CDCQ0211

THE MAGAZINE OF CANADA’S CHEMISTRY INDUSTRY

SUMMER 2011 | www.canadianchemistry.ca

Catalyst Sustainable Solutions for the Future INSIDE: • EDIFICATIONS Be Tactical, Be Strategic

• RESPONSIBLE CARE® Transparency – The Cornerstone of Responsible Care® Verification in Canada • FEATURE Canadian Chemistry and Shale Gas

Who is responsible for

Responsible Care ? ®

We are.

MEGlobal may be a global company, but we’re also a part of the local community. This is where we work. Where we live.

Where we raise our families.

Environmental responsibility and sustainability are important to us. So we enthusiastically support Responsible Care, a voluntary initiative created by the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada that has now spread to 50 countries.

Verification as a Responsible Care company is never easy. Nor should it be. You have to prove that you are continuously working to improve your health, safety and environmental performance.

MEGlobal was recently re-verified as a Responsible Care company. But the victory isn’t only ours. We share it with our communities and the planet on which we live.

For more information on how MEGlobal is taking our responsibilities seriously, go to www.MEGlobal.biz/responsible

MEGlobal is a joint venture between The Dow Chemical Company and Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) of Kuwait.

Committed to Responsible Care

®

Dow Canada and Dow AgroSciences are committed to the ethic and principles of Responsible Care®.

As an active participant in Responsible Care® through the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada, Dow’s commitment to our communities and the environment is a part of everything we do and every decision we make.

Dow is proud to be one of the founding members of Responsible Care®. We’re also proud that our ongoing commitment to Responsible Care® was once again recognized through the successful 2010 Reverification process for the Dow family of companies.

For more information please visit us at www.dowcanada.com and www.dowagro.ca.

® Responsible Care is a certification mark of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada. Dow Chemical Canada and Dow AgroSciences Canada are licensed users of the certification mark.

Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in segregated Montgomery, Alabama.

Montreal erupts in riots after Rocket Richard is suspended. Johnson and Johnson introduces the first No Tears baby shampoo. Disneyland opens with one million visitors in the first seven weeks. The Polio Vaccination Campaign begins in schools across Canada and the US. Ray Kroc opens the first McDonalds. James Dean is killed in his 550 Porsche Spyder. The Edmonton Eskimos win the 43rd Grey Cup at Empire Stadium in Vancouver.

Northwest Tank Lines raises its red, white and black colours for the very first time. Jerry Lee Lewis releases Great Balls of Fire. The Warsaw Pact is signed. Sports Illustrated is first published.

The year was 1955 when Northwest Tank Lines first entered into the highly competitive world of transport and began setting new standards of excellence in business ethics, road safety and environmental stewardship. These standards continue to this day with industry-leading initiatives like proud partnership in both the Responsible Care and TransCAER programs, and one of the most rigorous ongoing driver protocol programs in the business. Northwest Tank Lines takes great pride in these leadership initiatives and maintaining its reputation for outstanding corporate citizenship. Needless to say, it’s a very proud 55-year history. But better yet, it’s only the beginning.

VOLUME 8, NUMBER 2, SUMMER 2011 COLUMNS

6

Edifications

Contents

Be Tactical, Be Strategic

BY MICHAEL BOURQUE

7

Responsible Care®

THE MAGAZINE OF CANADA’S CHEMISTRY INDUSTRY

SUMMER 2011 | www.canadianchemistry.ca

Catalyst Sustainability

Transparency – The Cornerstone of Responsible Care® Verification in Canada

BY BOB MASTERSON

FEATURES 8 Canadian Chemistry and Shale Gas A once-in-a-generation feedstock opportunity for the Ontario chemistry industry is sitting right on our doorstep. The destination for the first tranche of natural gas liquids from the Marcellus Shale will be decided soon, and the industry is mobilizing to help make Marcellus feedstock supply a reality for the Sarnia chemical cluster.

INSIDE: • EDIFICATIONS Be Tactical, Be Strategic

• RESPONSIBLE CARE® Transparency – The Cornerstone of Responsible Care® Verification in Canada • FEATURE Canadian Chemistry and Shale Gas

BY GREG WILKINSON

10 Building a Biohybrid-Chemistry Cluster in Sarnia, Ontario – Transforming Brownfield Legacies into Greenfield Opportunities Canada has an opportunity to establish itself globally as a leader in the BiohybridChemistry industry. Canada needs to aggressively pursue this opportunity as there are other countries such as the United States and Brazil that are also well positioned with sufficient biomass to become the worldwide industry leader.

BY A.J. SANDY MARSHALL

11 ACC’s President and CEO Cal Dooley at the International Year of Chemistry Launch “Growing World Population Ensures Bright Future for Chemistry” The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2011 the International Year of Chemistry. The goals of IYC 2011 are to increase public appreciation of chemistry in meeting world needs, encourage the interest of young people in chemistry, generate enthusiasm for the creative future of chemistry, and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the International Association of Chemical Societies.

12 Chemistry Will Have to Address the Needs of Nine Billion People by 2050

BY HARVEY F. CHARTRAND

DEPARTMENTS 14 Member Profile: Methanex Restarts Idled Plant in Alberta In late 2010, Methanex Corporation announced plans to resume production at its idled methanol plan in Medicine Hat, Alberta.

BY CHRISTEN DOWNIE

15 The End of an Era for Responsible Care®: Brian Wastle Retires We hoped and prayed this day would never come, but Brian Wastle formally retired from the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC) on December 31, 2010. During the recent round of Leadership Group meetings, all member- and partner-companies had the opportunity to acknowledge Wastle’s extraordinary contribution and dedication to Responsible Care®.

17 New Member Profile CIAC Welcomes its First Associate Member CIAC is very pleased to announce its first associate member – KPMG

17 Buyers’ Guide and Index to Advertisers SOLUTIONS 18 Polyethersulfone: Plastic that’s Creating Healthier Lives, One Drop at a Time In a world where almost a billion people don’t have access to safe drinking water, where plumbing is a luxury, and diarrheal disease kills 1.8 million people annually, chemistry is providing a practical, life-saving solution: water-filtration systems made with polyethersulfone ultra-filtration (UF) membranes.

