Chemical Today March 2018 by worldofchemicals.com

March 2018 | Volume II | Issue X | â&#x201A;¹275

Features

Surfactants

Expert Viewpoint Animal Nutrition

Event Coverage PlastIndia

IT In Chemicals Digitalization

Budget Quotes

DRIVING THE

GROOMING QUOTIENT Meet You at

Corrosion Technology Forum 2018 7th, 8th june Sheraton Grand, Bangalore Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

Consumers

look for ‘Newness’ T

he cosmetics industry is one segment which catches everyone’s attention and creates an audience for itself. This industry works on the concept of ‘newness.’ There are thousands of products in each category but every product claims to have something new in it. And if you watch closely, there is a constant influx of new cosmetic products pushing out the old ones to adorn the shelves at supermarkets making way for new trends to govern your beauty regime. With growing health concerns, consumers are now looking to protest against harmful chemicals in cosmetic products. Further, companies are avoiding animal derived ingredients and replacing them with natural identical materials. This is in line with the needs of environment friendly products and sustainability for natural ethical choices in all processes. Moreover, the men’s grooming segment is on a growth trajectory. The market is coming up with more male-specific skin care, hair care products and products to correct imperfections such as dark circles, outlining beard and eyebrows. Take a look at how various chemical companies are launching new products for skin and hair care, keeping in mind the prominent trends. Also the increased consumerism and focus on personal care products is paving the way for growth of the surfactants market. In this segment too, eco-friendly (bio based) surfactants is the reigning demand from the end user industry. In the surfactants market, some of the key factors for success will be Scale and Specialization. Considering Scale price competition suggests that scale and process efficiencies will help companies stand out among their peers. While looking at Specialization - differentiated players catering to niche applications are less likely to suffer from margin pressures. Do read up on the trends in the surfactants market, in our features section. For the budget, the government’s focus on rural development, agriculture and healthcare is a welcome step - said to stimulate demand. Glance at our compiled list of budget reactions from various industry stalwarts. To connect and give us suggestions or criticisms write to write to - editorial@worldofchemicals.com

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

PLASTINDIA 2018

Shankar Karnik,

General Manager-Industrial, ExxonMobil Lubricants Pvt Ltd

Amit Puri,

Director, Alok Masterbatches Pvt Ltd

FEATURE

NON-IONIC SURFACTANTS

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

Bob Masterson, President & CEO, Chemistry Industry Association of Canada

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

CANADA

Chemical Today

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

CONTENTS

QUOTES 04 BUDGET REACTIONS

EXPERT VIEWPOINT

ANIMAL NUTRITION

NEWS NATIONAL 08 INTERNATIONAL 10 MAKE A DIFFERENCE 12

EVENTS 14 CHEMICAL SECTORS MICROBES 16 ADHESIVES 18 REACTIVE DYES 20 LIQUID SILICONE 24 POLYCARBONATE 26 FLUIDS 28

SECTOR VIEW COSMETICS

GREEN CHEMISTRY

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS NORTH AMERICA

CORROSION TECHNOLOGY INTERVIEWS

50, 52

REPORT BROMELAIN MARKET STUDY COCONUT DERIVED SURFACTANTS LAUNDRY DETERGENT MARINE ENZYMES

54 56 58 60

ACADEMIC R & D ACADEMIC SPEAK

62 66

JOBS 70 IT IN CHEMICALS DIGITALIZATION 72

EVENT COVERAGE PLASTINDIA

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

PRODUCTS 74 EQUIPMENT 76 GLOSSARY 78

Published for March 2018.

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.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 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 | March 2018

BUDGET REACTIONS

he government’s focus on rural development and agriculture is a welcome step. The long overdue emphasis on our rural economy and agriculture will stimulate demand. The announcement of the Aayushman Bharat program for healthcare is a game changer and the coverage of ten crore people under the National health protection scheme is commendable. This will give an impetus to healthcare benefits for people in the most deserving sections of society. Overall, while the budget appears to be a progressive one, it was disappointing to note that the reduction in corporate tax was offered only to companies with a turnover under of Rs 250 crores Satish Reddy Chairman, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories.

e welcome the budget! It is a people focus budget. When our finance minister Arun Jaitley announced the series of measures in Budget 2018-19 to promote clean energy, access to power and energy security, we as a company are looking forward about its future scope. EAPL would be supporting Mr Jaitley’s initiative of full electrification on providing electricity connection to nearly 4 crore poor households under Sobhagya Yojana. Also, with the announcement of promoting electric vehicles, centre may lower GST and pass benefits to buyers, will give a major impetus to the shift to clean energy. However, in the renewable energy sector there are number of policy decisions related to import duties and domestic manufacturing, which needed to be addressed to further boost the sector. Also, achieving the target of 175 GW of renewable energy capacity and generating it by 2022 requires a lot more to be done than simply increasing the budgetary allocation. Shekhar Singal Managing Director, Eastman Auto & Power Ltd. ACE industry welcomes the Budget, particularly the push for local manufacturing of Mobile Phones and Consumer Electronics by increasing Customs Duty on imported products and components, a move that is consistent with the government’s Make-in-India initiative. The focus on improving rural electrification and well-being through the National Livelihood Mission will stimulate rural demand for electronics and appliances in the short to medium term meanwhile, a sustained development can be ensured through the focus on Smart Cities. The MSME sector, which forms the backbone of the electronics industry will benefit from reduction in corporate tax from 30 to 25 percent and the allocation of ~ Rs 3,800 crore for the development of the sector will translate to strengthening the electronics eco-system at large. Further, doubling of allocation towards future technologies such as IoT, Robotics etc. are encouraging as these rapidly growing technologies are likely to impact our industry as well. Manish Sharma President and CEO, Panasonic India & South-Asia; President, CEAMA.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

and electrical products will boost indigenous manufacturing and fuel more employment opportunities.

Ajay Durrani Managing Director, Covestro India

he budget is on the expected lines since this was the last budget of the current tenure of Narendra Modi-led government, as Finance Minister mentioned this budget is pro people and pro farmers, the thrust on agriculture and health related schemes and provisions will have a trickledown effect on various other sectors too. Operation Greens which has been allocated a sum of Rs 500 crore is a good start. However, use of cold chains and solar powered dryers could have been incentivized. Nonetheless, the emphasis on building a research driven economy through Prime Minister’s Research Fellows (PMRF) Scheme is commendable, and is a right step in the direction of building an innovation driven economy. Policies such as imposing customs duty on electronics

It is a balanced budget focusing on providing an impetus to the economy and offers encouraging measures for the tax payers. As expected GST, demonetisation have ushered in tectonic changes for economy and the same was conspicuous in the budget. There are multiple take-aways from the budget that is aimed at boosting consumption, skill development and highlights concerted efforts in the direction of creating improved living standards in the country. The reduction in the tax rate in the income tax slab of Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh to 5 percent from 10 percent will give rise to disposable income of individuals and boost consumption. Similarly, the subventions offered for the MSME sector in the form of tax rebate, reduction in income tax for SMEs with annual turnover up to Rs 50 crore, as well as, the extension of the profit linked deduction period available to the start ups to three years out of seven years will provide a stimulus to employment generation. Agriculture, which is a key contributor to the country’s GDP, has received multiple sops; which is heartening. The decision to increase credit to farmers, with 60 days interest waiver, increase in NABARD fund, science-driven farming is being promoted with soil cards, micro-irrigation funds and mini labs in Krishi Vigyan Kendra will provide an impetus to the food productivity of the country. Also, the decision to install bio-toilets in railways is also a step in the right direction. The polymer industry will receive a boost from the proposed additional strategic crude oil reserves. Similarly, the proposed reduction in the basic customs duty on LNG from 5 to 2.5 percent will provide a respite to the petro-chemicals sector. The thrust on the ‘Housing for All’ scheme continues with the budget. The decision to give it an infrastructure status as well as interest subvention for housing loans and reduced lending rates by banks post-demonetisation is a welcome move. The target of providing 1 crore houses for the houseless with a budget of Rs. 27,000 crore, spells good news for the sector. However, if the FM would have linked its affordable housing scheme with the agenda of making India an energy efficient nation, it would have served the greater good of scripting a brighter, better future of the nation.

udget 2018-19 is not very encouraging for the renewable and solar energy sector. The government has missed out on a major opportunity to take a lead towards combating climate change. The recently released Economic Survey highlights the impact of climate change in India especially to farmers. It mentions that rainfall extremities have increased in the past 10 years and climate change can potentially reduce farmer’s income by the range of 20-25 percent. Renewable Energy, especially solar can play a very crucial role to reduce the impact of climate change on our communities.

Gyanesh Chaudhary MD and CEO, Vikram Solar

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

Unfortunately budget has not taken steps to create an eco-system which would make combating climate change a possibility. The budget has very limited allocation to MNRE with a target to achieve 11 GW of installations in the next financial year. Allocation to SECI has also seen a reduction. A large chunk of the coal cess which was earlier transferred to National Clean Energy Fund now goes towards GST compensation fund. The budget does not talk about any alternative mechanism which would fund clean energy installations in India. In terms of energy security, currently we import 85-90 percent of our solar modules, which threatens our energy security. The current provisions in the budget does not mention any support for the manufacturing industry which has been highly discouraging for the sector. We hope that government will take additional steps to increase installations of solar power plants by providing direct and indirect support.

NEWS NATIONAL JORDAN PHOSPHATE, ARAB POTASH TO EXPAND EXPORTS INTO INDIA

His Majesty King Abdullah meets with leading Indian Businessmen in India on Wednesday (Photo courtesy of Royal Court)

ordan Phosphate Mining Company (JPMC) and Arab Potash Company (APC) signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Indian companies to bring up their exports to the Indian market, according to Jordan news agency, Petra. MoUs were signed in New Delhi, India, as his Majesty King Abdullah is visiting India in a bid to boost JordanianIndian business cooperation. JPMC signed six agreements with different Indian companies to export phosphate to India. Under the deals, that will be implemented this year, it will initially

provide the Indian market with around 3 million tonnes of phosphate. Exported quantities are expected to go up to 10 million tonnes of “raw phosphate” over the coming three years, Petra indicated. The value was not disclosed. The JPMC, which exports around 60 per cent of its production to the Indian market, also signed an agreement with an Indian company to acquire 250,000 tonnes of “phosphate fertilisers.”

chemical manufacturing complex in Aqaba. Moreover, on the sidelines of the IndiaJordan Business Forum, which convened in New Delhi on Wednesday, the APC and Indian Potash Ltd. signed an MoU under which the APC will provide the Indian company with 375,000 metric tonnes of product, in addition to other quantities over five years. The two sides are to agree on prices on annual basis, in accordance with the prices at global markets.

Founded in 1949, the Amman Stock Exchange listed company, JPMC, operates three mining facilities in Jordan and a

The APC also signed a three-year MoU with Zuari Agro Chemicals Ltd to provide it with different quantities, Petra reported.

APPLIED DNA, GHCL, RELIANCE LAUNCH RECYCLED PET BEDDING PRODUCTS

pplied DNA Sciences Inc along with Indian manufacturer of home textiles GHCL Ltd and Reliance Industries Ltd plan to launch CertainT® verified recycled PET (rPET) bedding products at New York Home Fashions week, to be held from March 19 to 22. Fully source-verified, recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET post-consumer) is the clear plastic best known for packaging bottled water and is the most widely recycled plastic in the world. GHCL will use Applied DNA’s CertainT platform in connection with PET- and/ or recycled PET-blended bed sheets, pillowcases, and shams sold in-store or online in the United States. RIL is collaborating with GHCL and Applied DNA as the preferred fiber-manufacturing

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

partner to use the CertainT platform for authenticity of recycled PET in bed sheets, pillowcases, and shams. “Consistent with global sustainability and the circular economy, we provide the first fully source-verified recycled PET bedding product line using CertainT, Applied DNA’s proprietary traceability system that tags, tests, tracks the original r-PET pellets to finished products,” said Manu Kapur, president and CEO of GHCL Home Textiles. “We produce a wide range of synthetic yarns from polyester, viscose and other high-end yarns which now utilize the CertainT system for full traceability. The ability to source and buy CertainT yarns made from verified recycled PET fiber is a unique offering that GHCL can provide to customers globally.”

GHCL operates its home textiles facility in Vapi in the state of Gujarat, India. The facility overseas the production process from spinning to weaving to finished processed fabric, which is then made into duvet sets, sheet sets, comforters, to name a few. “CertainT does what no other system can do – we can tag every single fiber and verify them through a defined and secure supply chain through systematic sampling, testing and tracking,” said Dr James Hayward, president and CEO of Applied DNA. “Momentum with retailers and manufacturers across a variety of textiles is growing; we are pleased to see the CertainT platform and trademark now making its way onto retail shelves this year, giving consumers what they want.”

NICCA CHEMICAL, RESIL TO JOINTLY MARKET TEXTILE CHEMICALS

Business alliance agreement signed by Yasumasa Emori, president of Nicca Chemical Co Ltd (Japan) and M S Mohan, managing director of Resil Chemicals Pvt Ltd for textile chemicals in South Asia.

ointly the companies will explore product development and marketing activities for innovative textile chemicals in South Asia. Japanese specialty chemical company Nicca Chemical Co Ltd (Japan) said they have signed a long-term, business alliance agreement with Resil Chemicals Pvt Ltd for joint development and marketing of products. The companies will look for growth opportunities in newer markets as well. Resil will get exclusive rights for distribution of Nicca’s textile chemical products in India and Sri Lanka, while Nicca will get exclusive rights to sell Resil’s

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

textile chemicals in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and the United States. The two companies will also start joint product development and marketing activities for innovative textile chemical solutions. “This business alliance will create a synergy effect for both of us,” said Yasumasa Emori, president of Nicca Chemical, while announcing the strategic alliance. “Resil is pleased and excited about the proposed alliance with Nicca Chemical for marketing each other’s products,” said M S Mohan, managing director of Resil Chemicals - the textile finishing

and auxiliary chemicals company. India is a leading textile market with a focus on cotton textiles. However, in recent years processing of synthetic textile products has been growing, and now India counts itself among the largest synthetic textiles markets in the world after China. NICCA Group has traditionally exported and sold textile processing chemicals on its own. As per the medium-term management plan, Nicca aims to strengthen sales in Southwest Asia. Resil’s expertise and indepth technical know-how will help Nicca accelerate business development in the region, the companies said.

NEWS INTERNATIONAL TOTAL ACQUIRES 16.33 PC STAKE IN WAHA CONCESSIONS IN LIBYA

otal SA has acquired Marathon Oil Libya Limited which holds a 16.33 percent stake in the Waha Concessions in Libya. This acquisition will give Total access to reserves and resources in excess of 500 million barrels of oil equivalent, with immediate production of around 50,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) and a significant exploration potential across the area of 53,000 square kilometres covered by the Concessions in the prolific Sirte Basin. The total consideration payment for the transaction is $450 million.

The Waha Concessions currently produce around 300,000 boe/d. With the ongoing restart of the existing installations and the resumption of development drilling, the output is expected to ramp up and exceed 400,000 boe/d by the end of the decade. The NOC (59.18 percent), Total (16.33 percent), ConocoPhillips (16.33 percent) and Hess (8.16 percent) jointly own the Waha Concessions. The Waha Oil Company, a 100 percent NOC owned entity, operates the asset.

“This acquisition is in line with Total’s strategy to reinforce its portfolio with high quality and low-technical cost assets whilst bolstering our historic strength in the Middle East and North Africa region. It builds on the Group’s long-term presence in Libya, a country with very large oil and gas resources, and demonstrates our commitment to continue supporting the recovering oil and gas industry of the country,” said Patrick Pouyanne, chairman and CEO of Total.

MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL FORMS PARTNERSHIPS FOR ZEOLITE MEMBRANE

itsubishi Chemical Corporation (MCC) has entered into strategic partnerships with ICM Inc and Mitsui & Co Ltd, for marketing zeolite membranes, Zebrex, for bioethanol production. ICM for North America and Mitsui for AsiaPacific and Europe. The partnerships will accelerate MCC’s business development in the bioethanol market further on a global scale. With US and Brazil leading the global market, the use of bioethanol derived from biomass feedstocks such as corn, sugar cane and cassava has been widespreading due to its carbon neutrality and potential to reduce greenhouse gas

emission. Further, what has been called the “second-generation bioethanol,” bioethanol from non-edible feedstocks is evolving in US and India. Bioethanol is required to be dehydrated to a certain extent for use as fuel. With the continuously growing market globally, bioethanol producers will significantly take advantage of Zebrex. Zebrex being a state-of-art, continuous dehydration technology of zeolite membranes, bioethanol producers will save 20 percent to 30 percent of energy consumption compared with a traditional batch pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process, which requires periodical regenerations.

Zebrex through either replacement of the PSA process or integration to an existing bioethanol plant, allows bioethanol producers to reduce carbon footprints and operation costs while increasing production through improvement in efficiency and operational stability. Known for its engineering expertise in the fuel ethanol market, ICM’s technology is used in more than half of ethanol plants in US, where the largest bioethanol production is taking place. The combination of MCC’s Zebrex dehydration technology and ICM’s process integration ability will speed the penetration of Zebrex into the North American market.

ADM TO ACQUIRE 50 PC STAKE ASTON’S SWEETENERS BUSINESS

rcher Daniels Midland Company (ADM) to acquire 50 percent stake in Aston Foods and Food Ingredients’ sweeteners and starches business. The closing of the transaction is accepted late in the second quarter of 2018. Under the terms of the agreement, ADM will become 50 percent owner of Aston’s corn wet mills in Ibred and Novlyanka, which are strategically located close to major customers in the Russian food and beverage industry. “ADM has substantially added to our global sweeteners and starches capabilities with

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

acquisitions serving the European Union, Middle East and North Africa markets, and now we are expanding to serve the growing Russian food and beverage industry. Aston is a key player in this important market, and we look forward to joining them and bringing our experience and capabilities to help our new jointly-owned business grow,” said Pierre Duprat, president, ADM Europe, Middle East and Africa. “This investment is the latest in a series of important additions and enhancements we have made to grow our global corn business,” said Chris Cuddy, president of ADM’s corn processing business.

“Last year, we completed our acquisition of Chamtor, opening up access to key markets in Western Europe. In 2015 and 2016, we acquired corn facilities in Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey and Morocco, then launched a significant expansion effort to enhance our capabilities in those businesses. And we’ve grown significantly in Asia, with our sweetener facility in Tianjin as well as several animal feed plants. Taken together with this expansion into Russia, these global additions represent a substantial transformation of our corn business as we continue our geographical growth and diversification,” added Cuddy.

EVONIK INVESTS IN ISRAELI DIGITAL PRINTING DEVELOPER

vonik Industries said that it has invested in Velox, a digital printing technology developer located in Rosh HaAyin, Israel. This marks the company’s first investment in Israel, which has become a hub for startups. Velox possesses new digital printing technology for cost-effective high-speed photo-quality printing on metal, plastic, or glass packaging, either for extremely small series or for large-scale industrial projects. The inks used have been developed by Velox especially for digital printing on metal, plastic, and glass, and offer, among other advantages, an extremely wide range of realistic colours and embellishment effects applied with superior properties. The company is already offering decoration systems for cylindrical containers such as plastic tubes and aluminium aerosols. “Evonik sees itself as a partner to the printing industry. The sophisticated

demands in the field of digital printing make this market particularly interesting for the development of our speciality additives growth engine,” said Bernhard Mohr, head of Evonik Venture Capital. “Digital printing opens up new design opportunities in the packaging industry and allows industry players to distinguish themselves from the competition in new ways. We’re glad to be working with Velox to develop perfectly tailored additive solutions for this growing market,” said Gaetano Blanda, head of coating additives business at Evonik. “In Evonik, we have a strategic investor with extensive experience in the printing industry and a large research and development network. Our collaboration will enable our Inks technology to reach an even higher performance level and meet any industry requirement,” added Marian Cofler, CEO and co-founder of Velox.

ABB, SABIC SIGN AGREEMENT TO DRIVE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY INNOVATION ABB Limited and Sabic have signed a new global cooperation agreement to focus on strategic framework for healthy development of high-technology industries and potential technology ventures across the world. Strengthening their existing relationship at strategic and working levels enables them to use their combined experience to develop next-generation solutions for a market currently growing at 16 percent per annum. The Home of Innovation is a Sabic growth initiative. This undertaking combines marketing, innovation and technology to create demand and grows business on a local, regional and global level. It connects Sabic with industry-leading companies to identify market needs and develop the groundbreaking solutions that answer them. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Sabic’s Uwaidh Al-Harthi, executive vice president of innovation & business development, and Peter Terwiesch, president, industrial automation division and member of the group executive committee of ABB Limited. This partnership gives Sabic greater access to ABB’s integrated industrial internet offering and cloud infrastructure. This technological platform, which is known as ABB Ability and is proven across a wide

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

Uwaidh Al-Harthi (sitting, left), EVP, innovation and business development, SABIC, and Peter Terwiesch, president, industrial automation division and member of the group executive committee, ABB, signed the MoU

range of technologies and industries, makes it easier for companies to harness the power of industrial data to improve decisionmaking. “This agreement is an important step in achieving Sabic’s passion to support the national transformation program, and Saudi Vision 2030. ABB’s deep technology expertise will play a formative role in nurturing this technological development,” said Al-Harthi.

