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PROF. DR. R. K. KHANDAL & V. P. JOSHI
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INDIA GLYCOLS: MILES AHEAD IN SUSTAINABILITY
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PROF. DR. R. K. KHANDAL
PRESIDENT, R&D AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT INDIA GLYCOLS LIMITED
V. P. JOSHI
HEAD, R&D INDIA GLYCOLS LIMITED
India Glycols Limited (IGL), a pioneer in renewable chemicals, is an example of success through innovations and green technology employed to produce chemicals having low carbon footprint, based on life cycle analysis, completely bio-degradable derived from renewable resources including agricultural wastes and alternatives to those derived from fossil resources. The success story of IGL can be attributed to six main factors: Remaining ahead of its time; Highly diversified product range; Several firsts to its credit; JV with Clariant International; Reliable source for quality products; and Future growth path.
Remaining ahead of its time: The global chemical Industry has come full circle. In the last hundred years; those who were going for synthetic chemicals, at one time, from fossil resources have started looking for renewable resources. Four decades ago, when world-scale production capacities of mono-ethylene glycol (MEG), a monomer for polyester, were being set up in India, M. L. Bhartia, the founder chairman of Bhartia group, took a visionary decision to set up a relatively smaller size plant to manufacture MEG through renewable resources i.e. sugarcane molasses. Today, the whole world is looking for chemicals, including MEG from bio-resources, thereby replacing fossil resources.
IGL, a public limited company, is one of the leading companies of ‘Bhartia Group’. Located at Kashipur in Uttarakhand, IGL was established in November 1983 with a mandate of producing high quality products derived from renewable resources. Designing and innovations for new products, processes and technologies, had been the driving forces for sustainability. Novel chemistries based on renewable resources have been the main focus area for the state-of-the-art of R&D in IGL.
The products are being developed keeping in mind the aim of providing indigenous products for different industry sectors, by using local resources, while matching with global standards of quality. As an R&D driven organization, remaining always ahead of its time, IGL has emerged as a leading manufacturer of Bio-Glycols, Bio-Ethylene Oxide, Bio-Glycol Ethers, Bio-Surfactants, Bio-Polymers, and performance chemicals with the distinction of being the first and the only company of its kind in the world, manufacturing bio-based performance chemicals adopting green technology. The company has a vast product range that covers a wide variety of specialty chemicals and herbal products such as nu-
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traceuticals, phytochemicals, bio-polymers including Guar Gum, industrial gases and liquor. User industries prefer products of IGL because they have significantly low carbon footprint.
IGL has several firsts to its credit including the state-of-the-art of manufacturing of derivatives of bio-polymers like Guar Gum. "Ennature Biopharma” Division, a 100% EOU unit which is GMP compliant, HACCP and CEP approved, established in 2008 at Dehradun, Uttarakhand, makes IGL as the leading manufacturer of nutraceuticals, APIs, etc., adopting green technology of Highly Selective Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SCFE-CO2).
Graduating from being a manufacturer
of bio-specialties, IGL has now become the first and the only one to produce specialties derived from C-smart resources (from emitted carbon), which became possible due to tripartite agreement with LanzaTech and Unilever. A couple of years ago, coming up with the concept of carbon rainbow, management of Unilever decided to replace all ingredients derived from fossil resources, of their key products for cleaning application, by surfacIGL has now become the first and the only one to produce specialties derived from C-smart resources (from emitted carbon), which became possible due to tripartite agreement with LanzaTech and Unilever.
tants made out of purple alcohol (C-smart alcohol as per LanzaTech) produced using novel technology of absorbing emitted carbon. U. S. Bhartia, known for nurturing innovations, supported this idea of converting purple alcohol into a range of purple surfactants and poly glycols at IGL. As a result of this, several new age products could be launched by Unilever at global level.
IGL also manufactured MEG from C-smart alcohol which was used to launch polyester fibre of the next generation by a leading manufacturer, Lululemon. Success of this trend-setting achievement of this tripartite cooperation will certainly pave the way for the global chemical industry to use such products, while targeting to be net zero, in near future. This will be rated as an innova-
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tion of the highest order, enabling industry to replace products derived from fossil resources by chemicals from waste: IGL remains ahead of its time and would always be known for the above innovations.
