Chemical Today January 2016 by worldofchemicals.com

January 2016 | Volume 1 | Issue 1

Chemical Today Connecting World Chemically

Expert Viewpoint Green Chemistry Academic Research & Development

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EACH ELEMENT; EACH CHEMICAL; EACH PROCESS; EACH RESEARCH; AND EACH CORPORATE HAS A STORY TO TELL!

As we breeze through the New Year 2016, we at World Of Chemicals have started off with a bang by launching our Global Digital Magazine – ‘Chemical Today.’ With years of experience in online information (www.worldofchemicals.com), the digital magazine is the way forward with in-depth coverage, premium content and industry connect making it worth your while. Like we said: Each Element; Each Chemical; Each Process; Each Research and Each Corporate has a story to tell and we are here to tell it in the most interesting way! In a few months the digital magazine will also be available as a print edition for the Indian market. Don’t be surprised if you see an International Edition of the ‘Chemical Today’ Magazine in some of the key global chemical markets. Focused on chemistry & the chemical industry, the ‘Chemical Today’ Magazine by worldofchemicals.com will cover all major sectors within the chemical industry. A unique proposition we bring to the forefront is focus on Green Chemistry/ Sustainability, IT In Chemicals, Automation, Logistics and Research & Development (R&D) By Youngsters. Check out our interviews as we talk to experts from Resil Chemicals and Camson Biotechnologies. For our equipment section, we had an elaborate discussion with K V Venugopalan, managing director of Waters India, who outlined steps for developing the ‘Make In India’ concept as a successful strategy. And within the Green Chemistry section, take a look at how ‘Chilli Crabs are used to create value-added chemicals.’ Coming to the global chemical industry, the downward trend of the crude oil price continues to be a concern. Moreover, the oil price is expected to touch $18 to $20 per barrel. The spiraling effect has put the solvents and organic chemicals industry under pressure, with trading volumes at an all-time low. How things pan out, we have to wait and watch! Amidst the talk regarding the chemical industry, glance through our reports for Indian Agrochemicals, Bio-based Polymers, Bioplastics and Chemical logistics giving information about the growth potential in the next few years. And yes, download our magazine app (worldofchemicals app) for both IOS and Android, for you to keep in touch with the industry anytime, anywhere! Whether you want to give us a break, bouquets or brickbats, write to editorial@worldofchemicals.com Keep reading, our journey of Connecting World Chemically has just begun!

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For Subscription services write to subscription@worldofchemicals.com Chemical Today is a monthly magazine focused on chemistry & the chemical industry. Disclaimer: All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. All photographs, unless otherwise specified, are used for illustrative purposes only. The publisher makes every effort to ensure that the magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contents are correct. However, we accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions and for any loss or damage caused as an effect thereof. The information provided in this publication is for general use and may not be appropriate for the specific requirements of readers. Views and opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher. Printed and published on behalf of owners Kimberlite Softwares Pvt Ltd (CIN:U22120MH2003PTC142239). Editor: Shivani Mody. Published for January 2016.

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www.worldofchemicals.com NEWS International 08 National 12 EVENTS 16 POLICY 18 EXPERT VIEWPOINT Agrochemicals 20 Textile chemicals 24 R&D 28 ACADEMIC R&D 32 ACADEMIC SPEAK 36 GREEN CHEMISTRY 38 INNOVATION 46 R&D BY YOUNG TURKS 48 LOGISTICS Report 54 Feature 56 News 58

CONTENTS 46

DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY & TRANSPARENCY IN TEXTILE MANUFACTURING

ACADEMIC SPEAK

REPORT Agrochemicals 60 Fertilizers 62 Polyethylene 64 Polymers 66 Speciality Chemicals 70 MARKET Bioplastics 72 FORECAST Textile chemicals 74 AUTOMATION 76 EQUIPMENT 78 QUOTES 82 GLOSSARY 84

ACADEMIC R&D

78 EQUIPMENTANALYTICAL INSTRUMENTS 7

NEWS INTERNATIONAL

EU to recover unpaid taxes from 35 firms including, BASF, BP BRUSSELS, BELGIUM: About 35 multinationals, including brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, will be required to pay roughly €700 million ($765 million) in additional taxes in Belgium after European Union regulators ruled they had benefited from an illegal tax break, reported the Wall Street Journal. After an 11-month investigation, the European Commission, the bloc’s top antitrust regulator, concluded that a Belgian tax-discount plan for multinationals amounted to “a very serious distortion of competition within the EU’s single market,” and ordered Belgium to recover the unpaid taxes. Other companies facing back-tax demands as a result of the decision include BP PLC, German chemicals giant BASF SE and a company recently spun off by Pfizer Inc, a person familiar with the case said. Pfizer said it won’t be affected by the decision. The tax bill dwarfs an earlier ruling against Starbucks Corp and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in October, setting an ominous new benchmark in an expanding inquiry into tax deals that has ensnared major US multinationals including Apple Inc and Amazon.com Inc. It comes at a sensitive time for Belgium-based AB InBev, which is in the middle of a complicated $108 billion deal to buy the world’s second-largest brewer, SAB Miller Plc of London. Belgian Finance Minister Johan Van Overtveldt warned that the EU’s decision, if implemented, would have considerable consequences for the companies concerned, and that the reimbursement itself would be complex. The tax scheme, in place since 2005, allowed certain corporations to reduce their tax base by between 50 percent and 90 percent to discount for so-called excess profits that allegedly result from being part of a multinational group, the commission said. At a news conference, EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said the scheme had given “carte blanche to double non-taxation” of certain multination-

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als in Belgium. Vestager declined to name the companies affected, but she stressed that they were primarily European, seeking to deflect criticism that she has focused too much of her firepower on US multinationals. A person familiar with the matter said the largest beneficiaries of the Belgian scheme and therefore those likely to face the biggest back-tax bills were AB InBev, Swedish industrial company Atlas Copco, BP, BASF, Belgian telecommunications operator Belgacom, now known as Proximus Group, French retailer Celio and vehicle-component manufacturer Wabco.