Chemistry Industry Association of Canada Editor Michael Bourque Vice President, External Relations Assistant Editor Nancy Marchi Public Affairs Co-ordinator President & CEO Richard Paton Association Office Chemistry Industry Association of Canada 805-350 Sparks Street Ottawa, ON K1R 7S8 Tel.: (613) 237-6215 Fax: (613) 237-4061 www.canadianchemistry.ca NAYLOR Publisher Robert Phillips Editor Barbara Deppisch Project Manager Alana Place Sales Manager Bill McDougall Book Leader Wayne Jury Sales Representatives John Byrne, Anook Commandeur, Trevor Perrault Research Kaydee Currie Sales Admin Alex Rodriguez Layout & Design Catharine Snell Editorial Office Naylor (Canada), Inc. 2 Bloor Street West, Suite 2001 Toronto, ON M4W 3E2 Tel: (416) 961-1028 / Fax: (416) 924-4408 www.naylor.com Catalyst is published four times per year by Naylor (Canada), Inc. for the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada. Responsible Care®, an initiative of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada, is an ethic for the safe and environmentally sound management of chemicals throughout their life cycle. Invented in Canada, Responsible Care is now practiced in 53 countries. Copyright by the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada. All rights reserved. The views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher or the association. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior consent of the association.

PUBLISHED JUNE 2011/CDCQ0211/5250

Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40064978 Postage Paid at Winnipeg

BY SARAH MAYES Catalyst Summer 2011 • 5

Edifications

BE TACTICAL, BE STRATEGIC

By Michael Bourque @BourqChemistry EVERY THREE YEARS, the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada creates a new strategic plan for use by our board, members and the association. The process begins with an environmental scan, to ensure that we are identifying the major trends that will impact the industry and the association, and to assist us in planning for continuous improvement in advocacy, competitiveness and Responsible Care. Underpinning this process are our three key directions: “Be Responsible, Be Competitive and Be Credible.”

We would like to hear from our readers about some of the trends that they are observing, and ask for contributions to this process.

We are especially interested in hearing about the issues and social trends in your community that we should be considering as part of our planning, but we are also interested in business issues that must be considered as we plan for the 2012-2015 Triennial period.

This is the International Year of Chemistry: an excellent time to reflect on the global issues and challenges that will shape the future, and where the business of chemistry will play a key role. The world’s population is expected to grow to over 9 billion by 2050. Emerging economies – such as China and India – will increasingly shape the direction of the global chemistry industry, as their burgeoning middle classes demand a higher quality of life and consume more food, energy and products derived from chemistry. The world’s population boom will also present a myriad of challenges. Energy demand is expected to increase 38 per cent by 2035, potentially producing an unsustainable rise in greenhouse gas emissions and impacts on air quality (barring any dramatic advances on the clean-energy front).

Clean water will be a growing issue for billions of people – both in terms of its availability for agriculture, and its quality for individual consumption. Furthermore, global health by 2030 will be marked by extremes and contradictions; as many as 1.35 billion people will be overweight, while at the same time millions of people will still suffer from malnutrition – already a leading cause of death. Finally, the world’s population is aging – by 2050, the UN projects that there will be 2 billion people over the age of 60. Developed countries are experiencing huge increases in their health costs (partly due to demand, but also because of an aging population), which will drive the need for innovation.

From an advocacy standpoint, we have identified a number of emerging patterns that are worth considering. In the next Triennial period, most governments in Canada will be facing debt and deficit problems, combined with escalating health budgets. It is likely that governments will scale back expenditures, and consider taxhikes to balance their budgets, while at the same time seeking ways to stimulate the economy and boost employment levels. Elaborate subsidy programs or incentives for new technologies or alternative

energy are likely to be unaffordable for governments for the next five years.

Throughout the last Triennial period, Canada witnessed a trend toward minority parliaments at both the provincial and federal levels. Several factors contributed to this trend, including party funding mechanisms and the rise of regional and specialty parties. We now have a majority government in Ottawa, but one side-effect remains: a different management style has emerged – the centralization of power. Provincial and federal leaders have adopted a “CEO” role, and ministers that of “VPs”, with significantly less influence. There is an increased amount of political calculus used in decision-making. When everything is political, stakeholders can have a lot more influence if they have the ability to affect voting.

Similarly, stakeholders can influence buying patterns (and hence, have a direct impact on our industry) by forcing retailers to act as our regulator.

As I mentioned in my last column, the rise of social media – particularly the use of Twitter by politicians and journalists – has changed political conversation, and is continuing to alter the political dynamic. It is accelerating the “everything is political” trend because it is now nearly impossible for a government announcement or decision to fly under the radar, be it a regulatory decision or a funding announcement. In addition, advocacy groups have harnessed social media to elevate issues – ones that the public would otherwise be unaware of and/or indifferent to – to a level of prominence previously unseen, often resulting in “collective judgment” by millions of people within a matter of days.

In the next five years, it is expected that a substantial number of Canada’s industrial sectors will adopt sustainability initiatives modelled on CIAC’s Responsible Care®, and most companies will build clear sustainability commitments into their priorities and operations. Canadians expect companies to produce innovative products that benefit the economy, provide sustainable solutions to the pressing challenges facing society, while ensuring the health of workers, consumers and the environment. During the Triennial period, sustainable chemistry will be the order of the day, moving from the margins of the industry to centre-stage.

Our job then is to identify and articulate the patterns and trends that will influence our ability to reach our full potential, so that the Canadian chemistry industry can be the very best, most sustainable resource-upgraders and solution-providers in the world. A Michael Bourque is Vice-President, External Relations of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada.

6 • Catalyst Summer 2011

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Responsible Care®

By Bob Masterson

TRANSPARENCY – THE CORNERSTONE OF RESPONSIBLE CARE® VERIFICATION IN CANADA

DEVELOPED FIRST IN Canada in 1985, Responsible Care® is now practised by 54 chemistry industry associations in more than 60 countries worldwide. A common feature of each of these national initiatives is a verification process to ensure that members are living up to their Responsible Care commitments. While some efforts begin with a “self-assessment” process, all are expected to evolve to the highest level of scrutiny – external verification – to prove to stakeholders that Responsible Care is real, credible, and delivering positive results.

At present, about one third of international Responsible Care programs, including Canada’s, have achieved the external verification stage. The Chemistry Industry Association of Canada’s (CIAC) approach to verification is unique, however, and continues to be seen as the high-water mark among its peers. While others’ verification programs do embody the Responsible Care ethic to “do the right thing”, CIAC members’ commitment to transparency in verification also ensures that companies are “seen to do the right thing” – another key component of the Responsible Care ethic.

Within Canada, Responsible Care verification is carried out by a team of verifiers from within and outside the industry. Industry verifiers are typically respected individuals with long-standing senior-level experience in Responsible Care companies. Public (community-at-large) representatives are usually past members of the CIAC National Advisory Panel, comprised of a cross-section of public advocates and concerned citizens interested in Responsible Care. In addition, member-companies themselves invite representatives from the communities surrounding their operations – an approach that’s unique to Canadian Responsible Care verification. Moreover, it is the communities themselves, not the company or CIAC, which select their representative to participate in the process.