Highly diversified product range: From its name, IGL, it is not easy to make an idea about its product range. To begin with, it started with 60 MT per day of MEG. Today, its installed capacity is 600 MT/day of equivalent MEG. Started manufacturing bio-ethylene oxide (EO) and bio-EO derivatives (EODs) in 1995. World scale plant of bio-glycol ethers was the next product range added. Since Nitrogen and Oxygen happened to be the key raw materials for MEG etc., IGL became the leading manufacturer of various gases including Argon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen. IGL supplied medical Oxygen during COVID pandemic to save lives. Food grade CO2 is being made from the fermentation process in distilleries. The mixture of CO2 and EO in different ratios is a popular product of IGL for sterilization of Bio-medics. Expansion in production of alcohol followed by Extra Neutral Alcohol (ENA) was the obvious reason behind launching a range of
products for the liquor industry. EODs and their value-added products, being made by JV now, made the product range of specialties really huge. From this, it is evident that the growth path has been a real challenge but IGL converted that into opportunity through innovations.
Several firsts to its credit: IGL has always been unique in its approach, being different from conventional ways, it stood out as an example for others to emulate. Besides being the first manufacturer and exporter of several bio-based products in the world, IGL also has the following to its credit being the first in the world: Supplier of bio-MEG so that Coca cola could launch their beverages in “plant bottle”; Supplier bio-MEG to several leading manufacturers of polyester used for packing of food and pharmaceutical products; Supported demonstration of technology for 2G ethanol along with DST, Government of India; and produced purple surfactants.
JV of IGL and Clariant International Limited: IGL formed a JV with Clariant International Limited (51% share) in July 2021. The JV known as a Clariant IGL Specialty Chemicals Private Limited (CISCPL) has emerged as a unique set-up having strengths and capabilities of the two lead-
ing companies dedicating themselves for the noble cause of environment-friendly green chemistry including Bio-based surfactants, in the world. The JV will be a dependable source of bio-based EODs for various Industries across the world.
Reliable source for quality products: All facilities of IGL are equipped with state-ofthe-art technologies of manufacturing and plant operations undertaken with the best of systems designed to ensure standards of safety of equipment, manpower, and environment. The Distributed Control System (DCS) in the plants has been in place from the very beginning so that the products are uniform, consistent, and high quality. All facilities have been approved and certified by ISO 9001; ISO14001; ISO 22000; OHSAS 18001; FSSC 22000; SA 8000; ISO 50001. Accreditations of ISO, NABL and Registrations of REACH, Halal, Kosher etc. make IGL as a reliable and preferred supplier by the customers, across the globe. Products of IGL enjoy the confidence of user industry sectors such as agrochemicals, textiles, EP-paints, oil & gas, pharmaceuticals, home and personal care, construction, fertilizer, lubricants, automotive, etc. The installed capacity of IGL is around 550,000 MTPA of various products. IGL exports 30% of its products, fetching several awards.
Future growth path: Future of IGL is certainly very bright. Having several key starting materials at its hand, IGL is well placed to become the leading manufacturer of a large number of products that will have potential to replace conventional products derived from fossil resources. A significantly high capacity of key starting materials: Bio-ethylene; BioEO; Ethanol; CO2; N2; and O2, IGL is poised to exploit these starting materials for several new chemistries. There will be possibilities of a variety of products produced by IGL to replace conventional ingredients derived from fossil-resource. Thus, IGL will not only be the provider of import substitutes of Bio-specialties (specialty chemicals of minimum carbon footprint and extraordinary performance) but it will also become a resource point of quality products for net zero goals. It would be appropriate to say that IGL today is the perfect example of “Make-in-India”, while helping the cause of benefiting farmers, through the indigenous product design capability of IGL, R&D. In future, IGL will be a trustworthy partner for those dedicated to net zero. n