BASF said it was closely following the case, adding it was one of the largest taxpayers in Belgium. Atlas Copco declined to comment, citing a “quiet period” before its results later this month. A spokesman for Wabco said the company was reviewing the EU’s announcement and would “issue its own statement in due course.” BP declined to comment. Other companies involved didn’t respond to requests for comment. Tax experts warned that the EU’s decision would create uncertainty for corporate directors, and risked driving investment away from Belgium. “The reputation of Belgium as an

investment location will certainly be damaged as trust and legal certainty is key,” said Dirk Van Stappen, a tax partner at KPMG in Belgium and professor at the University of Antwerp. The EU’s widening tax inquiry has also drawn criticism from the US government over its apparent disproportionate targeting of American companies, which have been targeted with four separate probes. Responding directly to such criticism Vestager said the latest ruling would affect mainly European multinationals. Of the €700 million in back taxes to be repaid, €500 million would come from European companies, she said. “I, of course, hear the criticism that this is about US companies, which it is obviously not,” said Vestager. “What we are interested in is fair competition.” The multinationals that benefited are from a variety of sectors, but are generally involved in producing goods, Vestager said. The tax probes are a top political priority for European policy makers, who are under pressure to show that the biggest companies are paying their fair share during an age of austerity. But tax experts complain that the inquiry might have repercussions for investment in Europe because it risks overturning thousands of long-established corporate tax structures. EU regulators have so far closed two probes, into Starbucks’s tax affairs in the Netherlands and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV’s in Luxembourg. The EU ruled in October that both companies had benefited from illegal tax deals and ordered the governments to reclaim between €20 million and €30 million from each company. Both decisions are expected to be appealed at the EU’s courts in Luxembourg, a process that can take years. The governments involved in the investigation have denied giving special treatment and the companies have denied receiving it.

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ChemChina to acquire Germany’s KraussMaffei in $1 billion deal

HONG KONG, CHINA: A consortium of investors including China National Chemical Corp (ChemChina) agreed to buy KraussMaffei Group for €925 million ($1 billion) including debt in what could be the largest Chinese takeover of a German company ever, said the Wall Street Journal in a news report. The deal is expected to close in the first half of the year, Onex said in a statement. ChemChina has been an aggressive overseas acquirer in recent years. Last year, it agreed to a roughly $7.7 billion deal to buy Italian tire maker Pirelli & C SpA and is nearing shareholder approval to complete that deal. The acquisition of KraussMaffei, a maker of equipment that processes plastics and rubber, would rank as the biggest outbound investment from China into Germany, according to data provider Dealogic. The largest Chinese

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

acquisition of a German company to date was the $694 million acquisition of Putzmeister Holding, a maker of high-tech concrete pumps, by Chinese construction-equipment company Sany Heavy Industry Co in 2012. The group of investors acquiring Krauss Maffei includes private-equity firm AGIC Capital and Chinese state fund Guoxin International Investment Corp, according to a statement from AGIC Capital. KraussMaffei’s current owner is Canadian private-equity firm Onex Corp, which acquired the business in 2012 for €568 million. The deal is the first for AGIC Capital, a new private-equity fund established by former Deutsche Bank Group AG banker Henry Cai. The fund is raising $1 billion to buy businesses in German-speaking countries with the aim of growing their China business by joining up with local Chinese

industrial companies who can use their technology. KraussMaffei’s developments in new materials such as carbon fibres stand to benefit from China’s objective to advance its industry toward high-end manufacturing, said Wolfgang Seibold, AGIC’s head of Germany. Cai set up AGIC in early 2014 after serving as executive chairman of corporate finance for Asia-Pacific at Deutsche Bank AG, and before that as chairman of investment banking in Asia for UBS Group AG. He made his name as an aggressive deal maker who courted Chinese entrepreneurs and led them through Hong Kong initial public offerings. Fundraising for AGIC Capital’s first fund started in March 2015 and reached a “first closing,” the point at which a fund can begin spending money on deals, in August 2015, the firm said in its statement

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Italmatch buys Solvay’s phosphorus-based water additives business MILAN, ITALY: Italmatch Chemicals Group said that it has entered into an agreement for the acquisition of Solvay’s desalination, phosphonates and phosphonic acid-based water additives business. The transaction is expected to close by the end of January. The transaction is consistent with Italmatch’s growth strategy and strengthens its position as a leading global supplier of water management additives, traded under Dequesttm brand name. In particular, the agreement covers the acquisition of all products, trademarks, patents and client portfolio from the division of the Belgian chemicals group, which boasts a 30-year experience in phosphonate-based technology as well as other chemistries.

This transaction comes one year after the takeover of Naples-based GRS Chemical Technologies, a centre of excellence for low/ high molecular weight polymers and fuel additives, completed in December 2014. “The signed agreement proves our commitment in pursuing a strong expansion strategy through not only internal growth, but also strategic acquisitions,” said Sergio Iorio, CEO of Italmatch Chemicals Group. “We will be able to expand our water management additives product range and enter into new market segments, such as the Middle Eastern thermal desalination markets, exploiting Solvay’s long-standing experience and know-how in the field, combining and leveraging upon Italmatch expertise in reverse osmosis plants.”

Bayer sells diabetes-care biz to Panasonic Healthcare for €1 billion TOKYO, JAPAN: Bayer AG said that it has sold its diabetes care business to Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co Ltd. The total consideration for the transaction is around €1 billion. Panasonic Healthcare is backed by funds sponsored by leading global investment firm KKR and the Panasonic Corporation. The acquired diabetes care business will operate as a stand-alone company named Ascensia Diabetes Care that will provide high-quality solutions and precision tools to serve the needs of people with diabetes. Together Ascensia Diabetes Care and Panasonic Healthcare will develop, manufacture, market and sell blood glucose monitoring meters and strips for people with diabetes in more than 125 countries.

