness of Jurong Island. For example, Jurong Island Version 2.0 initiative focuses on providing alternative feedstock sources including LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) to reduce the cost of the plants.

Chemical companies in South East Asia are also focusing on improving efficiency, productivity and flexibility by implementing automation and digitalization systems at the chemical plants. Also meeting the demand for complex chemical production processes.

Economic Growth in South East Asia to Boot Sector According to the United Nations and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, economic growth in South East Asia is likely to reach 4.8 percent in 2018. South East

Asia has witnessed a remarkable economic progress in the recent years. Much of its growth is attributed to its expanding labor force and shift of workers from agriculture to manufacturing. In order to sustain economic growth many companies are focusing on multiplying their productivity.

The ASEAN, comprising ten Southeast Asian states is focusing on challenges restricting foreign investment, and to build critical foundations including logistics, infrastructure, and skilled workforce.

Moreover, chemicals under HS Code 29 and 39 are among the top 10 commodities traded within ASEAN countries.

A recent news report also noted that uncertainty in gas price is discouraging investment to develop petrochemical plants in Indonesia. Chemical and pharmaceutical industries are a vital source of direct investment in the country.

In the recent years, South East Asia has also witnessed a growth in bio-based materials and chemicals. Innovative biobased chemical technologies are creating opportunities in countries like Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Malaysia, being the second largest producer of palm oil is currently focusing on new oleochemicals, while Thailand is concentrating on bioplastics. Meanwhile, lack of support by the government and infrastructure presents challenges for bio-based chemicals in Indonesia.

According to a 3rd Summit Meeting on Chemical Regulations in Asia Pacific, hazardous substance law is being revised for South East Asia. Vietnam is also planning to establish its own chemical

inventory likely to be published in 2018.

Meanwhile, Indonesia is coming up with the national database, as per the definition of GHS, more substance may be considered as hazardous. For now, within Asia, only China, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea have established a national existing chemical inventory and have also defined requirements for registration of new chemical.

Chemical companies are actively focused on mergers and acquisitions to diversify and establish themselves in high-growth markets. Chemical companies are shifting their focus from commodity chemicals to intermediates and performance chemicals.

Product areas such as isocyanates, acrylic acid, polyamide intermediates and C4 chain chemicals are some of the new targets.

Ease of doing business in South East Asia still poses some challenges. In various

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

countries in South East Asia, there are different policies and procedures for getting investment licenses, taxation, customs formalities, etc. Moreover, external factors such as adoption of new trade policies by the US Administration or UK leaving the European Union can result in the uncertain growth of the chemical market in South East Asia in the near future.

Meanwhile, changing political dynamics in ASEAN region is leading towards the complex and unpredictable regulations in many countries. Policy uncertainty, particularly in Philippines and Indonesia holds a moderate risk. On the other hand, corruption is one of the notable risks for businesses operating in the ASEAN region.

Management of Chemical Waste in South East Asia Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia are the countries in South East Asia that still lack the knowledge on safe disposal

of chemical wastes. However, chemical companies in South East Asia have started investing in the advanced solutions to manage the chemical and hazardous waste.

Moreover, standards and regulations have also been established in ASEAN countries for waste management. Companies are increasingly adopting biological treatment, stabilization, chemical oxidation and reduction to treat chemical and hazardous waste. Meanwhile, Suez, Glow Energy and WHA Utilities and Power have started working on a first waste-to-energy power plant in South East Asia.

The safe manufacture, use and the disposal of various types of chemical are some of the biggest concerns among the regional and national governments. Hence, chemical sector is moving towards handling complex challenges by implementing new procedures and advanced technologies in order to comply with increasingly stringent environmental standards.

Author: Namrata Sharma is Features Writer at Future Market Insights.

51

INSIGHTS COLOR TRENDS 2019

COLORS TO BECOME MUTED FOR 2019:

CONSUMERS COME TO GRIPS

WITH A COMPLEX WORLD

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

C

lariant released ColorForward® 2019, the 13th edition of the annual color forecasting guide for the plastics industry.

In 2019, consumers can be expected to feel increasingly frustrated by complications and distractions that make it difficult to focus long enough to complete even important tasks. They’ll also feel like things that used to be predictable and dependable have gone out of control. Amid these confusing and unsettling circumstances, Clariant trend-watchers predict a heightened awareness and appreciation for the unique creativity, intuition and artistry that make people human. And, we will see the rise of millennials, particularly in Africa, as they begin to demonstrate a new kind of self-awareness, individuality and confidence.

“As far back as 2014, while working on ColorForward 2016, we began to see consumers becoming more introspective and even a little fearful about what was happening in their world,” recalled Judith van Vliet, ColorWorks® designer and a leader of the ColorForward team. “That gloominess, reflected in colors that were muted, softer, darker and even ambiguous, has persisted. Although the palette for 2019 is still toned down and more than a little grey, we see in it a growing sense of resolve and determination to find ways to live happily in our increasingly technical world.”

Colors and Trends for 2019 Each issue of ColorForward identifies four global trend themes and then matches each with five colors that can be expected to evoke emotional responses related to that trend.

Do not disturb This trend theme is based on the idea that technology makes it very easy for people to become distracted. We have realms of information at our fingertips, but every Google search turns up other interesting stories and ads that beg for attention. We

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

can communicate across the world in an instant, but it seems that emails and texts arrive constantly, cluttering our minds.

Increasingly, people look for ways to focus on a single task. This leads them to work outside the office or organize days without distractions – so-called Cave Days. Overwhelmed by choice, consumers welcome what’s become known as “antichoice architecture,” which intentionally limits product options to make decisions easier.

The color palette is simple: like pastels, they are serene, soft, and minimal, though all but one – a transparent light green dubbed ‘focus’ – have a dusty cast that quiets them even further. A slightly grey white, for instance, is called ‘white noise,’ and a greenish blue is named ‘ἀταραξία von has fidanken’, a Greek word for calmness or composure.

CTRL+F This trend story is more fearful, focusing mainly on the apparent loss of control (or the wish for greater control) we experience in a world where exascale computers can become reality; where ‘post-truth’ describes an era when objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief; where social media, which was first used to connect people, is now used to actively filter what we see. We have begun to wonder at what point we lose control.

Colors representing the CTRL+F trend are ambiguous, enigmatic, and contrasting: – both light and dark, solid and transparent, with two of the five including a glitter effect.

One of those is a smoky, translucent black named ‘The Unknown: now boarding.’ A neon orange (‘The dawn of robotocene’) is punchy, energetic and somehow synthetic, while a Champagne gold (‘Mirroring human,’) is a dynamic neutral.

Made in Human In our increasingly technical world, we can still take some comfort and pride in the

things that make us uniquely human. For instance, we can program a computer to recognize emotions, although only we can experience them. Humans are also creative and social. We have individuality and intuition. We can dream.

One of the color chips (called ‘ColorWorks, Untitled, 2017, ABS on ABS, 9x6 cm,’ like the work of art it is) is made by 3D printing, a first for ColorForward. This 3D-printed plaque is canvas-beige in color with a brush stroke of purple symbolizing the human creativity in this machine-made artifact.

Other colors include, ‘One face, one human race’ that is a totally random combination of several colors, making every chip unique, and yet all are part of the same family.

Umswenko Ask someone from outside Africa what Umswenko is and they are unlikely to know the meaning of this Zulu word.

Ask someone in Africa the same question and you will get answers as diverse as the continent. It’s a style. It’s an attitude.

It’s a way of being individual while also remembering your heritage and seeing an Africa that is more positive than the one portrayed in mass media. Today, 1.1 billion ‘Afrillenials’ are entering the workforce, bringing boundless energy and optimism. African versions of Silicon Valley are springing up in many countries while Nollywood, the film industry hub flourishing in Nigeria, turns out 2600 films per year. Umswenko is behind it all.

The colors chosen to represent this trend are not stereotypically African. They are the brightest of the ColorForward 2019 palettes, and yet they are somewhat toned down. They are juicy and energetic like ‘Tribeat,’ an apricot orange, or a jade green called ‘La Sape.’ This word describes a flamboyant style of dress adopted by socalled Congolese Dandies who, despite crushing poverty, spend lavishly of colorful clothing that they use to assert their independence and dignity.

53

INSIGHTS OPPORTUNITY IN CHINA MARKET

N: O G A R Y D T L E H A I T C G E N I P S E S E N I BEFRIEND H C S IN

E I T I N U T R OPPO

T E K R A M S L A C I CHEM

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

BY VIEJAY BHATIA Chinese specialty chemicals market In the last decade, China’s specialty chemicals market has been the fastest growing specialty chemicals market when compared to the rest of the world.

The Chinese government’s increased environmentally responsible stance, coupled with a higher standard of living have increased the demand for innovative products.