Bob Brandt, MEGlobal’s Vice President of Manufacturing, says this uniquely Canadian approach is fundamental to ensuring both the transparency and credibility of Responsible Care verification.

“While a company undertakes many assessment activities, the community involvement in Responsible Care verification provides a valuable perspective on our performance, and how we are seen to have integrated the ethic and principles of Responsible Care throughout our operations,” Brandt says.

Cheryl Behmlander, MEGlobal’s Senior Supply Chain Planner, participated in her company’s recent Responsible Care verification exercise, a process which she found highly rewarding.

“It was very satisfying to see how seriously MEGlobal takes verification. It was especially gratifying to see how informed

the community participants were and to understand how they perceive MEGlobal.”

In addition to encouraging community involvement, CIAC’s approach to Responsible Care verification is unique in another way: all verification results are publicly reported. Each verification exercise includes the publication of a short report of the verification team’s observations and conclusions, including the identification of those areas and activities which the team believes the company must revisit in order to deliver on its Responsible Care commitments. The report is not finalized until all team members, including the community representative, are in agreement that it accurately describes the condition of Responsible Care implementation at the company in question. Once agreed and finalized, the reports are posted on the CIAC website, and companies are encouraged to present and discuss the results of the verification with their communities and other stakeholders.

This commitment to transparency, from community inclusion in the verification process, to the ‘warts and all’ public reporting of the results, is highly valued within communities as well. Aline Hilton, selected by the site’s Community Advisory Panel during a recent verification at Honeywell ASCa, noted that the verification process was very important to the Amherstburg community.

“The verification process helped demonstrate that Honeywell’s commitment to Responsible Care was real and that the company wanted to be seen to be doing the right thing within the community,” says Hilton. ”It was also critical for making the company aware of community concerns, and ensuring that a formal mechanism was in place to address and report back on how those concerns were being addressed.”

Hilton says she left the process with an increased regard for Honeywell ASCa, and suggested that she and the Community Advisory Panel would be calling on other local companies to step up to the Responsible Care challenge.

After 18 years and more than 165 verifications, CIAC member-companies’ approach to verification continues to demonstrate that the risk of allowing the public to scrutinize their operations is worth it. By surrendering control over the process and its outcomes to their stakeholders, these companies give life to the Responsible Care ethic, while also gaining invaluable insights into their companies and operations. A Bob Masterson is CIAC’s Vice-President, Responsible Care. He can be reached at bmasterson@canadianchemistry.ca

Catalyst Summer 2011 • 7

Feature

By Greg Wilkinson

Canadian Chemistry and

Shale Gas

A ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION FEEDSTOCK opportunity for the Ontario chemistry industry is sitting right on our doorstep. The destination for the first tranche of natural gas liquids from the Marcellus Shale will be decided soon, and the industry is mobilizing to help make Marcellus feedstock supply a reality for the Sarnia chemical cluster.

The shale gas revolution in North America really just got started in the middle of the last decade, but the scale of the new “unconventional” gas supply being delivered is already difficult to fathom. The Marcellus Shale, which is largely in New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, contains an amount of natural gas that is equivalent on an energy basis to 87 billion barrels of oil, about three year’s supply for the entire world. In fact, the Marcellus Shale has the potential to be the second largest natural gas field in the world.

Unlike conventional gas sources the biggest shale deposits are close to large energy markets in the Northeastern U.S. That’s a huge deal for production economics and from a public policy perspective as well, since these are areas that haven’t seen gas 8 • Catalyst Summer 2011

drilling on this scale and at this pace since the nineteenth century.

What’s the difference between “conventional” and “unconventional” natural gas? In simple terms, conventional natural gas deposits are generally found in relatively porous rock structures that can be reached with traditional vertical drilling.

Unconventional gas, including shale gas, is found in more challenging geological structures that require more sophisticated drilling and well stimulation technology.

People often ask how we suddenly discovered these huge reserves of gas in shale formations. Did the geologists miss them all these years and suddenly stumble upon this bonanza?

Shale gas deposits have been known for decades, but until recently there has been no way to get at them since they were trapped in relatively narrow horizontal layers of shale. New technology has been the critical enabler. When the capability to drill horizontally with great precision and at enormous depth became commercially practical, the gas trapped in shale structures around North America (and now being discovered around the world) became commercially viable and the gold rush was on.

In a few short years, shale gas volume has rapidly added supply to North American markets, driving down natural gas prices. North American gas prices in 2008 were in the $11/MMBTU range and today’s price hovers around $4/MMBTU. Natural gas futures out to 2020 are only in the $7/MMBTU range.

Demand for gas continues to grow because of availability, competitive costs and its environmental benefits relative to other fossil fuels. Exxon Mobil’s annual outlook forecasts that gas usage will grow three times as fast as coal and oil, and by 2030 gas will pass coal to become the #2 fuel in the world after oil. Shell expects to produce more gas than oil for the first time in 2012, something that until recently wouldn’t have been imaginable.

The energy supply impact of Marcellus and the other shale deposits is important.

But what is really exciting for the chemistry industry is the potential of the associated natural gas liquids (NGLs) as a petrochemical feedstock for the production of ethylene, its huge family of derivatives and the value-added manufacturing customers they supply. In short, the Marcellus Shale NGLs are just as important to Canada’s petrochemical and manufacturing markets as the Marcellus gas supply is to continental energy markets.

The typical natural gas stream coming out of the ground is mostly methane plus ethane, propane, butane and other minor elements. Parts of the Marcellus Shale gas stream contain up to 25% NGLs; ethane, the optimal petrochemical feedstock today, is the largest component. Most projections indicate that there could be enough ethane produced from the Marcellus Shale to supply at least a couple of world-scale ethylene crackers. In some areas of the Marcellus gas field, the NGL content can be a problem for the producers because they can’t just leave it in the gas stream due to the high BTU

content; bringing the Marcellus ethane to Ontario will deliver a win-win solution.

What could this new cost-competitive feedstock mean to Sarnia and Canada? The economic value-added for Ontario could be up to $1 billion per year, according to a study by a regional economic development group in Sarnia/Lambton. Today, there are 5,000 direct jobs in the Sarnia region in the chemistry industry and 25,000 related jobs in Ontario. Access to globally competitive feedstock protects today’s jobs and lays the foundation for future growth as well.

Of course, these benefits will require investment; the same regional study estimated new infrastructure and other capital investments of roughly $1 billion will be required for Sarnia to take full advantage of the Marcellus liquids.

But there are also many concerns being noisily expressed about shale gas drilling, particularly around the hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” process. Some of the concerns are real, some appear to be distorted and certainly the situation has become highly politicized. Largely unrelated problems such as methane contamination of well water (which occurs naturally in a surprising number of residential wells in Pennsylvania) make great YouTube material.