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“Our goal is to ensure high-quality technologies and diabetes care solutions are available to all patients who need them. Together with KKR, the companies will be able to serve more patients in more places across the globe with world-class products. We greatly look forward to expanding this business and innovating new solutions at this integral point in the diabetes care industry,” said Hidehito Kotani, president of Panasonic Healthcare. “We are excited to launch as Ascensia Diabetes Care and continue to be a trustworthy provider of reliable, high-performance solutions that could make a positive, daily difference for people with diabetes. This is a unique and exciting opportunity for us to expand our business and better serve people

worldwide. Panasonic Healthcare has been a pioneer in the development of key diabetes care products, and we are thrilled to work together with them to introduce new and innovative technologies that enhance the lives of patients living with diabetes,” said Michael Kloss, CEO of Ascensia Diabetes Care. “We are honoured to partner with such a world-class franchise and will support Ascensia Diabetes Care’s efforts to deliver high-quality diabetes care products to customers worldwide,” said Johannes Huth, member & head of KKR Europe, Africa and Middle East, and Hiro Hirano, member & CEO of KKR Japan.

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HPCL-Gail to set up a petrochemical complex in Andhra Pradesh, India

VISAKHAPATNAM, INDIA: A Greenfield petrochemical complex will be set up jointly by Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) & Gail India Ltd (Gail) in Andhra Pradesh, giving a fillip to the plastic processing industry in the state, according to Ananth Kumar, minister for chemicals and fertilisers, government of India. “On behalf of the centre, I am making in-principle announcement that HPCL and

Gail together would establish a greenfield petrochemical complex in Andhra Pradesh, India. This will also bring huge downstream investment opportunities to the state apart from refinery and cracker units,” said Ananth Kumar during the closing ceremony of the three-day CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam. The project is in addition to the ongoing brownfield expansion of HPCL refinery at Visakhapatnam and would be set up at a different location in the state, the minister said. Establishment of a new petrochemical complex is estimated to require additional investment of more than Rs 25,000 cr. Last year, the AP government had requested the centre to establish a greenfield petrochemi-

cal complex near Machilipatnam in Krishna district. In addition to the petrochemical complex, Ananth Kumar also announced several projects, including a manufacturing cluster for medical devices and National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Niper) in Andhra Pradesh. The AP medical devices manufacturing park, which is expected to attract Rs 20,000 cr, will be second such facility in the country after Gujarat. While Niper will be set up in Visakhapatnam with an investment of Rs 600 cr, the Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology (Cipet) centre at Vijayawada will be upgraded.

Premier Explosives inks MoU with Israel Aerospace Industries HYDERABAD, INDIA: Premier Explosives Ltd (PEL) said that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Israel Aerospace Industries Limited for exploring potential business opportunities. Israel’s largest aerospace and defence company, specialises in developing and manufacturing advanced systems for air, space, sea, land, cyber and homeland security. Since 1953, Israel Aerospace Industries has provided advanced technology solutions to government and commercial

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customers worldwide including: satellites, missiles, weapon systems and munitions, unmanned and robotic systems, radars, C4ISR and more. IAI also designs and manufactures business jets and aero structures, performs overhaul and maintenance on commercial aircraft and converts passenger aircraft to refuelling and cargo configurations. Premier Explosives, which manufactures the entire range of commercial explosives and accessories for the civil requirement, is currently the

only Indian private entity designing, developing and manufacturing solid propellants for Indian missiles, viz, Akash, Astra, etc. In July 2014, Premier Explosives entered into a joint development agreement with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras for carrying out collaborative research projects in the area of high energy materials. This is the company’s second such collaboration, the first one being with Gulbarga University, Karnataka, in June 2009.

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Saint-Gobain to expand flat glass capacity in India CHENNAI, INDIA: French multinational corporation Saint-Gobain said that it will invest around €135 million (about Rs 975 crores) to expand its flat glass production capacity in the country by setting up a new production facility at its Sriperumbudur (Chennai) site. The expansion expected to be completed by 2018, will increase the capacity by around 1,000 tonne a day at Sriperumbudur site, which currently produces 1,500 tonne of

glasses. “Saint-Gobain is to invest around €135 million over the next two years to develop production capacity at its glass facility near Chennai, India’s largest such facility,” said the company in a press release. SaintGobain will built its third flat glass production facility (the group’s fifth float in India) and a second coater for the construction market at the facility. The plant will produce premium high-performance, energy efficient

glass using leading-edge technologies which contribute to the environment protection. “This initiative bolsters Saint-Gobain’s position in flat glass as leader of the fast-growing Indian market, and is in line with the group’s strategy to increase the share of its industrial assets located outside Western Europe,” said the company.

BPCL to use Air Liquide’s technology for Kochi Petrochem project KOCHI, INDIA: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) said that it has selected Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions, the engineering and construction unit of French firm Air Liquide group, for supplying Lurgi/Nippon Kayaku ester grade acrylic acid technology for its propylene derivatives petrochemical project (PDPP) located in Kochi, Kerala, India. BPCL’s petrochemical project is part of the Rs 1 lakh crore planned capex for the next five years, which includes about Rs 40,000 crore investment for the expansion of refining capacity. PDPP complex, which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2018, will be set up close to the refinery to achieve integration of feedstock supply, utilities, offsites and other facilities. The propylene derivatives petrochemical project consists of three major process units - acrylic acid, oxo-alcohol and acrylates. Acrylic acid and acrylates are mainly used for

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

paints, coatings, adhesives and platicisers. The market demand for acrylic acid is driven by growing populations with increasing prosperity. For BPCL’s PDPP, Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions is providing the technology license, basic engineering, technical services as well as proprietary catalyst and equipment for the world-scale unit. BPCL contract follows two successful implementations of Air Liquide’s acrylic acid technology, notably at one of the world’s largest single-train plants located in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China. There, the facility utilises chemical-grade propylene as feedstock to produce some 1,40,000 tonnes per year of ester-grade acrylic acid. “This petrochemical project in India is the very first such endeavour to integrate acrylic acid technology to supply local demand,” said Domenico D’Elia, vice president and chairman, Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions.