“We are pleased to have this coalition with Sabic which is in line with our strategy to increase customer focus. ABB will combine its own advanced technologies and solutions with Sabic’s industry expertise to pave the way for new global growth opportunities within the chemical industry. This kind of information sharing will foster long-term stability and help create reliable, safe, efficient and digital-ready facilities of the future,” said Terwiesch.

NEWS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

MARINE FOULING PREVENTION SOLUTION

BASED ON UV-LED TECHNOLOGY

kzoNobel is to develop a revolutionary fouling prevention technology which uses ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UVLED). The pioneering solution - which uses underlying technology developed by Royal Philips - will be applied to underwater surfaces to eliminate fouling growth. Teaming up is AkzoNobel’s surface protection and adhesion know-how with Royal Philips’ capabilities and intellectual property in UV-LED lighting and electronics. The two companies aim to develop an economically viable solution for underwater fouling prevention. The innovation will integrate UV lightemitting diodes in a protective coating scheme which will allow for the UV light to be emitted from the coating surface, providing the total prevention of biofouling accumulation on the surface of the protected area. The fully biocide-free solution will provide groundbreaking performance and offer complete fouling prevention to the hulls of ships and boats. The total control of biofouling represents a substantial

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

economic and environmental benefit, and when realized, the impact of this new technology on vessel owners and operators will be hugely significant. “In our Sustainable Fouling Control initiative, we actively explore and develop alternatives to biocidal-based solutions,” said Oscar Wezenbeek, director of AkzoNobel marine and protective coatings. Initially, the focus will be on applications for ships, yachts and offshore assets, but the project could potentially be extended to include other surfaces challenged by biofouling issues. “In our quest to not only protect and color, but also functionalize surfaces, we actively look for complementary technologies and partners to innovate with. In this case, the combined capabilities and technology of Royal Philips and AkzoNobel will enable us to accelerate the realization of this transformative innovation, which we intend to initially market ourselves and consider licensing out to third parties for large-scale adoption,” said Klaas Kruithof, AkzoNobel’s chief technology officer.

DEICER FOR PRIVATE USE

NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

ddcon Group and BASF have teamed up to develop a solution for the online distribution of a deicer for private use on Amazon. Addcon markets the proven deicer based on sodium formate, a salt produced from BASF formic acid, under the Viaform® brand. This is a tried-andtested solution for deicing sidewalks, house entrances, streets, cycle lanes, company premises and artificial sports pitches. Viaform is based on Addcon’s professional deicing solution, which has been used on runways and aprons at airports for more than 20 years. It is an efficient and environmentally-friendly deicing agent.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

Since Viaform contains no chlorides, it is more readily biodegradable than conventional products. It is not hazardous to animals and does not have a corrosive effect on metals. “Together with Addcon, we have developed a digital solution for the sale on Amazon that will allow us to deliver Viaform to end users quickly and reliably. Consumers in Germany and Austria can now order the sustainable deicing solution based on formic acid in the online shop conveniently from their own home,” said Carla Seidel, business management for acids and specialties in Europe. Viaform is based on formic acid from BASF: a

versatile and high-quality intermediate that has proven its worth in numerous applications, such as for the preservation of animal feed. Formates, the salts of formic acid, are an environmentally-friendly and highly-efficient deicer for airport runways. In addition, formic acid is used in the oil extraction industry for creating and completing the bore hole, as well as in shale gas exploration. It is also a highly effective decalcifier and disinfectant. Many beekeepers also use the organic acid to protect bees from the dangerous varroa mite. Viaform is exclusively available in the online shop on Amazon.

EVENTS 09 - 12 April 2018

UPCOMING EVENTS

American Coating Conference

Location: Indiana Convention Centre, Indiana Polis Organised by: American Coating Association Website: https://american-coatings-show.com/ The event brings industry professionals together to expand their knowledge of the latest technology trends for the coatings industry.

16 - 17 April 2018

Biofuels & Bioenergy

Location: Dubai UAE Organised by: Conferenceseries.com Website: https://biofuels-bioenergy.conferenceseries.com The event brings together participants from all over the globe in various fields. The theme of the conference is “Biofuels and Bioenergy for Future” with an objective to encourage young minds and their research abilities by providing an opportunity to meet the experts in the field of biofuels and bioenergy and chemical engineering.

22 - 24 April 2018

IPCC

Location: Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche Organised by: Mazeej Events Website: http://www.mazeejevents.com/ipcc2018/ The International Pipeline Coating Conference, organized by the Mazeej Events will take place in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The conference connects oil and gas operators, who discuss their latest projects and technical challenges associated with pipeline protection with the leading international technology and solution providers, presenting the latest advances enhancing pipeline coating and protection.

11 – 15 June 2018

ACHEMA

Location: Frankfurt am Main, Germany Organised by: DECHEMA Website: http://www.achema.de/en/home.html Pharmaceutical, packaging and storage techniques are a longstanding tradition at ACHEMA. We expand the exhibition group by the topics intralogistics, flow of material, tracking and tracing, temperature controlled transport, intermodal transport, supply chain management.

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.

04 - 06 September 2018

IRC

Location: Kuala Lumpur Organised by: International Rubber Conference Organisation Website: https://irc2018.com/ The International Rubber Conference is an association of rubber societies around the world, which plan the calendar for the main international rubber conferences.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

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MICROBES CROP PROTECTION

Acceleron B-300 SAT: Trials demonstrated significant corn root development with Acceleron Seed Applied Solutions + Acceleron B-300 SAT (right) vs. Acceleron Seed Applied Solutions only (left)

MICROBES FOR BETTER HARVESTS BY COLIN BLETSKY

s the global population continues to grow, farmers are tasked with a tall order: they need to get the most out of every acre and, at the same time, reduce the environmental impact caused by their crops. It is, undeniably, an uphill struggle. After all, how are you supposed to make more— with less? And yet The BioAg Alliance, now in its fourth year, is helping the world’s farmers do just that. The Alliance brings together Novozymes’ BioAg operations and capabilities within microbial discovery, development and production with Monsanto’s microbial discovery, advanced biology, field testing and commercial capabilities. By pooling resources and expertise, we’re helping farmers globally to increase their production, while making sustainability a priority. Now, those efforts are bearing fruit. But before we dive into the latest developments, let’s take a brief look at the science and methodology behind microbial biotech.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

Harnessing the power of nature Just a spoonful of soil from anywhere on earth contain tens of billions of microbes, many of which help make nutrients and minerals better available to plants. Among other things, these microorganisms can spur growth and increase their resiliency. They can even help stimulate plants’ immune systems, resulting in fewer plant diseases and higher yields. The hard part is that sifting through and testing each individual microbe for its efficacy is like looking for a needle in a haystack. A haystack the size of New York City. Using state-of-the-art technology, The BioAg Alliance tries to match crops, such as corn or soybeans, with the perfect microbe. It can be a long process of discovery and elimination. But when we find a match, that discovery reveals a synergy that’s not just a win for the plant—but for the whole planet. Harnessing the power of nature’s microbes, farmers can produce more crops while emitting less CO2 and reducing the

need for fertilizer and pesticides. This benefits agriculture, consumers and the environment, and is important due to a variety of factors, not least the increasing demands from a rising global population and the need to grow food in a more sustainable manner and often in suboptimal environments.

The first product goes to market The BioAg Alliance aims to produce bioyield products, which help plants with nutrient uptake, and biocontrol products, which help protect plants against pests and diseases. The products can be applied to seeds before planting, to soil in-furrow, or to growing crops. They can be used by farmers that grow broad-acre crops such as corn and soy, and on fruits and vegetables. The BioAg Alliance announced a breakthrough in 2017, when we introduced the corn inoculant Acceleron B-300 SAT. Derived from a fungus (Penicillium bilaiae) found in soil, Acceleron B-300 SAT increases plants’ ability to take up nutrients. The product has shown to

improve corn yields by more than 3 bushels per acre, and it was used by U.S. farmers on more than 4 million corn acres in its first year. It is expected to be applied to between 8-10 million acres in 2018. Farmers use inoculants like this to protect their crops from yield-robbing threats, improve plant health, and increase nutrient availability. Acceleron B-300 SAT was the first jointly developed product from The BioAg Alliance and an industry milestone since it was the first “upstream” corn inoculant ever developed, meaning this was the first time companies managed to add microbes as part of the seed coating. The microbes stay alive and active for two years on the seed and are generally compatible with other seed coating chemistries. This allows The BioAg Alliance to coat the seeds with the microbial product before they’re shipped to retailers and farmers. We expect that, by 2025, the inoculant could be applied to more than 90 million acres, and has potential to become one of the biggest biological products in the agriculture industry.

New seed coatings in the pipeline In January, The Alliance announced an updated R&D pipeline with exciting projects that reflect just how rapidly our understanding of microbes and their symbiotic relationships with plants is evolving. Among the highlights is the Corn BioYield 2 project, which advanced to Phase 4 (precommercial) in the R&D pipeline and is expected to be branded as Acceleron B-360 ST, pending regulatory approvals. Acceleron B-360 ST promotes symbiosis between microbes and corn plants to strengthen root systems and increase plants’ access to nutrients. Acceleron B-360 ST will be used in combination with Acceleron B-300 SAT and is scheduled to enter the market in 2019. By helping plants build healthy root systems, biological seed treatments like these enable more efficient uptake of nutrients into the plant. This increase in nutrient uptake has the additional benefit of decreasing the amount of nutrients released into the environment, either via runoff into water supplies or into the air. And, the increases in plant biomass can help to sequester carbon into the soil, particularly in microbes that promote root development. The result is that carbon dioxide is pulled out of the air and stored in the soil.

Acceleron B-360 ST: Interactions with soil microbes can enhance a corn plant’s ability to get nutrients. This ag biological product is designed to unlock yield potential by increasing mycorrhizae colonization of the root zone to provide enhanced functional root volume, nutrient and water uptake. Corn plant on the left has been treated with Acceleron only (base seed treatment of fungicide and insecticide) and the right has been treated with Acceleron base seed treatment + Acceleron B-300 SAT + Acceleron B-360 ST. The BioAg Alliance also announced the achievement of a significant milestone in the Corn BioYield 3 project. Over the past four years, our researchers have screened thousands of microbes across multiple sites to determine which microbes deliver the highest increase in crop yield. A small group of top performers have now been selected for commercial evaluation and development.

Improving soybean health and yield Projects in the soy pipeline also progressed. The Soy BioYield 2 project is expected to lead to a product for the North American market and a product for South America. Both products contain bacteria that increase soybeans’ uptake of nitrogen, leading to improved plant health and more bountiful harvests. The Soy BioNematicide project is researching a new biological way to control soybean cyst nematodes, a parasitic roundworm that attacks the

roots of soybeans and is a devastating pest worldwide causing stunted growth and severe loss of yield. The project has now shown efficacy for four consecutive years. In addition to the pipeline updates, The BioAg Alliance announced it is preparing for expansion into Europe. Today, The BioAg Alliance products are primarily sold in North and South America, but in 201920 The Alliance plans to launch products for growers of corn, oilseed rape and wheat in European markets. The products will mainly be based on Acceleron B-300 SAT and Acceleron B-360 ST technologies.

A bright future for biology With exciting products coming to market in both the bioyield and biocontrol segments, the next few years look to be promising ones for The BioAg Alliance. And, as sustainability becomes even more ingrained in the fabric of agricultural innovation, the work has never been more important. Author Colin Bletsky is Vice President BioAg at Novozymes

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

ADHESIVES FILTERS

FILTRATION AND ADHESION: WHEN THE BOND NEEDS TO HOLD

hen we talk filtration, the extent and importance of the process is never fully understood. Filters are today used in every aspect of our lives right from the cars that we drive to the air-conditioning in our homes to automotive and hospital applications. Today filters serve different needs, from water, that is the most natural thought when we hear the word filter to oil and air filters that are used in the motors that we drive. Apart from these, there are a whole host of applications that use filters, and these are expected to perform in some of the most demanding and extreme environments. When we talk about water, this is one natural resource that has universal uses right from domestic to industrial. Today, every conceivable manufactured product uses water in some part of its production

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

lifecycle. Industrial water use, includes water used for such purposes as fabricating, processing, washing, diluting, cooling or transporting a product; incorporating water into a product; or for sanitation needs within the manufacturing facility. Some industries such as food, paper, chemicals, refineries, etc. use large amounts of water during the production stages. Today, the World population is exploding and given the rate at which we have been drawing on natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reserves we will soon be staring at a crisis. According to a recent UN alert, in the next twenty years, global demand for fresh water will vastly outstrip reliable supply in many parts of the world. Fresh water makes for just 2.5% of the earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s water, and this again is contained in glaciers and ground water which leaves just enough of the resource actually useable

in rivers, lakes and ponds, which highlights today more than ever the need to filter and recycle water. Given this impending crisis pertaining to water, manufacturers of liquid filtration systems serving the water treatment, food and beverage industries are constantly faced with the challenge of increasing the reliability and efficiency of their products. At the same time, the cleaning and maintenance costs incurred by filter users need to be kept as low as possible for their processes to remain competitive. Highperformance adhesives are indispensable for the production of filters both industrial and domestic. They fulfill important design functions such as the stabilization and end bonding of folded filter media or the joining of filter media to frame parts. The adhesives used must meet high quality

standards, since they will be exposed in use to many different kinds of stresses, resulting from heat, pressure and chemicals. Filters are normally manufactured in large quantities. These filters require fast cycling during adhesive dispensing. Moreover,the products need to be highly economical. When it comes to drinking water applications, the end caps on carbon block cylinders are critical to filter function as they ensure that water is forced through the carbon. The end caps also ensure that the filter cartridge seals thoroughly within the housing. Spiral Wound membranes support a wide range of applications and environmental conditions and need adhesive solutions for both wet and dry membranes. Hollow fiber potting is another application that has universal applications in the filtration process right from drinking water, process water, waste water, dairy, food & beverage, and medical filtration. As access to healthcare increases in developing countries, there is going to be an increased demand for medical filtration due to an aging population. And it is here that Henkelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two part polyurethane systems offer a range of solutions that suit every need, be it large parts requiring a static process or high speed production needs with a centrifugal process. Henkel has developed its new Loctite range of adhesives in specific response to these exacting demands. The product range is characterized by exacting temperature resistance, fastest trim times, highest penetration and the highest blister resistance. The range is compliant with EU Food Approval 10 / 2011, Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004 (food contact) and Germanyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s KTW (water contact), the Loctite range also offers high temperature stability during the cleaning cycle. With its Technomelt range, Henkel offers a range of hotmelt adhesives that can be used to fix folds in filters, offer good adhesion to low surface energy plastics such as PP and PE, clear and off-white colours to match the end caps, long open times of up to 80 seconds and is compliant with the FDA175.105, KTW and NSF standards In addition to the core areas of bonding and sealing, Henkel products cover many other related aspects, and can thus serve the entire spectrum of needs along the industrial value chain. Henkel offers state-of-the-art metal pre-treatment technologies, innovative solutions for lubricants, industrial cleaners, and adhesives and sealants for product assembly and packaging. Thanks to its wide-ranging technical customer service, the organization provides process consultancy, laboratory tests and technical training.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

Source: Henkel Adhesives Technologies India Pvt. Ltd.

REACTIVE DYES SUSTAINABILITY

REACTIVE DYE REVOLUTION

nnovations in reactive dyes are helping to revolutionize the textile industry by delivering economic and environmental sustainability.

BY HOLGER SCHLAEFKE

extile mills in China are under increasing pressure to create a cleaner and more transparent supply chain. China’s regulatory authorities have been introducing tougher environmental legislation and stricter enforcement policies for several years, and the nation’s legislators are now contemplating a tax on polluters, along with tax incentives to encourage companies to discharge cleaner air and water. International brands and retailers are being pushed to take more responsibility for their supply chains by environmentally conscious consumers, non-government organizations and regulators in their markets around the world. To cope with this greater scrutiny, the world’s top brands have adopted created and designed their own extensive Restricted Substances Lists (RSLs) and have formed influential industry partnerships like the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Group. This initiative, together with ongoing efforts by NGOs, global brands, governments and even consumers are driving change at the mill level.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

Many mill owners also now have a greater awareness of resource scarcity and the environmental impact of industrial production. They want to contribute to a more sustainable future for China. The challenge is to do so economically.

Fresh water scarcity Reducing the industry’s heavy use of water is a top priority for China’s textile sector. China has 20 percent of the world’s population but only 7 percent of the planet’s fresh water. Pollution from agriculture and industry worsens the problem by further reducing the fresh water available for use. The textile sector is very dependent on water. To produce a simple cotton T-shirt requires approximately 2,650 liters of water from farm to factory to retail outlet. A substantial proportion of this water usage is used in just the dyeing phase of the production process. Up to 100 liters of fresh water, and very high amount of energy, is required to dye just one kilogram of cotton fabric.

Much of this water ends up contaminated by the salt used to promote the absorption of the dye. This salinated wastewater cannot be safely consumed or used for irrigation, and is harmful to aquatic life. It is also difficult to treat. Industry use of hazardous chemicals poses similar problems.

Other environmental priorities Reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions is another priority for China. The 13th Five Year Plan sets ambitious targets for the reduction of carbon emissions and energy intensity, which measures energy consumption per unit of GDP. The current Five-Year Plan is also the first to include a target for reducing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in order to improve air quality. VOCs, which are used extensively in conventional textile production, are already included on the ZDHC restricted substances list. Joining top brands, suppliers, research institutes and industry associations worldwide, China Textile Information Centre is a contributor to the ZDHC initiative. Since last year, the ZDHC has also partnered with the China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC) to help it achieve its Chemicals Stewardship 2020 Initiative. The 2020 Initiative provides a cross-industry framework that seeks to improve chemical management across the textile value-chain and minimize the adverse effects of chemicals on human health and the environment.

Economic challenges Mills are having to cope with all of these environmental challenges while also facing a more difficult economic environment. The global textile industry is now more competitive than ever, forcing mills to find new ways to reduce costs and raise productivity. In China, wages are rising along with the cost of energy and transportation. Plus, mills also have to manage price volatility in cotton and other raw materials. Consumers today are also more demanding. Brands have to show that they meet stricter environmental standards without compromising their ability to offer fashion colors and deep shades on a range of substrates, from cotton and other cellulose fibers to polyesters and blends. Over the past few years, we have seen some mills, dyestuff companies and intermediate chemical manufacturers close under the weight of these combined economic and environmental pressures. Others are operating at levels significantly lower than their manned and technical capacity as local governments re-evaluate plants’

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

beyond. In addition, NOVACRON® S dyes were designed to process fabric with lower amounts of salt used in the dyeing process. Other environmental priorities Constant innovation This was very successful in the Americas Reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions is another As a key supplier in the global textile value and led to reduced salt in effluent. Five Year sets for the reduction of carbon chain, Huntsman TextilePlan Effects saw ambitious the Finally,targets Huntsman introduced AVITERA® writing on intensity, the wall for which the industry more SE measures energy consumption unitdye of GDP. in 2010. The first new per reactive than a decade ago. We have been working molecules to be invented for almost 20 ever since to find answers to the sector’s years, the AVITERA® range represents a The current Five-Year Plan is also the first to include a target for toughest challenges. new generation of dyes comprising complex production capacity permits to reduce overall production and therefore pollution.

compounds (VOCs) in order to improve air quality. VOCs, which

We believe that the issues facing our new molecules with several newly designed conventional production, are already active reactive groups. included on the ZDH industry call for increasedtextile investment in modernJoining production and Most research top technology brands, suppliers, andoneindustry as reactive dye institutes molecules have or wastewaterTextile treatment facilities, Centre more two groups that bond with the Information is areactive contributor to the ZDHC initiative. compliance monitoring, and greater fiber, allowing approximately 50 percent research and development spending. – 85 percent of the dye to fix to the fabric.