Unfortunately, these very visible and social media-friendly distractions make it harder for the stakeholders to get together to focus on the real public policy questions that need to be addressed: land and water use regulations and the overall pace of development.

The products of chemistry are also part of the public debate because of the use of chemicals in hydraulic fracturing. The chemicals act as lubricants; prevent corrosion and deposits on the pipes, control bacteria in wastewater and more. Over 99% of the mixture used in hydraulic fracturing is water and sand but the oil and gas industry is now committed to providing more transparency about the other 1% and exploring the use of alternatives.

There are Canadian shale deposits as well. In the west, shale gas has moved from exploration into the development phase.

In the east, the Utica Shale in Quebec has been explored and defined, but the Quebec government has put a hold on drilling pending further environmental evaluations. The Utica Shale is an encouraging

resource from an energy perspective.

But the gas is relatively “dry”, meaning it doesn’t have much potential as a source for chemical feedstocks.

The Marcellus Shale has the potential to be the second largest natural gas field in the world.

In a recent conversation about the path forward, a spokesman for Talisman Energy, a big player in shale gas in Canada and the U.S., summed up the development situation well. “Shale gas is a game changer because there is simply so much of it; the challenge is how to use it effectively and responsibly.”

That’s where we come in. Canada’s chemistry industry has an opportunity to upgrade the ethane from shale gas into the products of chemistry that are so highly

T

valued by our society and so essential to other industries.

But we also have the opportunity to reach out to our oil and gas colleagues because we have experience working through risk discussions like this with our stakeholders. The Responsible Care vision came about because of the urgent need for our industry to be more transparent and engage in meaningful dialogue with our critics around perceptions of risk and the right ways to manage those risks sustainably.

Hopefully, we can support the shale gas development process by sharing some of those experiences and what we have learned from our stakeholder engagement experiences.

Developing and leveraging the shale gas bonanza in a responsible way will have huge economic and environmental benefits for North Americans. Someone is going to upgrade that ethane. Let’s make Canadian chemistry part of the shale gas success story. A Greg Wilkinson is President of Third Oak Associates and can be reached at gregw@thirdoakassociates.com.

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Catalyst Summer 2011 • 9 10/26/10 12:10:01 PM

Feature

Building a

Biohybrid-Chemistry Cluster in Sarnia, Ontario

By A.J. (Sandy) Marshall

Transforming Brownfield Legacies into Greenfield Opportunities

What is a Biohybrid-Chemistry Cluster?

It is a cluster of industrial bio-based and traditional chemistry companies that are economically advantaged by leveraging: • access to sufficient quantities of cost competitive, locally produced biomass (agricultural and/or natural resources) • access to existing chemical industry services, land, infrastructure and know-how • customer-supplier relationships between companies within the cluster • skills and technical knowledge base of the region’s labour force and highly qualified personnel

What are the benefits to Canada?

Canada has an opportunity to establish itself globally as a leader in the Biohybrid-Chemistry industry. Canada needs to aggressively pursue this opportunity as there are other countries such as the United States and Brazil that are also well positioned with sufficient biomass to become the worldwide industry leader.

Canada is blessed with a rich portfolio of natural resources, skilled workers and proximity to the world’s largest market.

Chemical manufacturing is the fourth largest sector in Canada, creating over 80,000 direct jobs and 390,000 indirect jobs with over 80% of the production exported. It is critical that Canada remain at the forefront as this industry begins to transition to bio-based raw material to ensure that the employment base is not eroded and jobs move to other jurisdictions. These new bio-based companies will make chemicals that are drop-in replacements for existing chemicals or will develop new building block chemicals that can be converted to a number of higher value bio-based chemicals or materials. The recent US Department of Energy (DOE) report titled “Top Value Added Chemicals from Biomass” listed 12 new building block bio-based chemicals that can change our future.

Canada is blessed with a rich portfolio of natural resources, skilled workers and proximity to the world’s largest market.

Construction of these biohybrid-chemistry anchor companies could cost over $400 million and employ over 600 man-years of skilled construction trades workers and highly qualified personnel.

10 • Catalyst Summer 2011

Two known bio-based companies themselves could employ over 100 highly qualified personnel to operate, develop and advance technologies and create a further 400 indirect spin-off jobs. These biohybrid-chemistry operations could consume the equivalent of 40 million bushels of agricultural biomass. This biomass, although initially agricultural-based, could transition to cellulosic materials from agriculture or forestry as these companies successfully develop and commercialize advanced technologies. In any case, the financial benefits for feedstock can remain in Canada adding to our economy.

Life cycle analysis has been done and shows that movement to agricultural feedstock from petroleum feedstock reduces greenhouse gases (GHG) by more than 20%. With the addition of sustainable farming practices and/or cellulosic feedstock, GHG emissions can be further reduced to 50%.

Why is Government support needed?

The prime need from first mover companies is risk mitigation.

New technology coupled with high capital requirements for construction of these facilities make it very difficult for these companies to obtain the necessary funding to commercialize. These risks can be partially mitigated through government support. This is a common approach that has been used previously in establishing other industry sectors in Canada.

Government support could come in the form of: • government-backed loan guarantees, • a Preferred Procurement Policy which can provide long-term off-take pricing formulas, supply contracts and/or feed-in tariffs, and • a clear regulatory pathway for Non-Food/Feed industrial biomass and oilseed crops which reduces the risk of raw material supply.

As a country, we need to start today to focus on reduced greenhouse gas emissions and advancing sustainable chemistry practices, so our world will be able to support the estimated 9 billion population in 2050. We need to become a more sustainable society, embracing this new innovative bio-based chemistry sector. As Albert Einstein so aptly put it, “the significant problems we face today cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.” A A.J. (Sandy) Marshall is President and Managing Director, Bioindustrial Park Sarnia, LANXESS Canada.

International Year of Chemistry 2011

ACC’s President and CEO Cal Dooley at the International Year of Chemistry Launch

“Growing World Population

Ensures Bright Future

www.iyc2011.ca IN DECEMBER 2008, the United Nations General Assembly designated 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry. The effort was led by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The American Chemistry Council (ACC) – along with many other industry and professional organizations throughout the United States and around the world, including the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada – is celebrating IYC 2011, a unique opportunity to embrace chemistry’s important contributions to the quality of our lives: economic vibrancy, health and medicine, energy efficiency, a cleaner environment, national security, food safety, clean water and much more. The IYC slogan captures ACC’s views perfectly – Chemistry: our life, our future.

The goals of IYC 2011 are to increase public appreciation of chemistry in meeting world needs, increase the interest of young people in chemistry, generate enthusiasm for the creative future of chemistry, and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the International Association of Chemical Societies.