Between 2003 and 2013, China increased its specialty chemical market’s value from $128 billion to $1361 billion. The annual growth rate during this period showed an astounding 25%, compared to much smaller 4% and 3% in the NAFTA region or Europe respectively. Hence, it is not surprising to see that China has already surpassed the US in 2009 as the country with the highest market value for specialty chemicals.

The annual growth rate of the global chemicals market for the years until 2020 is pegged at 8% with China having obtained up to 40% of the global market share by then. The expected market value for 2020 is an incredible $2.06 trillion, compared to the global market value estimated at $5.16 trillion which underlines the dominant position as the world’s largest specialty chemicals market. The conditions are ideal for specialty chemical producers who can provide lightweight, innovative chemicals such as polymers and specialty coatings which are sought after, e.g. for cost-effective car manufacturing.

The domestic demand in China continues to show an upward trend for specialty chemicals, chiefly in the automotive, manufacturing, electronics, along with the energy, cosmetics and the food industry as they are all witnessing a boom at a rapid pace. All of these industries are in need of specialty chemicals which further increase the demand for production and import too.

Current trade trends, opportunity for Indian Specialty Chemical firms While China is in need of world-class organic chemicals more than ever, at this moment, the Chinese chemical industry is all set for an upgrade cycle. Since China needs organic chemicals of a quality which

they aren’t capable of producing themselves yet, exporters can play a key role of providing high-quality organic chemicals in the market from a country much closer to home. A recent drive to tighten pollution control norms in China has led to multiple plant shutdowns in the country in chemicals and other manufacturing segments and Indian chemical manufacturers have benefited from production shift to India, especially seen in segments such as Dyes and Pigments. Coupled with a lower cost of production and abundant availability of skilled manpower, the shift has been lucrative for Indian companies.

At present, China’s import requirement for high quality specialty chemicals is mainly fulfilled by Germany, which is known for its organic chemicals to be of top order in terms of quality and technology. The closer proximity between China and India would also result in a much shorter turnaround time which would lead to lower delivery costs and higher productivity. This could also spur off close associations, tie-ups and technology exchanges between specialty chemical players in the two nations for mutually beneficial partnerships.

Also, since most scaled up exporters in India are already underway to become REACH compliant, the adherence to increased safety, health and environmental compliances will also help specialty chemicals manufacturers in India to get a foot in the door to supply products to China.

Opportunity and implications To begin with, although foreign-owned companies are facing steadily declining sales in China, it would be unwise to retreat from or to decide not to enter the Chinese market. As the specialty chemicals market is expected to keep growing, it will remain the most important driver for global chemical demand growth, which is why global players like from the US or even Europe have increased their commitment to the Chinese market by extending R&D investments. However, it is crucial to be well positioned in order to get a piece of the pie. The key challenge is to adapt to the local market. Secondly, the market for commodity chemicals is saturated.

Securing self-sufficiency has been the goal of the Chinese government. Heavy

investments in basic chemicals by both private as well as state-owned chemical firms have led to overcapacities. Whereas, specialty chemicals still promise attractive niches which are untapped. For example, polymer composites or specialty coatings in the automotive industry which allow reducing weight and therefore make the car more fuel-efficient which again is in high demand.

The third frontier to scale is the implementation of digitization strategies.

While digitization is concerning all industries worldwide, chemical companies must put a special focus on the task as they are clearly lagging behind other industries.

According to several studies, chemical companies only show an average digital readiness of 35 percent and some even less than 20 percent, even when using novel techniques such as Scrum, an agile framework to complete complex projects by improving communications, for instance.

This shows the great potential for chemical companies to create future competitive advantage if choose to adopt digitization and implement digitation strategies in their organizations now.

This would also enable the firms to obtain customer insights with the means of big data analysis, enabling companies to forecast customer behavior and create accurate demand patterns. This allows companies to keep an ear to the ground and make changes to their production lines accordingly. This would be a differentiating factor and help pull in profits.Finally, another prerequisite would be to invest with a long-term perspective in mind. As many local players focus on short-term results, this is a way to avoid intense competition with local Chinese companies. This would go hand in hand with the implication of using M&As or joint ventures to increase market access as it is crucial to make an informed decision for a potential acquisition or joint venture.

Also, the decision of where to set up the R&D facilities will also affect the long-term success.

Hence, for a specialty chemicals player looking for greener pastures outside of India, the market opportunity offered by China is too massive and too lucrative to miss out on.

Author:

Viejay Bhatia is Director, AVA Chemicals Pvt Ltd.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

55

REPORT BIODEGRADABLE POLYMERS

ENHANCED CONSUMER APPEAL TO DRIVE GROWTH 56

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

Overview The global biodegradable polymers market will grow exponentially at a CAGR of around 21 percent by 2021.

One of the key factors driving the growth of this market is the rise in enhanced consumer appeal to ecofriendly packaging. As consumer focus is changing towards healthier living, the demand for a natural, sustainable, and green product is also increasing. This shift in consumer behavior has compelled the major plastics manufacturers and packaging vendors to explore the possibilities of biodegradable polymers. Moreover, the need to conform with government regulations is forcing vendors to focus on manufacturing biodegradable polymers and promote the products that have sustainable components in the export market. It has also been observed that consumers prefer sustainable options for plastic bags and food packaging. Singleuse products such as bags, bottles, caps, cups, lids and straws have great potential to become truly sustainable products.

Western Europe accounted for the largest market share of the global biodegradable polymers market in 2016. This dominance is due to market maturation and easy adoption of new production technologies and greater consumer awareness in the region. The concept of biodegradable polymers has been familiar to the Western European market for more than two decades. Also, the legal framework and government strategies of Western European countries promotes the use of bio-based or biodegradable polymers through the provision of subsidies. For instance, the flagship initiative by European Commission for a resource-efficient Europe under the Europe 2020 Strategy supports the shift toward a resourceefficient low-carbon economy to achieve sustainable growth.

Competitive landscape and key vendors The global biodegradable polymers market is highly fragmented due to the presence of both regional and global vendors. The market is extremely competitive with major players competing to increase their market shares and geographic reach by acquiring local and regional players. The competition in the market will intensify further during the forecast period due to product extensions, innovation in

technology, and the influx of private labels in the market.

Leading vendors in the market – • Arkema • BASF • NatureWorks • Novamont • Plantic The other prominent vendors in the biodegradable polymers market include Braskem, Cereplast, DSM, DuPont, Ecospan, Evonik Industries, FP International, Metabolix, Meredian Holdings Group and Toray Industries.

Segmentation by product • Polylactic acid (PLA) • Starch-based polymer • Others During 2016, PLA-based biodegradable polymers dominated the biodegradable polymers market and accounted for a major part of the overall market share.

The use of PLA-based biodegradable polymers is increasing owing to growing consumer appeal for biodegradable polymers in the packaging of deli and fresh consumables. PLA also has a high rate of water vapor transmission that aids the escape of water vapor from packaging and prevents fogging, keeping the food inside fresh. Due to the increasing use of PLA to manufacture credit cards, retail cards, membership cards the market for PLA based biodegradable polymer is expected to grow over the forecast period.

Segmentation by application • Food packaging • Foam packaging • Biodegradable bags • Agriculture The food packaging segment accounted for the largest share of the global biodegradable polymers market in 2016, and this trend is expected to continue throughout the forecast period. Packaging products made of biodegradable polymers are used in the packaging of fresh food, dry snacks, candy, bakery goods, juice bottles and meat trays as well as coatings for beverage cups, films, and card stock.

These polymers are being considered as a replacement for the conventional polyolefins used for food packaging.

Source: Technavio

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

57

REPORT ENGINEERING PLASTICS

3D PRINTING, AUTO INDUSTRY TO PROPEL MARKET GROWTH

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

T

he global engineering plastics market is expected to witness strong growth, upto 2023. The growth in the global market is being propelled by emergence of substitutes for conventional materials in the form of engineering plastics in end-use applications, positive growth in end-use industries, growing demand for polyamides in 3D printing and increasing demand for engineering plastics from automotive industry. Increasing demand from emerging economies and use of engineering plastics in aerospace industry are supporting further growth in the global engineering plastics market. On the other hand, the global engineering plastics market is being adversely affected by the high cost of engineering plastics and threat of substitutes from other polymers.

Engineering plastics are plastic materials having superior mechanical and/or thermal properties as compared to commodity plastics (such as polystyrene, PVC, polypropylene and polyethylene).

Engineering plastics can be used permanently at temperatures between 100°C and 150°C. The industries are in the process of replacing the conventional materials, such as alloys, glass, and metals, with engineering plastics due to their superior mechanical characteristics, virtuous chemical resistance, resistance to wear and high dimensional stability.