Since last year, the ZDHC has also partnered with the China Na This is the reason we consistently invest The AVITERA® SE dye range has two Council (CNTAC) to help itto achieve its Chemicals Stewardship 2 three reactive groups enabling high around 5 percent of turnover in research fixation rates. This dramatically reducesto impro and technology. While many in our industry Initiative provides a cross-industry framework that seeks of water and energy needed to are cuttingacross back, wethe are textile investing more the amount value-chain and minimize the adverse effects o in new dyes, smart processes, intelligent wash off the unfixed dye, and shortens the theinks, environment. effects andand digital as many as half wash-off process. The AVITERA® dyes can of our innovations relate to sustainability. be used on conventional dyeing equipment Reactive dyes, as a mainstaychallenges of the industry, and do not require mills to make a capital Economic investment. have been a focus of our efforts.

Mills are having to cope with all of these environmental challenge

AVITERA® SE is also the first range of Reactive difficult dyeing breakthrough economic environment. The global textile industry is now

reactive dyes to be free from restricted Reactive dyes were introduced in thenew late ways to reduce costs and raise productiv forcing mills to find arylamines. Crucially, this covers para1950s to offer better wash- fastness than chloroaniline a hazardous dyeing byrising along with the cost of energy (PCA), and transportation. Plus, mills direct dyes and a wide range of brighter product that poses risks to people. Fabrics in cotton and65other raw materials. colors thanvolatility Vat dyes. Currently, around dyed with AVITERA® SE dyes thus comply percent of the world’s annual production with the environmental requirements of of about 30Consumers million tons oftoday cotton isare dyed alsoleading morebrands demanding. Brands have to sho and retailers. This helps using reactive dyes. mills maintain a positive image and boost environmental standards without compromising their ability to off The dyes were further improved in the 1970s the value of their brand while increasing shades on a range of substrates, from cotton and other cellulose when Ciba, which is now part of Huntsman, yield, improving productivity and reducing blends. (FT) chemistry to processing costs. developed fluorotriazine make reactive dyes stable in alkaline media. AVITERA® SE: sustainable Huntsman Over then built this innovation to we theonpast few years, have seen some mills, dyestuff com develop stronger chromophores for deep solution chemical manufacturers close under the weight of these combine shades and new chromophores for difficult Using standard dyeing equipment with environmental Others arereactive operating at levels systems takes ansignifica and non-contrasting shades. pressures. The result conventional of 30- 40 liters of water and inplants’ was the introduction of NOVACRON and technical capacitySas average local governments re-evaluate and NOVACRON NC in the 1990s and some cases up to 100 liters, to dye and

to reduce overall production and therefore pollution.

Constant innovation As a key supplier in the global textile value chain, Huntsman21Tex the wall for the industry more than a decade ago. We have been

AVITERA® SE also improves production efficiency and offers good color fastness. The washoff process requires a lower temperature of about 60°C, instead of closer to 100°C compared AVITERA® SE allows textile processing mills to: to conventional washing off, due to the high fixation rate of the dyes, low affinity of the unfixed dyestuff and the design of the molecule. Less water is required and the washing process is up Reducecost water consumption up to energy 50% consumption by to 25% faster. This achieves•significant savings and also by slashes • Reduce wash-off time by up to 25% up to 50% and CO 2 emissions by up to 20%.

REACTIVE DYES SUSTAINABILITY • • • •

finish 1kg of knitted cotton (excluding pretreatment and finishing). The AVITERA® SE dye range reduces this to 15-20 liters/ kg, thereby delivering water savings of up 50 percent. AVITERA® SE also improves production efficiency and offers good color fastness. The wash- off process requires a lower temperature of about 60°C, instead of closer to 100°C compared to conventional washing off, due to the high fixation rate of the dyes, low affinity of the unfixed dyestuff and the design of the molecule. Less water is required and the washing process is up to 25 percent faster. This achieves significant cost savings and also slashes energy consumption by up to 50 percent and CO2 emissions by up to 20 percent. AVITERA® SE allows textile processing mills to: •

Reduce water consumption by up to 50%

•

Reduce wash-off time by up to 25%

•

Reduce energy by up to 50%

•

Reduce CO2 emissions by up to 20%

•

Meet ZDHC and RSL requirements

•

Use existing machinery and processes

The AVITERA® SE dye range has been globally recognized as a breakthrough that contributes to environmental and economic sustainability for the textile industry. It was the overall winner in the 2014 ICIS Innovation Awards, as well as the first recipient of the ICIS Innovation with Best Benefit to Environment or Sustainability Award. AVITERA® SE also scored an impressive 5-star rating review in the Environmental Leader Technology (ELT) Review program.

Extending the AVITERA® SE color palette Huntsman has continued to extend the AVITERA® SE range over the years to offer more colors including Black SE for black shades, while also continuing to provide operational improvements and cost savings. The range is now complete across the entire shade gamut and color spectrum. New color formulations, such as Gold SE, Sky SE and Deep Sea SE, are more economical than the first generation of AVITERA SE dyes eg. Yellow SE, Blue SE, Deep Blue SE and help mills lower their recipe costs. They also offer better leveling, light-fastness and reproducibility to reduce processing costs. For example, reactive black dyes have traditionally contained the hazardous chemical PCA. AVITERA® Black SE is PCAfree, complying with stringent restrictions

Reduce energy by up to 50% Reduce CO 2 emissions by up to 20% Meet ZDHC and RSL requirements Use existing machinery and processes

The AVITERA® SE dye range has been globally recognized as a breakthrough tha contributes to environmental and economic sustainability for the textile industry. It w overall winner in the 2014 ICIS Innovation Awards, as well as the first recipient of th Innovation with Best Benefit to Environment or Sustainability Award. AVITERA® SE scored an impressive 5-star rating review in the Environmental Leader Technology Review program. *At the current detection limit of 5ppm

New color formulations, such as Gold SE, Sky SE and Deep Sea SE, are mo SE dyes e.g. Yellow SE, Blue SE, Deep help mills lower their recipe costs. They also offer better leveling, light-fastne Reduce water consumption by up to 50% reproducibility to reduce processing costs.

AVITERA® SE first allowsgeneration textile processing mills to: than the of AVITERA • • • • • •

Reduce wash-off time by up to 25% Reduce energy by up to 50% Reduce CO 2 emissions by up to 20% Meet ZDHC and RSL requirements Extending the AVITERA® SE color palette Use existing machinery and processes

Huntsman has continued to extend the AVITERA® SE range over the years to offer colors including Black SE for black shades, while also continuing to provide operatio improvements and cost savings. The range is now complete across the entire shad The AVITERA® SE dye range has been globally recognized as a breakthrough that and color spectrum. contributes to environmental and economic sustainability for the textile industry. It was the

overall winner in the 2014 ICIS Innovation Awards, as well as the first recipient of the ICIS Innovation with Best Benefit to Environment or Sustainability Award. AVITERA® SE also scored an impressive 5-star rating review in the Environmental Leader Technology (ELT) Review program.

under the RSLs of the leading brands. It delivers better performance in meeting the most severe wet-fastness requirements compared to black dyes currently available, setting a new benchmark for fastness performance. Plus, it is ideal for fabrics that require the highest chlorine-fastness and good light-fastness.

apparel and home textiles over the past 10 years or so.

Dyeing these blends has remained problematic as the different fibers need to be treated separately. In both conventional two-bath exhaust dyeing and continuous two-step dyeing, an intermediate reductive clearing stage is required after the initial For example, reactive black dyes have dye traditionally contained the hazardous AVITERA® Black SE is designed for dyeing disperse bath to clean the unfixed Extending the AVITERA® SE color palette at very short liquor ratios (typically 6:1 or AVITERA® Black SE is PCA-free, complying with stringent restrictions unde disperse dyestuff before applying the Huntsman has continued to extend the AVITERA® SE range over the years to offer more 0 c rinses less) with a maximum of four 60 reactive dyestuff. This intermediate colors including Black SE for black shades, while also continuing to provide operational leading brands. It delivers better performance in meeting the most severe we to ensure theand lowest processing It nowprocess reduces mill productivity and improvements cost savings. The costs. range is complete across the entire shade gamut requirements to black dyes currently available, setting a new benc alsocolor offers the samecompared water and energy competitiveness with a lengthy processing and spectrum. fastness Plus, it istime, ideal for fabrics that require the highest chlo savings as theperformance. rest of the AVITERA® low fastness levels and reproducibility range, dramatically reduces processing issues. andand good light-fastness. time to boost production by 25% or more The industry is therefore demanding compared to commodity black. solutions that reduce the time, energy and ratios (typica AVITERA® Black SE is designed for dyeing at very short liquor AVITERA® Black SE dye can be used o water to required for dyeing differentprocessing grades C rinses ensure the lowest costs. I with a maximum of four 60 to produce all deep-black shades and is of PES/CEL blends. sameforwater and energy as the rest of the AVITERA® range, and dra suitable medium-to-deep grey savings shades A production combination of AVITERA® as reduces well. processing time to boost by the 25% or moreSE compared to c and TERASIL® W/WW dye ranges Meeting the PES/CEL challenge from Huntsman meets this challenge. AVITERA® SE dye can be used toW/WW produce all deep-black shades and Synthetic fibers Black have been a growth TERASIL® is an alkaline-clearable powerhouse of the textile for asdisperse medium-to-deep greysector shades well. dye, complementing the fast decades, with a shift towards greater use wash-off of the AVITERA® SE reactive dye. of polyester-cotton (PES/CEL) blends in Compared to conventional exhaust PES/

Meeting the PES/CEL challenge 22

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

Synthetics fibers have been a growth powerhouse of the textile sector for de

for PES/CEL allows textile processing mills to: • Reduce dyeing and wash-off time by nearly 50% • Reduce water consumption by around 50% • Reduce energy (and CO 2 emissions) by around 50% • Reduce salt and chemicals consumption • Improve operation excellence with robust dyeing behavior CEL dyeing, the Huntsman dyes reduce the dyeing process time lab matching for example. Another outstanding feature of the dyes fastness by • more thanDeliver 40 percent and reliable eliminates the need for intermediate results is the reduced tendency to thermo migrate during the finishing reduction clearing. This also reduces water and energy use by process. Thus excellent we and rubbing fastness are achieved even around when deep shades produced. • 50%.Cover the entire shade gamut The AVITERA® SE and TERASIL® W/WW dye ranges deliver the entire shade gamut in a sustainable way, whether using exhaust dyeing or continuous dyeing. They also provide excellent fastness properties and outstanding reproducibility.

Combining AVITERA® SE and TERASIL® W/WW for PES/CEL allows textile processing mills to: •

Reduce dyeing and wash-off time by nearly 50%

The Huntsman dyes also offer fast dyeing of PES/CEL for continuous dyeing methods. Production costs are reduced by 50 percent, with a reduction in water, energy and chemicals. The combination of AVITERA® SE and TERASIL® W/WW enables one-bath continuous dyeing that uses the pad-steam process to clear the disperse during the developing of the reactive dyestuff in the steamer. Further to the above mentioned advantages TERASIL W/WW provide very good cotton reservation which leads to easier

•

Reduce water consumption by around 50%

Reduce energy (and CO2 emissions) by around 50% AVITERA® SE Fast – 2 bath without reductive clearing .  Below g • Reduce salt and chemicals consumption   process for exhaust application. • Improve operation excellence with robust dyeing behavior   •

•

Deliver reliable fastness results

•

Cover the entire shade gamut

AVITERA® SE Fast – 2 bath without reductive clearing. Below graphs reflects dyeing process for exhaust application.

Future developments While reactive dyes have come a long way over the past few years, the textile industry today needs solutions that are even more sustainable, from both environmental and cost perspectives. Brands and retailers want innovative products that add value to their portfolios and help them stand out in an increasingly crowded market. Consumers want color, comfort and long-lasting performance. Over and above this, there is an ongoing need for sustainability. Mills are demanding faster and more robust dyeing procedures, and solutions to the challenges of higher raw materials prices and shorter product development cycles. They want to reduce water and energy consumption and remove hazardous chemicals from the supply chain.

As the industry’s leading innovator, Huntsman Textile Effects continues to invest in products and processes to meet these challenges.

Future developments We are seeking new ways to reduce the water required in the dyeing of cotton, which will remain the dominant substrate in our industry some time to come. And we are constantly to help mills year While reactive dyes have comefor a long way over theworking past few optimize and standardize their dyeing processes to improve output and profitability through our Productivity Improvement Program. needs solutions that are even more sustainable, from both enviro We are also seeking to make AVITERA® SE a more cost-effective option for Chinese mills. For example, we are launching AVITERA® perspectives. Gold SE in China shortly. It is a non-phototropic yellow that is more economical than the Yellow SE it. The AVITERA® range has the potential to help mills in China achieve cost-effective production and improved textile products while also minimizing environmental impact. We expect it to help many more textile mills in the months and years to come.

Brands and retailers want innovative products that add value to th stand out in an increasingly crowded market. Consumers want co The textile industry is serious about confronting its sustainability maximizing productivity and meeting customer needs. for s performance. Over and above challenges, this, there is an ongoing need Reactive dyes are a key part of this solution. demanding faster and more robust dyeing procedures, and solutio higher raw materials prices and shorter product development cycl water and energy consumption and remove hazardous chemicals

NOVACRON® developments

On-going cost pressures from brands have led to the development of more cost effective high build-up NOVACRON® S dyes coupled with excellent operational excellence, which have been built on the legacy of NOVACRON® EC (operational excellence for pale to medium shades and NOVACRON® S dyes for dark to very dark shades.

Author Holger Schlaefke  is Global Marketing Manager at CEL Dyes, Huntsman Textile Effects

NOVACRON® developments On-going cost pressures from brands have led to the developmen Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018 23 build-up NOVACRON® S dyes coupled with excellent operationa

LIQUID SILICONE RUBBER GRADES

LIQUID SILICONE RUBBER FOR SENSITIVE APPLICATIONS

BY CHRISTIAN GIMBER

rticles made from conventional silicone rubber often do not meet legal requirements unless they have been postcured. Novel liquid silicone rubber grades from WACKER eliminate this laborious process step for many applications. Despite being a rather young class of materials, liquid silicone rubber is well established in the market nowadays. It is processed in a fully automated injection molding process that is capable of producing silicone articles in large quantities: quickly, efficiently and with high precision. In some cases, the molded parts are post-cured. This heat treatment process, which, for example, must be performed on articles made from conventional liquid silicone rubber for use in the baby-care, food-contact and medical sectors, removes volatile or extractable residues from the

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

elastomer. It is the only way to meet the stringent regulations on silicone articles for sensitive applications. However, post-curing is a process step that is costly, time consuming and work intensive and it significantly restricts silicone processors’ productivity. The new ELASTOSIL® LR 5040 generation of liquid silicone rubber compounds just launched by WACKER solves this problem: post-curing will no longer be necessary for many applications.

High Safety Standards In the ideal scenario, injection molded silicone parts are ready for use and do not require any further processing. In practice, though, it is often reasonable and sometimes even required to post-cure the parts at temperatures of up to 200 degrees Celsius in a well-ventilated oven for several hours. This thermal post- treatment,

known as post-curing, improves the mechanical properties of the rubber and ensures that volatile byproducts from the manufacturing process are removed. Whether thermal post-treatment is necessary depends on the composition of the silicone rubber and on the intended application of the molded part. Legislators have set high safety standards for articles intended for use in sensitive applications by imposing strict purity criteria on them. Silicone articles intended for baby-care or for applications with food-contact must be exceptionally pure, for example. In these two cases, the volatiles content must not exceed 0.5 percent. As a measure of the volatiles content, the regulations use the weight loss of silicone articles exposed to a precisely specified heat treatment, in many cases four hours at 200 degrees Celsius. Dried samples of the molded parts must not lose more than 0.5 percent of their

mass during this treatment. Rubber parts made from conventional LSR only comply with these regulations if they have been post-cured. For silicone processors, however, postcuring is an additional processing step that not only entails energy consumption and generates emissions, but also restricts productivity. Whereas injection molding and packaging of the articles are fully automated steps with short cycle times, post-curing is still largely a manual process: filling and emptying of the post-curing oven is usually done by hand and the heat treatment of the silicone parts often takes several hours. Post-curing thus interrupts the process chain and restricts productivity. Our goal was to find a way to do without this costly and time-consuming process step. The outcome is a new product technology and novel formulation concept realized in the new LSR line ELASTOSIL® LR 5040. Even without post cure, silicone articles made from these grades show very good mechanical properties and, concerning the content of volatile substances, comply with the regulatory standards for sensitive applications mentioned above. Post-curing will thus no longer be necessary in many cases.

High Purity without Post-Curing Our experts conducted extensive tests of the processing properties of the new ELASTOSIL® LR 5040 line which is offered in various hardness levels, and also of the properties of the molded parts. The main question was whether the cured products would achieve all ambitious goals. The tests showed that its grades can be processed via injection molding without any problems. The products are currently available in hardness levels between 30 and 70 Shore A, including a 45-Shore-A version suitable for numerous applications in the baby-care sector. Unlike the case for conventional silicone rubber, the specified hardness values here refer to the nonpost cured state. For ELASTOSIL® LR 5040, they are achieved with a particularly narrow tolerance of ±3 Shore A. This allows fabricators to meet their customers’ hardness requirements with high precision. The volatiles content was first checked by determining the weight loss as recommended by the German Institute for Risk Assessment for food applications. Tests were carried out on non-post cured test slabs with thicknesses of two millimeters. The weight loss was less than 0.4 percent across all grades and thus safely below the 0.5-percent limit. Tests in accordance with EN 14350-2, which applies to baby and infant drinking equipment, also returned weight loss of less than 0.4 percent.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

For silicones used in sensitive applications, there are also numerous requirements and standards that specify extraction and migration limits. Specifications for this can be found, for example, in regulation CFR 21 § 177.2600 of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in Section 3.1.9 of the European Pharmacopoeia and in BfR Recommendation “XV. Silicones”, as well as in the legislation of several member states of the EU. Even without post-cure treatment, ELASTOSIL® LR 5040 complies with these requirements. Furthermore, non-post cured rubber products made of the new liquid silicone rubber are rated as biocompatible according to the requirements of United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Class VI and the ISO 10993 standard. The new liquid silicones’ claim of being especially pure is also underlined by their optical appearance: they are translucent and have a delicate blue shimmer. The molded parts create an impression of particularly high quality and purity. Furthermore, the tendency to yellow, which occurs with some post-cured LSR articles during storage, has been reduced to a minimum.

Excellent Tear Strength Many sensitive applications impose high demands not only on purity, but also on the mechanical properties. For articles such as feeding teats, pacifiers, teething rings and other baby-care articles, the silicone rubber must be tough enough to make sure that babies and infants cannot bite off small pieces. Baby-care articles can only achieve the necessary bite resistance if the material’s tear strength is high enough. Even when stretched, small cracks in the rubber must not propagate. Here, the novel LSR grades perform well, too: the cured rubber products already possess tear strengths of up to 45 Newton per millimeter in the nonpost cured state (measured as per ASTM D 624 B). Generally, conventional liquid silicone rubber only achieves such excellent values after post-curing. For example, a cured rubber part made of ELASTOSIL® LR 3003 with a hardness of 50 Shore A has a tear strength of 24 Newton per millimeter without post cure. After four hours of post-curing at 200 degrees Celsius, the value increases to 30 Newton per millimeter. The same silicone part made of ELASTOSIL® LR 5040 with the same hardness, on the other hand, achieves 40 Newton per millimeter even without any additional thermal treatment. Our experts refused to be satisfied with that, however. They also wanted to know how

the new silicone behaves in selected babycare applications. For this, they performed a simulated bite test on injection-molded ELASTOSIL® LR 5040 feeding teats. As required by EN 14350-1, they first made a little, defined incision in the teats and then stretched them lengthways. The teats must be able to withstand a tensile strength of 9.5 kilograms for ten seconds. Non-post cured bottle nipples made from the new 45 and 50 Shore A silicone scored particularly well in these tests. Bite tests on the feeding teat geometry employed produced no failures. The results are thus comparable to, and in some cases even better, than the results achieved with post-cured feeding teats made from commercial, high-tearstrength liquid silicone rubber. ELASTOSIL® LR 5040 has other impressive features as well. Even without post- cure, the cured, highly elastic rubber products exhibit “snappiness”: when the deformation load is removed, the deformed article returns to its original shape within a split second. The new liquid silicone rubber can also be used to manufacture slit valves, which are used, for example, in anti-colic valves for baby bottles. Slits in non-post cured rubber articles made from conventional LSR tend to self-healing, which impairs the proper function of the valve. Tests show that this effect can be reduced with ELASTOSIL® LR 5040.