ACC’s President and CEO Cal Dooley was interviewed during the International Year of Chemistry’s U.S. Launch on February 1.

Interviewer: Can you tell me why the ACC and the ICCA (International

for Chemistry”

Council of Chemical Associations) see the International Year of Chemistry as so important that you’ve become a major sponsor of the event?

Cal Dooley: When we see the global challenges that will result from a rapid increase in the world’s population and from growth in terms of the per-capita GDP of so many of the world’s population – by that I mean you’re going to see rampant growth in the middle-income consumers globally – it’s the business of chemistry that is going to be providing the tools that will allow us to respond to the increasing consumer demand. It’s the business of chemistry that is developing the innovations and the new products that are enhancing our agricultural productivity that is essential and critical to ensuring that we’re going to have the food and the fibre that is going to be needed by this growing population.

It’s the business of chemistry that’s developing the innovations and the products that are going to ensure that we can lead more sustainable lifestyles. It’s the business of chemistry that is developing the technologies that are ensuring that our houses are more energy-efficient, ensuring that our cars get more miles to the gallon, ensuring that the alternative and renewable energy sources that are going to be so critical to our future, whether it’s solar panels that are basically a product of chemistry or the wind turbines that are a product of chemistry,

these are all integral components that will take us to a more sustainable future. When you look also to the growing middle-class population, that’s where our industry needs to be at the forefront and continue to develop the new innovations and the new products that are going to ensure that we can make the best use and the most efficient use of our natural resources.

Interviewer: Is the chemistry industry doing a good enough job so far? What else can we do to improve our contribution?

Cal Dooley: I think a lot of the public policies – whether they’re in the United States,

Cal Dooley

Catalyst Summer 2011 • 11

Europe or Asia – have to be clearly fostering a greater investment in innovation.

In the United States, we’re very focused on having the research and development incentives to ensure the chemical industry has the greater incentives to invest in the development of new products and innovations. When we look at the need for more sustainable lifestyles and manufacturing, we need to ensure that government is providing the appropriate partnership with the private sector, to ensure that we are collectively moving forward in ways that we can fully develop the alternative and renewable energy as well as ensure that we are achieving the greatest level of energyefficiency possible. It is going to be a partnership with the government and the private sector. Clearly we are committed to providing the solutions to so many of these emerging challenges.

Interviewer: Can you pick out any long-term market trends from these megatrends? What kind of product areas do you see as growing strongly?

Cal Dooley: Well clearly, energy efficiency is going to be one of the most critical. When we look at what we would refer to as the “low-hanging fruit” – in terms of how we can achieve a greater level of sustainability globally – it’s by ensuring that we are using the most energy-efficient products. And again, it’s the business of chemistry that is at the forefront of developing those.

ICCA developed a study just a little over a year ago where we looked at the life cycle assessment of the carbon footprint of a hundred different products of chemistry... and what we’ve determined is that for each unit of emissions that we release in the manufacturing of a product in chemistry, when that product is used by another sector of our manufacturing economy, it was reducing almost 2.6 units of emissions. In many ways, we were providing the tools that allow our industry to have a negative carbon footprint by ensuring and empowering consumers in other sectors of our economy to increase their energy efficiency. And this is where we’re going to play a major role in terms of really empowering different sectors of our economy and society to live more sustainable lifestyles which is going to be critical to global welfare. A 12 • Catalyst Summer 2011

Chemistry Address the Needs of Will Have to

Nine Billion People by 2050

By Harvey F. Chartrand THE AMERICAN CHEMISTRY Council officially launched the U.S. celebrations of the 2011 International Year of Chemistry on February 1st in Philadelphia, where leading lights from the chemistry industry and academia discussed solutions to global problems.

This special event – sponsored by the Chemical Heritage Foundation – was a twohour panel discussion on the theme of Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions. The distinguished panel speakers included Andrew N. Liveris, President, CEO & Chair, The Dow Chemical Company; Ellen Kullman, Chair & CEO, DuPont; Janet Hering, Director, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, and Professor of Environmental Biogeochemistry and of Environmental Chemistry at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich; Joshua S. Boger, founder, former Chair & CEO, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, Mass.; Rita Colwell, Chair, Canon U.S. Life Sciences and Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland at College Park and Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, and former Director, National Science Foundation; and Daniel G. Nocera (moderator), Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy and Professor of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The story of chemistry is the story of the entire human enterprise and Philadelphia is the birthplace of the chemical enterprise in the Americas, said Thomas R. Tritton, President and CEO, Chemical Heritage Foundation.

Some of the more notable observations made by the panelists included: Nocera: The world uses 14 terawatts of power. So it is burning a 14-trillion-watt light bulb. That’s how much energy we’re using per unit of time (whether in a day or a year or a second). In the next 40 years, we’ll need another 16 terawatts of energy.

This means we will need to build a new nuclear power plant every 1.5 days for the next 40 years just to get eight terawatts of energy, and you have to do this forever, because once you`ve built the last one, you`ve got to rebuild the first plants that have been decommissioned. This tells you the scale of the energy problem we are facing. And there will be three billion new energy users added to the planet over the next 40 years.

Liveris: With emerging economies, we could be looking at a world-scale middle class, creating an unbelievable opportunity for chemistry, in areas such as affordable medicines, power generation, transportation and logistics, etc. Global demand for energy will grow 40% by 2035 and 70% by 2050. We have to be the solutions providers

to transitioning to a low-carbon economy.

We have to use the might of chemistry to solve challenges that the political system has not. We should bring science to the policy system. We have to seize this year. We have to seize this opportunity to be advocates for change. We must talk up what the field of chemistry can do to become a solutions provider in the field of energy.

Kullman: My topic is feeding the world.

The population of the world will pass the seven billion mark in 2011 and the global population will be over nine billion by 2050.

Fourteen per cent of the world’s population lives in hunger today, so how will we cope with this surge in humanity? Conversely, more people in the developing world are prospering: moving from a grain-based diet to a meat-based diet will have a major impact on food supply. Productivity in the food world has to increase dramatically.

Sustainable productivity will be hard to manage because there will be less arable land. So how are we going to feed nine billion people? Chemistry must continue

We have to use the might of chemistry to solve challenges that the political system has not. to deliver leading-edge crop protection chemicals. Over the past decade, chemistry has developed lower toxicity insecticides and herbicides. Soil regeneration is another challenge we must face. Science will have a huge impact in the seed industry.

The International Year of Chemistry hits prime-time TV on Jeopardy!

Jeopardy!, one of North America’s leading syndicated game shows, will feature questions related to the 2011 International Year of Chemistry (IYC) in an episode airing this summer.