Engineering plastics are used in various industries such as automotive and transportation, electrical and electronics, consumer appliances, industrial machinery, packaging, construction and medical.

The global engineering plastics market has been categorized on the basis of type and application. On the basis of type, the global market has been segmented into acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyamide, polycarbonates, thermoplastic polyesters, polyacetals, fluoropolymers, and others. On the basis of application, the global market has been categorized into automotive and transportation, electrical and electronics, industrial machinery, packaging, consumer products and others.

Geographically, the global engineering plastics market has been segmented into

North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. AsiaPacific is expected to witness the highest growth in the global engineering plastics market, during the forecast period.

The major factors driving the regional growth include presence of electrical and electronics manufacturers, huge base of automobile manufacturers, increasing industrial establishment for metal fabrication and industrial machinery and increasing demand for packaging solutions from various end-user industries. China and India are driving the demand for engineering plastics in the Asia-Pacific region. The North American market for engineering plastics is expected to witness steady growth, during the forecast period.

Global Engineering Plastics Market Segmentationâ&#x20AC;¨By Type

The European market is expected to show firm growth in the global engineering plastics market, during the forecast period.

The regional market is being driven by innovation and technological advancement to develop new products which could open up new avenues of application. Stringent emission and safety rules imposed by the European Union have enforced the manufacturing companies to carry out intense research and development activities to develop products which are lighter in weight, but have higher impact strength, resistance to wear and fatigue, high abrasion, chemical resistance and ability to withstand a wide temperature range. The South American market for engineering plastics holds ample growth opportunities for engineering plastics manufacturers.

The South American region is witnessing significant foreign investment for industrial development in various sectors, including chemicals, construction, automotive, packaging and electronics, which is likely to boost the global market for engineering plastics.

Some of the key players in the global engineering plastics market are BASF SE, SABIC, Evonik Industries AG, Solvay SA, E I DuPont de Nemours and Company, Celanese Corporation, Lanxess AG, Eastman Chemical Company, Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics Corporation, Arkema SA and LG Chem.

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)

Polyamide

Polycarbonates

Thermoplastic polyesters

Polyacetals

Fluoropolymers

Others

By Application

Automotive and transportation

Electrical and electronics

Industrial machinery

Packaging

Consumer products

Others

By Geography

North America

The U.S.

Canada

Mexico

Europe

The U.K.

Italy

France

Germany

Russia

Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific

China

Japan

India

South Korea

Rest of APAC

South America

Brazil

Rest of South America

Rest of the World Source: P&S Market Research

ACADEMIC SPEAK KRAFT LIGNIN

CARVING

A SUSTAINABLE

FUTURE Ayumu Tagami, PhD student at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Fibre and Polymer Technology / Wood Chemistry and Pulp Technology, talks about his work towards increased use of renewable wood-based resources for a sustainable future.

Tagami also works at Nippon Paper Industries Co Ltd as a Research Laboratory Superintendent.

Research insight.

The main purpose of our project is to investigate the correlation between average molecular weight (Mw) and structural features for kraft lignin fractions extracted by four environmentally friendly chemicals - Ethyl acetate, Ethanol, Methanol and Acetone.

We compared softwood and hardwood lignoboost kraft lignin with respect to the extraction yields, Mwâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, antioxidant properties, the heat values and adsorption property of obtained fractions. The properties of lignin fractions obtained by solvent extraction were compared to the fraction obtained by the ultrafiltration of weak industrial black liquor from kraft cooking of softwood (CF lignin) with ceramic membranes.

Chemical modification (including solvent extraction) increase the reactivity. So we are testing lignin fractions for various applications (tunicate cellulose-lignin films, pyrolysis to produce useful monomers, heat capacity, sorption properties etc).

The overall goal was to develop a robust fractionation protocol for the extraction of lignin fraction with predicted properties for the intended use.

Uniqueness of the research.

Many researchers examined and tried to improve the solvent fractionation method. Solvents such as dichloromethane, methanol, propanol, hexane, ethyl acetate and others have been applied to obtain different lignin fraction. In all cases, lignin fractions with lower Mw and low polydispersity (PDI) samples

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

could be obtained. However, some of these solvents (such as the dichloromethane and the hexane) are not environmentally friendly.

But, on the other hand, our project used only safe and environmentally friendly organic solvents that have already found application in the industry to study the results of sequential extraction of spruce lignoboost lignin. Four solvents extraction produced low Mw fractions with low PDI for both softwood and hardwood lignoboost lignins.

The clear correlation was observed between certain structural features in lignin fractions and the lignin properties. So they provide useful information on the choice of the fractionation method for the specific application of lignin raw material.

Technical lignin - the material of interest.

Technical lignins are main by-products from the pulp and paper industries and one of the main components of the lignocellulosic materials and the second most abundant macromolecule with high carbon content in nature. So lignin has a high potential for value-added applications.

The main limitation for the use of technical lignins in value-added applications is their poor quality related to high PDI and impurities coming from the wood and pulping process. A commercially available kraft lignin recovery process, which is suitable for industrial applications, is the lignoboost process which results in a purified solid lignin powder. But, for value-added lignin applications, additional fractionation is necessary.

Molecular mass is the key parameter affecting the reactivity and thermomechanical behavior of lignin; therefore, selective precipitation and ultrafiltration are potentially useful techniques, depending on the intended lignin application, to improve the quality of crude kraft lignin. Chemical modification of lignin aiming at the improved reactivity with various monomers and polymeric systems is another way of upgrading of technical lignins. So fractionation is a necessary step to obtain pure lignin materials with improved properties for high-value applications.

Benefits of technical lignins for second-generation biofuels.

Biorefinery of forest-based products represents an emerging opportunity that may have a dramatic impact on future energy and material supplies, as well as on the forest industry itself. Secondgeneration biofuels such as ethanol and butanol were made from non-food crops including lignocellulosic biomass.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

In the process for producing secondgeneration biofuel production from lignocellulosic biomass, millions tons of lignin were produced as a by-product.

Commercially, there are 120Mt of kraft pulp corresponding to a total amount of 70 Mt of kraft lignins produced each year.

Lignin plays a vital role in pulp and paper manufacturing as part of the chemical recovery process. Lignin is primarily burnt as fuel for energy; however, as a part of the integrated forest biorefinery concept, value-added utilization of lignin is critical.

The primary aim of modern integrated forest biorefineries is to produce highvalue products, such as chemicals and biopolymers, while improving the efficiency and profitability of their core operations. The increasing availability of various types of technical lignins as result of both the development of second-generation biofuel technologies and the emergence of new biorefineries that focus their production on bio-based platform chemicals and commodities from lignocellulosic feedstock, boosted the interest in the commercialization of ligninbased materials and products.

Advantages of membrane filtration technique to fractionate technical lignin.

There are advantages and disadvantages with each. The membrane filtration technique was used to fractionate technical lignin such as CF lignin. The advantage of this method is a small number of reaction processes in a high yield, at a low cost and by a low environmental load. On the other hand, solvent extraction is not a cost effective method and yield was low compared to the membrane filtration technique. And solvent recovery system is necessary.

But when we compare the quality, Mw, PDI and ash content are low if we use solvent fractionation to use ethyl acetate compared with CF lignin. CF lignin demonstrated high antioxidant property compared with raw lignoboost lignin (Initial), but low Mw fraction extracted with ethyl acetate demonstrated high antioxidant activity compared with CF lignin.

And not only low Mw fractions, solvent fractionation technique can make a variety of Mw fractions. For example, if we use acetone, we can obtain high Mw fraction compared with Initial, and this fraction demonstrated high heating value compared with both Initial and CF lignin.

From the above, CF lignin is cost-effective product but some kind of solvent extraction often demonstrated best performance. But solvent extraction technique is far from cheap, so it is very important to consider a balance between cost and quality.

Other research work at the institute.

We are a part of the global/international research cooperation with other universities and industrial partners, participating in national and EU framework programs.

The research in our division is focused on wood biorefinery concept ie. fractionation, characterization, modification and evaluation of the chemistry of wood components. Long-term project and various chemical analyses of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and extractives are conducted. The goal is to use more renewable wood-based resources to make new products or substitute conventional products, made from oil-based materials today, to increase future sustainable product applications.

The wood-based fibers will have a bright future in many material applications such as textiles, pharmaceuticals as well as different types of biocomposites. In cellulose-related research work conducted at KTH - one project attempts at purifying drinking water using antibacterial cellulose. This project aims at removing bacteria from the water by using eco-friendly anti-bacterial fibers to cope with the diseases created by waterborne pathogens. Another project is to develop industrially feasible methods for the production of nanocellulose fibers. This method does not require extensive amounts of energy and does not use expensive or harmful chemicals.

