Emerald Kalama Chemical Site Rotterdam
Safety & Environmental Report 2012
Sustainability In 2011, the Emerald Kalama Chemical
as our K-Flex® plasticizers, responsibly
Rotterdam plant celebrated its fiftieth anni-
expanding production capacities, and
versary. 2012 marked the next step of the
working with our business partners to help
journey to our platinum jubilee in 2051. In
them improve their operations. Clearly
order to achieve this lofty goal, we have
there are many facets to our sustainability
continued to invest in the sustainability of
plan.
the Rotterdam plant. These investments
In this report, you will read about a number
have further enhanced our position as a
of key investments, projects, and initiatives
world leader in benzoic acid, benzalde-
that have helped us further strengthen our
hyde, and their derivatives.
business. These actions have helped us
Sustainability has many meanings to the
take another step in building a truly sus-
Emerald Kalama Chemical team. Its key
tainable business. While we cannot include
components are continuous improvement
every effort made in 2012, I hope you enjoy
of SHE performance, career development
reading about the ones presented and see
for our employees, active involvement in
how we will continue our efforts to achieve
the Rotterdam community, reduction of
our goal of celebrating our platinum jubilee
greenhouse gas emissions, better utiliza-
in 2051.
tion of our raw materials by improved process efficiencies, launching of new human and environmentally friendly products such
Growth That is the best word to sum up 2012.
In this Occupational Health and Safety and
We have created a new factory and we
Environment Annual Report for 2012 you
have literally ‘got up steam’ together with
can read more about our activities and
waste processor AVR for connection to
ideas with regard to sustainability. Growth
Stedin’s unique steam network. These
is our goal, but not at any price. I hope you
two highlights of 2012 represent a great
enjoy reading it!
step forward in terms of sustainability. By importing steam we will reduce our carbon emissions by a very impressive 40,000 tons a year. We are thereby making a considerable contribution to the Rotterdam climate goal of a fifty percent reduction in carbon emissions in 2025 compared to 1990. It feels good to play a significant role in an initiative like that. But even more importantly: as the largest manufacturer of benzoic acid in the world we have an obligation to our city to do our bit. And we are happy to do so.
Huber Claassen Site Director
Ed Gotch President
Processes and products Emerald Kalama Chemical BV is a world player in the benzoates business. The production location in Rotterdam produces a wide range of raw materials and auxiliary products for the food and pharmaceuticals industry, the soft drinks industry and cosmetics, resins and glue manufacturers. Emerald Kalama Chemical BV has around 140 permanent employees (of whom some 20 in Geleen) and around 40 regular contractor employees. Production process
Benzaldehyde (Bald):
The production process is based on toluene oxidation, whereby
Benzaldehyde is used as an artificial fragrance and flavour in
toluene and compressed outside air are brought into contact with
amongst other things bitterkoekjes (almond macaroons), pudding
one another. This reaction produces the products benzaldehyde,
(almond flavour), soft drinks and various perfumes (lily of the
benzyl alcohol and benzoic acid. These products are then
valley, rose and jasmine). It is also used as a raw material in the
separated from one another and upgraded through various
production of colouring agents for packaging materials (malachite),
purification stages to the desired final specifications.
cough syrup (ephedrine) and in the production of drugs.
Benzaldehyde and benzyl alcohol are liquid products and are
Emerald Kalama Chemical is the world’s largest manufacturer of
transported in tankers. Benzoic acid is sold as a liquid product or -
Benzaldehyde.
after solidification - as benzoic acid flakes. Reacting benzoic acid with caustic soda creates sodium benzoate. All these products are
Benzoic acid (BZA): Purox B
intermediate products which are used in a wide range of products
Benzoic acid is used as a preservative in food and cosmetics
for industry and the consumer.
(E210) and as an additive in alkyd paints to make them easy to apply, stronger and more glossy. It is also the raw material for
Since 2002 we have been supplying the highest quality of benzoic
plasticisers.
acid by applying the latest technology. This product has been sold since then under the brand name Purox B. Sodium benzoate is
Sodium benzoate (NaB): Purox S
sold under the brand name Purox S.
Sodium benzoate is used as a preservative (E211) in ‘light’ products such as soft drinks and sauces. It occurs naturally in blue
The new Multi Purpose Plasticizer Plant (MP3) production line was
berries.
started in 2012. The new plant produces plasticisers which ensure that products (particularly plastics such as PVC) remain soft or
Benzyl alcohol:
flexible.