NEWS NATIONAL

Chambal Fertilisers sells shipping biz to fund ammonia-urea project NEW DELHI, INDIA: Chambal Fertilisers & Chemicals Ltd said that its board has given approval to sell entire shipping business or dispose off all five ships/vessels it owns, to fund the company’s new ammonia-urea project in Rajasthan. The Board of Directors, at its meeting held, gave “in-principle consent to the: (i) sale or disposal of one or more or all of the 5 ships/ vessels owned by the company; or (ii) sell, transfer or dispose-off the entire shipping undertaking/business of the company on slump sale basis or some other appropriate structure.” The decision was taken after keeping in view the long-term shipping business outlook and the requirement of funds for new ammonia-urea project proposed to be set up by the company at Kota, Rajasthan. The proposed transactions would be consummated as and when the company receives commercially viable and acceptable offers from third parties in this regard. Approval of shareholders will be taken through postal ballot, it said.

Sudarshan Chemical to set up subsidiary in China PUNE, INDIA: Sudarshan Chemical Industries Ltd, one of the leading manufacturers of colours and pigments in India said that it will set up a wholly owned subsidiary in China to strengthen its raw material sourcing capability. “The company will be incorporating its wholly owned subsidiary (WOS) in China basically for purchasing raw materials locally and selling the products of the parent company (Sudarshan Chemical). Further, this subsidiary will be in a position to keep stocks and do

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invoicing,” said Sudarshan Chemical in BSE filing. Sudarshan Chemical, owned by the Rathi Group of companies, manufactures a range of products includes organic and inorganic pigments, mica-based effect pigments, chemical intermediates and pesticides at its two production plants at Roha and Mahad in Maharashtra. The company’s colour and effect pigment business is the flagship of the group, contributing 67 percent of Sudarshan’s turnover.

www.worldofchemicals.com 15

EVENTS BANGALORE INDIA BIO 9th - 11th February | The Lalit Ashok, Bengaluru Organised by: Department of IT, BT and S & T, Government of Karnataka The 16th edition of Bangalore India Bio will showcase the journey of global growth focusing on “Whats trending in Biotech 26 India.” The 3 days event will showcase the future developments in the Bio Pharma, Bio Agri and Bio Services sector.

textile raw material supplies, textile dyes chemicals, embroidery machines, power & air compressors for textile industry and textile allied services. The event is being organized at the most opportune time when the government is booking forward to modernize and upgrade the textile sector of the country for the better quality products and enhanced productivity. Website: http://www.textileasia.com.pk

PLASTIC JAPAN 6th - 8th April | Tokyo Big Sight, Japan Organised by: Reed Exhibitions Japan Ltd. PPLASTIC JAPAN gathers all kinds of plastics/composites materials as well as its manufacturing and processing technologies. The equipment categories include Molding Machine, Polymerizing/Compounding Equipment, Forming/Processing Equipment, Test Equipment etc.

Website: www.bangaloreitbt.in

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TEXTILE COATING AND LAMINATING, TCL

Website: http://www.plas.jp

PLASTIVISION ARABIA

16th - 17th March The Novotel Praha Wenceslas Square in Prague, Czech Republic.

TEXPROCESS AMERICAS

22nd-25th February | Expo Centre Sharjah, UAE Organised by: The All India PlasticsManufacturers’ Association Considered as a major plastics trade fair in GCC Countries, the event will have dedicated theme pavilion with special focus on processing, filling and packaging segment Website: www.plastivision.ae

SUSTAINABLE PLASTICS 1st-2nd March | Maritim Hotel,Cologne

Organised by: International Newsletters Ltd of Droitwich Spa, UK. International Conference on Textile Coating and Laminating, TCL 2016 will focus on new technology, markets and opportunities. Speakers from India, Turkey and the US have confirmed their participation for the conference. Also some of the well-known companies in the UK, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium and France will be present at the conference discussing the latest technology development for the industry.

Organised by: Applied Market Information LLC (AMI)

Website: http://www.intnews.com/TCL

The event aims to bring together the plastics industry and brand owners to investigate ways to improve the environment by using polymer materials responsibly. The event offers high-level professional networking, for brand owners, environment and sustainability managers, business development and innovation professionals, chemical engineers, plastics manufacturers, agriculture specialists, bio-refinery experts, recyclers, researchers and suppliers to the industry to debate economic solutions for a sustainable polymer industry.

ARABLAB EXPO 20th - 23rd March | Dubai, United Arab Emirates

1st- 9th March | Karachi Expo Center Organised by: Ecommerce Gateway Pakistan (Pvt.) Ltd. The exhibition aims to focus on the immense buying selling potential of textile & garment machinery, clothing textiles accessories,

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Organised by: Messe Frankfurt Inc. Texprocess Americas provides a platform for leading international manufacturers to present their latest machines, plant, processing, IT systems and services for developing textiles and other flexible materials. Website: http://www.texprocessamericas.com

TECHTEXTIL NORTH AMERICA 3rd - 5th May | Georgia World Cogress Center in Atlanta, Georgia USA. Organised by: Techtextil North America

It is considered the largest annual trade show in the world for laboratory science & instrumentation and one of the world’s leading events for the Analytical Industry.