Conclusion High-purity ELASTOSIL® LR 5040 liquid silicone rubber relieves producers of diverse molded parts from the burdensome step of post-curing, even where such articles are employed in sensitive areas. WACKER lowers the level of undesirable low-molecular components in the raw materials with great efficiency and returns the separated substances into the silicon loop at its production site. With this, the company makes a significant contribution towards further improving the ecological footprint of silicones. For silicone fabricators, ELASTOSIL® LR 5040 opens up new possibilities. The elimination of the post-curing step allows them to streamline production and boost productivity substantially. Fully automated production has now become possible, and it can take place entirely inside a cleanroom. Examples of silicone articles that fabricators can now make without the need for post-curing are all kinds of babycare products, food-contact articles, such as seals for storage containers, as well as medical products such as respirator masks, single-dose containers for eye drops and filter elements with integrated sealing elements. Author Christian Gimber is Vice President Engineering Silicones at WACKER SILICONES

POLYCARBONATE MEDICAL APPLICATIONS

SUPPORTING PARTNERS IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

ew polycarbonate for safe administration of life-saving drugs to patients.

hen a cancer patient needs life-saving medical treatment, everything must work as designed, right down to the plastic used in luers and other IV connectors. However, not all materials are created equal. Inferior materials often cannot withstand cleaning agents, nor can they tolerate aggressive solvents found in oncology drugs and other treatments. The result: cracking and damage to critical components. Makrolon® Rx3440 polycarbonate, a new medical polycarbonate from Covestro LLC, offers superior durability and chemical resistance to help prevent cracking so that health care professionals can more safely deliver oncology drugs to patients. Compared with other transparent resins used for IV access components, comprehensive lab testing has shown that

the polycarbonate provides best-in-class chemical and oncology drug resistance. This material also demonstrates the best retention of stress to provide more reliable IV connections.

was instrumental in the development of the polycarbonate and is available to test the chemical resistance of customers’ luer connectors. The novel apparatus provides:

Tailored property profile

• Adjustable force, allowing accelerated testing

Makrolon® Rx3440 polycarbonate also offers several other advantages for medical OEMs, including: • Biocompatible according to ISO 10993- 1 and USP Class IV standards • Greater structural integrity to allow for thin-walled designs • Toughness to resist mishandling • Dimensional stability in shipping and storage A Covestro-designed testing apparatus

• Immersion under real-life loading

“We’ve leveraged our knowledge of this highly regulated market to formulate a material that serves an important need, yet requires minimal validation and requalification by OEMs,” said George Paleos, marketing manager for polycarbonate applications in medical and consumer products at Covestro LLC. “Importantly, we’re also able to provide customer support every step of the way from design and material selection to final approval.” Source: Covestro LLC

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

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FLUIDS HEAT TRANSFER

STABILITY AND TRADITION IN HEAT TRANSFER

umerous industrial processes would be inconceivable without heat as an energy carrier. Temperatures of up to 400 degrees Celsius are even required in many cases. With organic heat transfer fluids like Diphyl, heat can be passed from one station to the next without any being lost.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

When precision is critical Synthetic organic heat transfer media show their advantages especially at high temperatures, when precision temperature control is imperative, for instance in manufacturing and processing plastics, synthetic fibers and rubber, and in the wood and metal processing industries. Heat transfer media are indispensable, for example, in fabricating PET from polyester and further processing it into fibers and bottles. The distinguishing features of synthetic heat transfer media are their high thermal stability and long service life, which make them perfectly suited to processes that run at high temperatures of 280 to 400° Celsius. Under these conditions, the LANXESS Diphyl products prove their worth, as they have been doing since 1929. At temperatures exceeding 340° Celsius, the product is even unique. Thanks to its outstanding thermal stability and longevity, Diphyl is known as the “Grande Dame” of heat transfer fluids.

Exact boiling point is advantageous in the vapor phase Diphyl proves its effectiveness particularly in the vapor phase. The mixture has an exact boiling point, which manufacturers can make good use of. An exact boiling point often is crucial to the quality of a manufactured product because it supports precise adherence to target temperatures,

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

as required in spinning and above all polymerization processes. This advantage convinced Murdotec Kunststoffe, a Dortmund-based manufacturer of semi-finished thermoplastic products, to use Diphyl. The company uses Diphyl DT as a heat transfer medium in production. “In manufacturing semi-finished products from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW), temperatures between 20° and 240° Celsius are required in our pressing plant. Feed and film temperatures above 300° Celsius in the heating system, and low viscosity at temperatures below 40° Celsius, were the deciding factors for using Diphyl DT. The pumps can operate at a lower output level as a result,” explained Josef Ikemann, CEO of Murdotec Kunststoffe GmbH & Co. KG.

Full service for customers Heat transfer systems are at “the heart” of an industrial production plant, meaning they must function reliably to ensure safe operations. Both the choice and maintenance of the heat transfer medium must be exactly attuned to the process and the design of the plant. The specialists at LANXESS Distribution offer comprehensive pre- and after-sales service in terms of technical application. They also organize one- to two-day workshops to provide customers with more in-depth information.

EXPERT VIEWPOINT ANIMAL NUTRITION

Pieter Nuboer, Vice President, Animal Nutrition and Health, Asia Pacific, DSM shares his thoughts on the urgent need to attain sustainability in animal nutrition and health products to meet consumers’ demand for ethical and safe food.

ASSURING NUTRITION IN EVERY BITE BY SHIVANI MODY

Global trends and development in the animal nutrition & health segment. The world’s population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050 and demand for more nutrient-dense, healthy nutrition is increasing across geographies. A growing population as well as higher standards of living are driving the demand for fish, meat, poultry and dairy products. With this, there is a clear need for animal productivity to increase to meet the protein demand of a growing and ever more affluent global population. To achieve this, new technologies and practices must be adopted to address the significant sustainability challenges facing the industry. In addition, consumer behavior is changing. Many people, particularly in economically

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

developed countries, are prioritizing foods that are produced sustainably, ethically and safely, addressing concerns around animal welfare and the potential negative health impacts of animal production.

Potential for animal nutrition & health products in Asia Pacific markets. The Asia Pacific region presents a fast growing economy with diverse needs. Asia is now the world’s largest food market, and by 2030 the region is projected to account for half the global increase in beef and poultry consumption and over three quarters of the rise in fish consumption annually. Combined with urbanization, there’s also been a surge in demand for food that are convenient and healthy, all leading to a more active, engaged and demanding

approach to food purchasing by a consumer that expects higher quality products.

Factors driving demand for animal nutrition & health products. Population growth, climate change and changing consumer preferences are influential factors in the animal nutrition & health industry. With global demand for food up by 60 percent in 2050, this underlines the need for sustainable animal nutrition in order to ensure food demands are met in a quick and ethical manner. While the population and demand for food is increasing, the agricultural sector plays a significant role in climate change. According to the Food and Agriculture

Organization of the United Nations (FAO), livestock emissions represent 14.5% of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with methane being the second most accountable for human-induced greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. Given this significant carbon footprint, innovative solutions that optimize livestock production, all whilst mitigating environmental impacts, will be crucial. Lastly, in high-growth economies, consumers are making more informed decision making when it comes to product consumption and there is a growing interest to understand where the food comes from, and how they may be processed. At DSM, we believe that science can change the world. Supported by our strong international footprint and knowledge of the industry, our Animal Nutrition & Health business offers a broad portfolio of nutritional ingredients and solutions for producers to enable the production of dairy, meat and fish protein for a growing population.

Demands from animal nutrition & health products users. Food safety, quality, animal welfare and sustainability, combined with customized solutions are key areas for the animal nutrition & health product users. Notwithstanding the return of investment and production efficiency improvement that are also equally important demands.

Comparing the demands and requirements of these products in developed and emerging markets. Consumers in developed markets are seeking higher quality ingredients and are more health-conscious. In this context, consumers are increasingly concerned about the overconsumption of salt, sugar and fat which are associated with a variety of health issues. In addition, consumers are also prioritizing foods that are produced ethically and safely, with considerations given towards animal welfare and negative impacts associated with agricultural practices. Similarly, health-conscious consumers in emerging markets are fueling

the demand for products with health benefits. DSM’s Global Insight Series report in 2016 revealed that lactose-free products are the main purchase drivers among consumers in emerging markets.

Our scientists work hard to not only ensure animals can extract maximum nutritious value from their feed, but also to reduce the emission of harmful greenhouse gases, such as methane, from the production process.

Company overview on animal nutrition & health business.

With our Clean Cow project, we have developed a feed additive that effectively reduces a cow’s daily methane production by over 30 percent with no negative impact on animal welfare, feed consumption or yields.

DSM Animal Nutrition and Health serves the global feed industry with innovative and sustainable nutritional solutions. As a pioneer since the earliest days of feed additives, we draw on the latest science to provide a unique portfolio that runs from the classic vitamins through carotenoids to cutting-edge eubiotics and feed enzymes. We are uniquely positioned in all steps of the value chain, producing active ingredients, delivery systems, and providing tailored solutions at a global and local level. Our innovation pipeline in animal nutrition is to meet the needs of animal protein producers strengthened via our strategic alliances and joint ventures that will allow us to advance innovations that address food security swiftly. DSM premix plants in the Asia Pacific region are built to respond to the fast increasing consumer demand. The plants are designed to prevent cross-contamination between active ingredients and non-active ingredients that can provide fully traceable production of poultry, swine, aquaculture, ruminant and pet food premixes.

Focus on R&D and innovation. Population growth and rising standards of living are driving demand for convenience and processed foods that are safe, healthy, nutritious, affordable and sustainable. This calls for an efficient and sustainable production of animal protein in the region, while reducing environmental impacts. The environmental impact of animal proteins from fish, cows, pigs and poultry is partly defined by how much feed they consume, and how that feed is produced. The better the animals digest the feed and extract its nutritious value, the lower the demand for feed, which reduces the environmental impact of the production process.

In 2015, we also entered a joint development agreement with Evonik to create innovative, algae-based omega-3 fatty acid products for animal nutrition. These products will provide natural and sustainable alternatives to fish oil; enabling the animal nutrition industry to keep up with increasing demand without endangering fish stocks.

Addressing sustainability in product chain. With our extensive portfolio and application know-how, the company is uniquely positioned in delivering a broad range of innovative solutions that enable food producers to address the various market trends today. To ensure that we’re ahead in addressing changing demands and challenges, our main biotechnology center in Delft, Netherlands, provides lab space and collaborative workspaces to around 400 scientists from around the world who conduct breakthrough science in fermentation technology, integrated bioprocessing, genetics, analytics and applied biochemistry for application in food & nutrition, biofuels and bio-based materials. For example, DSM has developed a range of eubiotics as an alternative to the subtherapeutic use of anitbiotics to improve gut performances and immune systems in animals without compromising human health. Our CRINA® range of products contain essential oil components that have been proven to improve the balance of gut microflora, increasing the proportion of beneficial bacteria and reducing the amount of pathogenic and undesirable bacteria in the animal’s system.

Mapping supply and demand for animal-source foods to 2030, Food and Agriculture Organization

To read the full interview, visit http://www.worldofchemicals.com/media/interviews/management

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

GREEN CHEMISTRY Eco-friendly Waterborne Semiconductor Inks Using Surfactant To be applied to various electronic devices with a semiconductor surface control technique.

team of researchers at DGIST, led by professor Dae Sung Chung of Energy Science and Engineering has developed a technology to produce environmentally friendly water-borne semiconductor inks using surfactant, which is additives that mix substances of different properties and a component of soap. Polymer semiconductors are carbon compounds showing the electrical properties of semiconductors. It has been highlighted as a next-generation material of wearable smart devices, etc. not only because they are flexible and light in weight, but also they can be processed in a wide area at low cost through the solution process. However, there is an issue that it causes significant environmental pollution as toxic organic solvents are used in the process. Despite the limitations, the research team has developed a semiconductor surface control technique using surfactants for environmentally friendly semiconductor manufacturing processes that do not use toxic organic solvents and has produced water-borne semiconductor inks. In the study, the newly developed waterborne semiconductor ink of the research team has small colloidal particles and less surfactant micelles compared to the waterborne semiconductor inks in the previous studies. As a result, it has a relatively flat surface than the conventional waterborne semiconductor inks. The black and white image in the below figure shows the comparison of the surface of the thin film made with the waterborne semiconductor ink developed in this study and conventional one. According to the research team, the technique is expected to be applied in various electronic devices such as P-type and N-type transistors as well as PN diodes, complementary inverters, photodiodes as high-quality thin films. Chung stressed the significance of the study by stating, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This research has fundamentally solved the environmental pollution problem generated during the production of organic semiconductor, which is spotlighted as the core material of wearable electronic devices.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

We have developed a source technology that can disperse various semiconductor materials into water through the simple chemical modification. We expect that it can be used in various optoelectronic devices ranging from transistors to solar cell, composite circuit, and image sensor.â&#x20AC;?

This study has been published as the cover thesis of the Energy & Environmental Science, an international journal of Energy, in November. The study was conducted with the support of Basic Research Support Project (Individual Research) by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Biosynthesis of copper nanoparticle catalysts

f we can harness the metabolism of metal-reducing bacteria, this gives us a route to cheap, simple and environmentally benign nanoparticles synthesis. This is the first study to investigate the bioreduction of soluble copper(II) ions and the synthesis of Cu-NPs using anaerobic metal-reducing bacteria, organisms that exist naturally in anaerobic sediments, and gain their energy by transferring electrons from organic matter to metals in the sediments. Shewanella oneidensis is one of the most versatile and well-studied species of metal-reducing bacteria, able to reduce a wide range of metals under laboratory conditions. It was first isolated in 1988, by professor Ken Nealson, from sediments in Lake Oneida in New York (from where it takes its name). It was chosen for these experiments due to its versatility as a metal-reducer and having its entire genome sequenced. The resulting availability of mutant strains allows investigation of the pathway involved in metal reduction (e.g. the enzymes involved). Identifying the electron transfer pathway involved in Cu reduction could lead to efficiency improvements in future. The results demonstrate that it is possible to use Shewanella oneidensis for the bioreduction of copper(II) ions, forming elemental Cu(0) nanoparticles, which in itself is surprising as many forms of copper are known to be toxic, being used as a disinfectant and a fungicide, and has been investigated for use in anti-microbial surfaces. This new process ticks all the boxes for ‘green synthesis’, as it is able to produce Cu-NPs at room temperature, in water. In addition, during the catalysis tests the CuNPs were not separated from the biomass, and the bacterium acted as a support matrix for the nanoparticles-removing the need for inorganic additives and making the Cu-NPs more reactive. Finally, the catalyst can be easily filtered out using a centrifuge, allowing it to be reused.

measurements were done using Diamond’s beamline. These initial investigations used metal salts, but the research team is moving on to look at using industrial wastewater streams. For lead author, Dr Richard Kimber of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Manchester, this is the ultimate goal of the project. He said, “It’s important to recover metals from wastewater, to prevent them from contaminating the environment. What we’re looking at here is a way to create high-value products from waste treatment, so that it will pay for itself.” Future work will also investigate ways to optimise the system, including determining optimal reaction times and Cu-NP loading, to improve yields. There’s also work to be done on understanding the pathway the bacterium uses to reduce copper. Usually metal-reducing bacteria use common metals (such as iron) for respiration. The initial results suggest that this isn’t the case for Shewanella oneidensis and copper, perhaps unsurprisingly given the toxic

nature of the metal. The electron transfer pathway could be part of the bacterium’s detoxification/defence mechanisms, but more work needs to be done. An understanding of the pathway would make it easier to increase the yield of Cu-NPs produced as well as potentially fine-tune their properties. With this in mind, the Manchester-based research team is keen to use the latest advances in synthetic biology to make the next generation of catalysts for industry. Prof Jon Lloyd who leads the research in this area (alongside colleagues in Manchester’s Institute of Biotechnology) noted “this new study gives us a new type of metallic nanocatalyst that we hope will be very useful for the chemical industry, and we are very keen to extend the utility of this approach via the incorporation of additional catalytic materials (enzymes and other metallic nanoparticles) into the host cells that we used for this current study. This work forms the basis of a new BBSRC project for the team.”

“Where there’s muck there’s brass” The NERC-funded experiments used Diamond used X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) analysis on B18 (a general purpose XAS beamline) to show that the nanoparticles produced are copper, and to identify its oxidation state. Soft x-ray XAS

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

GREEN CHEMISTRY Developing bio-based cosmetics polymer for more natural formulations

lariant and Global Bioenergies, an industrial biotechnology company, announced the development of a new biobased polymer for cosmetic creams and lotions, which is derived from renewable isobutene. Developed with Global Bioenergies’ sugarbased isobutene, Clariant’s new ingredient is a rheology modifier that influences formulation viscosity and achieves specific sensorial and texturizing properties for creams and lotions. It contains more than 50 percent renewable carbon, and consequently meets the ISO 16128:2016 standard for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. The bio-based polymer is a breakthrough for the industry as it is proven not to

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

change the properties of an application, offering formulators a direct 1:1 alternative to petroleum-based equivalents. The building block of Clariant’s new cosmetics ingredient is currently produced on a small scale at Global Bioenergies’ demo plant located in Leuna, Germany. The companies are working on upscaling production with larger volumes. Ralf Zerrer, head of strategic marketing and innovation, business unit industrial & consumer specialties at Clariant, stated: “Supporting our customers in the Personal Care industry with sustainable, bio-based ingredients is a key priority for the company. The demand for ingredients based on renewable resources is here to stay and will become the norm among

brands in the very near future. With our new polymer, we are delighted to expand current limited opportunities for formulators looking to improve the sustainability of their formulations, letting them make an immediate switch without compromising application properties or performance.” Marc Delcourt, CEO of Global Bioenergies commented: “Renewable isobutene is a widely used building block for cosmetic applications and we are excited by the opportunities it presents for new bio-based ingredients to address the needs of niche markets. Our relationship with Clariant is strengthening, and we expect to continue building our network of partners as we prepare for larger capacities.”

Hydrogen Gas from Enzyme Production Scientists at Freie Universitat Berlin and Ruhr-Universität Bochum investigate biological production of “energy source of the future.”

esearchers at Freie Universitat Berlin and the Ruhr-Universitat Bochum have uncovered a crucial reaction principle of hydrogen-producing enzymes. Teams led by Dr Ulf-Peter Apfel in Bochum and Dr Sven Stripp at Freie Universität investigated the production of molecular hydrogen in single-cell green algae. They were able to demonstrate how the enzyme succeeds in transferring two electrons in succession to two hydrogen ions and thereby assume stable intermediate states. Hydrogen gas is viewed as the energy source of the future. Thus, there is considerable industrial interest in elucidating the mechanism of biological production. The findings were published in the latest issue of the journal Angewandte Chemie. In living nature a variety of chemical reactions take place very slowly. The use of enzymes increases the likelihood or the

speed of a reaction (catalysis). Frequently the supply and removal of electrons also plays a role – this is referred to as reduction and oxidation. Special enzymes, the hydrogenases, accelerate the conversion of hydrogen ions (protons) to hydrogen gas with high efficiency. They absorb excess electrons that are generated during photosynthesis and release hydrogen gas as a by-product. This process can be described as a reduction of two protons with two electrons, whereby the reaction takes place in several steps. “After receiving a first electron, an enzyme is typically less likely to accept a second one,” stressed Stripp. In spite of this, two electrons can be transferred to two protons. Using synthetic hydrogenase enzymes, advanced infrared spectroscopy, and electrochemical methods, the researchers investigated how this is possible.

They demonstrated that the uptake of an electron at the catalytic center of the enzyme is coupled with the binding of a proton. The positive charge of the proton compensates for the negative charge of the electron. In chemistry this process is known as proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET). “Thus, the second electron can be transferred with comparable probability as the first one,” said Apfel. According to the authors, this observation has high relevance for understanding the catalytic mechanism of hydrogenases and for the design of synthetic complexes for the production of hydrogen gas. In addition, the scientists speculate that PCET processes could explain the uptake of multiple electrons in other enzymes as well because many of these macromolecules carry catalytic centers of iron and sulfur atoms, similar to those of hydrogenases.