Lignin is a promising renewable material for multiple applications, such as carbon fibers, adhesives, and emulsifiers. In ligninrelated research work conducted at KTH, one project aims to find out the optimal method to make carbon fiber from lignins.

The replacement of construction steel in cars and trucks with a much lighter carbon fiber-based composite will ultimately result in more fuel-efficient vehicles. In another project, we are comparing the thermal property of polymeric porous microspheres including lignin.

The last project is hemicellulose related research work. The main goal of this project is to evaluate the chemical and structural properties of acetylated xylan isolated from sugarcane bagasse, straw, and eucalyptus (as a comparative study).

Isolation methods for xylan were performed and the xylan obtained was analyzed by specialized methodologies. Bagasse and straw represent a considerable source of xylan. Studies that provide information about the chemical structure of xylans in these biomasses contribute to the basic knowledge about hemicelluloses in nonwood biomass as well as their behavior in the chemical processing of non-wood raw materials, and open new possibilities for biomaterial applications.

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R&D YOUNG TURKS

TURNING PRAWNS

INTO PLASTIC

Angelina Arora

A

ngelina Arora was sitting in her local fish and chip shop looking at all the discarded fish waste. Piles of crab shells, prawn tails and fish heads. Kilos and kilos of it, all destined for the bin.

There had to be a better way, the 15-year-old budding young scientist thought. So she got a few kilograms of discarded shells, took them to her Sydney Girls High School science lab, and started experimenting. Eventually, she managed to find a way to turn them into a strong, light and biodegradable plastic.

The year 10 schoolgirl hopes one day to see it used in plastic bags at supermarkets around Australia. “The dream is to basically have every single plastic in the world made out of my plastic,” she said.

the strength of a prawn’s shell and the flexibility of a spider’s web.

The plastic also degrades completely with nothing harmful left behind.

“The shells used need a lot of preparation – but it’s a lot less than normal plastics need, so that would reduce pollution,” she said.

For her work – detailed in a 67-page report replete with maps of the atomic structure of chitin, plus a photo of the plastic being held aloft by her mum, Ashima – she has received second prize in chemistry at this year’s Young Scientist Awards.

That prize was not her real goal, though.

In 2016 Angelina won first prize in chemistry for her age bracket at the NSW Young Scientist Awards for another plastic, this one made with cornstarch.

As part of an earlier project, she bought fish from her local fishmonger and cut them open. Inside, she found thousands of tiny fragments of plastic – telltale evidence of the huge amount of pollution humanity is continually dumping into the world’s oceans.

The cornstarch plastic broke down as soon as it was exposed to water – which made it very biodegradable, but also completely impractical.

Phasing out conventional plastics in favour of biodegradable ones like hers would go a huge way toward cleaning up the environment, she said.

However, the win did lead to an introduction to several scientists at CSIRO, who have remained her mentors on the current project.

Her father, Nitin, is very proud – and just a little baffled. “I only understand about 10 or 20 per cent of what she’s doing. I cannot even pronounce the protein she’s working on,” he laughed.

Prawn shells contain a special hard but flexible protein called chitin. With the scientists’ guidance, and a litre of hydrochloric acid, Angelina managed to extract the chitin from the shells. She then combined it with an extremely sticky protein she extracted from the silk of silkworms. “It’s the same protein that spiders use to make webs. It’s very sticky. When you mix it with chitin it produces a fabric that is flexible and strong and exhibits all the properties you want in plastic,” she said. The final material has

Angelina also hopes to be a role model for other young girls considering a career in science. “Right now science is deemed as a subject for nerds and for boys and I think the reason for this is how the media portrays it,” she said.

“Even online, with some of the interviews I’ve done, you read the comments down the bottom. There are people out there that want to discourage people from doing this.

Source : Sunday Morning Herald

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

63

SAFETY WATCH INDUSTRIAL HEAD PROTECTION RAW MATERIAL COST CONCERNS

TO AFFECT MARKET PRICE TREND

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

Industry Trends Industrial Head Protection Market size was above $2.3 billion in 2016 and expects volume consumption to surpass 400 million units by 2024.

Rising influence on considering workerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s safety at high priority in mining, oil & gas, and construction industries should drive industrial head protection market size. It plays a vital role in working environment by safeguarding against low hanging objects, electric hazards, falling objects and accidental falls, making it beneficial for industrial injury safety programs.

Global construction industry was estimated over $9 trillion in 2016 and is poised to surpass $16 trillion at the end of 2024.

Construction industry registered over 995 fatalities due to brain injuries. Various fatalities include falls, electrocution, trench cave-ins, struck by objects, malfunctioning equipment like forklifts and cranes. High mortality rates accompanied with stringent policies and regulatory norms set to ensure workerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s safety should contribute towards product demand.

US mining industry accounts for over 7 percent of the fatal head injuries which has led to rise in awareness regarding workers health and safety. As per Industrial Safety and Health Department, falls are the largest cause of accidental deaths and accounted for over 55 percent of the total fatalities in 2016. Companies are adopting various regulations and safety guidelines to prevent hazards in the workplace and are offering solutions to minimize occupational injuries in pharmaceutical, chemical, oil & gas, transportation, mining and food manufacturing sectors, thereby driving industrial head protection market growth. Favorable regulations by OSHA under 29 CFR 1910. 135 (a) and 1910.135 (b), which makes it mandatory for the employer to ensure safety helmet usage in accident prone area, thereby promoting industrial head protection market size.

Also, OSHA has set quality standards such as ANSI Z89.1-2009, Z89.1-2003 and Z89.1-1997 to ensure high equipment quality depending on hazard or workplace conditions.

Major raw materials, polypropylene, polycarbonate, ABS, HDPE, polystyrene and polyethylene are used for production process. Raw material cost concerns owing to wide product usage in agriculture, electronics, construction and packaging industries may challenge industry profitability and affect industrial head protection market price trend.

Market - By Material Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) based industrial head protection market size may exceed $1.15 billion by 2024. It is used

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

in type I safety helmets and hard hats for general industrial mining and construction applications. It provides toughness, impact resistance and electric insulation. Low cost and easy manufacturing process along with companies engaged in providing customized products with lamp holder mainly for mining industry is likely to stimulate industry growth.

Fiberglass reinforced plastics (FRP) based industrial head protection equipment market may register gains at over 4.5 percent at the end of 2024. They are extensively used in high temperature workplace such as oil field drilling, forest cutting, construction, power supply line and metallurgy due to high heat resistance and electric insulation, thereby driving industry growth.

Polycarbonate based industrial head protection equipment is mainly used in manufacturing safety helmets owing to its easy molding and electric resistance properties.

Market - By Product Safety helmets & hard hats market size may surpass $3.3 billion in sales by 2024.

These are head gears, designed to protect wearer from harsh weather, falling objects mainly in oil & gas, mining, forestry and construction industries which is likely to stimulate industrial head protection market size.

Hard hats are classified in Type l and Type ll according to area of head that is to be protected. These hats are again categorized as Class G (general) and Class E (electrical) and Class C (conductive) according to protection they provide from electric hazards. Bump caps demand may witness gains at over 4 percent. Strong application outlook in painting, food processing, automotive, and sports industries may fuel product demand. It provides protection from flame and electric hazards along with low temperature applications.

Market - By Application Industrial safety helmet market size from construction application is estimated to reach up to $880 million within the projected timeframe. High fatality rate in construction sector due to head injuries caused by falling & moving objects, collapse, trips & falls and height supported by strict regulatory compliances for workers safety may have a positive influence on product demand.

Industrial head protection market share from oil & gas application may witness gains at over 4.5 percent. These industries are subjected to oil spills, explosion, falls which may lead to serious head injuries, thereby promoting industry growth.

Industrial safety helmet market size from mining application may register close to 4.5

percent. It involves working in hazardous environment with heavy machinery and tools subjected to high risk from falling objects, mobile equipment accidents and falling rocks, which has led to rise in need for high quality safety equipment such as hard hats & helmets.

Market - By Region China industrial head protection market size is poised to surpass $300 million in sale by 2024. Increase in construction spending accompanied with rapid industrialization has led to rise in various manufacturing industries, should drive regional industry growth.

Germany industrial head protection market size may register gains close to 3 percent. Increasing demand for durable protection equipment from manufacturing industries due to occupational fatalities may propel regional growth.

Brazil industrial head protection market may witness significant gains at over 5.5 percent. Favorable regulation regarding low taxation for the manufacturers having less number of workplace accidents has led to rise in investments in employee safety equipment which is likely to fuel product demand in the region

Competitive Market Share Global industrial head protection market share is moderately consolidated with key participants operating in this industry are 3M Company, Honeywell International, MSA Safety, Dupont. Other players in this market are Mallcom, Gateway Safety, UVEX Safety, Radians.