The thirteenth edition of North America’s only dedicated show for technical textiles and nonwovens. The event focuses on market developments, technological information, new technical processes and products, as well as international industry trends. It is a platform for exhibitors interested in introducing new brands.

Website: http://www.arablab.com

Website: www.techtextilna.com

Organised by:The ARABLAB Group

AGRO

Website: http://www.amiplastics-na.com

TEXTILE ASIA TRADE EXHIBITION

3rd - 5th May | World Congress Center, Atlanta,Georgia

14TH NEW AG INTERNATIONAL & EXHIBITION 6th - 8th April | Beijing, China Organised by: New Ag International SarlCo.,Ltd./ Chan Chao International Co., Ltd. The 14th New Ag International Conference& Exhibition will focus on Plant Nutrition, Fertigation & Foliar Feeding,Irrigation, and Speciality Products & Greenhouse Cropping. Website: http://newaginternational.com

8th - 11th June | Kiev, Ukraine Organised by: Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine

It is the leading exhibition for agriculture,agricultural machinery, agrochemicals and fertilizers, laboratory equipment for analysis, control, measuring, testing etc. Website: http://www.agro-expo.com

www.worldofchemicals.com SRI LANKA PLAST 2016 - 3RD EDITION

iary Equipment, Molds & Dies, and Parts & Accessories etc.

5th - 7th August, 2016

Website: http://www.vietnamplas.com

Organised by:TĂźyap Fairs and Exhibitions Organization Inc & Teknik Fairs Ltd

Location: Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, Colombo

It is the International Textile, Yarn,Knitting, Weaving, Dyeing, Printing, Finishing and Hosiery Machineries, Sub-Industries and Chemicals Exhibition.

Organised by: Enterprising Fairs (India) Pvt Ltd

14th - 15th June | Dusseldorf, Germany Organised by: Messe Dusseldorf

SRI LANKA PLAST was successfully exhibited and organised for two editions in Colombo-2012 & 2014. The 3rd edition SRI LANKA PLAST is expected to be larger in 2016

Considered as a major trade fair for plastic

ITM 1st - 4th June | TĂ&#x153;YAP Fair Convention and Congress Center, Istanbul, Turkey

Website:http: //www.itm2016.com.tr

11TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ADJUVANTS FOR AGROCHEMICALS 13th - 17th June | Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa on Del Monte Golf Course Organised by: International Society for Agrochemical Adjuvants (ISAA Society) ISAA 2016 will focus on bridging adjuvant knowledge from those in industry, academia, and national laboratories in all areas of agrochemicals, from pesticide formulations to effective applications and new complementary technologies. Website: http://www.isaa2016.org

PDM EVENT 14th - 15th June | Telford International Centre,Telford, UK Organised by: Crain Communications Ltd A leading exhibition and conference for the plastic industry, the event will feature leading companies from all sectors of the industry, latest technology and quality conference sessions. Website: www.pdmevent.com

ARC INDUSTRY FORUM INDIA 7th - 8th July | Bangalore, India Organised by: ARC Advisory Group This is a not-to-be-missed event for all process and discrete industries akeholders. Most of the CEOs, COOs, CIOs and CTOs will be present at the event. Expect to see innovations in smarter products, new service and operating models, new production techniques and new approaches to design and sourcing. Website: www.arcweb.com/events/arc-industry-forum-india

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

Website:www.srilankaplast.com

CAITME

and rubber, leading raw material producers, processing companies and machinery manufacturers provide an overview of the latest technical developments, procedures and techniques of current construction methods and future trends.

7th - 9th September | UzExpoCentre NEC, Tashkent,Uzbekistan

Website: www.k-online.com

Organised by: ITE worldwide

AGROTECH INDIA

TCAITME is the UFI Approved Event and the largest international specialized textile machinery exhibition in Central Asia and CIS countries.

19th - 22th November, 2016

Website: http://www.caitme.uz

The 12th edition of this event will bring the latest developments in the Indian agricultural market.

SPECIALITY & AGRO CHEMICALS AMERICA 7th - 9th September | Belmond Charleston Place, Charleston, South Carolina Organised by:American Chemical Marketing Speciality & Agro Chemicals America will focus on the chemical products and technologies that have specific applications for the agrochemical and specialty chemical manufacturing markets. Website: http://chemicalsamerica.com

VIETNAMPLAS

Location: Parade Ground, Chandigarh Organised by: Trade Fairs Department

Website: www.agrotech-india.com

INDIA ITME 3rd - 8th December | Bombay Convention & ExhibitionCentre, Mumbai, India Organised by: India ITME Society Considered to be the largest textile machinery and accessory exhibition in the ountry - will be spread over 1,50,000 sq mts and is expected to witness participation from 93 countries. Website: http://india-itme.com

28th Sept-1st Oct | Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center, Vietnam Organised by: Ministry of Industry & Trade/ Vietnam National Trade Fair & Advertising Joint-Stock Company/ Service Yorkers Trade & Marketing Service Co., Ltd./ Chan Chao International Co., Ltd. VietnamPlas 2016 will have 25% Plastic and Rubber Machineries, 22% Plastic and Rubber Raw Materials and 11% of Injection Molding, Blow Molding Machineries and Bag Cutting Machines. It will also have Extruders, Auxil-

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POLICY

INDIAN CHEMICAL COUNCIL PROMOTES E-FILING OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS LOOKS TO CREATE AWARENESS REGARDING CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION

By Debarati Das With the present environmental hazards and international unrest, it is important for companies to understand the consequences of producing certain chemicals. Some of the chemicals are used to produce weapons that can cause major damage to citizens. To create awareness regarding chemical weapons, the Indian Chemical Council (ICC-Southern region) in association with Department of Chemicals and Petrochemical- Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India, organized a daylong seminar – ‘Awareness Programme on Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)’ in Bangalore on 12 December, 2015. The primary focus of the convention was to inform company executives about the importance of declaration of production, processing,

consumption, import, export of Schedule 2 chemicals & production, import & export of Schedule 3 chemicals, their plant sites and production of discrete organic chemicals including those containing elements of phosphorus, sulphur and fluorine. The event saw participation from various pharmaceutical and fertilizer companies in Bangalore who use schedule 2 and 3 chemicals, which are chemical warfare agents, for commercial utility. “There are various types of chemicals used in various industries and not all chemicals need declaration. It is only the Schedule 2 and 3 chemicals which needs declaration. According to the legislation, these chemicals can be stocked in the industries up to a certain quantity. Also, it is important to know if any harmful derivative is produced through the combination of various chemicals during production or manufacturing,”

said R Narayanan, advisor, CWC Help Desk, ICC Southern Region. “On the other hand, discrete organic chemicals do not require stringent scrutiny. These chemicals in their original form are not harmful but when added to certain combinations can make chemical weapons. Hence their production needs to be declared. Most of them are organic chemicals used in important industries such as pharmaceutical chemicals, active pharmaceutical intermediates, pesticides, insecticides, dyes, dye intermediates etc,” he added. The convention also gave insights into the CWC Act 2000 and the e-filing of the CWC declarations developed by the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. A live demonstration of the filing was conducted to show the changes in the process. The main aim of introducing e-filing is to encourage more companies to declare the use of schedule 2 and 3 chemicals in a hassle free procedure.

PARTICIPANT’S QUOTES Dr S Murthy Shekhar, professor, Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering The chemical weapons convention seminar will be useful for students to understand the industry scenario & norms and what companies experience when they start off on their own. The policies will also be helpful when students join the industry, as understanding of procedures while using certain chemicals is an advantage. It is important for future chemical engineers to know that there is an international body, which is monitoring every country on the production of destructive chemicals.

Arun Kumar, deputy manager - Production, Resonance Laboratories Pvt Ltd. Resonance manufactures and exports API’s and bulk drugs. We have already undergone routine inspections four times in the past. We have also been consistently declaring our schedule 2 chemicals through e-filing. However, we had a couple of queries, which were resolved during this seminar.

Pankaj Dawar, research scientist (R&D), R L Fine Chem Pvt Ltd. We deal with bulk API production and are also involved in exports, imports and manufacturing of the medicinal pharmaceutical products for the pharmaceutical industry. This seminar has not just helped us in understanding the e-filing process which is very easy and fast, but we also understood how the inspection is carried out. This will help us prepare better for the inspection.

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ICC through the Chemical Weapons Convention wants to ensure that Schedule 2 & 3 chemicals are utilized properly, said R Narayanan, Advisor, CWC Help Desk, ICC Southern Region, while speaking to Shivani Mody. Brief us about the chemical weapons convention. Many chemical weapons were used during World War causing immense destruction. In 1993, many countries in the world united to make sure that these weapons of mass destruction were eliminated from the world. In 1997, the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was founded with headquarters in Netherlands, to take care of the dissection of chemical weapons across the world. Today, there are about 198 countries as member states in this activity. OPCW is an umbrella convention which makes sure that there is no proliferation, or no stock piling of chemical weapons in any country.

How is the chemical weapons convention being accepted in India? India is the member state of the OPCW since 1997. Legislation for chemical weapon convention, CWC Act 2000, was implemented, but then we realized that it was not reaching the industries properly. The National Authority of India through the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Department of Chemicals

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

& Petrochemicals makes sure that the declaration is obtained properly between the industries and it is later submitted to the OPCW. We have started CWC help desks in the northern, western, southern and eastern region for proper interface between the industries and the Government of India. With these awareness programmes, we want to reach out to the industries and ensure that they follow proper procedures regarding their declarations. We also communicate to the companies as to how the verification measures are conducted in the industries and the role of national authority.

What is the aim of the CWC? The Government of India is working closely with the industry to see that the information is propagated to all the companies. OPCW mainly wants to ensure that these schedule 2 and 3 chemicals are utilized for useful purposes and are not misused or diverted to terrorists groups. These awareness campaigns for the industries are mainly to understand the convention, the CWC Act 2000, and the need to declare the use and production of schedule 2 and 3 chemicals and the e-filing procedure. We need to communicate

to the industry that the use of schedule 2 and 3 chemicals in their manufacturing process is legal, however, declaration of these chemicals and undergoing inspection is important for the government. With these awareness programmes we want the industry to come forward with the declaration of necessary details.

CWC has also started e-filing of declaration to make the process easier. What has been the acceptance of the online declaration? Earlier the declarations were done by submitting hard copies but for the past four years, Government has introduced e-filing or online declaration. It is useful, as filing declarations has become easier rather than filling out lengths of pages, which was a time consuming affair. Moreover, the e-filing procedure is extremely user friendly and quick. Companies can select chemicals categories such as schedule 2 or schedule 3, discrete organic chemicals or the PSF chemicals, further simplifying the declaration process. In the past four years, the declarations from the industries have gone up rampantly and they are quite satisfied with the online filing procedure.

EXPERT VIEWPOINT AGROCHEMICALS

“THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE DEPENDS ON MICROBES” … SAYS SANTOSH NAIR, CEO, CAMSON BIO TECHNOLOGIES LTD, AS HE DISCUSSES THE URGENT NEED TO PROMOTE NATURAL FERTILIZERS TO SAVE SOIL ACROSS THE GLOBE.

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www.worldofchemicals.com By Shivani Mody

How does your company differ from other fertilizer companies?

Camson has been a part of the Indian agriculture technology for the last two decades and we have been doing extensive research in this area. One of our prime focuses is to develop technology wherein agriculture can be largely driven by microbes and microbial extracts. Our unique proposition in terms of products is that we use extracts of different microbes. For decades, we have been working on identifying such microbes, isolating them and finally building products best suited for various types of agriculture landscape.