This substance is used in the paint industry as a solvent and in the
In this production process we use purified benzoic acid as a basic
chemical industry as a building block for artificial fragrances and
raw material. The benzoic acid-based plasticisers are ‘green’ and
flavours and for pharmaceutical and agricultural chemicals.
an alternative to plasticisers which are based on phtalic acid. These phtalic acid-based plasticisers may be harmful to health.
Plasticiser (K-Flex):
The plasticisers from the new production line are transported in
K-Flex is a plasticiser which ensures that products (particularly
liquid form in tankers and sold under the brand name K-Flex.
plastics such as PVC) remain flexible.
Benzyl Alcohol
Toluene oxydation
Benzaldehyde
Benzoic Acid (Purox B) Benzoic Acid
Caustic Soda
Sodium Benzoate (Purox S)
Glycol
K-Flex Emerald Kalama Chemical | Arbo- en Milieujaarverslag 2012 03
Importing steam will reduce the company’s carbon emissions by a remarkable 40,000 tons a year.
Botlek Steam Network project: optimum sustainability “You can’t get a more sustainable project,” is the view of duty foreman Cees van den Berg about the Botlek Steam Network project. “We now use the steam which is produced by waste processor AVR to heat our production process. That means
that we need to use less fossil fuel and that has an enormous benefit for the carbon emissions. Isn’t it great that waste can be turned into something useful like this?”
and committed to making it a success. As a result the start-up on 1 May 2013 went without a hitch. Was it tense? Not at all, because we carefully prepared everything and tested it thoroughly and we were sure it would go well.” The Botlek Steam Network is an impressive project. The overground steam pipeline is over two kilometres long and has a diameter of 50 centimetres. AVR will be supplying 750,000 tons of steam a year to Emerald through this pipeline. Importing
Emerald Kalama Chemical is the first company to be connected
steam will reduce the company’s carbon emissions by a remark-
to the steam network in the Botlek area. Together with AVR
able 40,000 tons a year. Van den Berg says: “We need to use less
(steam supplier) and Stedin (transportation network), we worked
fossil fuel ourselves now, and that is good for both the environ-
hard to get that set up in 2012. Cees van den Berg and operator
ment and our wallet. We will be using just one steam boiler to
Steven de Bes were closely involved in the project. “And it went
process our own waste in future.”
very well,” recalls De Bes. “All the participants were enthusiastic
Environmental projects Emerald Kalama Chemical carried out various major and smaller projects in 2012 which are intended to result in an improvement in the environmental and safety performance.
Occupational health and welfare and environment action plan There follows a list of the most important projects relating to the environment:
The most important projects in 2012 were:
RIO project •
Execution of phases I and II of the RIO project. This has
We will complete the third phase of the RIO project in 2013. This project
disconnected unpolluted rainwater from the process
involves building a connection to the municipal pressure sewer, whereby we
sewer. This has substantially reduced flooding on the
create an opportunity to discharge part of the waste water into the municipal
site and relieved the burden on the water treatment
sewers.
plant. •
•
Replacement of the soot filter system on the process
Fire-fighting facilities
residue (tar) and gas-fired steam boiler F-6005. This
The working of the fire-fighting/cooling facility on the benzoic acid storage
system reduces the emissions of soot and dust
tank D-1103 is being improved and we are installing a completely new fire-
particles.
fighting/cooling facility and a tank pit foam system on the toluene day tank
Replacement of the Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) unit.
D-253.
This unit is a sludge separation system between the anaerobic water treatment plant and the aerobic water
Sewer inspection
treatment plant. This has improved the water treatment.
This relates to carrying out the five-yearly sewer inspection in order to identify
•
Study into further reducing diffuse benzene emission.
and repair potential leaks (to prevent possible soil contamination).
•
Soil decontamination in area 10A. This project will last
•
approximately 3 more years;
Replacement of control room windows
Start construction steam pipe to import steam from
We are going to replace windows in the control room, so that they are suf-
waste processor AVR.
ficiently heat- and peak pressure-resistant in the event of an incident in the factory.
Environmental protection system
Improving the performance of the waste water treatment (Anaerobic Water Treatment Plant / Biological Water Treatment Plant) In conjunction with an external agency we are carrying out various sub-projects for further capacity expansion and improvement of the water treatment plant.
Emerald Kalama Chemical has had an environmental management system since 1994.