Most of the manufacturers are providing customized products with sensors, face protection glass and night lamp holders to ensure safety to work comfortably.

Companies are also investing in technological and product innovation to enhance their business presence and gain core competency, which is likely to contribute towards industry growth.

Industry Background Industrial head protection are safety equipment worn to reduce risk from work place hazards and protect fatal head injuries. They are designed in compliance with regulatory standards to protect from falls, moving & falling objects, trips and slips mainly in construction, oil & gas, food, chemical and mining sectors. Safety helmets and bump caps are widely used in these industries owing to increasing awareness regarding workplace safety and protective equipment, influencing industry growth. Strict government guidelines and framework in the US, Germany and the UK has led companies to follow certain guidelines and rules to avoid any form of occupational hazards.

Source: Global Market Insights Inc.

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JOBS Lead Scientist - Dyes Company: Huntsman Date Posted: 26 December 2017 Country: India City: Mumbai

Deputy Manager - Process Company: BASF Date Posted: 02 January 2018 Country: India City: Thane

Associate Process Engineer/Technologist (Operations) Company: Shell Technology Centre Date Posted: 02 January 2018 Country: India City: Bangalore

Senior Research Chemist Company: Evonik Industries AG Date Posted: 31 December 2017 Country: US City: Allentown

Research Associate Company: Lonza Date Posted: 01 January 2018 Country: Switzerland City: Basel

Chemist/Research Scientist

Job Description: BASF Deputy Manager objectives of the position includes study and map existing processes and benchmark against best practices in the region, continuous improvements to be done in product yield by monitoring day to day process parameters.

Job Description: The role is of a plant operator who also may have additional supervisory responsibilities for plant operators. The Operator plays a responsible operations role in all facets of IH2 5000 production and related loading/unloading operations while ensuring compliance with environmental, health and safety policies.

Job Description: The chemist will be responsible for new product conceptualization and development primarily in the field of polyurethane additives such as amine catalysts, metal catalysts, silicone, curatives and other performance or processing aids for various applications and market segments.

Job Description: The research associate candidate is responsible for support formulation projects in the Drug Product Services department, manufacturing of preclinical Drug Product supplies etc.

Company: AMRI Date Posted: 29 December 2017 Country: US City: Indianapolis

Job Description: The Research Scientist is expected to demonstrate expertise in both the theoretical and practical aspects of organic chemistry. Principal responsibility is the synthesis, purification and identification of chemical intermediates and target compounds.

Senior Staff Scientist

Job Description: : The opportunity to take on some of the world’s most meaningful challenges, helping customers achieve clean water, safe food, abundant energy and healthy environments. Provide installation resource services on a project request basis necessary to satisfy the needs of the customer. Services may include (but not limited to) field surveys, installation checklists, rollout support services etc.

Company: Ashland Date Posted: 26 December 2017 Country: US City: Columbus

Application Engineer Company: Ecolab Date Posted: 29 December 2017 Country: Turkey City: Istanbul

Production Operator Company: Lubrizol Corporation Date Posted: 28 December 2017 Country: China City: Zhuhai

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Job Description: This role’s accountabilities includes research and process development for new dyes/chemicals/intermediates/chromophores-for textile applications fulfilling the project defined by business.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

Job Description: An opportunity has arisen in the Catalysts and Materials group for a computational Chemist to work on next generation battery materials as part of a new collaborative innovate UK project.

Job Description:Production Operator maintains safe, reliable and efficient plant operation by strictly following company’s HSES regulations, rules and other disciplines, communicates with field operators to confirm the equipment status and tank situation.

OPEX/GSF_WoChem_advert 14/12/2017 09:20 Page 1

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UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF HIS EXCELLENCY SHAIKH MOHAMMED BIN KHALIFA AL KHALIFA, MINISTER OF OIL, KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

OPEX MENA KEY HIGHLIGHTS

GULF SAFETY FORUM KEY HIGHLIGHTS

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Operational Discipline ■ Leveraging Human Factors for Strategic Change ■ Portfolio Performance Optimisation ■ Digitalisation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution ■ IIOT, Leveraging the Cloud to Monitor Plant Data ■ Asset Management, Surveillance & Reliability ■ Operational Readiness – Do’s and Don’ts

Safety Standards

Safety Leadership ■ Workforce Involvement & Competence ■ Managing Mature Assets Safely ■ Frontiers in Plant Safety – Novel and Distinctive Approaches ■ Ensuring Safety Communications Work ■ Process Safety Benchmarking ■ Construction and Safety in the Workplace ■ Crisis Management and Emergency Preparedness

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EXTRA FEATURES Workshop by Solomon Associates Two Training Courses

IT IN CHEMICALS ANALYTIC MODELS MANUFACTURING ANALYTICS

FOR OPERATION EXCELLENCE

BY RAJESH KAMBALADINNE AND MANISH TIWARI Introduction Chemical companies generate lot of operational and shop floor data regularly through PLC/SCADA/DCS or Data historian systems. However, only a fraction of data is used by process engineers, field operators and maintenance personnel currently for decision making. Manufacturing analytics can help chemical manufacturers to gain actionable insights, to quickly diagnose abnormal conditions or potential problems and to make better decisions leveraging the data generated by these systems.

This article discuss about the factors to be considered while building the analytic models and approach to build the models to enable Chemical manufacturer to enhance their performance and drive them towards operational excellence in true sense.

Analytics in Action While building Analytics solution, following factors to be considered • Purpose: If business need is confined to a single plant / function (Ex: improving the plant availability/ related to only one function say operations, then local/ in premise solution is the best fit. But if scope involves building solution and rolling it out across enterprise, multiple plants & functions, where the data has to be processed from various sources then cloud option should be preferred.

• Response time: The process anomalies require immediate attention/response where edge solution should be preferable

Building Analytic models /solutions:

Data Collection: Chemical companies generate lot of operational and shop floor data apart from the ERP data like planning, work management, quality, process & SCM data. Identify the data to be collected, its frequency and source based on business goal to be achieved through analytics.

Typical data type & sources are

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

option. However diagnostics, root cause analysis and /or forecast may require data from various sources, where cloud based option should be preferred.

• Expertise: Data analysis should be done with context in which the activity/event /observation occur. A full understanding of the process that is being executed and the states of all the equipment and its peripherals have to be considered to derive the true meaning of the data and create actionable information. Results need to be validated with domain-specific subject matter expertise to model the complex and causal relationships in the data.

• Variety of data: In typical industrial settings, data will be from various sources like DCS/SCADA, Data historian, ERP,LIMS, EAM,SCM etc. Data will be of different types like streaming data of process & equipment parameters, intermittent data like offline data collections, process records, work orders ,lab data (batch process) .Effective analytics depends upon shared information models to understand the data highly varying in both format and content to deliver expected insights.

• Temporal correlation: Simply progressing the data to upper tiers (cloud/application) without any local analysis (at edge) may increase the burden of correlation when the analytics is applied.

• Bandwidth & Capacity: Typically Chemical manufacturer generate lot of shop floor data from different IT-OT systems. The increased network and infrastructure required to fuse the massive amount of data from one domain with those in others will be compensated by the creation of valuable insights

Data Preparation: Preparation of data includes cleaning up the data by removing / filling missing data, extracting features from the data that are relevant to the application and optionally reducing the number of features. Feature Engineering is the process of converting raw data to useful information that relates to the asset. Ex: The data collected from above mentioned sources for an equipment (say pump)are in time series /time domain. But for analysing machine condition, some data points like machine vibration etc. are to be analysed in FFT (Frequency) mode. The feature engineering is to convert the time data into FFT and monitor the vibration amplitudes against each frequency & its harmonics (1X rpm, 2X, 3X, BPFI X etc).

Since data is collected from multiple sources and this may result in redundant information in the features that are extracted from the data. The feature reduction step uses algorithms to further reduce the number of features by selecting a few features or transforming the features to a lower dimensional space without reducing the discriminatory properties of the features. The resulting reduced set of features is usually represented as a vector (or array) and input to the machine learning algorithm.

Build Model: Once the data has been prepared, the next step is to build an analytics model.

Analytics models generally fall into three major categories: descriptive, predictive or prescriptive.

Descriptive / Diagnostic analytics are used to describe what happened in the past and why it happened (e.g., how many defect parts were detected, the reason for their failure, whether a threshold level has been exceeded). Usually, Descriptive Analytics gain insight from historical data using reporting, scorecards, or clustering.

Predictive analytics :The main goal of predictive analytics is to identify potential issues before they occur (e.g., the possibility

Figure 1: Feature Engineering & reduction process

of a defect showing up, expected inventory levels, and anticipated demand levels).