Green algae use excess electrons from photosynthesis for the production of hydrogen. Credit: © RUB, Kramer

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

SECTOR VIEW COSMETICS

DRIVING THE GROOMING QUOTIENT E

very year, the cosmetics industry unravels itself with new trends to rule the market. Have a look at the trends that will be driving the market this year.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

BY DEBARATI DAS

osmetics is an industry which works on the mantra on ‘newness’. There are thousands of products in each category but every product claims to have something new in it. There is a constant influx of new cosmetic products pushing out the old ones to adorn the shelves at supermarkets making way for new trends to govern your beauty regime. Consumers are becoming more conscious regarding the usage of cosmetics in their daily life to enhance their style quotient and overall personality. According to reports, the global cosmetics market is expected to be a $429.8 billion industry by 2022 growing at a CAGR of 4.3 percent. Cosmetics market comprises of sun care, skin care, hair care, deodorants, makeup and colour cosmetics and fragrances. Skin and sun care products are witnessing a rising demand predominantly due to changing lifestyle and varying climatic conditions encourages the growth of the market for cosmetics. While there is a shift towards natural and organic beauty products, the industry is also witnessing an interest towards supplements that not just enhance beauty but focuses on rectifying skin problem from the root. Men’s skin care regime is also undergoing a dramatic shift due to rising awareness and consciousness about health and skin care wellness. This growing demand for cosmetic products has in turn led to the growth of cosmetics market across the world. Here are some of the key trends that will be governing this market in the future: Masking medicines: One of the biggest trend is the move towards healing your skin and hence cosmeceutical products are on the rise. Cosmeceuticals are topical cosmetics and pharmaceutical hybrid that enhances beauty through ingredients that provide additional health related benefits and function. In short, these products are like a bridge between personal care and pharmaceutical as they are applied topically as cosmetics, but contain ingredients that has an impact on skin’s biological function. These products are categorised as cosmetics which have medicinal benefits. Mordor Intelligence report suggests that the global cosmeceuticals market which was valued at $42.24 billion in 2016 is expected to become a $68.72 billion industry by 2022, witnessing a CAGR of 8.52 percent during the period. Research innovations in the field of nanotechnology, plant stem cell technology, and the emergence of new active ingredients will aid in the growth of the cosmeceuticals market. New ingredients such as peptides and extracts from plant stems are increasingly being used to manufacture topical skincare products

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

along with marine ingredients. Anti-aging, facial serums, face oils, and skin lightening products are witnessing high sales in the cosmeceutical space. Instant Beauty: Probiotics are generating major interest in skincare innovation. A probiotic is a substance that stimulates the growth of microorganisms with beneficial properties. Probiotic microbes and bacteria give immediate results and hence there is a huge growth opportunity for companies to manufacture high quality and high performing products with probiotic benefits. Pollution mask: Who said cosmetics is only for beautification? Understanding the harsh realities of daily life, many companies have come up with cosmetic solutions that will act as a protective shield against environmental pollution and stress which are major skin agitators. BASF recently launched a new range of active ingredients for skin and hair care products that aid in skin rebalance and strengthen it to cope with everyday stresses. Hyalurosmooth®- extracted from the Indian Cassia angustifolia, represses the cortisol damaging impact on skin, restoring collagen type I and hyaluronic acid and helps the skin recover its hydration and radiance. BASF’s anti-aging active ingredient for hair, DN-Age™ slows down the hair graying process and reduces hair loss. The active ingredient, extracted from Cassia alata leaves, acts on the scalp by preventing UV induced DNA damage and protects hair follicle cells to prevent hair greying and hair ageing. Clariant International Ltd too has been focusing on skin degradation due to pollution and re-launched RedSnow, to combat the significant negative effects of air pollution on the skin. RedSnow can be formulated for a wide variety of protective face care products, including anti-pollution facial mists and anti-ageing / anti-wrinkle creams, serums, lotions, masks and toners. Extracted from the red Camellia japonica flower, or “rose of winter”, the flower is rich in protocatechuic acid, a polyphenol known for its antioxidant properties. “RedSnow is a genuine breakthrough in the development of innovative ingredients to protect skin from the ever-increasing threat of air pollution. It will contribute significantly to the production of state-ofthe-art skin care products, offering end consumers a solution to help counter the ageing effects from modern-day aggressors in the atmospheric environment,” said Alexandre Lapeyre, global technical marketing manager, Clariant active ingredients business. Innovation is the key: Companies are getting more innovative in their search

for a new and better skin and beauty regime. Symrise recently launched a smart warming ingredient, Thermolat®, which the company describes as a feeling like gentle warm sunshine on the skin. This sensory ingredient provides a pleasant, relaxing and long- lasting effects without any stinging, burning or redness sensation. With this Symrise added a new facet to its portfolio of sensorial cosmetic ingredients including its long-established cooling range Frescolat®. This warming sensation can help enhance the perceived efficacy of a personal care product. And has been tested to provide a positive impact on the mood balance. “Thermolat® can be used in a very wide range of care and beauty products and gives them the ability to create a cozy warm feeling,” explained Caroline Baptiste, global product manager at Symrise. Gentleman’s style: Gone are the days when you found just a deodorant and a shaving cream in a men’s kit. Men’s grooming market has gotten bigger and broader and is projected to reach $60.7 billion by 2020 according to Euromonitor. The market is coming up with more male-specific skin care and hair care products and several major brands are developing a wide range of product range for men. Products such as foundation or coloured liquid formulas to give a healthier look are entering male grooming along with product to correct imperfections such as dark circles, outlining beard and eyebrows. Smeared with nature: There is a rising trend towards going back to the roots and away from chemicals that is fast picking up in the cosmetics industry. Most customers are choosing products with natural and organic ingredients for supple, flawless skin and beauty regimes. This has further increased the demand for many ingredients that has been traditionally used in countries that boast of a rich cultural heritage. Many multinational cosmetic companies are now bringing in these ingredients in their products to not just meet customer demand but also have an edge over other millions of products in the market. There is also a trend where companies are avoiding animal derived ingredients and components and replacing them with natural identical materials to keep up with growing vegan choices of consumers while also paving towards sustainability of natural ethical choices in all processes. Technology, R&D and innovation are the DNA of the cosmetic industry since this industry thrives on constantly launching new products that are not only environmental and ethical but are highquality performing products with the best possible materials.

FEATURES NON-IONIC SURFACTANTS

SCRUBBING UP

SUSTAINABLY T

he future growth of the surfactants industry is being registered by the non-ionic surfactants market.

BY DEBARATI DAS

bubble bath or a good lather while you scrub your clothes- surfactants are the key ingredients in your soap that makes all that foam. Not just that. Surfactants also facilitate the removal of dirt by decreasing the surface tension of liquids, and between liquid and a solid. In short, they â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;rinse-off â&#x20AC;&#x2122; all the dirt. Despite various environmental concerns, these surface-active chemicals are found in almost every kind of cleaning agents and finds its application in a range of applications including industrial cleaning, textiles, cosmetics, paints, plastics, etc.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

However, its use in soaps and detergents hold the maximum share of this industry which accounts for around 50% of the global market, both in terms of volume and value.

their inherent bio-friendly properties and degradability. Various regulations and increasing non-toxicity norms will further boost the growth of this surfactant segment in the industry.

Surfactants come in four different types: Anionic, non-ionic, cationic and amphoteric. Amidst various categories of surfactants, anionic surfactants currently hold 50 percent of the market. However, it is the non-ionic surfactants that are expected to have the strongest growth in the market in the future as they are increasingly gaining popularity in the industry due to

The chemistry here is simple. Non-ionic surfactants do not carry an electrical charge, making them resistant to deactivation in water with a high mineral content. In other words, the major advantage of nonionic surfactants is that they cannot make contact with calcium and magnesium in hard water. Soaps form insoluble calcium and magnesium salts with the calcium and

magnesium ions in hard water. Much of the soap is unused forming an insoluble layer. But, this issue can be solved by using a non-ionic surfactant hence making them efficient grease removers. Furthermore, due to their mildness, non-ionic surfactants are widely used in baby care products.

Market Update While the global surfactants market is growing at a CAGR of 6.23 percent to reach $47.53 billion by 2022, according to a report by Market Research Future, the global non-ionic surfactants market is expected to witness a CAGR of approximately 4.5 percent between 2016 and 2023. The AsiaPacific region will hold the major portion of the pie in the non-ionic surfactants market. This growth will be supported not just by the increasing demand from the end use industries but also due to increasing per capita income, upgraded lifestyle and abundant raw material availability in this region. The market will be driven by the rising demand for non-ionic surfactants in various industries, such as personal care, soaps & detergents and pharmaceutical industry. North America holds the second largest position for non-ionic surfactants market followed by Europe. Other regions, including Latin America, Middle East & Africa are also projected to show significant growth. “Non-ionic surfactants market is expected to grow at a moderate pace in the coming years. Rising demand from personal care segment and cosmetics such as cleaners, shampoos and other related products for removing dirt, oil and stains etc, is expected to drive the market demand for non-ionic surfactants in the coming years,” said Karan Chechi, research director, TechSci Research.

Technological Trends Fatty alcohol and fatty acid ethoxylates are two popular variants of surface active surfactant products used in cleaning, emulsifying, wetting, scouring and various other applications in industries. The fatty alcohol ethoxylates are the nonionic surfactants which are widely used in washing detergents both domestic and industrial. These are used as wetting and cleaning agents in cosmetics, agriculture, textile, paper, oil and various other process industries. Fatty acid ethoxylates are formed from ethoxylation process where fatty acids are made to react with ethylene oxide. The ethoxylate by products formed from this process are non ionic surface active agents used in domestic as

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

well as industrial formulations. These are widely applied in processes as emulsifying softeners, wetting agents, cleaning agents and dispersants. “Adoption of Fatty Al ethoxylates (AE) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE) in food & beverage processing industry owing to their resistance to temperature and pH fluctuations is another key factor which is expected to propel the market demand for non-ionic surfactants in the coming years,” added Chechi. While synthetic surfactants are widely used, the surfactant industry is more and more trying to offer naturally derived compositions to the market and hence, foaming and cleaning nonionic surfactants are increasingly being derived from vegetable oils. A more recent trend in the nonionic category is to be 100 percent biorenewable and hence while traditionally this class of surfactants uses ethylene oxide derived from petroleum sources, most companies are trying to come up with more biorenewable alternative. “Growing market demand for fluorinated non-ionic surfactants in paints and coating and polymer industry has highlighted the need for innovative product development, owing to which companies such as 3M introduced a new addition to ‘Novec’ line of fluorosurfactants that can simplify and speed up the processing of paints and coatings formulations by eliminating predilution, pre-weighing, premeasuring,” said Chechi. Evonik also recently launched a new nonionic surfactant to meet VOC and regulatory compliances. The Carbowet GA-200 grind aid surfactant is a non-ionic additive engineered to provide multifunctional benefits in a wide range of aqueous formulations and meet increasing global regulations and EH&S considerations. It offers superior low-foam surfactancy for pigmented systems providing wetting, milling, and compatibilization benefits without the adverse impacts on water sensitivity, foam, or rheology typically found with other surfactants. It finds application in architectural paints, industrial and OEM coatings, paper coatings, pigment dispersions, inks and graphic arts.

Business Expansion In an attempt to keep up with the rising demand from various end user industries such as soaps & detergents, personal care, textile, elastomers & plastics, companies across the globe are moving towards capacity expansions. Here are some of the recent developments in the industry: In October 2017, Croda International Plc

commissioned a manufacturing plant in Delaware to produce ethylene oxide derived from biorenewable ethanol. The first of its type in the United States, the new plant is capable of producing 100 percent renewable, bio-based non-ionic surfactants. These surfactants can be used in a wide range of consumer products including cosmetics and hair care products in the personal care industry; lubricants and coatings in the automotive industry; air- and floor-care products in the cleaning industry; as well as drilling fluids in the oil industry. “We will offer our customers a strong alternative in terms of renewability and performance to replace petrochemicalbased ingredients in their formulations without compromising performance. This will help our customers reach their own sustainability goals and serve the needs of their customers,” said Steve Foots, chief executive, Croda International Plc Group. Innospec Inc recently increased its capacity at the surfactant production facility in Saint Mihiel, France in an attempt on increasing the production of dried anionic surfactants. These technologies are used in a range of household detergents, in particular toilet and hard surface cleaners. “This is one of the core product families in our recently acquired surfactants business. This new investment is consistent with our strategy of focusing on specialty surfactant markets and applications,” said Bruce McDonald, president of Innospec’s performance chemicals business. The company also increased the production capacity for Iselux® (Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate) in its North Carolina plant in the US last year. Iselux® was launched in 2009 as a new, high-performance, sulfatefree surfactant to help customers meet consumer demands for gentle, effective cleansing across a wide range of personal care applications. Stepan Company, through a subsidiary in Mexico, signed an agreement with BASF Mexicana, SA DE CV to acquire its surfactant production facility in Ecatepec, Mexico. “The acquisition supports the Company’s growth strategy in Latin America. We believe this acquisition significantly enhances Stepan’s market position and supply capabilities for surfactants in Mexico and positions us to grow in both the Consumer and Functional markets for surfactants,” said F Quinn Stepan Jr, chairman, president and CEO of Stepan Company. The market constantly requires effective and innovative products and such developments are sure to give boost to the non-ionic surfactants market in the future.

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS NORTH AMERICA

CHEMICAL SECTOR: OPPORTUNITY IN REVITALIZED LANDSCAPE BY NAMRATA SHARMA

he chemical industry in North America is experiencing a robust growth in the light of rebalancing of demand and supply. The balance in supply and demand is creating opportunities for investments and also enhancing chemical production in North America. As per the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the US chemical

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

production regional index rose 1.9 percent in December 2017. Chemical output in December increased in all the regions, with maximum gains in Ohio Valley, Gulf Coast, Southeast regions, and Midwest. ACC also expects US chemical production to witness 4.8 percent growth in the current year. As has been the case traditionally, the US is

likely to account for a leading share â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both in terms of value and volume. Availability of low-cost Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) and natural gas, owing to the shale boom, is driving the chemical production in the US. The manufacturing industry in the US is undergoing revitalization, due to a productivity-adjusted cost of labor and

availability of cheap energy. This is leading to the growth in domestic demand for chemicals used in the industrial sector. The chemical sector in North America is massive. A high percentage of revenues are generated through major-chemical production activities including production of polymers, bulk chemicals, fine chemicals, and formulation business. While a very small portion of revenue is generated through additives and inorganic specialty materials. In 2017, Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC), American Chemistry Council (ACC), and the Mexican Chemical Industry National Association (ANIQ) issued a joint recommendation on rules of origin and regulatory cooperation. Under this, it was decided that Mexico will follow Canada and the US while adopting risk-based chemical management scheme rather than hazard-based approach. This is expected to encourage regulatory harmonization that will be able to protect environment and people in these countries and also encourage innovation in the chemical sector.

Investment in Chemical Sector Likely to Create Growth Opportunities Leading chemical companies are weighing on various macro-economic factors such as exchange rates, labor costs, regulatory requirements, innovation ecosystem, and energy and material costs to drive growth. Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lucrativeness as an investment hub for chemical companies has lost some of its sheen, owing to a combination of various factors. Rising wages and crackdown on companies flouting environmental regulations have led to a correction in foreign investments to China. While waiting for clear growth signals, chemical companies have been focusing on acquisitions and plant expansion. Specialty chemicals in North America are experiencing high demand form paints, adhesives, and coatings products. Currently, the North American chemical industry relies on two major end-users including construction and automotive industry. The development of shale resources has also increased in North America. Hence, chemical companies from around the world are planning to invest in a significant number of new projects to expand shaleadvantaged capacity in the US. Maximum investment is being made to expand production capacity for ethylene and ethylene derivatives. The US chemical

industry is the largest consumer of natural gas for power, fuel and feedstock.

Increasing Growth in Chemical Sector through Innovation Chemical companies in North America are using innovative approaches to increase their growth rate. Companies are focusing on biochemical and enzymatic processes as a replacement for petrochemical processes, developing substitutes for expensive alternatives, and introducing new technologies for using NGLs and natural gas to produce olefins and aromatics. The innovation efforts have various goals including introducing new products and entering new markets. For introducing innovative products, customer feedback remains as one of the major factors. Also, chemical companies in North America are investing heavily in research and development activities. Chemical companies are also giving high priority to the chemicals that will benefit from decreasing supply cost and growing market and for which required manufacturing technology is available and are generally commoditized. Companies are expanding their portfolios with the help of mergers and acquisitions to enter fastest growing high-performance composites such as carbon or aramid fiber reinforced composites. For instance, Quaker Chemical, US-based specialty chemical company announced its merger with Houghton International, a metalworking fluids company in the US. Last year, Dow Chemical and DuPont successfully completed their merger to form DowDuPont.

Rising Focus on Health, Environmental and Safety Programs by Chemical Companies in North America Chemical companies in the US spend approximately $12 billion a year on health, environmental and safety programs. The chemical industry is one of the most regulated in terms of products, including regulations to minimize the release of chemical substance during processing and manufacturing. Hence, chemical companies in North America are planning strategies to reduce emissions. Meanwhile, Asia Pacific has emerged as the preferred location for production of inorganic chemicals by chemical companies in North America due to stringent regulations on inorganic chemicals in the region. The US in 2016 updated the bill concerning chemical safety legislation. The bill revised

Toxic Substances Control Act that provides the US EPA an authority to regulate chemicals used on the commercial basis in the country. This new law gives EPA far more authority to act on hazardous chemicals and if risks are found, then EPA can ban or restrict a chemical. Hence, chemical companies are introducing various environmental, health and safety programs.

The View Ahead in the North American Chemical Sector Addressing uncertainty in other major markets, the policymakers in the US are expected to embrace policies that are contradictory to free trade, globalization and also plans to reduce regulations on businesses. This is likely to result in increased demand for chemicals and support domestic manufacturers. However, the biggest concern here is the procedures that depend on access to international markets or companies planning to make resource investments outside the US can face problems. Also, the chemical companies planning to expand their business in European Union are facing a challenge in form of Brexit. Chemical companies in North America are capturing competitive advantage by adopting bio-based production. The factors influencing companies to shift to bio-based production are bio-industrial facilities which that can operate at lower pressure and temperature than the conventional chemical plants and minimum scale required for bio-based chemical production is less than that of traditional production, creating new opportunities and boosting M&A activities. The new US government is shifting the chemical industry in North America from net importer to net exporter. It is also focusing on shale gas production for the growth of domestic chemicals industry. Chemical companies in North America are witnessing growth through development of eco-friendly products and advanced technologies. Along with this, companies are also focusing on expanding renewable products portfolio. Adoption of next-gen digitization is also increasing. Chemical companies are shifting from product sellers to solution providers and digitization is supporting this ongoing shift. For example, digital technologies can help companies to track product usage by customers in various operations. This enables companies to decide on changes to be made in products based on utilization. Author Namrata Sharma is Features Writer at Future Market Insights.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS CANADA

CHARTING SUSTAINABLE GOALS

Bob Masterson, President & CEO, Chemistry Industry Association of Canada talks at length about the journey that the Canadian chemical industry is set to traverse beating all adversities. He also talks about the work towards imbibing responsible chemical management in every chemical manufacturer.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

BY DEBARATI DAS Canadian chemical industry insight.

R&D and innovation in Canadian chemical industry.

The Canadian chemistry industry is a $55 billion industry which makes it the third largest manufacturing sector in the country. There are number of key components to this industry including a large petrochemical sector, which is based on the availability of abundant and low cost natural gas liquids. Canada also has large pharmaceutical, fertilizer, chlor alkali and agricultural chemicals operations.

Canada’s chemistry industry companies are, for the most part, subsidiaries of global multinationals and hence there is limited R&D done here. However, we are seeing a lot of R&D activities related to bio chemistries because of the access to abundant biomass. The Government is also showing a lot of interest in this area which has led to several pilot and commercial projects in biochemistry. For instance, BioAmber in Sarnia, Ontario, is the world’s largest bio based succinic acid plant which makes renewable chemicals from sugar instead of petroleum by using innovative biotechnology.

Opportunities and challenges in raw material availability in Canada. The chemistry industry has historically done very well because one of our primary feedstocks comes from abundant natural gas liquids. The recent shale gas revolution in the United States has had two key impacts on Canada’s chemistry sector: • First, there are enormous quantities of natural gas and liquids now available in the US which has helped drive expansion in chemical production in the region. • Second, growth in the US natural gas industry means less demand for Canadian natural gas. This means that Canada must find new markets for its natural gas (such as LNG exports to Asia), in order for the availability of natural gas liquids as chemical feedstock to continue to expand in Canada. Presently, though, Canada has some excess natural gas liquids in western Canada that can support short-term expansion. In the long run, our fortunes in the chemistry industry are entirely tied with the fortunes of the energy sector. Unfortunately, Canada’s energy sector has not performed very well in the recent years as some government policies have made it difficult to move various products to market. This has been a significant challenge for Canada in the recent years.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

While not quite R&D, we are seeing a lot of activity in downstream deployments as Canada often hosts deployment of novel technologies in initial commercialization, once R&D and pilot testing has taken place in other jurisdictions. This is, in part, because we have a flexible workforce that supports this kind of activity.