Modifying the discharge licence
The current certificate under the ISO 14001:2004 standard is
Because of the many projects carried out in recent years we need to update
valid until January 2014.
the discharge licence.
Steps to continue complying with the environmental management system include many internal audits for interim
Organization Safety Days
checks on the operational processes. An assessment is
Biennial event where all employees and contractor employees have a full day
thereby made of whether the operational processes comply
discussion about safety.
with the standard. In the year under review an accredited agency carried out an interim investigation into the environ-
OHSAS 18001
mental management system. This audit found just one minor
For the purposes of working conditions and (external) safety the current
deviation: a procedure contained contradictory timescales
management system is being certified in accordance with the OHSAS
for reporting soil contamination to the competent authority.
18001 standard. This standard is an internationally recognised standard
The procedure is adapted.
relating to working conditions and safety.
Emerald Kalama Chemical | Arbo- en Milieujaarverslag 2012 05
Rob Franssen: “Responsible from cradle to grave” “For Emerald Kalama Chemical sustainable business prac-
tices mean that our responsibility does not stop at the gate.
We use the nice term ‘Product Stewardship’ for this. We look over our customers’ shoulders, if you like, to see whether
they are using our products in accordance with the stand-
ards for the environment, safety and health. We feel engaged
with the complete lifecycle of our product: from the cradle to the grave.”
Rob Franssen’s job title is Marketing Coordinator. He explains that the topic of Product Stewardship is on the agenda at Emerald every three years. Then the company looks at - for example - whether there have been any changes in the law, different production methods or changed insights. “We thereby do not limit ourselves to our own production process: we start with the purchasing of the raw materials and end with the waste phase for the end-product. Such a session can bring up various issues. It might be found necessary to place a warning on our packaging material or to inform our customers about the options for recycling.” In 2012 Emerald included the raw materials in Product Stewardship for the first time, and attention was naturally paid to the new product, K-Flex. Franssen says: “We also think about the training of our salespeople. We provide them with material in order to be able to answer questions relating to the environment, safety and health during visits to customers and we teach them to look out for potential problems. Hence a salesman might notice that a customer’s logistical handling of our product, such as Purox® B Liquid, is not safe. Customers appreciate the fact that we look out for that too.”
“Our responsibility does not stop at the gate”
Air
Water
The production volume has risen compared to 2011. This increase
Various activities were carried out in 2012 in order to optimise
has meant that the production-related emissions such as carbon
the working of the water treatment plant and reduce the burden
dioxide and nitrogen oxides have also increased slightly. We can
on it. The implementation of the RIO project described above
substantially reduce both emissions in the course of 2013 by
and the installation of the DAF unit are examples of this. We are
implementing the steam importing project. This will mean that we
also carrying out a number of smaller projects to achieve further
will have to burn less fossil fuel.
improvements.
The decrease in benzene and toluene emissions is also noteworthy.
We are still not able to process the extra waste water stream
Over the past year we have invested a lot of energy in further
originating from the Caustic Soda extraction unit in its entirety
reducing these environmentally harmful substances. We have
in the anaerobic water treatment plant. Part of this waste water
worked with an external agency to develop a special measuring
stream therefore needs to be processed externally.
and control programme to further reduce diffuse emissions.
In 2013 we will carry out various activities in order to further optimise the working of the water treatment plant.
Total carbon dioxide of CO / ton product per year) 2 Kooldioxide totaal (in (in tons ton CO / ton product per jaar) 2
2
20
1,5
15
1
10
0,5 0
Summary diffuseemissies emissions tons/year) Overzichtofdiffuse (in(in ton /jaar) 25
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Nitrogen oxides (in kg / ton of product per year) Stikstofoxiden (in kg / ton product per jaar) 0,7 0,6 0,5 0,4 0,3 0,2 0,1 0 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Benzene productper perjaar) jaar) Benzeen(in (ingrams/ton gram/tonofproduct 30
25
5 0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Chemical oxygen consumption(in (ingram/ton grams/tons of product per year) Chemisch zuurstofverbruik product per jaar)
700
604,4
600 500
436,8
400
100 0
629 506
347,9
300 200
473,8
592,3
104
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
20 Suspended solids (in ton/tons of year) per jaar) Onopgeloste bestanddelen (inproduct ton/tonper product
15 10
120
5 0
100
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Toluene (in(in grams/ton product perper year Tolueen gram/ton product jaar) 250
200
80 60 40 20 0
150
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
100 50 0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Emerald Kalama Chemical | Arbo- en Milieujaarverslag 2012 07
Jacques Geenen: “K-Flex is sustainable in every regard” In the space of less than a year a new factory for the
production of K-Flex has arisen on the Emerald Kalama Chemical site. The production unit for this plasticiser was brought on stream in September 2012. Jacques
Geenen, technical sales manager Europe for K-Flex, says: “There is a lot of demand for this product. The
lion’s share goes to customers in Europe, but we also have customers in Asia.”