Prescriptive analytics provide advice on the best possible actions that the enduser should take. Prescriptive analytics requires a predictive model with two additional components: actionable data and a feedback system that tracks the outcome produced by the action taken. For example, an algorithm suggests the optimal proportion of materials that are needed for the production of a product, For each category, there a multiple machine learning or deep learning algorithms that can be used to build the model and the performance of these algorithms differ based on the type of data being

analyzed and the predictions that have to be made. Therefore, the model building process usually consists of selecting a few algorithms for the analytics category and then iterating through these algorithms to identify the one that works the best for the current data and application.

Validate model: For validation of the model build, we will use two sets of data - Training Data & Testing data. Using the same data for training and testing the model can result in the model “memorizing” the data or overfitting the data. Overfitting manifests itself as a model that performs with high accuracy during training and performs poorly on new or unseen data.

Deploy Model: Analytics deployment varies based on problem to be addressed or business need.

Let me take example of Predictive Maintenance of rotating equipment say Pump .

Anomaly detection may need to detect irregular behavior of the pump within milliseconds of the actual event. The data used to perform these analytics is usually localized to the asset under consideration and relies on data acquired from the asset when it was working normally. Hence Analytics has to be deployed at edge.

Diagnostic analytics that identify the root cause of the anomaly such as a bearing fail / vane problem etc. requires previous knowledge of fault states. Diagnostics results can be returned in the order of minutes and deployed at Cloud /in premise server.

Figure 2: Analytics Deployment model

Conclusion Manufacturing analytics can help chemical companies solve many impenetrable problems leveraging volume of data that their manufacturing operations generate and which has not been leveraged in the past. Some of the use cases that can be potentially solved through manufacturing analytics are • Improving asset utilization and OEE of a Chemical Plant through predictive asset management. Tech Mahindra developed and successfully deployed algorithms that

Prognostic analytics which can tell you the remaining useful life (RUL) of equipment/ component can take in the order of hours to return a result and requires access to multiple types of data and from multiple sources to make the prediction. In such cases, cloud /on premise is the right option.

would accurately predict rest of useful life of an equipment or component to enable manufacturer to move away from time bound maintenance and leverage opportunity maintenance effectively and improving asset utilization.

• Improving throughput and quality by leveraging analytics. As shown in earlier example, yield can be significantly improved by adjusting various production parameters.

• Another area could be improving profit/ hour by effectively targeting product

mix and associated supply chains.

• Safety is an important area for Chemical manufacturer. Advanced analytics to analyse safety compliance issues and safety breaches throw several opportunity to plug-in gaps in safety practices and avoid potential safety incidents.

While use cases can be many in analytics based business transformation for a chemical company, it is important to adopt a framework that would ensure commitment of all levels in an organization right from CEO to Process Engineer and guide them through this journey.

Authors:

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

Rajesh Kambaladinne is Principal Consultant, Process Manufacturing and Manish Tiwari is Head Process Manufacturing, from Tech Mahindra Ltd.

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AUTOMATION DIGITALIZATION

DIGITIZING

THE EQUATION Todd Gardner, Vice President, Siemens Process Industries & Drives Division, US, delves into the ways in which digitization is changing the operational formula of the chemical industry.

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

BY SHIVANI MODY Digitalization for the chemical industry.

Challenges faced by plant operators.

Digitization solutions for developing countries.

The chemical industry continues its drive to optimize the plant and asset lifecycle, gaining operational efficiency to outperform competitors. As with many other industries, the chemical sector is in a transformational phase, realizing the benefits of digitalization across large, complex and ever-changing value chains.

Companies are looking at digitalization and data from a business value standpoint, and building this into long-term strategies.

Operators strive for less downtime, no unplanned shutdowns and the highest possible availability of the production systems. They are efficiency-driven and need to control processes, operating cost as well as safety and the adherence of security regulations. From our perspective, it starts with advanced technology, industryspecific solutions and a strong domain knowledge, all backed by global capabilities with localized service support.

Digitalization is global – it has no borders.

There is a fundamental need for chemical companies to compete more effectively or get left behind, regardless of their home base. Our R&D and innovations are always according to market requirements. We have specific solutions such as hardened products, entry-level CPUs, easy-toinstall, use and maintain (plug-and-play) products. These can be used all over the world.

With data as a new form of currency, companies need to generate digital data of their plants, processes and products.

For new ones, this is quite easy, as you start from scratch with the design and engineering phase. For existing brownfield operations, data is often only available on paper and in an older version, but with digitalization, the technology is available to build a digital twin of existing plants.

The foundation of a digital strategy lies in the existing automation and electrification assets of the plant, where each piece of equipment can be a data point, measured, monitored and digitalized in real time.

Areas with heightened adoption of digitalization.

Solutions to improve overall productivity of chemical plants.

We see customer engagement in all phases over the entire lifecycle. In greenfield plants we can play our comprehensive digitalization story from Integrated Engineering to Integrated Operations/ Maintenance. Some customers ask for business consulting and general digitalization workshops. Customers with the need for a fast ramp-up show interest in engineering and commissioning. They like to generate a data model or digital twin for their plant and, they want to simulate and test before the start-up of this plant with dry-run and operator training.

With our Manufacturing-OperationsManagement-System (MOM) we use a holistic approach to increase efficiency and transparency from planning, order management, workflow and quality management.

Trends in the digital world of chemical industry.

Compared to other industries such as IT, communications, banks or retailers, chemical industry has been a little bit reluctant to embrace digitalization.

A recent survey, conducted by Londonbased Longitude Research, on behalf of Siemens, found the top reasons for chemicals producers to digitalize. The most popular response was to improve uptime, followed by improved operating margins, meeting industry standards and regulations. The survey reveals that many chemical producers recognize the potential of digital technologies, and some are already moving forward.

Of those surveyed, 51 percent are using connected sensors in plant operations, 30 percent have adopted advanced data analytics tools and 49 percent have implemented cloud technologies. Yet, the segment is lagging behind other sectors in adopting innovative digital solutions that drive demonstrable time and cost savings. The majority of investments are not pushing the envelope but rather maintaining a digital “status quo.” For example, only 30 percent of companies with analytics capabilities are actually using analytics to support most or all key decisions.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

The most adopted and promising sector is the long production phase where digitalization helps to optimize the plant and asset lifecycle. During operations, customers use process simulation, realtime optimization and model-predictive control. They work remotely with mobile devices, interchange data with logistics partners, and so on.

Also smart maintenance is a growing area for digitalization as data is used for more preventive/predictive maintenance, and to better utilize the assets and for investment protection. Data analytics based upon key performance indicators or document management or backwards plant documentation are growing sectors.

Company overview and future growth plans for the Asia Pacific region.

Siemens chemical industry business is there where our customers are, and the Asia Pacific region remains strong due to demographics. Regarding the economic outlook, the time is good for investments, above and beyond standard maintenance, reliability and operations, and we see that upswing with our chemical customers, especially a strong rise of China as governmental stimulus pushes growth.

In batch processes, digitalization plays an increasing role, for instance, with online quality control or online process optimization. The information flow - often paperless - between production (SIMATIC PCS 7/BATCH), online process control, lab and analytics systems (PIMS, LIMS UNILAB) allows fast feedback and an quality check against specification (“Quality

by Design/PAT“). As a result chemical customers can achieve better output, less waste and shorter time-to-market. Finally, the trend to modular systems increases flexibility in fine and specialty chemicals.

Solutions for countries with agrobased economy.

As an extremely commoditized sector of the chemical industry, it is even more important for these companies to be able to extract as much profitability out of production as possible. Being able to see operations data in real time and analyze that data over time will give companies in agrochemical the ability to read into changes in demand for production efficiency and predict failures in machinery that could further reduce thinning margins. Siemens offers energy efficient and sustainable solutions to address these markets.

With Totally Integrated Automation (TIA), we are the supplier offering a holistic product and system spectrum for automation. For instance with the Advanced Process Control/MPC control algorithms embedded in the DCS closedloop control concepts can be implemented that help to optimize energy consumption and to increase utilization of the plant. On

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AUTOMATION DIGITALIZATION

the basis of Totally Integrated Power (TIP), we implement plant-wide, efficient and safe solutions for energy and intelligent motor management, low CO2 emissions or waste-heat recovery. These solutions are beneficial for the industry as well as the inhabitants of these countries.

Addressing cybersecurity and operational networking concerns.

Digitalization is indispensable connected to networking and communications as well as safety and security. Our chemical customers use the multilevel Defensein-Depth concept and risk management within their plants for everything from plant protection against unauthorized access to network security (authentication and encryption), protection of automation systems, as well as integrity checks such as passwords, logbooks and virus protection.