Elaborate on the market trends in this sector. Year 2015 was declared as the ‘International Year Of Soil’ by the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organization. With this initiative, many countries including the developed nations and the upcoming countries have taken up several measures to ensure that the quality of soil is taken care of. A lot is happening in the agriculture department and most importantly in the fertilizers industry. If you consider the overall numbers, fertilizer globally is a $260 billion dollar industry. Over the years, the use of synthetic fertilizers across the world has gone up so high that farmers are now realizing the problems associated with it. Farmers are battling with issues such as fallow land due to excess chemical levels in the soil and drastic drop in crop yield. To add to it, according to the statistics, the world population is expected to grow by 30 percent over the next 10 to 20 years, which will amount to 70 percent increase in food consumption. Moreover, increase in fertilizer usage is more or less 2 percent world over, while Asia Pacific and especially in countries such as India, the increase in fertilizer usage is up to 6 to 7 percent. The future looks grim if the situation is not tackled immediately and soil is not taken care of. Farmers are now trying to find solutions to improve productivity and yield of their farmland.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

What are the steps taken to tackle these issues in the fertilizer industry? The three main components in fertilizers are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen is available through naphtha, phosphorus from phosphatic salts and potash, which are extracted from mines in synthetic ways. Today, while synthetic fertilizers dominate the fertilizer industry, another segment, called the bio-fertilizers segment, is growing. There is major scope for this segment as currently world over it is $2 to 2.5 billion in size. Many countries, especially the developed countries, are moving towards using bio fertilizers because by using them, the soil tends to get more potent for agriculture. Bio fertilizers use live microbes, which is better compared to synthetic fertilizers. But the live microbes have a shelf-life of 10 to 12 months after which the efficacy of the microbes tends to vary. Hence, bio fertilizers have not been able to gain confidence among farmers. In India, bio fertilizers are largely taken up by the government, which is in turn given to farmers through subsidies. The third kind, which we offer, is the natural fertilizer, which is an extract of a microbe. This extract is not just of one microbe but a consortium of microbes, which gives nitrogen directly to the plant. This is different from bio fertilizer, which uses fixating bacteria, where the bacteria fixes the nitrogen from the soil or it solubilizes the potassium phosphorus from the soil. It fixes the nitrogen from the atmosphere. In case of natural fertilizer, the microbe itself gives nitrogen, phosphorous and potash as per the plant’s requirements. And I can surely say that Camson Bio Technologies is the only company in the world to provide this technology. We have been working on this product over the last six to seven years and have applied for two patents - a process patent and a product patent. After trials across the world, we received the acceptance of patents in August 2015.

What are the benefits of natural fertilizers? Fertilizer as a subject cannot be restricted to a particular country or region. The whole world needs fertilizers. Today, people are becoming aware about health hazards, depleting eco system and the need for organic food. The solution to

this is to eradicate something that is synthetic in nature and adopt something natural. And hence natural fertilizer comes as a remedy where a plant is nourished without any additional stress to it. Over decades, excessive use of chemical or synthetic fertilizers in many countries, including India, has left the land fallow. If natural fertilizer is put into use, the fallow soil, over a period of time, will get healed and the soil will become fertile again.

Brief us about your expansion plans. We are currently focusing on India since we have just launched our product and would conduct our first trials in the domestic market. The Indian fertilizer market is broadly divided in two parts: the granular segment and the water soluble segment. Currently, we are not focusing on the granular segment because as of now it is highly subsidized as far as India is concerned. The second segment is the water soluble fertilizer which only goes through fertigation. If you look at India, 45 percent of the agriculture land is irrigated, while the other 65 percent land depends on the rains; hence every bad monsoon has its own problems when it comes to rain. At present, we are looking into the water soluble segment. Last year, the consumption of water soluble fertilizers in India alone was a lakh and 50’000 metric tonne which was completely imported and was inorganic, chemical and synthetic. We are a replacement to such imported, synthetic and expensive fertilizers. At the same time, we are currently into many discussions in the international markets. Once we start to witness business growth in India, we will look at penetrating the international markets. Globally, people understand the importance of organic fertilizers and are willing to appreciate it. But for the first 2 to 3 seasons we will work in the Indian market and see how it evolves.

How do you gauge the global competition for your product, the natural fertilizer Internationally, there is nobody who is making natural fertilizers. Bio fertilizers, which is available internationally, is growing by 3 to 4 percent, but they are driven by Azotobacteraceae, Rhizobia to name a few, which are all fixating bacteria and are different from natural fertilizers.

EXPERT VIEWPOINT AGROCHEMICALS While the shelf life of bio fertilizers is not more than 12 months, natural fertilizers offer a shelf life of about 3-5 years. It is available both in the liquid and in the powdered form, making the application process easy for the farmers. Hence, as far as global competition is concerned, we are pioneers in the field.

Brief us about the R&D activities taken up by the company. Camson Bio Technology is an IPR driven company and we take a lot of pride to say that we are more of a research and development company than a commercial company. The commercial aspects of the company started only about 3 to 4 years ago, prior to which we were more into research. It took us two decades to identify over 32 thousand microbial strains, of which, we shortlisted about 4,500 microbials and come up with 40 products. We will continue to focus and invest in research because that is the DNA around which the company has grown.

What would be your message for SMEs and researchers? Be it agriculture, pharmaceuticals, paints or any other industry, we need to realize that microbe is the future. There is a huge talent base in India and there is a need to channelize the talent towards research. Out of the few biotechnology companies

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We take a lot of pride to say that we are more of a research and development company than a commercial company. It took us two decades to identify over 32 thousand microbial strains, of which we shortlisted about 4,500 microbials and come up with 40 products.