With its 9 million daily viewers, Jeopardy! provides the perfect venue for publicizing the IYC’s message – one of celebrating chemistry and the contributions that this fundamental science makes to society.

The IYC Jeopardy! episode will air on June 21, 2011, and can be seen in Canada on CBC Television at 7:30 p.m. EDT (please check local listings for air times in your area).

CIAC would like to encourage its members to spread the word about the episode; it’s a great opportunity for members, their families, friends and children to watch and test their knowledge of chemistry.

To learn more about the International Year of Chemistry activities, please visit www. iyc2011.ca, or follow our updates on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/eWtnFT and Twitter: http://twitter.com/IYC2011.

Some seeds are being developed for specific African soils. These seeds have already increased crop yield by 50% in the areas in Kenya and South Africa where they were used. Chemistry can decrease spoilage and increase the shelf life of food through improved packaging. Chemistry can also help to detect food-borne diseases early enough to avoid large-scale recalls.

Colwell: I’d like to provide some examples of chemistry applications in public health. Safe drinking water is fundamental to the health of the entire global population. Thanks to modern chemistry, we now can predict outbreaks of cholera in some regions. Through chemistry and biochemistry, we’ve been able to develop the science of genomics, which allows us to understand the mosaic genomic structure of the cholera bacterium that can cause huge numbers of deaths and morbidity throughout the world. This epidemiological pathway solution is just now starting to be applied. With chemistry and biochemistry, we’re beginning to develop a much better understanding of these agents of infectious disease.

Using the modern techniques of molecular biology, we find that infections very likely are not single agents, but communities of agents. This allows us to be even more precise in understanding infectious diseases, so we can diagnose the problem in a matter of minutes instead of weeks.

Hering: Today, one billion people lack access to safe drinking water and over two billion people lack access to proper sanitation. The community of chemistry and chemical engineering can bring solutions to the table. The use of membrane technology in drinking water supply and purification is a rapidly expanding area. Today, we are seeing the first successful attempts to embed engineered nanomaterials into membranes in order to improve their selectivity, lower their energy demands and reduce the potential for fouling at the membrane surface, which decreases their efficiency. Fouling is an incredibly complicated problem of chemistry. Micropollutants are another problem. Using the tools of analytical chemistry, we can find chemicals at very trace levels in the natural environment, not just the parent compounds but even their transformation products. A Harvey F. Chartrand is an Ottawa-based writer-researcher.

Catalyst Summer 2011 • 13

Member Profile

METHANEX RESTARTS IDLED PLANT IN ALBERTA

By Christen Downie

Methanex’s methanol plant in Medicine Hat, Alberta, was restarted in April 2011.

IN LATE 2010, Methanex Corporation announced plans to resume production at its idled methanol plant in Medicine Hat, Alberta.

Following months of site preparation work and environmental improvements, the plant was restarted on target in April 2011.

Located in northwest Medicine Hat, the plant restart presents an exciting opportunity for the region. In addition to a substantial capital investment in the local area, the methanol facility employs approximately 85 highly skilled workers and created numerous indirect jobs.

Methanex’s first methanol plant in Medicine Hat began operations in 1975, with second and third plants added in 1976 and 1981. In the late 1990s, unfavourable market conditions prompted the permanent shutdown of two plants, which were since removed as part of reclamation and remediation efforts. The third plant was idled in 2001 due to the rising cost of natural gas feedstock.

Recent changes in the North American natural gas market and the resulting lower price environment made the plant a competitive supply source for North American customers.

“We are very pleased to resume operations in Medicine Hat and to welcome back a number of people who worked here before,” Kevin Henderson, Vice-President, Manufacturing, Methanex says.

“There is a real sense of excitement about the project, both on site and within the community.”

Methanex is the world’s largest supplier of methanol to markets in North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America.

Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, the company has a global network of methanol production facilities in Chile, Egypt, New Zealand and Trinidad and Tobago, in addition to its newly restarted facility in Canada.

Methanol is a value-added commodity used extensively in Alberta, although large-scale volumes have not been produced in the province for several years. The restart project positions Alberta as an important export centre from which methanol can be shipped to fill demand in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest in the United States. The plant has the capacity to produce 470,000 tonnes of methanol per year.

A long-time member of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada and a Responsible Care® (RC) company, Methanex is committed to the safe and environmentally sound management of the chemicals that are used and produced at its facilities. As such, 14 • Catalyst Summer 2011

environmental upgrades and community relations activities were incorporated as an important part of the plant’s restart activities.

Methanex is committed to environmental regulatory compliance and committed to a US$5 million environmental improvement program for the plant to most effectively safeguard people and the environment. A number of upgrades will improve the plant’s environmental performance, most notably related to air quality, water conservation and the prevention of groundwater contamination.

Methanex is also committed to open, transparent relationships with its local neighbours. Throughout the restart process, the company ensured measures were in place to facilitate ongoing communication and consultation with key stakeholders, including local community members, government officials and regulators in the city of Medicine Hat, the town of Redcliff and the province of Alberta. This enabled Methanex to quickly identify and be responsive to any community inquiries.

One such community event was held in November 2010 when Methanex hosted a public open house in Medicine Hat to share information about its planned activities and to respond to any concerns. Held over two days, the event attracted more than 80 attendees, including fenceline neighbours, representatives of local businesses, job seekers, media and current and past employees.

Maintaining good communication with stakeholders will remain a priority as Methanex will re-establish a local Community Advisory Panel (CAP) in Medicine Hat. CAPs are in place at all of Methanex’s manufacturing locations to provide an important forum for discussion about issues affecting both the company and its neighbours.

Methanol is a clear, biodegradable liquid petrochemical typically produced from natural gas, though it can be produced from any carbon source, including coal, municipal wastes, landfill gas, wood wastes and biomass.

Methanol is used in a wide range of industrial and consumer products, including plastics and paints, building materials, polyester and a variety of health and pharmaceutical products. Methanol has also emerged as a viable alternative transportation fuel and source for energy applications, including methanol-blended gasoline and as a fuel additive, and is used in the production of biodiesel and dimethyl ether. The fastest growing markets for methanol are in the energy sector, which today represent approximately one third of global methanol demand. A Christen Downie is Manager, Communications, Methanex Corporation.

Profile

THE END OF AN ERA FOR RESPONSIBLE CARE®: BRIAN WASTLE RETIRES! WE HOPED AND prayed this day would never come, but Brian Wastle formally retired from the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC) on December 31, 2010. However, Wastle will continue to provide advice and support to the association and to Bob Masterson, CIAC’s new vice-president for Responsible Care.