Improving business activities (international trade) with Asia Pacific markets. Canada’s chemistry sector exports nearly 3/4th or 75 percent of all the chemistries made in the country. Historically a vast majority of this went to the US but with an increase in US production, and with the possibility of a less liberal trade network with the US in the future, it is important that Canada looks to other markets. Not just for chemicals but for energy and agricultural products as well. The natural tendency is to look West. The major opportunity in Asia Pacific is that this region does not have access to abundant low carbon natural gas liquids. Canada has an incredible opportunity to provide low carbon industrial chemicals by partially upgrading in Canada and then

sending to Asia where they can be further processed and turned into consumer products. We think we can play a significant role here as everyone is increasingly concerned about climate change. We see great opportunities to promote Canadian chemistries as a contributor to reducing greenhouse gas emissions globally. We also have a special interest in India. We are aware of discussions around a proposed $4 billion fertilizer plant investment which would be a major investment for Canada.

Steps towards sustainable chemical manufacturing. For more than 30 years, Canada’s chemistry sector has been at the forefront of the journey towards responsible and sustainable chemical manufacturing. In 1985, we founded Responsible Care®, which is now practiced in 62 countries worldwide. The ethic and principles of Responsible Care compel companies to innovate for safer and more environmentally friendly products and process, and to work towards eliminating harm from the entire life cycle of their products. It is a priority of the global chemistry industry to further grow responsible chemical management. We are also a member of the International Council of Chemical Associations which works collectively on these principles and actively engages to do no harm. But we know that more can be done. Canadians are asking for producers and consumers to take more responsibility for the impact of products throughout their lifecycle. We must work together as a society to ensure that these products are managed well for the betterment of the environment. So, the idea of doing no harm is important but we must also actively engage to provide benefit and add value through our activities. It’s a very strong test.

EVENT COVERAGE PLASTINDIA

NEXT-LEVEL OF

GLOBAL GROWTH

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

•

1800 exhibitors from 44 countries attract 2.46 lakh visitors to 10th PLASTINDIA

•

Plastindia International Conference showcases nextgen innovators

•

21 win Stall Awards at the exhibition

•

Reverse buyer-seller meets see 1200 meetings

•

Industry pledges to raise recycling by 2020

•

125,000 square mts of total gross area facilitates global growth

ocused on potential in the plastics industry and the next-level of growth, the 10th edition of PlastIndia made the audience stand up and take notice of the exponential opportunities in the industry. The exhibition successfully showcased new products and technologies in the plastics industry, held from 7 to 12 February at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. Added to the gathering, plastic innovators, an informative international conference, a first-of-its-kind reverse buyer-seller meet and an encouraging stall awards summed up the magnificence of PlastIndia. The colossal meet of stakeholders of the plastics industry set several benchmarks on a single platform, with 550 overseas participants from the 1800 exhibitors. The invigorating 2-day International Conference showcased future technologies ready for commercialisation - Low cost pocket ventilator; bionic arm for amputees; footwear that can see! The conference brought to fore more such innovations based on plastics especially in Automotives, Healthcare, Sports & Equipment, Recycling, 3-D Printing and Composites. 21 exhibitors won the Best Stall Awards. There were 4 product groups - Raw Materials and Additives, Semi-Finished and Finished Products (PROPLAST), Primary Processing Machinery as well as Auxiliary and Ancillary Equipment - under which the awards were given out. The signature Reverse Buyer-Seller Meet at PlastIndia saw nearly 500 buyers connecting with 535 registered sellers in over 1200 meetings. Various industries such as Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics, Clariant, Kraton, Sundaram Polymers etc exhibited their innovative products at the event. Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics (P&SP) has advanced its partnership with a local leading barrier film manufacturer, Vishakha Group, to develop a “Recyclable Barrier Film” for liquid packaging at PlastIndia. This allows for an increased use of recycled plastic materials and provides an incentive for recovery of postconsumption plastics waste.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

“PlastIndia has been unique, unparalleled and has set new records. The average footfall of more than 40,000 per day is the highest in any plastics exhibition held till date anywhere in the world. We organised a Global CEO Meet to discuss what future holds for the industry,” said K K Seksaria, president, Plastindia Foundation. Another important focus was the reuse and intelligent recycling of plastics. The industry pledged to raise recycling with consumption slated to touch 20 MT/year by 2020. It is reported that 62 million tons of waste is generated annually in the country and out of that, around 5.6 million tons is plastic waste. It is imperative hence, to work on innovation and aim for less than 1 percent of the plastic waste going to the landfills. PlastIndia this year displayed technology to empower and convert “Waste to Fuel”. “PlastIndia has empowered growth. We are also conscious of the effect of plastics on the environment. Plastics is a wonder product and all associations under our wing got together to discuss sustainability and recyclability,” said Rajeev Chitalia, chairman, national executive council, PlastIndia. The exhibition is supported by Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, finance minister, Arun Jaitley and commerce minister, Suresh Prabhu who joined in digitally. Plastindia was inaugurated by Vijaybhai Rupani, chief minister, Gujarat, in the presence of Dr J N Singh, chief secretary, Gujarat, Avinash Joshi, MD, OPAL, Parindu Bhagat, Ind. director, IOCL and Ramesh Oza, founder, Sandipani Clariant highlighted how its speciality chemical products and solutions provide appealing functionality, in addition to sustaining product safety and environmental compatibility for customers in the global megatrends areas of lifestyle, health & nutrition, urbanization and mobility in India. Kraton Corporation presented its trademark speciality polymer technologies at the event. With the brand promise of “Sustainable Solutions. Endless Innovations”, the company showcased a

Vidyaniketan and a Hindu spiritual leader at Gandhinagar. Innovation-led pavilions were a key highlight at the 10th PlastIndia. These were dedicated to uphold advancements in Geotextiles, Composites and Packaging with a stress on the “Save Food Pavilion.” A Solar Pavilion was introduced for the very first time. Incidentally, India is the 7th largest manufacturing base in the world and is expected to have 464 million youth population by 2021. The Indian plastics industry eyes a buoyant future with India expected to be the third largest plastic consumer on the planet by 2020. Nearly $2 trillion is the expected infrastructure expenditure with nearly 90 million jobs expected to be created in the next decade. For a sector registering a 12 percent growth rate, there are 30,000 processing units, 4 million jobs and over 2000 exporters involved. About 4MT of plastics are recycled per annum. Over 150 countries import from India. Nearly 2 times growth in the consumption of plastics by packaging industry alone in the next 5 years is foreseen. A 3X growth in per capita plastics consumption in the next 10 years is likely to happen. Agriculture will consume 2 million tonnes of plastics by 2020. Nearly 13 percent CAGR for engineering plastics by 2020 is likely. With this scope in mind, the organizers are looking forward to breaking all records and hope to introduce and showcase new innovations and technology at PlastIndia 2021. broad product portfolio that improves application performance and enhances the lives of people all over the world. Sundaram Polymers, a division of Brakes India Pvt Ltd displayed new products - compounded grades based on carbon fibre and complex coloured products. These products are customized to meet customer specifications and cater to various market segments like automotive, appliances, electrical & electronics, telecommunications and other engineering sectors.

EVENT COVERAGE PLASTINDIA INTERVIEW

LUBRICANTS TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY IN A PLASTIC WORLD

Shankar Karnik, General Manager â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Industrial, ExxonMobil Lubricants Pvt Ltd discusses how lubrication solutions can help the plastics industry improve their productivity and performance in the long run. 46

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

BY SHIVANI MODY Evolution towards plastic based solutions. Today plastics are not just replacing metals but also composites. Various precision components that are used in modern day machinery are increasingly being made of plastic to significantly improve efficiency and output of the machine. Plastic industry is not just growing quantitatively but also qualitatively. Today there are more fuelefficient cars running on the roads because they have been made lighter by replacing about 40-50 percent of the car parts with plastic. This is how important the usage of plastics is going to be. India’s plastics consumption is expected to increase from about 12 million metric tons per annum (mmtpa) as in 2016 to 20 mmtpa by 2020. India, by that time is expected to deploy about 180,000 machines as opposed to 113,000 in 2016. This growth has been fuelled by the wide usage of plastics in infrastructure, healthcare as well as in agriculture as opposed to its limited usage in plastics in household consumer durables and packaging earlier. The consumer market for automobiles and electronic goods – both major users of plastics is also growing rapidly which would add to the growth of the industry.

Growth opportunities for lubrication in plastic industry. Our interest in the plastic industry stands from the fact that we are lubrication solutions provider to the industry, and plastics is a very important segment for business. As part of energy requirement, our interest lies in the hydrocarbon processing in plastics and as an oil & gas major, we are involved in activities all throughout the value chain of hydrocarbon right from exploration, development, refining, petrochemical complexes and downstream products, such as lubricants, fuel and chemicals. In an ExxonMobil commissioned study called A View to 2040, we analyzed the energy demand and supply around the world, across markets and economies. In terms of consumption, the Asia Pacific region – especially China and India are the major markets. The OSCD markets, which are the more mature markets do not have the kind of growth compared to Asia Pacific but they have their inherent high demand in various energy related activities. The machineries in the plastic industry operates differently from the machineries in other industries. You have typically small machines delivering very high output. The pressure, load, speed, et

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

al that these machines handle are very extraneous, this are the major challenges that plastic processing machines normally face. Lubricant being the life blood of any equipment helps deliver the right kind of productivity levels by managing the aforementioned challenges effectively in the machines.. A superior performing lubricant, manufactured through carefully selected base stocks with the right kind of additive components, helps address these extreme conditions and help the machine achive the right productivity levels. One of the most common plastic manufacturing processes is injection moulding which is used to manufacture a variety of products varying greatly in size, complexity and application. The process is highly complex as an injection moulding machine is a hydraulic, electrical, mechanical and other technologies, all put together in one device. Preventive maintenance is the key to achieving good performance, extended life and improved durability of injection moulding machines. Choosing the right lubricant becomes crucial, to help increase the reliability and efficient functioning of the equipment and keep it contamination free. Also the latest hydraulic oils have the potential to induce additional productivity and performance into plastic manufacturing operations. The selection of fluids can help produce high quality components and provide outstanding levels of protection, as well as other benefits such as increased energy efficiency and decreased cycle times. Plastic has both advantages and disadvantages, but the per capita consumption of plastics has increased many folds in every developing and developed economy in the last few decades, and that is the norm.

Growth potential in Indian market. In India, the growth potential is significantly high. Statistics show that in developed economy like the US, for every hundred people there are sixty cars, while in a developing country like India, the average number of cars for every hundred people is just 2 or 3. However, the expectation of better standard of life is improving and the rate of this improvement is significantly high in non-OCD countries. India and China are leading the way when it comes to anything related to energy which in turn gives the significant growth potential to these regions. Hence, this market is vibrant enough to accept and embrace the high technology products that we bring

to the table. The Indian manufacturing industry should be able to produce a world class quality product at a competitive cost to beat the open market globally. We are competing with countries like China that can produce and churn out product at a much lower price with better quality. Customers are more interested in working with us because we not only provide them the lubricant but also services which come under the portfolio of Mobil ServSM services. With the right technology for the right usage, Mobil™ can provide customers the much-needed competitiveness to make them global players. For this, we work closely with the Equipment Builders, Component Builders, etc. across the world.

Company’s plan for Indian subcontinent. We have just embarked on our ten-year strategic plan for India, because India is the third largest market currently in terms of lubricants demand, just behind US and China. We have overtaken Russia and Japan already. So clearly this is one of the biggest and the most attractive markets because the economy is ramping up. Hence with a market brimming with demand and growth opportunities, we need to fine tune our offers to meet the needs of this market. Mobil industrial lubricants have long and successful record of service in the plastics industry. Mobil’s complete line of hydraulic oils, gear and compressor oils, fluids, and greases are formulated to help the plastics manufacturing operations running efficiently, to stay competitive. The Indian market has both large enterprise sectors and small and medium enterprises and as a key market player and leader in technology, we need to understand the customer behavior and adjust to the requirements while delivering their needs. Thus, while catering to the masses, we also have solutions for the classes.

Heightening customer awareness. The major problem arises right from the base. Typically, our first point of contact is the maintenance management who usually fail to recognize the problems. It requires certain techniques to unearth the kind of problems each industry faces and that’s exactly where our expertise comes. When we offer a lubrication solution, it’s not only the technology but also the application expertise on understanding the manufacturing process and operating parameters that are involved. This gives a comprehensive outlook on the ways our product can improve upon critical areas to deliver productivity.

EVENT COVERAGE PLASTINDIA INTERVIEW

PLASTIC MATTERS

Amit Puri, Director, Alok Masterbatches Pvt Ltd speaks about the innovative solutions from the company and concerns for the plastics industry.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

BY SHIVANI MODY Plastics industry making an impact on raw material providers. The dynamics in the country have been undergoing tremendous change over the last few years. As part of this change, plastics industry too has been growing and will continue to do so. Considering the plastics industry, the idea of ‘Sustainability’ is coming into play. The market is not yet fully moving towards a sustainable product line, but the thought process has started. It will take some more years to reach the acceptable situation.

help improve their competitiveness in the marketplace. The other significant change that is happening in the market is the requirement for higher performance products. Industries in India have reached a level where companies are expanding and installing large processing machines with higher speeds and more technical requirements. We have also partnered with companies such as Ocsial, a maker of single wall carbon nanotubes. These are used in high end applications like defense and have permanent anti-static properties. Further, there is demand for products with rotational molding which were not present earlier, but customers are now asking for these products.

Presently, a negative outlook has been created towards the plastics industry and its products. This is unfortunate as a complete industry is branded as a bad industry, on the basis of one wrong application, ie. the use of thin micron bags, which causes environmental problems. But there are other plastic products and varied applications that provide great benefits.

Focus on innovation

Today the use of plastics in the automotive, household products, consumer durables, healthcare, packaging industries, etc. cannot be ignored. The plastics industry is consciously looking at ways to improve sustainability with recycling and reusage of products. As a part of the entire process and product life cycle, even raw material manufacturers have to provide quality products. In order to improve their customer capabilities, providers too should have a focus on innovation and extensive research.

Some of our products from the lab are: the light diffusers for LED lamps. Alok has developed a light diffusing (LD) technology by adding a plastic filter in front of the LED fixture to reduce the harmful effect of this lighting source on eyes.

Demands of plastic manufactures. Today, for the plastics industry the need for bio degradability has set in. We have tied up with a US-based company, Willow Ridge Plastics Inc, a leading manufacturer of oxobiodegradable additives, to offer proven technology products to our customers and

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

The R&D center located in Delhi, India – ‘Alok Technology Incubation Centre’ helps us work closely with our customers for their specific needs. We also have tie-ups with universities and professionals from IITs, to enhance our innovation capability and product development.

The other product is a contribution to agriculture - AgriTEKTM masterbatches. In order to enhance the yield of agriculture productions we have developed films called Mulch films which are laid out on the farms. These range of UV masterbatches are specially designed to increase and enhance the life of those Mulch films. Farmers can use the Mulch films more than once reducing the cost burden and improving crop yield. Another product worth mentioning is the XDetech, where

we can make plastic detectable by magnets, X-rays. With this, if an object has been left behind in the body during surgery, it can be detected in the X-ray.

Issues faced in the plastics industry. One major issue is the way this industry is getting stereotyped and plastic is earning a bad reputation. Contrary to the popular belief, plastics can be recycled numerous times and can be reused several times. Surely, the responsibility lies on the consumer and the industry alike to complete the entire circle. With awareness, the recycling of plastics will steadily increase and the stigma on plastics will be eliminated. There are many other challenges in the country. We are hardly an export country; we are not even doing 1 percent of the global exports of plastics. Final products or the raw material export should be incentivized by the government by promoting and removing most of the obstacles which are there in today’s process of export and import. This process is more tedious as compared to other countries. By removing the complexities we can ensure better business for the plastics industry.

Expansion plans in India. We are currently upgrading our production facility and expanding for higher capacity. Additionally we are also enhancing our capability to create better products. These plans will make us more competitive at a global level. Most of our customers are not asking for such high quality today, but we want to be ready before the customers upgrade and ask for global standard, quality products. The slowdown or reduced growth seems to be due to GST and demonetization polices that came into effect in recent times. There is only growth in front of us and we are ready with that capacity and capability for the future.

EVENT COVERAGE CORROSION TECHNOLOGY

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CORROSION BY SHIVANI MODY Corrosion Prevention Vs Maintenance. Maintenance is a part of corrosion management which cannot be eliminated but can be minimized by using better corrosion control technologies. Almost all three technologies viz., protection by coatings, use of cathodic protection and use of chemical inhibitors are being used in chemical industry. Latest technology in all and also use of corrosion technology in combination can minimize maintenance expenditures. Advanced functional coatings, self-healing coatings, coatings based on nano-technology are best bet for strong corrosion protection. Maintenance can be further reduced by extensive use of monitoring techniques.

Adoption of Industry 4.0 for corrosion monitoring. Industry 4.0 is a name for the current trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies. It includes cyber-physical systems, the Internet of things, cloud computing and cognitive computing. Industry 4.0 is commonly referred to as the fourth industrial revolution. There is continuous increase in the robotics and online monitoring of corrosion in many industrial applications. Specialized coatings such as thermal spray, laser based coatings are usually done using robots which eliminates the chances of irregularities in coatings and keeps the basic parameters of coating same giving uniform corrosion protection of thousands of components being fabricated. In the same way welding - which is the most vulnerable area to begin corrosion is done by robotics to eliminate any chances for flaws, defects and pores. Use of IT in monitoring is extended very extensively. 45000 of

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

underground pipelines maintained by GAIL is monitored by SCADA system and sends online information to the main control room in Delhi. Thus any flaw, leakage or coating failure can be checked immediately and action is initiated. Inside corrosion in pipelines is now monitored by intelligent pigs which is really an intelligent equipment to estimate the corrosion damage on the inner surface of the pipelines. It is sophisticated equipment having hundreds of magnetic monitors with video cameras to measure various types of corrosion damages such as pits, thickness loss or deposits or scale formation. Thus Corrosion management very much involves the information technology and it is powerful tool to control corrosion.

Insights regarding books written by you on corrosion. I have written three books : 1. Introduction to High Temperature Oxidation & Corrosion, ASM Publication, USA , 2002: This book focuses on the important aspect of corrosion taking place at high temperatures that usually takes place in our power plants, refiners, petrochemical plants and aeroplane gas turbines. In a very simple way, the high temperature degradation due to oxidation and corrosion has been described with several practical examples. Oxidation of several metals and alloys used in moderate temperature ( 250-500oC) applications and high temperatures (800-1150oC) are described and their mechanisms are explained. It is a highly recommended book for Masters and Ph.D students in Europe and USA. 2. Monograph on High Temperature Corrosion, WSPL, Singapore 201: Based upon my first book I was invited to wight

latest developments on High Temperature Corrosion. I completed this book in 2014 and in this book we covered high temperature corrosion problems in specific industries such as Power plants, refiners and petrochemical plants, aerospace etc. We also covered chapters on materials selection of high temperature applications and a chapter dedicated to high temperature coatings. 3. High Performance Organic coatings was my the third book published in 2008 by Woodhead Publication UK: This book is one of the leading book as a first course in Organic paint coatings. This book is suitable also for industry people who find day to day problems in understanding surface preparation, paint application procedures and selection of coatings. It also covers advanced chapters such as waterborne coatings, high performance coatings also.

SSPCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s objectives and working with Corrosion Technology forum for the industry. The Society for Surface Protective Coatings (SSPC) is a 14-year-old organization with almost 300 members out of which there are sustaining members from most of the paint industry. Our main activities are: Technical lectures/seminars, training courses and International Conferences and national workshops on various aspects of corrosion with main focus on Coatings. Organic coating business in India is touching about Rs 70,000 crore. The awareness about corrosion protection, selection of coatings, application procedures is very much lacking. Huge amount of money is wasted because of the lack of this awareness. SSPC helps in organizing these training programs. We have carried out 14 International

Professor Anand Khanna mentions about the dire need for the industry to adopt high end corrosion prevention technologies.

Conferences with a good combination of paint manufacturers, suppliers and R & D people from India & abroad. We are now extending SSPC to Testing and Evaluation Lab with consultancy services in the field of Corrosion and coatings. Collaborating with Worldofchemicals. com for the Corrosion Technology Forum we want to extend our knowledge to the industry. Each sector such as the Oil & Gas, Power Plants, Automotive, Aerospace, Construction & Infrastructure, Chemical Plants etc have their own set of concerns and solutions. The exchange of ideas, discussions and research capabilities amongst the sector-specific industry stalwarts can help the corrosion segment at large.