However, the security of the networking infrastructure is only as strong as the weakest link. Siemens works with the highest standards to ensure the safety of all networking and software products and constantly checks for holes hackers may exploit. Our products are accessed through the customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s local network, which must also be secured. Siemens can consult with them to identify the best way to enhance security on their internal networks. From a services standpoint, Siemens is has built an extensive network of cybersecurity partners â&#x20AC;&#x201C; covering the IT and OT space

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in key vertical markets. Partnerships with companies like Tenable Inc, Darktrace and PAS Global, only strengthen the solutions we are able to offer to our customers.

Cybersecurity and safety goes hand in hand.

Safety standards are never compromised and so should cybersecurity standards.

Both the supplier and the customer have a responsibility in making sure they adhere to the highest standards of protection at all times and putting in place redundancy measures to ensure authorized access.

Software solutions that benefit the chemical industry.

Software and digital business is the future, and is the cornerstone that connects all of our solutions. Some examples include: SIMIT allows you to develop and engineer processes for the plant in a simulated environment. Our COMOS platform supports end-to-end plant asset management across the entire lifecycle of an industrial plant. XHQ connects operations to IT centers in real time decision support and analysis.

Our new MindSphere open cloud platform is another example of our commitment to digitalization. MindSphere provides the transparency, connectivity, security, flexibility for operational data. Through apps like Siemens Asset and Process Performance Suite, operators can better manage maintenance planning. With

Siemens Drive Train Analytics App, customers can manage inverters, motors and gear units not only showing operating status, technical machine parameters and KPIs but also generating dashboards and machine-related event reports to avoid failures respectively to accelerate issue resolution. The Siemens Valve Monitoring App uses existing diagnostics and process data for anomaly detection and extrapolates the wear data making proposals for predictive and just in-time maintenance.

The Siemens Digital Enterprise approach for Process Industries addresses key features of Industry 4.0 focusing on Integrated Engineering and Integrated Operations, supporting our customers to respond with significant speed, flexibility and efficiency improvements.

Challenges faced by process automation solution providers.

We see the ongoing innovation in technologies (IOT, Industry 4.0, Smart Manufacturing etc.) versus the need from the chemical industry for stable running systems over decades. On the one hand, this industry calls for open architectures and flexible connection of subsystems (Modularization) and on the other hand it asks for more standardization in Automation and Electrification. There is the trend to Digitalization and we are well prepared to assist our chemical customers on this journey.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

73

PRODUCTS

Launching signal orange color for electrical vehicle connectors S olvay has launched Ixef® 1524 RD 001, a halogen-free flame retardant (HFFR) and 50 percent glass fiber reinforced polyarylamide (PARA) grade color matched to signal orange, for high-performance electrical vehicle (EV) recharge connectors. Molders will appreciate the high flowability of Ixef® 1524 RD 001 which enables complex designs and thinner walls-as thin as 0.5 mm even with glass loadings of 50 percent - therefore contributing to material savings and lower weight components with high injection speeds and short cycle times.

Contact: Solvay Specialty Polymers S.p.A Viale Lombardia, 20

I-20021 Bollate MI, Italy Tel: +39 02 290921 Web:https://www.solvay.com

New material - cost-effective alternative to high performance polymers R oyal DSM is adding hydrolysis-resistant grades of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) to its Arnite® family of thermoplastic polyesters.

The new materials will provide a cost-effective solution in applications exposed to humidity and high temperatures, including automotive connectors, control devices and sensors. The new ‘HR’ grades come in response to increasing calls in the automotive market for materials that resist hot and humid environments, for applications that do not necessarily require the outstanding performance of high temperature polyamides like DSM’s Stanyl® PA46 and ForTii® PA4T products.

Contact: DSM Nutritional Products 30 Pasir Panjang Road, Mapletree Business City #13-31,

Singapore 117440 Email: marketing.dnpap@dsm.com Tel: +65 663 26500 Web:https://www.dsm.com

Non-postcuring liquid silicone rubber for medical applications W

acker’s new ELASTOSIL® LR 5040 line of liquid silicone rubber grade products fulfill the stringent regulatory requirements that apply to silicone articles in many medical-technology applications. Cured rubber products made of ELASTOSIL® LR 5040 feature excellent mechanical properties, even without thermal post-treatment, and contain very few volatile substances. It can withstand mechanical stresses as may occur in the usage of medical devices, for example. These properties make ELASTOSIL® LR 5040 the material of choice when manufacturers want to dispense with thermal post-treatment altogether. Typical applications include anti-colic valves, bottle tops or respirator masks.

Contact: Wacker Chemie AG Hanns-Seidel-Platz 4 81737 München, Germany

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Tel:+49 89 6279-0 EMail: info@wacker.com Web:www.wacker.com

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

Introducing sterile, ultra-low-metal content bioresorbable polymers E vonik introduced RESOMER® Zero and RESOMER® Sterile versions of both its standard RESOMER® polymers and RESOMER® Select customized solutions. RESOMER® Zero is a premium excipient almost entirely free of tin-based catalyst. This is achieved by means of a proprietary GMP process that essentially eliminates residual tin content (1ppm or less). Consequently, RESOMER® Zero is ideal for formulations with APIs sensitive to elemental impurities. Moreover, in contrast to other low-metal polymers, RESOMER® Zero provides pharmaceutical companies with a full range of molecular weights and a broad choice of polymer parameters. RESOMER® Sterile is the market’s first and only sterile controlled-release poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) excipient.

Contact: Evonik Industries AG Rellinghauser Straße 1-11, 45128 Essen, Germany Tel:+49 201 177-01 Email:info@evonik.com Web:www.evonik.com

Performance improving, cost saving antioxidants for PP Compounders A ddivant™ has launched the ULTRANOX® 800 series of antioxidants which deliver major improvements in performance and cost savings for polypropylene (PP) compounders and recyclers.

The company has introduced three grades – ULTRANOX 813, 815, and 817 – which are designed for applications that demand hightemperature storage stability, extreme process stability, enhanced color stability, and better cost efficiency. Compared with existing AOs, ULTRANOX® 800 grades provide 20 percent better melt flow retention and cut discoloration in half. ULTRANOX® 815 provides improved melt and color stability while ULTRANOX® 817 offers another level of melt and color stability.

Contact: Addivant 4 Mountainview Terrace, Danbury, CT 06810, USA Tel: + 1 203 702 6140 Web:https://www.addivant.com

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

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EQUIPMENT High purity water generation product for pharma industry

I

on Exchange (India) Ltd has launched INDION SWIFT 5Gx – a high purity watergeneration product catering to the special needs of the pharmaceutical industry. The product has been designed in consultation with pharmaceutical engineers and end users for maximum performance.

It improves efficiency and purity by introducing a new and unique technology which uses ‘Uniform Particle Size’ resins instead of the conventional resins otherwise used in water treatment and purification.

The new product uses a short-cycle regeneration method and takes up to 35 minutes only in order to regenerate. The product is a first of its kind for the pharmaceutical sector and with validation package.

Contact: Ion Exchange (India) Limited Ion House, Dr. E. Moses Road, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai-400 011, India Tel : (91) 22 3989 0909 / 3047 2042 Email : ieil@ionexchange.co.in Web:http://www.ionindia.com

Process/reaction vessels of different sizes, shapes

P

OLY PLAST manufactures process/reaction vessels of different sizes and shapes as per the customer’s specifications. Ranging from 200 ltrs to 1,00,000 ltrs capacity with conical, dished or flat bottom and top. The MOC depends on chemical, temperature and pressure conditions of the process requirement. Stirrers are fabricated out of MS/SS materials, lined with plastic materials as per service warranted and tested with HVHF spark testers for leak proof functioning. All thermoplastic liner weld joints are provided with non-metallic conductive materials to facilitate spark testing. These vessels are ideal replacement to the conventional MS glass lined and nobel metal claded vessels.

Contact: Polyplast Chemi-Plants (I) Pvt. Ltd. Thakore Industrial Estate, Kurla-Kirol Road, Vidyavihar (West), Mumbai - 400 086, Maharashtra, India Tel: + 91-22-25116659 / 25112294 Email: mktg@polyplast.co.in Web:http://www.frpstoragetanks.net

Fluid bed dryer for various applications

U

mang’s fluid bed dryer is used for drying of wet pellets, granules, powder in the pharmaceutical, personal care, food, agrochemical industries. It consists of an inlet chamber, product chamber & filter chamber. The material is charged into the product chamber. Air distribution plate assembled in the product chamber ensures uniform distribution of air. Due to fluidization, the particles get surrounded by hot air, which leads quick & uniform heating and drying. Moist air is carried away by the hot air through the filter chamber provided at the top where the air can be recycled and used in case of closed loop process.