During the recent round of Leadership Group meetings, all member- and partner-companies had the opportunity to acknowledge Wastle’s extraordinary contribution and dedication to Responsible Care. Leadership Group chairs Dave Emerson (Canada Colours and Chemicals Limited), Carl Yank (Erco Worldwide), Bob Brandt (MEGlobal) and Laurent Tainturier (BASF) were especially generous in their praise of Wastle’s longstanding contribution to Responsible Care.

From 1991 until his recent retirement, Wastle had been VicePresident, Responsible Care with CIAC (formerly the Canadian Chemical Producers’ Association/CCPA) in Ottawa, assisting the CEOs of the association’s 60-member companies in their implementation and advancement of the Responsible Care way of life.

Through Responsible Care, the chemistry industry, in Canada and around the world, has committed itself to the cause of sustainability – environmentally, socially and economically.

Wastle was the first chairman of the Responsible Care Leadership Group of the International Council of Chemical Associations, which began in 1991 with 21 national associations and now oversees the global spread of Responsible Care from its Canadian origins in 1985 to over 50 countries today.

Wastle had been “on loan” to CCPA from Dow Chemical Canada Inc. from May 1991 until his retirement from Dow in September 1995. Wastle ruefully acknowledges that his career with Dow since 1967 prepared him for his Responsible Care duties by allowing him to make almost every mistake in the book in such areas as process engineering, health and safety management, site management, marketing, product sustainability, business management and issues advocacy in Western and Central Canada, Japan and Chile.

Upon graduation in 1967 from the University of Toronto with a degree in Chemical Engineering, Wastle joined Dow Chemical Canada as a Process Engineer. He held a variety of manufacturing and site management positions and assignments with Dow in Sarnia, Japan, Chile, Vancouver and Edmonton, involving such products as chlorinated solvents, vinyl chloride and phenol, also known as carbolic acid.

In the late 1970s, Wastle was Manager of Safety, Health and Loss Prevention for the 21 plants of Dow’s Sarnia Division. In the mid1980s, Wastle held business management responsibilities for Dow’s energy, feedstock and pipeline interests in Calgary.

His last position with Dow, up to 1991, was as Commercial Director, Dow Plastics, with business management and marketing responsibility for Dow’s Canadian plastics businesses.

“Brian Wastle has made an outstanding contribution to this Board through his leadership in Responsible Care and his constant work with leadership groups over those two decades.”

Retirement soirée organized Wastle was feted by CIAC’s Board of Directors when it met on February 23, 2011, at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa.

Board Chairman Laurie Tugman, President and CEO of Marsulex Inc., spoke glowingly of Wastle: “Over the past 20 years, Brian Wastle has made an outstanding contribution to this Board through his leadership in Responsible Care and his constant work with leadership groups over those two decades.

“Just about everything possible that can be said of Brian Wastle has already been said at the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) dinner a couple of years ago where he received the Canada Medal, and at CIAC’s Annual Meeting where he received the Outstanding Leadership Award... and at the CIAC Christmas party roast from the staff and retirees of CIAC. “The National Advisory Panel has organized a little thank-you meeting in May. Brian himself is probably getting tired of hearing about his incredible contribution to CIAC. Since it is the CIAC Catalyst Summer 2011 • 15

Board that is thanking him today, I will also focus on his contri“The result is that after two decades, we still have a sound bution from the point of view of this Board. architecture that is THE recognized global leader. We have been “Unlike many other associations where there is a Responsible able to upgrade and update our already successful initiative with Care Committee, CIAC decided many years ago that Responsible the integration of sustainability into our ethic, change our codes Care is so vital to the future of our industry that the Board is the – something we always thought practically impossible in terms RC Committee. Thus, the role of VP for Responsible Care is an of workload – and respond to the need for improvements to our extremely important position for this Board. The VP must play verification process. And over these 20 years, we have been able a delicate role of listening to Board members, engaging members to challenge ourselves, evolve Responsible Care and improve our through Leadership Groups, responding to Board and company performance. priorities and, when necessary, challenging the Board in the im“Most important of all, CIAC members still regard Responsible plementation of our Responsible Care principles.

Care as important and vital to how they manage their operations “It is the VP for Responsible Care who has to point out where in Canada and look to Responsible Care to assist them in staying a policy or an action is inconsistent with Responsible Care ahead of the curve in managing the key societal issues our indusand help guide the Board in the right direction. Brian Wastle try faces. has done an admirable job of “I cannot think of any inmaintaining the balance of dustry initiative in any sector challenge and realism that is has been able to remain relBrian Wastle has done an admirable job of that essential to this Board role. evant and vibrant for 25 years.

It is not easy to do this for 20 maintaining the balance of challenge and As we know in our companyears and not get a bit tired or ies, the half-life of a managepassive, but as far as I know, realism that is essential to this Board role. ment reform initiative is usually Brian has never wavered over measured in a few years, not a that period in his drive, enfew decades. thusiasm and commitment to “Brian is too modest to say help the Board decide on its approach to Responsible Care and its that this was his doing. No doubt Brian’s role would not have been implementation. That is an amazing testament to Brian’s characpossible without the strong and unwavering commitment of comter and abilities. pany leaders in this association. However, Brian was the guy who had the day job. And we are thanking him for that today. Thank you for making an incredible contribution to the Board’s role as the Responsible Care Management Committee and to our leadership in Responsible Care.”

John Blachford, President and Owner, H. L. Blachford Ltd., of Mississauga, Ontario, then stepped forward to share a few thoughts that one could only assume were tongue-in-cheek in nature.

“You are all, of course, familiar with my rant letter of June 2004, extolling the virtues of Responsible Care, especially its nonprescriptive approach... it appeared in several publications,” Blachford said. “Before finalizing the letter, I did bounce it off Brian, asking for comments and possible changes. Brian agreed that I should include the following: ‘Look at what has happened to ISO 14001. The car companies use it mainly for PR purposes. If they took it at all seriously, they would stop making SUVs.’ As a result of including that in my letter, my company lost all the business it had with the car companies and their suppliers — millions of dollars.

“This is the reason why I’ve been forced to close our Montreal plant where we’ve been operating since 1937. I’ve had to terminate the employment of two dozen long-serving employees. All of this because of Brian!

“I don’t think we’ve seen or heard the last of Wastle,” Blachford predicted, with tongue lodged firmly in cheek. “In fact, I fully expect to see his picture, along with that of his beautiful and charming, but long-suffering wife Diane, in The Ottawa Citizen. They will both be wearing ragged work clothes and carrying shovels, and the caption beneath the picture will read ‘Slightly deranged Manotick couple arrested for geocaching in the Governor General’s garden.’”