Issues faced in the corrosion industry. The issues are mainly: • Lack awareness about Corrosion and its protection. • Poor knowledge of coating selection, application and execution. • Poor focus on Corrosion education in many Institutes of national repute. • No will for the corrosion prone industry to appoint Corrosion Engineers. • No concept of Corrosion Management & Integrity Management in many Big Industries ranging from Oil & Gas, Refineries and Chemical Industry. • No focused study on the Cost of Corrosion and its implementation in the country. • Lack of Government regulators in fixing Green Technologies in Corrosion Protection.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

Prof Anand Khanna

is a Fellow NACE, Fellow ASM, Chairman SSPC India,

Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science, IIT Bombay.

EVENT COVERAGE CORROSION TECHNOLOGY

CORROSION PREVENTION:

A STITCH IN TIME B Ramakrishnan, ex-Managing Director, Akzo Nobel (High Performance Coatings), reflects on the rising awareness and inclination of the industry towards preventive maintenance.

BY DEBARATI DAS Industry attitude towards corrosion issues. The aspect of managing assets from the point of view of corrosion varies from very good to poor/ needs improvement. We have good international practices co-existing with significantly low /poor approach to prevent corrosion and asset deterioration. The decision to invest in good coating systems is by and large cost based. Weaker and outdated specification is also a major area that needs to change. However, the immediate need is to get at least the assets under C4/C5 environment categories (ISO12944 classification of environment) to use good highperformance coating system at the new construction stage. Few of the key steps that we need to address are • Sharing of best practices with asset owners • Comprehensive program to improve awareness of new construction specification across key segments like Oil &Gas, Power and Infrastructure. • Cost and performance benchmarking

User industry’s approach towards corrosion prevention vs maintenance. From a reactive approach towards managing repair and maintenance, there is a rising acceptance for organized predictive

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

methods in the industry. Along with this, the product technology offer has also improved with the focus on delivering long term performance. There has also been a rising awareness about the benefits of using a good and long performance coatings which far outweighs the cost of shutdown/production losses and loss of customers and reputation. This change is however relatively small and is restricted only to some of the user industries.

Corrosion prevention technology trends in oil & gas sector. The major trends in the oil and gas sector towards corrosion prevention is mainly in the use of: • High performance coating system for internal and external of gas pipelines. • Ultra-High Build epoxy/Polyurethane for exterior of offshore structures • Sub Sea coatings for assets on the sea bed • Hydro carbon fire protection

IIOT and IT benefit for corrosion monitoring. The possible uses of IIOT could be for: Corrosion mapping; Maintenance and Repair program; Real time monitoring of application of coatings at work sites; and Predicting real time performance life of coatings under various environments.

TWO DAY CONCLAVE 7 TH, 8 TH JUNE, SHERATON GRAND, BANGALORE

CORROSION TECHNOLOGY FORUM 2018

rldofchemicals.com

at: www.wo icals.com | Reach us em fch ldo or @w ce ren nfe

Conference: co

Two Day Conclave - Corrosion Technology Forum, will focus on corrosion problems in Chemical & Process Industry by Galaxy of National & International Experts, Organised by World of Chemicals & The Society for Surface Protective Coatings India. Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

REPORT BROMELAIN MARKET STUDY

COSMETICS APPLICATION SEGMENT TO WITNESS LOW GROWTH

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

Rising use of clean label ingredients in the food & beverages industry to boost global market demand for bromelain. Derived from the pineapple plant, the bromelain enzyme finds various applications across different enduse industries. At the industrial level, bromelain is used to digest proteins. The proteolytic nature of bromelain finds application in the F&B industry where bromelain is largely used as a meat tenderizer. With added benefits such as anti-inflammation and immunity boosting properties, bromelain is being increasingly used in dietary supplements. Bromelain also finds application as a viable solution to several energy and resource consuming processes in industries such as leather and paper processing. The meat industry is a large part of the global food & beverages sector and there is a continuous and rapidly rising consumer demand for processed meat and readyto-cook and ready-to-eat meat dishes, owing to the ease of consumption of these ready meat food products. Bromelain is in great demand in the F&B industry to tenderize red meat. Traditional methods of meat tenderization using the process of marination is time consuming and requires a significant amount of resources. The Bromelain enzyme – owing to its inherent properties to tenderize meat – helps reduce post process preparation time and reduces production costs significantly. This is anticipated to boost market demand for the enzyme in the coming years.

Food & Beverages and Pharmaceuticals are the largest application segments in the global bromelain market. The Food & Beverages and Pharmaceuticals industries have the largest applications of bromelain for several processes. Both these segments are collectively expected to hold more than 85 percent of the global

bromelain market share throughout the forecast period 2017 – 2025. Increasing application of bromelain in the bakery, meat, and brewing industry is likely to boost revenue growth of the F&B segment during the period of assessment. The Food & Beverages segment is estimated to represent an absolute $ opportunity of $11.6 million in 2017 over 2016, and an incremental $ opportunity of $129.6 million between 2017 and 2025. The Pharmaceuticals segment is estimated to represent an absolute $ opportunity of $10.0 million in 2017 over 2016, and an incremental $ opportunity of $102.9 million between 2017 and 2025.

Applications of bromelain across end-use industries in the various regional markets. Rising demand from the household care and meat industries in North America: The detergent industry in North America is the largest consumer of enzymes and the household care industry extensively utilizes enzymes such as bromelain in various products. The meat industry in North America is on an upward growth trajectory, owing to increasing consumption of meat products by the population. Bromelain being the most sought after meat tenderizing agent is in great demand in the F&B industry across North America. A trending development in this region is the adoption of bromelain in teeth whitening products. Oral care product manufacturers are now including bromelain-added products in their offerings. Increasing demand from the animal feed market in Latin America: Brazil is the leading consumer of poultry feed and feed additives in Latin America. There is a growing demand for poultry meat in the region. The carbohydrate and protein enhancing solutions for the animal feed market are driving the growth in demand for enzymes such as bromelain. Addition of the bromelain enzyme improves the digestibility of cereal containing feeds.

Also, Brazil and Argentina are the two largest consumers and exporters of meat in Latin America and consequently, there has been a steadily increasing demand for bromelain across the region. Rising consumption of bromelain supplements and increased usage in the cosmetics industry in Europe: Bromelain is widely used as a health supplement in Germany, and is used to treat inflammation and swelling of the nose and sinus after an injury or surgery. Also, top players in Europe’s cosmetics industry are developing innovative products by including bromelain, as bromelain helps in treating acne, wrinkles, and dry skin. It also helps in post-injection bruising and swelling. Growing demand for bromelain in the textile industry in Asia Pacific: There is a growing demand for enzymes in textile processing across the APAC region, as enzymes allow the development of environmentally-friendly technologies in fiber processing and strategies to improve the quality of the final product. Continuous product and technological innovation in the textile industry in the region is leading to a rapid increase in the demand for enzymes like bromelain. Bromelain also finds application as a skin recovery agent, protecting the skin from damage occurring during cosmetic and dermal surgeries. Demand for bromelain from APAC’s pharmaceuticals industry is currently on an upswing. Growing demand in the bakery industry in the Middle East & Africa: The bakery industry in the MEA region is steadily growing, especially in countries such as Turkey and Bulgaria. Bromelain finds wide application in the bakery industry to increase the rate of reaction, improve dough relaxation, prevent dough re-shrinkage, and reduce the production time. Bromelain is also used in ready-to-eat and frozen food products and a growing consumer demand for these food products is boosting regional market demand for bromelain. Source: Persistence Market Research

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

REPORT COCONUT DERIVED SURFACTANTS

SURFACTANTS-BASED PRODUCTS TO SEE SIGNIFICANT GROWTH

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

urfactants are the organic compounds that can enhance cleaning efficiency, wetting, dispersing, solvency, foaming and lubricity of water and water based substances. These compounds can constitutes both lyophilic (solvent â&#x20AC;&#x201C; loving) and lyophobic (solvent-fearing) group in its molecule. Surfactants lowers the surface tension of liquids and allow chemicals to mix more easily. Surfactants are traditionally being manufactured from the crude oil. Scarcity of crude oil and growing environmental concerns are key drivers of bio surfactants manufactured by using plants and natural substances like coconuts, soybean, grapefruit seed and pulp extracts, corn etc. Methyl Ester Sulfonates (MES) is the largest consumed bio surfactant derived from coconut and it is the perfect substitute to synthetic surfactants as detergent feedstock. Coconut derived surfactants is substitute for alkylbenzen products from crude oil. It is not only ecofriendly but also tender for skin, it can be effectively applied under hard water, for different types of cotton and fabrics. Many modern surfactants are made from oleochemicals (vegetable derived) rather than petrochemicals (petroleum derived) and are also biodegradable. Oleochemicals, or fats used to synthesize these surfactants include palm and coconut oils. These surfactants include the anionic alkyl polyglucosides (decyl, lauryl, and octyl), which are made from fatty alcohols from coconut or palm and glucose from corn starch using green chemistry.

household, detergent, personal care, food processing applications, agriculture chemicals, textiles, institutional applications and others. The growing environmental awareness and growing market for personal care products in emerging economies is reporting high market demand for bio surfactants. As coconut derived surfactants are natural and no hazards to skin its demand in household detergents market is growing. Coconut derived surfactants market is also segmented according to its formulations as liquid formulations, bar formulations and powdered formulations. Coconut derived surfactant MES is popularly used in bar and powdered formulations .The market is further segmented on the basis of region as North America, Latin America, Middle East and Africa, Europe, Asia pacific except Japan and Japan.

Region-wise Outlook In terms of volume Europe is leading regional market for the use of coconut derived surfactant MES followed by North America. Asia Pacific is expected to be fastest growing regional market for coconut derived surfactants in near future. Countries like India and China have major presence of agricultural, textile and personal care industries which is expected to fuel the market demand for coconut based surfactants. Increased consumer demand for natural products is becoming market driver in developing regions.

Market Segmentation

Market Drivers

Coconut derived surfactants market is segmented on the basis of its application

The increasing world demand for product constitute of surfactants is expected to

show a significant growth by 2025. Not only in the developing economies but also in developed countries like Japan, where the population is shrinking, is expected to find new applications for bio surfactants derived from coconut and other natural sources. Increased environmental concerns due to the use of crude oil based chemical surfactants such as low bio degradability are expected to be the key demand driver for coconut based biodegradable surfactants. Growing health awareness in the developing markets like Middle East, Africa & Japan is another prime resource for fueling market demand of bio surfactants. Expansion of old players and emerging new entries in personal care and chemical processing industries are also driving market demand. Low cost and easy availability of raw materials is another factor for market growth of coconut based surfactants. Other qualities of coconut based surfactants awarding high market demand are, super concentrated ingredients and high content of surfactant properties making high performing stain removal, neutral for hard washing and no water pollution as natural substance.

Key Players The key international players and global market leaders manufacturing coconut based surfactants are Stepan Company and Haiquing Biotechnology. Lion Corporation, Huish Detergent, Guangzhou Lonkey Industrial Co Ltd, Chemithon and KL-Kepong Oleomas have significant market shares. Source: Future Market Insights

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

REPORT LAUNDRY DETERGENT

RISE OF E-COMMERCE EXPECTED TO BE KEY FACTOR DRIVING PRODUCT GROWTH

Industry Insights The global laundry detergent market size was valued at $133.3 billion in 2016. The rising penetration of washing machines in the developing economies is likely to be key driver for demand over the forecast period. Furthermore, technological advancements are also likely to fuel the growth. The demand for the product in the US is dominated by growing popularity of liquid products. The US has witnessed tremendous growth in the use of liquid commodity over powder merchandise. However, issues regarding the safety of children ingesting these products acted as a restraint to market growth in 2016. Global vendors such as Procter & Gamble have developed new packaging type to make the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s packaging child resistant. The company also claims to add sour flavor in the packaging of the product. The competition in the industry is highly concentrated in nature as majority of market share is dominated by Proctor & Gamble. The industry analysis suggests that Procter & Gamble was the top leader

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

in the US industry capturing nearly half of the market share in 2016. The greater penetration of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brands such as Tide and Gain has made it the undisputed leader in this category. The mature US laundry detergent market is highly concentrated in nature with global vendors such as Procter & Gamble and Church & Dwight Co Inc accounting for over 67 percent of the total market share in 2016. The trend to innovate product in terms of formula and packaging is the key factor driving sales. The strategy adopted by Procter & Gamble to develop environmentally-friendly products such as Tide purclean became a major factor in driving the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth in the country. The rising prominence of e-commerce is expected to be the key factor driving product growth, especially among the working-class due to easy accessibility and convenience. The e-commerce platform is largely dominated by companies such as Amazon, Target, and Walgreen. It is expected that e-commerce is emerging as the fastest-rising distribution channel. The vendors in developed markets such as the US are adopting product bundling strategy to increase shares in the market by offering bulk discount on various products such as fabric softeners, liquid and powder. In addition, vendors are also continuously adopting innovative marketing strategies to attract regional consumers.

Product Insights Powder segment in the industry is expected to dominate the market over the forecast period. The product is expected to witness strong growth in developing economies such as China, India, Brazil and others. Powder detergent is witnessing steady penetration in developing economies as consumers in the region prefer economical products. Also, a large section of the population is based in rural areas and prefer powder-based products over other products. Liquid products are likely to grow at a higher rate in comparison to powder products owing to the large-scale adoption of the former in North America and European detergent market. The use of liquid detergent in comparison to powder provides convenience and comfort to the consumer. In addition, liquid detergents are cheaper to manufacture and the margin is greater. The segment is estimated to register growth in its share from 25.7 percent in 2016 to 26.0 percent by 2025. Fabric softeners are projected to penetrate the market at a steady rate. As per trends, fabric softeners have witnessed a decline in the last few years. Procter & Gamble

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

is devising new methods of marketing to increase its sales in the fabric softeners segment. The demand for fabric softeners is expected to be driven by the increasing popularity of fragrant and natural laundry care product. Furthermore, the segment can capitalize on the lucrative opening in the underpenetrated or unpenetrated industry in developing economies. The segment share is projected to grow from 18.8 percent in 2016 to 19.3 percent by 2025. Detergent tablets segment is likely to observe slow growth over the forecast period. The segment share is expected to decrease to 12.1 percent by 2025. The rising prominence of liquid products in developed economies and greater penetration of powder products are likely to act as restraints to the segment growth over the forecast period.

Application Insights Household segment is expected to dominate the industry over the forecast period. The rising penetration of washing machines in developing economies is expected to drive growth over the predicted period. A number of vendors are attempting to expand their footprint by establishing manufacturing facilities in developing economies having huge potential in terms of revenue. This trend is further substantiated by the growing penetration of washing machines in developing countries. For instance, the number of washing machines in Chinese household grew by nearly 7 percent from 2010 to 2015. Similarly, fully automatic washing machines were largely preferred by consumers in India over semi-automatic washing machines. The demand for washing machines is generally higher in urban areas in comparison to rural areas. Industrial or institutional segment is expected to grow at a steady rate over the forecast period. The segment is likely to account for nearly 42.2 percent by 2025. Industrial detergents are used as cleaning agents in various industries including textiles, paper, rubber, engineering, dry cleaning, hospitals, railways, hospitality, housekeeping, and others. The steady growth of hospitality sector is likely to be the key catalyst for segment growth over the forecast period. The number of international tourist grew by 4.4 percent to reach 1.18 billion in 2015. Nearly 50 million or more tourists visited international destinations compared to 2014. The robust growth of tourism industry has generated demand for constructions of new hotels. The growth in the construction of hotel rooms is anticipated to provide greater opportunities for the segmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth as more demand is expected to be generated due to more washing of linens.

Regional Insights APAC is likely to dominate the global market over the forecast period. The region is expected to grow from 34.9 percent in 2016 to 35.9 percent by 2025 and register growth owing to increased competition due to rising popularity of regional brands. The rising competition among global and regional players is affecting the dynamics of laundry detergent industry. For instance, key players such as Unilever and Procter & Gamble are losing their market shares in India due to the presence of strong regional players such as Rohit Surfactants Pvt Ltd and Nirma Limited. Detergent brands such as Rin, Surf and Wheel owned by Unilever observed declining sales in 2016 owing to the growing prominence of regional brands in rural India. As per 2014 rankings, China and India were the top two countries in terms of population. While the population in China was around 1.4 billion, of which 56 percent resided in urban areas, the population in India was about 33 percent, of which 1.3 billion reside in urban areas. All these factors together are expected to boost product demand over the forecast period. The increasing urban population coupled with rising disposable income is expected to be key driver for growth in the regional industry. Factors such as rising disposable income, easy financing, and increasing influence of modern living have distinguished washing machine from luxury to a utility item.

Competitive Insights Global vendors such as Procter & Gamble and Unilever are focusing on developing sustainable products. For instance, open innovation program launched by Unilever encourages various organizations to develop sustainable products. Due to the rising demand for biodegradable detergents, manufacturers are opting for phosphate free raw materials such as plant and vegetable-based ingredients. One of the products is manufactured by Method Products, pbc, a personal care company located in the US. The company has developed a product, which is phosphate free and biodegradable. It uses naturallyderived amylase, which is a cleaning enzyme to avoid harm to the environment. The other prominent vendors of the industry include Lion Corporation, Kao Corporation, and Method products pbc. The industry is likely to be consolidated in the predicted timeline due to the mergers of major players. For instance, the acquisition of Sun Products by German consumer goods company, Henkel AG & Co KGaA in 2016. Source: Grand View Research Inc

REPORT MARINE ENZYMES

GROWING FOOD INDUSTRY TO SUPPORT MARKET GROWTH

arine Enzymes Market size will witness a significant growth owing to its use in food & beverage, medicine, nutraceutical and cosmetic industry. These have omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids that are used in nutraceutical industry. Its use as a natural ingredient in health and dietary supplement industry has increased. These are widely used in skin and hair care products due to their anti-inflammatory and hypolipidemic properties. Growing food industry will support marine enzymes market growth owing to its usage as a colouring agent. Their consumption has spurred with ban on synthetic food colours. These are used in food to improve its quality and increase the shelf life of processed products. Further, with ongoing research and development activities for its use in bio fuels and bio fertilizers are anticipated to propel marine enzymes market. Marine enzymes are bioactive elements obtained from aquatic plants and animals. They are used in mineralization of organic matter in aquatic environment and help in secondary production. Some commonly used marine enzymes are amylases, lipases and dnases. These are preferred over traditional enzymes as they are thermoresistant and perform well at high temperature, pH and salt concentration. Thus, they can function well in heat sensitive processes. It is used as stabilizers and thickeners in various food products. Their use eliminates the antinutritive substance from nutritional raw materials.

However, high production cost is a major factor that restricts the growth of marine enzymes market. Further, these are extracted from extreme marine environments that are difficult to access. The growing concern over aquatic environment and stringent government regulations for human activities in these areas has confined their availability which may hamper the industry growth. Marine enzymes are obtained from fungi, aquatic plants and animals. Animals are further classified into fishes, crabs, prawns and snakes. Fishes forms the key source for amylases and have major share in the industry. These have wide applications in manufacturing alcoholic beverages, animal feed, detergents and confectionaries. In addition, protein obtained from animals such as collagens can perform at extreme temperature and can be used in heat sensitive processes including, clarifying and gelling. Plants enzyme like spirulina have substantial share owing to their application in health supplements and pharmaceutical industry. Blue and green algae are key sources for marine enzymes market. The product is used in numerous industries including, food and beverages, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, leather, paper and bio fuels. Food and beverage has major share owing to its application in processed foods, animal feed, dietary supplements, starch and sugar syrups. These are used in pharmaceutical industry as these help in treatment of heart diseases and are anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic.