Contact: Umang Pharmatech Pvt. Ltd. Survey No. 146, H. No. 1 (PT) Vasai Phata Highway Junction, Pelhar, NH8, Vasai (E) - 401 208, Maharashtra, India Tel: +91-0250 6521601 / 602 / 607 Email:marketing@umangengineering.com Web: http://www.umangpharmatech.com

Bottom discharge centrifuge with different solids removal method

G

allant Centrifuge Pvt Ltd has introduced bottom discharge centrifuge that allows filtration of products at different speeds. The process is similar to other centrifuges but the method of removing the solids is different. The hazardous, toxic and allergic materials can easily be handled as there is no contact between the operator and product during operation.

Available in various sizes and specifications, the range of bottom discharge centrifuge is ideal for chemical, pharmaceutical, food processing and beverage industries. The advantages are it provides drastic reduction in manual labour due to complete automated discharge of filter cake with help of a scrapper, it can handle toxic, allergic or hazardous materials safely.

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

Contact: Gallant Centrifuge Private Limited 24, Span Estate, Plot No. 84/4, Near Canara Bank, Phase I, Gidc Vatva, Ahmedabad - 382445 Gujarat, India Tel: +91-9879077261/+91-79-25890106 Email: gallantcentrifuge@yahoo.in Web: www.gallantcentrifuge.co.in

Introducing automated jacketed reactor platform

A

tlas HD is an automated jacketed reactor platform for R&D chemists and chemical engineers. With complex multi-step recipe capability, it offers true walk-away chemistry. Atlas HD enables supreme flexibility with seamless and tool-free interchangeability of jacketed reactors from 50 mL to 5 L. Thanks to its modular design, Atlas HD can be easily upgraded to perform crystallization, calorimetry, and high-pressure chemistry. An intuitive touchscreen base delivers unmatched capability to define and monitor reaction conditions such as stirring, heating, and dosing in real time and displays all data in a graphical way. A range of sensors including turbidity, temperature, pressure, and pH can be configured in addition to automated dosing options using the Atlas Syringe Pump.

Contact: Blacktrace Holdings Ltd Unit 3, Anglian Business Park, Orchard Road, Royston Herts SG8 5TW, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1763 252 149 Email:ryan.hughes@blacktrace.com Web:http://www.blacktrace.com

Breakthrough in microthermal technology for natural gas metering

S

ensirion launched new SGM6200 module which covers natural gases in group E with up to 25 percent hydrogen content at a current consumption below 10 µA. New environmentally friendly technologies, such as power-to-gas and biogas production systems, will change requirements for the entire natural gas industry, including gas metering.

Due to these trends, future gas metering will be confronted with new mixtures of natural gas, including those that contain significant amounts of non-conventional fuel gases such as hydrogen or carbon dioxide.

By adding the new SGM6200 series to its current product portfolio of SGM6000 modules the company believes that it fulfills both current and future market requirements.

Contact: Sensirion AG Laubisruetistrasse 50, 8712 Staefa ZH, Switzerland Tel: +41 44 306 40 00 Email:info@sensirion.com Web:https://www.sensirion.com

New pilot and production scale mixer

R

esodyn Acoustic Mixers announces the release of their new pilot and production scale mixer, the OmniRAM™. OmniRAM™ can process materials faster, better, more efficiently and productively.

ResonantAcoustic® Mixing is a non-contact mixing system that employs low-frequency acoustic mixing at intensities up to 100g’s of acceleration without the inherent issues associated with the use of conventional, contact based mixing technologies. Max capacity of 5 kilograms/11 pounds provides the flexibility to process at a test or pilot scale, as well as production levels.

RAM onboard operating system provides machine operations control, recipe development and storage, as well as multiple level, digital security and access control from operator to supervisor.

Contact: Resodyn™ Acoustic Mixers, Inc. 130 N. Main St., Suite 630, Butte, Montana 59701, USA Tel: (406) 497-5333 Email:info@resodynmixers.com Web:http://resodynmixers.com

No-moving parts solutions for small line size flow measurement

F

CI’s ST75 Series and ST100L Air/Gas Flow Meters and FLT93L Flow Switch provide ideal solutions for use in 0.25 to 2 inch (DN6 to DN50) pipe or tubing. They excel where low flows, wide-turndowns, dirty fluids, HazEx or harsh installations are among the application factors. These flow instruments offer many advantages for service in a wide range of applications: plant, building or lab gas sub-metering, small inlet air/gas feed lines for boilers, gas relief valve monitoring, chemical injection, compressed air systems, cogen or CHP gas fuel measurement and control, sampling systems, and more. FCI’s ST75 Series Air/Gas Flow Meters are ideal for lines sizes from 0.25 (6mm) to 2 inches (51mm). The FLT93L Flow Switch is field settable for trip point on flow rates and temperature.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

Contact: Fluid Components International 1755 La Costa Meadows Drive, San Marcos, California, 92078 USA Tel: 760-744-6950 Email:FCImarcom@fluidcomponents. com Web:http://www.fluidcomponents.com

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GLOSSARY PAGE NO Aarti Industries Ltd 08 Abu Dhabi Medical Devices Company 30 Addivant 75 All India Plastic Manufacturers’ Association 42 Allentown 66 AMRI 66 Aptar Pharma 30 Archroma 19 Arkema 59 Ashland 40, 66 AVA Chemicals Pvt Ltd 55 BASF 12, 59, 66 Belgee 12 Birla Carbon 10 Blacktrace Holdings Ltd 77 Borouge 16 Celanese Corporation 59 Clariant 53 Coromandel International Limited 09 DSM Engineering Plastics 38 DSM Nutritional Products 74 E I DuPont de Nemours and Company 59 E.I.D. Parry 09 Eastman Chemical Company 59 Ecolab 66 Evonik Industries 59, 75 Fitch Ratings 11 Fluid Components International 77 Future Market Insights 51 Gallant Centrifuge Private Limited 76 GB Minerals 10 GE Aviation 20 Gevo 20 Global Market Insights Inc 65 G-Star RAW 19 Huntsman 66 Indian Institute of Soil Science 28

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2018

PAGE NO Ineos Styrolution 22 Insecticides India Ltd 28 Ion Exchange (India) Limited 76 Itafos 10 Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc 10 Kraiburg TPE 31 KTH Royal Institute 61 Lanxess 14, 33, 59 LG Chem 59 Lonza 66 Lubrizol Corporation 66 MIT 44 Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics Corporation 59 Nippon Paper Industries 61 Niti Aayog 08 P&S Market Research 59 PolyOne 35 Polyplast Chemi-Plants (I) Pvt. Ltd 76 Research and Markets 48 Resodyn™ Acoustic Mixers, Inc 77 SABIC Innovative Plastics US LLC 08 SABIC 59 Samsung 22 Sensirion AG 77 Shell Technology Centre 66 Siegfried 10 Siemens Process Industries 70 Solvay Specialty Polymers S.p.A 74 Solvay 59 Sunday Morning Herald 62 Tech Mahindra Ltd 69 Technavio 57 Umang Pharmatech Pvt. Ltd 76 University of Florida 45 University of Jaen 45 Utico 16 Wacker Chemie AG 74

January 2018 Issue

Sector Focus Chemicals Section Plastics & Polymers

Fine Chemicals

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Basic Chemicals

•Antioxidants • Antimicrobials •Colorants • Fillers •Flame Retardents • Foaming Agents •Plasticizers • PVC Stabilizers •Accelerators •Antidegradants •Antireversion agents •Post vulcanization stabilizers •Reinforcing agents •Vulcanizing agents •Antioxidants •Antiozonants •Blowing agents •Pigment •Flame Retardant •Activators •Tackifiers •Viscosity Reducers •Antiscorching Agents •Processing Aids •Additives •Filler •Softeners •Releasing Agents •Plasticizer •Latex Chemicals

Speciality Chemicals 51

•Pharmaceuticals •Pharmaceutical Intermediates •Agro Chemicals •API •Amines •Carbonyl Compounds •Carboxylic Acid & Derivates •Chlor-alkali •Halogen Compounds •Heterocyclic Compounds •Hydrocarbons •Hydroxyl Compounds & Derivates •Inorganic Compounds •Organic Nitrogen Compounds •Organic Phophorus Compounds •Organic Sulfur Compounds •Organometallic Compounds

•Adhesives • Agrichemicals • Cleaning Materials •Cosmetic Additives • Construction Chemicals •Elastomers •Flavours&Fragrances •Food Additives • Industrial Gases •Lubricants •Polymers •Surfactants

Equipment Section Chemical Process Equipment

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February Issue

Sector Focus Chemicals Section: • Food Additives • Emulsion • Sugar • Health • Diary

Equipment Section: • Pumps • Valves

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