Plasticisers have regularly received negative publicity in recent years. That explains the growing interest in K-Flex, a plasticiser which is not harmful to health or the environment. Geenen says: “K-Flex is a sustainable raw material in every regard. It remains present in the end-product for longer, which means that that product will last considerably longer. The small amount of waste means that the production method for K-Flex is also sustainable and this raw material is biologically degradable. In addition - and this is obviously very important - K-Flex has no harmful effects on health and can also be used in toys such as plastic balls.” Emerald’s new factory is a copy of the production unit in America. This has made it possible to build the Dutch version in such a short space of time. The factory’s customers in the Dutch market include makers of flooring, glues and putties. “The consumer will encounter our product in vinyl floors and - for example - in the seals on double-glazing,” says Geenen. He explains that Emerald produces three different plasticisers under the name K-Flex in Rotterdam, and that more variants will probably be added to that. “We are listening carefully to the market. What do our customers need and how can we respond to that?”
“K-Flex is biologically degradable and has no harmful effect on health”
Sustainability Goals
Energy
Emerald Kalama Chemical will reduce in 2020 the energy
Steam importing
consumption per ton of production by 10% and the direct CO2
In 2012 we stared work on the construction of a steam pipeline
emissions per ton of production by 30%. This reduction goals
between AVR (steam supplier) and Emerald Kalama Chemical BV
are compared to the baseline 2010. The goals are being set for
(first steam consumer). Stedin is the pipeline operator and arranges
the combined Emerald Kalama Chemical entities Rotterdam and
the transportation of the steam between the two parties. Steam
Kalama (Washington, USA).
importing became operational in 2013. Importing steam via a steam pipeline with a length of some 2.8
More and more efforts in the area of sustainability are expected
kilometres results in a reduction in fossil fuel consumption and
from our stakeholders. To engage employees around this common
reduced carbon emissions. Because biogenic waste is used
goal to reduce the environmental impact, it is important to formalize
to produce steam, the output can be labelled ‘green’. This will
the historical and ongoing efforts of Emerald Kalama Chemical.
improve the carbon footprint and the air quality.
The reason for focus to energy consumption and CO2 emissions
Emerald Kalama Chemical will be using the steam in the
is the use of fossil fuels. These are non-renewable resources and
production process to offset an existing steam boiler. Following
reserves are being depleted. The burning of fossil fuels produces
the implementation of the steam project this boiler will no longer
about 21 billion tons of CO2 per year, but it is estimated that natural
be used. The steam importing increases the availability of our plant
processes can only absorb about half of that amount. The global
and makes an important contribution to Rotterdam’s climate goal
warming and climate change have come to the fore as a key
of 50% carbon reduction by 2025.
sustainable development issue. Energy efficiency The company’s commitment to sustainability will be communicated
Emerald Kalama Chemical B.V. signed up to the MEE (Long-Term
to all internal and external stakeholders.
Agreement on Energy Efficiency) covenant in 2012. We thereby wish to make a substantial contribution to the achievement of national carbon goals in the area of energy efficiency within the
Total Energy Usage (mmBTU/MT Production)
Emerald Kalama Chemical Total energy Usage
process and in the chain.
14.5
Emerald Kalama Chemical B.V. has the target of improving its
14.0
energy efficiency by almost 17% over the period 2013-2016. This
13.5
is in addition to the improvement of 12% (rounded) which has
13.0 12.5
■ Kalama ■ Rotterdam ■ EKC Total ■ EKC Goal
12.0 11.5
which we have achieved since 2005 and which are forecast for the period 2013-2016 are in line with our targets for 2004-2015. These improvements are in line with the obligation to make an effort as
11.0
set out in the MEE covenant.