They are used in cosmetic industry for the treatment of wrinkles and aging symptoms as these are major sources for antioxidants. North America, led by the US has largest share in global marine enzymes market with its application in food processing and cosmetic industry. Europe marine enzymes market has significant share with rise in health consciousness in people. In addition, European Space Agency along with NASA is undergoing a research for their use in primary food for long term space missions. Asia pacific marine enzymes market has substantial share with the growing cosmetic and health supplement industry. The cosmetic industry in this region has shown a rapid growth due to changing lifestyle of the people. Middle East & Africa and Latin America have decent share with its consumption in pharmaceutical segment. Marine enzymes market is consolidate owing to presence of few top players in the industry. Major industry players are Biolume, Biotec Pharmacon, DASK, Arcticzymes, Novozymes, Nova Nordisk, Alligator Bioscience and Actelian. Companies are adopting numerous strategies to capture this emerging market by mergers, acquisitions, new product launch and exploring into new regions to increase their industry share. For instance, Biotec Pharmacon a key player in this market, has registered and filed 510K application for establishing itself in the US market. This will help the company to increase its industry share in the region. Source: Global Market Insights

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

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ACADEMIC R&D RESEARCHERS ARE ENHANCING

INDIAN COSMETICS

he Indian cosmetics market is currently worth $6.5 billion and is expected to grow to $35 billion by 2035, a recent survey-based study has concluded. The Indian government has decided that some regulation was necessary. There are a few researchers in the country who were keeping a watch. One of them is Sanju Nanda, professor of cosmetics at department of pharmaceutical sciences at Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak in Haryana. Pressured by agencies like PETA and Humane Society International, a ban on animal testing was issued and the Indian Drugs and Cosmetics Act was updated in 2013. India became the first South Asian country to join the leagues of the European Union and leaving the US behind to ban animal testing, both in domestic manufacture and imports of cosmetic products. Also, registration was made compulsory for all cosmetic products imported to India. The same year, Sanju was invited to Osong, South Korea, to meet international cosmetic traders and communicate to them India’s firm new stance on cosmetics. “I was given the first slot of fifty minutes at the Symposium of Asian Cosmetic Development to talk about the changes in the regulatory scenario of cosmetics in India,’’ she said proudly. The Indian markets have been showing signs of

maturing. Market trends suggest that Indians like herbal cosmetics more; the sales of herbal cosmetics has been growing 12 percent every year. “We attempt to keep our research in parallel with the regulation of Indian standards as well as the FDA (US). We also like catering to Indian choices, skin types and indigenous sources,’’ Sanju said. As a pharmacy student, Sanju took up research in enhancing a drug’s effect by physical means through the skin. She experimented with electricity-assisted drug delivery through the skin for her M.Pharm project at Sagar University in Madhya Pradesh. In 1991, she started her PhD work on a similar area at IIT Delhi, this time trying ultrasound to enhance drug delivery through the skin. “I was interfacing pharmacy with engineering for using the skin to deliver the medicines. This is called transdermal drug delivery and was all the rage at the time. Skin is an important organ of course not just wrapping paper. There are blood vessels below the skin where a lot of the medicines end up reaching however you take them. But skin is also a barrier, it does not allow very fast absorption. So with the use of electrical energy and ultrasound, I attempted to enhance the permeation or delivery of some model drugs.’’ Right after IIT, she started to teach at Dr KN Modi Institute of Pharmaceutical

Education and Research in Uttar Pradesh. In 2005, Sanju received a project from All India Council for Technical Education to further her work on increasing efficacy of drugs with ultrasound technology. Sanju believes there is a lot more work to be done in this field, especially since many cosmetics fall in a huge grey area and these products often overlooked. Only in 1964 Amendment was the word Cosmetics added to the Indian Drugs And Cosmetics Act 1940. “In India, the boundaries seem to be blurry. If it is only a cosmetic, the manufacturers don’t need a license to sell it, they only need one to manufacture it. In case of drugs, the manufacturers need licenses for both.’’ “Cosmetics need to get the same kind of attention and quality check as drugs since cosmetics also stay in contact with the skin for long hours. Ethically designed cosmetics are the need of the hour,’’ Sanju appealed. Today Sanju considers herself fortunate to take the research forward with many lab hours put in by her all-female team of full-time research fellows: Kumud Madan, Sapna Saini and Sheeffali Mahant. All of them have been lecturers at colleges and universities in Haryana. But to go further in their research life, they must first finish their PhDs. They are the next generation that Sanju has inspired. Source: The Life Of Science

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

MICROBEADS IN COSMETICS MIGHT ALREADY

BE ON THE WAY OUT

osmetics which in 2015 contained almost 3 million microscopic beads no longer contain traces of the tiny particles. As the government ban on microbeads in cosmetics comes into force, scientists at the University of Plymouth have revealed companies appear to have taken action to eradicate the tiny particles from their products. In August 2015, a study published by the University showed almost 100,000 microbeads could be released in every single application of products such as facial scrubs. But current results using the same methods has so far shown that similar products no longer contain traces of the tiny particles, which measure a fraction of a millimetre. The current research is being led by PhD student Imogen Napper and Professor of Marine Biology Richard Thompson OBE, both of whom were involved in the

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

2015 study and who have described the findings as “very encouraging.” For the original study, researchers subjected six products available on the high street to vacuum filtration and subsequent analysis using electron microscopy showed that each 150 ml of the products could contain between 137,000 and 2.8 million microparticles. Professor Thompson, who was made an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List in recognition of his services to marine science, added: “I have always said that in order to tackle the problems associated with marine pollution, a holistic approach is needed. That includes scientific research, action from industry and legislation from government and although we can’t say all cosmetic products are completely plastic free, this is a demonstration that things are moving in the right direction. “That, of course, is very encouraging but microbeads have always only been one

part of the problem – albeit a completely avoidable one. At the moment, there is a growing awareness of the problems posed by plastic pollution and what needs to be done if we are to prevent its continued spread. It is crucial that we continue to spread that message and we all have a role to play in taking action against this global threat to our environment.” The government ban was signed into law following a lengthy public inquiry to which professor Thompson, head of the University’s International Marine Litter Research Unit, was among the scientific contributors. Before that, microbeads had been used for many years to replace natural exfoliating materials in hand cleansers, toothpaste, shampoo and a range of other products. However, their increased use also sparked concerns with scientists indicating they were liable to pass through water treatment works and into the environment, where they were likely to be ingested by marine creatures.

ACADEMIC R&D RESEARCHERS DISCOVER KEY INGREDIENT

FOR SKIN CARE LINE

Products include UM’s patented aloe vera extract

David Pasco (left) and Nirmal Pugh have studied the chemistry of aloe for many years. Their work led to the discovery of aloeride, an immune-enhancing extract patented by the university.

cientists at the University of Mississippi’s National Center for Natural Products Research spend much of their time working to discover new pharmaceutical products, botanical dietary supplements and agrichemicals. Once in a while, however, discoveries made at the center benefit something a little more cosmetic. Among other things, ongoing NCNPR research on botanicals led to the launch of a skin care line called Sustainable Youth brand products, owned by Woodcliff Skincare Solutions Inc. The key ingredient is Alasta brand aloe product, a patent-pending ingredient that includes aloeride, an immune-enhancing extract patented by the university. “Aloeride’s activity is predominantly derived from aloe’s bacteria,” said Nirmal Pugh, principal scientist at NCNPR who worked on the discovery of aloeride with other Ole Miss researchers. “As with all plants occurring in a natural state, aloe has communities of bacteria. “Aloe’s beneficial bacteria produce immune-enhancing components that we concentrated to create the aloeride that Woodcliff uses in Alasta.” At the time of the discovery, Pugh was working as a graduate student with David Pasco, now the associate director of the UM natural products center. Pasco, who has studied the properties of aloe for more than 20 years, observed that the active components in aloeride were beneficial for skin health. That information was used to guide clinical studies and product development for aloeride.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

Once NCNPR published the team’s findings, a cosmetics industry executive approached the center about licensing the extract. After licensing aloeride, cosmetic expert formulators combined it with other ingredients to create Alasta brand aloe product, which can be applied topically. “This kind of discovery is indicative of the commercial and medical potential of natural products, and is just one example of the impact of NCNPR’s research,” said David Allen, dean of the UM School of Pharmacy. Alasta brand aloe product is at the center of all Sustainable Youth brand products, said Mary Coon, a brand development consultant with Woodcliff. “The Sustainable Youth collection includes five innovative, clean, anti-aging skin care products, all made with organic and natural ingredients purposefully selected for their ability to enhance Alasta’s properties for healthy-looking skin.” University officials are “thrilled” to see the product line on the market, said Allyson Best, UM director of technology management. The internationally-renowned National Center for Natural Products Research was founded in 1995 to research, develop and commercialize potentially useful natural products. Based at the UM School of Pharmacy, NCNPR collaborates with academia, government and the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries to create natural products that can be used to improve human health and agriculture as crops, pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements and agrochemicals.

A SUPERFICIAL RELATIONSHIP:

SOAP ON WATER

bowl of water sprinkled with pepper flakes sits ready on Mahesh Bandi’s kitchen countertop. Bandi, a professor of physics at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), wets the tip of a chopstick with liquid soap, amusement written on his face, and asks his dinner guests their predictions: what will the flakes do when the soap meets the water’s surface? He touches the chopstick to the watersuddenly, the flakes flee from the center of the bowl. This is but a very simple example of the Marangoni effect, which Bandi studies inside his lab at OIST’s Collective Interactions Unit. Reported as early as 1686, the phenomenon results from a difference in surface tension-the quality that causes a liquid surface to behave as though it were a stretched elastic membrane. The substance with higher surface tension pulls more strongly than the one with lower surface tension, pulling the flow of liquid toward it. James Thomson, the elder brother of physicist Lord Kelvin, described the phenomenon in 1855 as “the curious motions commonly observed in the film of wine adhering to the inside of a wine glass.” The very same force allows water striders to glide along the surface

of a pond, and, as Bandi demonstrates, causes flakes to move across water. Yet, despite its ubiquity, the Marangoni effect is elusive. “You can see it in your kitchen, but it is notoriously difficult to quantify,” said Bandi. In a new study published in the journal Physical Review Letters, he and his colleagues present a method for doing just this by studying the phenomenon through three different independent measurements. Liquid soap does several things when it touches a bowl of water: some of it spreads over the water’s surface, while some begins dissolving in the water. The researchers found that these factorswhich together constitute the Marangoni effect-can occur to varying degrees. Bandi and his colleagues worked from a mathematical model developed by Brown University professor, Shreyas Mandre, which predicts how a liquid like water interacts with a surfactant-a liquid like soap or detergent, which have lower surface tension, introduced at its surface. Using a custom-built clean room, scientists at OIST performed several experiments to confirm predictions of how the liquids would interact. To show the movement of liquid, the researchers used a rectangular container filled with water. Next, they used a syringe

to deposit surfactant, also containing tiny particles, at the air-water-interfacethe exact surface of the water. The researchers then visualized the velocity of the two liquids using a technique called Laser Doppler Velocimetry, which detects changes in the frequency of light waves when a laser beam hits them. They verified their results with two additional methods. The scientists measured the surfactant’s spread down through the boundary layer and into the underlying water. They also measured the “shear stress” or intensity with which the surfactant drags the water. The researchers found that using their model, they could closely predict the speed at which a surfactant spread. Their findings fit within one of two scenarios: depending on whether or not the surfactant readily dissolved, it diffused into the water more or less quickly than it spread across the water’s surface. The study takes another step toward understanding a complex and dynamic phenomenon. “Theory is an approximation of reality, but the real world is messy,” said Bandi. Even so, he and his collaborators were able to predict the behavior of the liquids in the real world-“proof that the theory works.”

A still frame from a video captured by researchers, this greenlit image shows the distribution of particles in water and a surfactant at its surface.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

ACADEMIC SPEAK SURFACTANTS

FIXATION WITH SURFACTANTS Dr Freda C H Lim delves into the myriad of opportunities that surfactants offer for various industry needs and the role that computer simulations technology plays in unfolding the dynamics of surfactants. Dr Lim is Scientist at the Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) department, Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

Research Insight. My current research focuses on answering the more fundamental questions in the specialty chemicals domain. We look at the interactions of ingredients in consumer goods and personal care formulations, at the molecular level with in silico methods. With molecular dynamics simulations at the different time and length scales, we can study interactions between polymers and other ingredients, such as nanoparticles, surfactants, coalescing agents and other polymers, to form an understanding of how these formulations can plausibly interact with one another and with the target surfaces, be it walls, nails, hair and skin to perform its desired function.

Structural changes that can be made to surfactants. Surfactants are amphiphilic molecules that can take a great variety of molecular structures. For example, we have looked at a variety of surfactant behaviour, from the linear non-ionic polymeric surfactants to branched anionic alkyl benzyl sulfonates, to the bulkier sugar based surfactants, such as sucrose monolaurate. Structural changes can be made to surfactants to enhance performance depending on what is desirable. The hydrophilic part can be either charged or polar to interact positively with water. The lipophilic parts are mainly long alkyl chains that interact positively with oily components. By modifying the molecular structures in terms of introducing branching or changing the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB), we can control the formation of the aggregates in different ways. Just from a geometrical view point, we can imagine, a large headed and small tailed surfactant, like the alkyl benzenesulfonates, will take a conical shape, fitting well into a spherical micellar structure, possibly capable of encapsulating active components within it. On the other hand, long, linear, flat looking surfactants, like the common lipids found in our cells, are likely form bilayers and vesicles instead. The other key factor affecting surfactant behaviour is the HLB which dictates the ratio between the hydrophilic groups and the lipophilic groups. The HLB of the surfactant will decide its preference for water or oil and thereby dictate its application regime.

Sectors that will benefit from the research. Surfactants play an important role in many areas of our lives, from cleaning to wetting and dispersing, from emulsifying to foaming and antifoaming. With such a myriad of application functions, prominent

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

industry sectors that will benefit from our research on surfactants are the consumer goods and personal care sector as well as the oil & gas, mining sector. I won’t be surprised if research from the biomedical sectors can also benefit from our fundamental understanding of surfactants molecules since there can also be many variants of biosurfactants found inside our body.

Compare the work with other ongoing researches. In our team, we apply our know-how in molecular modelling and simulations to a myriad of industrially relevant scientific questions that eventually contributes to the growth of the Singapore’s economy. On top of my team’s expertise in material modelling and simulation across a large time and length scale, the advantage we have in A*STAR is our proximity to experimental scientists of different specialisations across all of A*STAR’s different research institutes. With such close-knitted collaborative research relationships with the entire research eco-system in A*STAR and Singapore, we are better able to correlate our findings to experimental outcomes and provide insights and fundamental understanding to the design of molecular interactions for better functioning formulations.

Role of computer simulations in the research. With the increasing availability of better performance computer resources due to hardware and software improvements, larger molecular systems have become increasingly accessible to us. For example, with the availability of GPU enabled hardware and molecular dynamics codes, we can model atomistic systems consisting of one to two million atoms within days. About five years ago, these systems were unreasonably slow to run and almost inaccessible in a commodity workstation. Pertaining to the structure of surfactants, we can now look at how changes in molecular structures of surfactants affect their interactions with lipid bilayers and other polymers.

Ways computer simulations can aid in other areas of surfactants research. Besides surfactants, molecular modelling and simulations can be applied to a great variety of other materials research questions. Our team has been applying the same know-how to study different materials systems, ranging from polymers to nanoparticles to other small organic compounds. Availability of computer simulations research for real time lab environment testing.

In terms of matching of our simulations to experimental lab results, we have already shown a high degree of agreement of our polymer molecular models to experimental measurements of glasstransition temperatures. With suitable parameterization and finding an appropriate proxy to correlate the atomistic properties to the macroscopic properties, modeling and simulation can prove to be useful in predicting outcome and materials properties, probing molecular details of interactions, and validating hypothesis derived from macroscopic experimental observations.

Challenges faced during the research. Often researchers from different background are pooled together in a research group to work on the same set of objectives. Thus, the main challenge of working with people of different disciplines and backgrounds is to come up with equitable outcomes, while considering everyone’s ideas. Due to our different training, we may communicate the same idea in different ways. This is a common challenge we face in a multidisciplinary research group, yet this is also an advantage for us as we are enabled to see different sides from the same story and bring synergy to the research outcome.

Future research plans. We are looking at surfactant and polymers interaction with model surfaces of hair and skin to understand effectiveness of these ingredients through adhesion on the hair surface, and to study the toxicity of these ingredients though disruption or penetration of the lipid bilayers. We have also recently started a new project with our experimental partners to look at the more upstream questions in advanced polymer reaction engineering. Using abinitio calculations, we will be looking at the reaction mechanisms of polymerization and co-polymerization reactions to provide an understanding on how the chemical structures of monomers can affect the stability, selectivity and reactivity of the initiation and propagation reaction.

Advice to young researchers working with computer simulations technology. My advice for researchers who may want to join us is to build a resilient mindset and an adaptable attitude. Because similar methodologies and know-how can be applied to research topics in different domains, fixation to a particular domain not only limits our usefulness to other applications, but also blinds us to the many other opportunities that lie ahead of us.

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

JOBS Quality Control Executive Company: Shell Date Posted: 19 February Country: India City: Taloja

Sr. Manager, Alkane Activation Company: SABIC Date Posted: 19 February Country: US City: Sugar Land

Process Automation Engineer Company: The Dow Chemical Company Date Posted: 23 February Country: India City: Chennai

Sr. Associate - Polymer Synthesis

Job Description: Manage the inspection and application of new and existing packaging within the LOBP taking into account Health, Safety, Security, Environment (HSSE) and Quality Concerns, Plant and Line Capabilities, Product Compatibility, Technical Requirements, and Competitive Benchmarking to ensure that Shell Lubricants are supplied to customers in proper packages. These packages should meet Health, Safety, Security, Environment (HSSE) and Quality, Functional, Brand and Marketing requirements at the lowest possible total cost of ownership.

Job Description: Lead a team of scientists to develop conversion technologies for various alkanes ranging from light gases to liquid alkanes; that enable achievement of SABICâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2025 growth strategy. Provide support to Chemicals Strategic Business Units (SBUs) and other related SBUs and functions through providing technical expertise and accessing innovative technologies.

Job Description: The individual is fully qualified and proficient in the application of chemical engineering fundamentals and independently applies this knowledge. The individual is also expected to provide technical expertise as a part of related global networks.

Company: Huntsman Corporation Date Posted: 24 February Country: India City: Mumbai

Job Description: The India R&D team is part of the Global Technology & Innovation team. The R&D team is tasked with developing new technology platforms for the global polyurethanes business.

Research Associate Company: Dow AgroSciences Date Posted: 26 February Country: US City: Arlington

Job Description: Dow AgroSciences (DAS) is hiring a Research Associate (RA) to serve as an integral member of the Arlington, Wisconsin corn grain, corn silage and soybean breeding teams. Primary responsibilities will align with the multi-crop yield trial and agronomy testing program, which is responsible for generating high quality field data across southern and central Wisconsin.

Executive - Logistics Company: BASF Asia Pacific Date Posted: 27 February Country: India City: Mumbai

Process Improvement Expert Company: Merck Date Posted: 27 February Country: India City: Bangalore

Job Description: With vast knowledge in the field of chemistry, BASF manufactures high quality, innovative products that cater to a wide range of industries. BASF in India has 9 production sites, 2 R&D centers and more than 2,000 employees and is well positioned to meet the current and future needs of the ever-growing Indian market.

Job Description: The purpose of this position is to ensure that the production laboratory is run to the highest standards of quality, safety & environmental safety & meet all regulatory needs. Design a plan for manufacture with suitable technical input and help in operating within budgets, including planning & forecasting issues.

Lead Engineer Company: Momentive Performance Materials Inc Date Posted: 01 March Country: India City: Bangalore

Job Description: Lead new chemical process R&D programs in the areas of reaction engineering, catalysis and molecular modelling with focus on new technology development, structure-property relation development and improving Momentiveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s manufacturing productivity.

Executive Laboratory Company: Mitsui Chemicals Inc Date Posted: 02 March Country: Singapore City: Western Islands

Job Description: Perform all laboratory testing and ad-hoc analysis in the manufacture of alpha-olefin copolymers, namely modified TAFMERTM, TAFMERTM & EPR products and assist assistant manager, laboratory in conducting lab testing certification. Act as a back-up for assistant manager & supervisor, laboratory for daily routine work as and when required. Website: http://www.worldofchemicals.com/chemical-jobs.html

Chemical Today Magazine | March 2018

Organised by

Supported by

Alkali Manufacturers Association of India

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICALS &

PETROCHEMICALS MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS  & FERTILIZERS       



HOTEL REGENTA, BHARUCH, GUJARAT, 14-15 March 2018 AMAI is organising a two-day event consisting of two day Seminar on " Safety, Health & Environment And Waste Management In Alkali Industry" And Mini-Exhibition, Parallel Networking and B2B meetings, followed by plant visit to UPL Ltd., Jhagadia. The Mini-Exhibition will  be held concurrently with the Seminar .The event will be held on 14 & 15 March 2018 at Bharuch, Gujarat, followed by plant visit to UPL Ltd., Jhagadia. Various subject experts, technology licensors, membrane suppliers, engineering consultants and eminent speakers from American Chemistry Council and The Chlorine Institute and Experts from overseas countries and from within India will be making presentations on Safety,  Health , Environment, Sustainability, Waste Management and Technological improvements for operational safety adopted by technology  licensors, equipment suppliers , vendors and industry members.

  

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

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

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

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

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



    



Ms. Harjeet Kaur Anand Joint Director (Technical) Mobile: 9818904989, Email: hkanand@ama-india.org;

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Multiple Delegate Discount             

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