Brian Wastle, you will be missed! A 16 • Catalyst Summer 2011

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New Member Profile

Buyers’ Guide and Index to Advertisers BLENDING BLADES & MIXING EQUIPMENT Conn & Company, LLC ..........................................................................9 www.connblade.com

CIAC WELCOMES ITS FIRST ASSOCIATE MEMBER CIAC is very pleased to announce its first associate member – KPMG. As a professional services firm offering tax, audit and advisory services, KPMG conducts extensive studies of the global chemistry industry and acts as a consultant to many of the world’s largest chemistry companies (KPMG currently audits 33 per cent of the Chemical Week Billion Dollar Club companies and provides multi-disciplinary tax and advisory services to the majority of the other Billion Dollar Club companies).

“Our understanding of the chemistry industry is based on being an active player across the sector, leveraging our direct industry experience and deep technical knowledge to provide innovative industry-specific solutions,” said Robert Jolicoeur, Partner & National Industry Leader for Chemicals with KPMG. “KPMG’s expertise and knowledge of our industry will help our association to be even better in our competitiveness analysis,” said Richard Paton, CIAC President.

CIAC has had an associate membership category for many years.

The goal of this category is to provide companies or organizations with the opportunity to work with CIAC based on mutual interests such as Responsible Care®, technology, research, or economic development. While most associations have associate or affiliate memberships, CIAC wanted to avoid attracting members who simply wanted to market products to members. For that reason, CIAC has been very rigorous about accepting associate members and established a fee that was substantial enough to discourage companies simply looking for a captive audience to sell to. Associates are not members, and for that reason, do not have the right to be on the board or committees. However, associates may attend the briefing sessions of annual general meetings, present to our membership, and can engage in common projects with the association.

For more information about K PMG, please v isit: www.kpmg.com/chemicals or contact Robert Jolicoeur at bjolicoeur@kpmg.ca. A

CHEMICAL & SERVICE PROVIDERS Dow Chemical Canada Inc. ...................................................................3 www.dowagro.ca NOVA Chemicals (Mktg Communications)....................inside back cover www.novachemicals.com CHEMICAL PRODUCERS Dow Chemical Canada Inc. ...................................................................3 www.dowagro.ca Imperial Oil Ltd, Chemicals ....................................... outside back cover www.imperialoil.ca MEGlobal International FZE .........................................inside front cover www.meglobal.biz NOVA Chemicals (Mktg Communications)....................inside back cover www.novachemicals.com CHEMICALS - FORMULATING & PACKAGING NOVA Chemicals (Mktg Communications)....................inside back cover www.novachemicals.com CUSTOM COMPOUNDS & CHEMICAL ADDITIVES NOVA Chemicals (Mktg Communications)....................inside back cover www.novachemicals.com DANGEROUS GOODS COMPLIANCE ICC The Compliance Center .........................................inside back cover www.thecompliancecenter.com PLASTICS NOVA Chemicals (Mktg Communications)....................inside back cover www.novachemicals.com PROCESS AIDS - PLASTIC NOVA Chemicals (Mktg Communications)....................inside back cover www.novachemicals.com PROCESS CONTROL EQUIPMENT NOVA Chemicals (Mktg Communications)....................inside back cover www.novachemicals.com TRUCKING FIRMS Northwest Tank Lines ...........................................................................4 www.northwesttanklines.com WASTE DISPOSAL Envirotec ............................................................................................16 www.envirotech.ca

www.canadianchemistry.ca All you need to stay up-to-date in the Canadian Chemical Industry.

Catalyst Summer 2011 • 17

Solutions

POLYETHERSULFONE: PLASTIC THAT’S CREATING HEALTHIER LIVES, ONE DROP AT A TIME

By Sarah Mayes IN A WORLD where almost a billion people don’t have access to safe drinking water, where plumbing is a luxury, and diarrheal disease kills 1.8 million people annually1, chemistry is providing a practical, lifesaving solution: water-filtration systems made with polyethersulfone ultra-filtration (UF) membranes.

UF membranes work like a molecular sieve; their tiny pores separate dissolved matter based on its size, allowing only infinitesimally small particles to permeate the membrane. Polyethersulfone resin is ideal for producing UF membranes for waterfiltration systems because it is hydrophilic (or “water-loving”), and can be moulded into membranes with precisely controlled pore sizes.

Swiss manufacturer Vestergaard Frandsen (a world-leader in disease-preventing product design) uses BASF’s Ultrason® E polyethersulfone resin to make the UF membranes for its LifeStraw® Family water purif ication systems. Here’s how those systems work: water collected from a stream, river, lake, rain barrel or puddle is poured into the LifeStraw® bucket, where a fabric filter removes particles larger than 80 μm. Gravity then pushes the water down a tube to a purification cartridge where the Ultrason® ultra-filtration membranes are housed. The membranes’ pores keep particles larger than 20 μm (such as bacteria, viruses and protozoa) on the dirty side of the membrane, while allowing purified, potable 2 water to f low A grandmother and her grandson using the Lifestraw® Family water purification system. Copyright Vestergaard Frandsen. through it. Following 18 • Catalyst Summer 2011

A 2,000x magnification of an ultra-filtration membrane capable of removing bacteria, viruses and protozoa from drinking water. Copyright BASF.

fi ltration, the membranes can be flushed clean by squeezing a bulb at the base of the system, and opening a valve to drain the dirty water.

LifeStraw® Family systems were disseminated in relief efforts following the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and subsequent floods in Pakistan. Thanks to their innovative design, and polyethersulfone UF membranes, each LifeStraw® Family system is capable of purifying 18,000 litres of water (enough for a family of four for up to three years), making them an effective, practical tool for achieving the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goal3 of improving access to safe drinking water.

Sarah Mayes is Manager of Public Affairs for the ChemistryIndustryAssociationofCanada.Shecanbe reached at smayes@canadianchemistry.ca. A 1

World Health Organization, Facts and Figures on Water Quality and Health: http://www.who. int/water_sanitation_health/facts_figures/en/ index.html 2 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has tested water purified by the Lifestraw® system and declared it potable.

3 The U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals call for an additional 1.5 billion people to be provided with safe drinking water by 2015.

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Life is a delicate balance…

Imperial opened land on a former refinery site in Mississauga, Ontario, to help complete a public trail along the shore of Lake Ontario.

When we manufacture and sell our products, we work to avoid upsetting that balance. It’s part of the Responsible Care® initiative. It includes our commitment to develop products that minimize risk to people and to educate them on their use. Energy and petrochemicals are essential to economic growth; however their production and consumption need not conflict with protecting health and safety or with safeguarding the environment.

CHEMICAL

ISO 9000/14000 ISO 9000/14000

Responsible Care® Beyond what’s required.

*Trademarks of Imperial Oil Limited. Imperial Oil, licensee. ®Trademark of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada. Used under license by Imperial Oil.