10.5 10.0 2010
already been achieved in the period 2006-2012. The improvements
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Year
Emerald Kalama Chemical CO2 Emissions
CO2 Emissions (MT/MT Porduction)
0.90 0.80 0.70 0.60 0.50
■ Kalama ■ EKC Total ■ EKC Goal
0.40 0.30 0.20 0.10 0.00 2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Year
Emerald Kalama Chemical | Arbo- en Milieujaarverslag 2012 09
John Mol: “Constantly putting energy into safety” When health, safety, environment and quality
manager John Mol looks back at 2012 he particularly recalls the increased level of inspections by
the authorities. He says that as a result of recent incidents in the chemical industry he is increas-
ingly seeing unannounced inspections by bodies such as the Environmental Protection Service
(DCMR Milieudienst Rijnmond) and the Labour
Inspectorate. “More supervision cannot do any harm and we always come out of it well. Our
management systems are well-organised and
we continue to put energy into them. Hence we recently achieved the OHSAS 18001 certificate, an international standard for safety management.”
Mol describes the OHSAS 18001 certificate as an extra safeguard to ensure that Emerald Kalama Chemical meets the authorities’ requirements and standards. “It is important that everyone involved can rely on that: employees, customers, residents, suppliers, etc. We want to be a reliable partner in every regard.” In 2012 Emerald worked hard on raising the reliability and sustainability of the factory to an even higher level where possible. Hence the first two phases of RIO project, aimed at separating waste water and rainwater, were completed. A soot filtration unit and a sludge centrifuge were completed and a safety day was organised. About that latter activity Mol says: “We organise that day once every two years for all employees and regular contractors and it is intended to put the subject of safety firmly on the map again. The theme for the 2012 safety day was ‘always alert’. A former pilot was the guest speaker and stressed the importance of checklists amongst other things - they need to become just as automatic in our industry as they are in the aviation industry.”
“We recently achieved the OHSAS 18001 certificate, an international standard for safety management”
Waste
Irregularities and incidents
An active waste stream policy has been in force at the site for
Accidents
many years. The waste prevention plan that we have developed
One accident occurred in 2012 which resulted in medical treatment
was also approved by the Environmental Protection Service
(OSHA). The number of first aid accidents fell compared to 2011.
(DCMR). This plan is designed to further reduce the amount of
The graph below shows the development of the number of
waste produced on the site. All these efforts have ensured that
accidents and the targets for 2013.
the quantity of waste to go to landfill and incineration is minimised as standard. In 2012 the total amount of waste fell considerably compared to 2011. This is due to the fact that the problems with the waste water treatment in 2011 were resolved. This meant that we could process more waste water in the water treatment plant in 2012.
Summary of first en aidOSHAand OSHA accidents Overzicht EHBOongevallen 20 15 10 5
Soil
0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Incidents Two small soil contaminations were reported to the competent
The number of internal environment and safety-related notifications
authority in 2012, which were immediately cleaned up.
fell in 2012, and the number of near-misses rose. Nearly 780 safety management audits (SMA rounds) were carried out.
Decontamination of area 10A We started the soil decontamination in area 10A in August 2011
Incidents
using PuriSoil technology, whereby air is pumped under the
We had to report five incidents to the competent authority in
contamination (benzene and toluene). We take soil samples twice a
2012. This represents a fall on 2011. The graph below shows the
year in order to assess the progress of the decontamination. These
development of the number of environmental incidents and the
analyses have shown that there is a clear decrease in benzene
target for 2013.
levels 10 metres below ground level. A decrease (halving) can be seen in the shallow groundwater, but the concentration is still high. The results indicate that the lubrication zone (source) is still heavily polluted, but that the spread of the pollution into the depth has virtually stopped. We are continuing the decontamination in accordance with the decontamination plan.
Summary of authority notifications Overzicht overheidsmeldingen 12 10 8 6 4 2 0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
We always analyse the causes of these accidents and incidents thoroughly. Based on the findings we draw up an action plan with measures to prevent accidents and incidents.
Emerald Kalama Chemical | Arbo- en Milieujaarverslag 2012 11
Emerald Kalama Chemical Montrealweg 15 Havennummer 4322 3197 KH Rotterdam-Botlek, The Netherlands PO Box 1021 3180 AA Rozenburg, The Netherlands Colophon This public report contains a summary of our official Âenvironmental report. Edition Emerald Performance Materials Design SD Communicatie, Rotterdam Photography Wim van der Spiegel Interviews Anita Schregardus Printed by De Swart Copyright Š 2013 All rights reserved. Interested parties can request the official report at John Mol, His email address is john.mol@emeraldmaterials.com, telephonenumber +31 (0)181 249 386.