CAMSON BIO TECHNOLOGIES LTD

At a glance: • Camson is India’s first integrated IPR driven agricultural biotechnology company • Founded in 1993, Camson is headquartered in Bangalore, with primary focus on biotech R&D • Pioneer in zero residue farming products, which uses secondary metabolites (biological origin) of microbes to kill/inhibit pathogens, with no use of chemicals

in india, 95% of them are focused on pharmaceutical segment. There is barely any company focusing on agriculture despite being an agricultural country. On the other hand, countries like US and Australia have galloped in the field of agricultural research and biotechnology. I think, even the government needs to take interest and promote research in this field and stop the dependence on import. SMEs can definitely play a major role in

• Awarded patents in August 2015 for its

this area. They need to promote using

• Long standing relationship with its insti-

green technology in agriculture. We need to realize that if we don’t take the correct steps today, we’ll probably be glaring at a bigger problem over a period of time.

discovery of Natural Fertilizer • Recognized by Deloitte as one the fastest growing technology companies in 2015 and conferred the Technology Fast 500 award and awarded ‘Leaders of Tomorrow Award by ET Now & Indiamart 2014-15

tutional investors such as CLSA and SBI

COMING SOON World Of LABS Laboratory sourcing online

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EXPERT VIEWPOINT TEXTILE CHEMICALS

THE NEED OF THE HOUR IS TO BRING IN FUNCTIONALITY INTO TEXTILES … SAYS GANESH SRINIVASAN, CTO, RESIL CHEMICALS PVT LTD, AS HE SPEAKS ABOUT PRODUCT INNOVATION AND THE CHANGING DYNAMICS OF THE TEXTILE CHEMICAL MANUFACTURERS .

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www.worldofchemicals.com By Shivani Mody

Over the years, how has the traditional textile industry changed and how do you see it shaping up in the future?

In terms of trends, lot of advanced materials based on core areas such as material science are getting incorporated into the textile industry. Some of the value-adding materials used dominantly in cosmetics and pharmaceutical sectors are finding their way into the textiles. It is mostly about bringing in functionality into textiles and giving better value to the customers.

There are two major changes which has changed the way traditional textile industry functioned. One is the e-retailing business which is becoming big in today’s market place. People are buying online through websites and mobile apps, which is replacing conventional stores into e-stores. Since the touch and feel aspect is missing, it becomes a challenge to communicate the properties and characteristics of the material to the customer. And to attract business, this information has to be communicated to the customers. The other change is in the thought process, wherein textiles are now being considered as an interface between human being and his/her gadgets. With the growth of internet of things or rather internet of everything, we need to start thinking of ways in which textile/ clothes as an article can be used as a medium to communicate a person’s health and hygiene aspects. The shift is towards developing wearable technologies that will essentially communicate the health and wellness of the person. Furthermore, wearable technologies are to be embedded into the textiles. While creating these materials, one needs to consider the chemicals used, washing cycles, sensing and measuring devices to make them useful for consumers. These are long-term projects that are being carried out with research institutes. A lot of thought goes into the usage of these textile articles and then comes in the design elements. Along with manufacturing, we have to consider the entire chemistry & design aspect and even look at materials that will be used for these modern day technologies.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

What is your work on silicone polymers and formulations.

Our strength lies in building functionality onto the silicone backbones and creating new molecules from it. This is a complex task and as a company, we have developed expertise in this area.

The challenge is about taking these molecules and applying them on the textile’s surface while considering the formulation technology and chemical properties that will play an important role while using the molecules and polymers on to the textiles. Considering the environmental aspects, silicon polymers are completely biodegradable.

With the growth of internet of things or rather internet of everything, we need to start thinking of how textiles/clothes as an article can be used as a medium to communicate about a person’s health and hygiene aspects

One of the major challenges in the textile industry is to manage water usage. Most of the textile processes- be it dyeing, finishing or general washes similar to a laundry system, use water as the core medium for application. Hence, the industry is now moving in the direction of reducing the wet processes. This in turn had led to enhancing our capabilities and developing new silicone formulations. If you look at the textile value chain, it first starts with fibre – yarn – fabrics – and finally, the garment. Companies are looking at cutting down the water usage from the fibre and yarn stage which needs additional functionality for the textiles. This is one area where research is being done to get the silicon functionality built-in into the material at the time of manufacturing the fibre or the yarn.

There is a major emphasis on ‘sustainable chemistry’ or the usage of biodegradable chemicals. How is the industry moving towards achieving this goal?

Sustainability is definitely a buzzword and it is about saving the environment at the end of the day. Sustainability is also one of the core pillars at Resil and our products and technology works on the policy - save energy, save water and save chemicals.

Our products help customers save energy by reducing the number of washings or by cutting down water required during processing cycles. Also we use natural raw materials for our products making them biodegradable. Our effort is to build sustainability as a complete package and offer it as a value-addition for customers. Major brands and retailers have sustainability as their core mission, which makes the entire supply chain shift from non-sustainable to sustainable products. One of our highly appreciated product is the n9 pure silver. During washing cycles, most of the chemicals get washed out which pollute the environment. With the usage of n9 pure silver we ensure that it does not get removed while washing and hence prevent environment pollution. The other important aspect is to consider how much chemicals does one load onto the textiles. The minimum amount of chemicals is always suitable as over a period of time the chemicals will eventually go into the environment in one form or the other. It is important to create chemicals that require minimum dosage, to deliver maximum performance. Here the need is to pass the efficiency onto the end consumers and also to the processors in the supply chain.

What are the research projects going on in your company?

Currently we are working with many technologies such as the cooling and heating technologies for textiles. Considering the Indian climate, perspiration is common in the country especially during summers.

In such a situation, technologies that help cool the fabric when it is hot are becoming essential. Keeping in line with this, we have developed some of the cooling polymers which can help reduce the temperature of the textiles upto 3 degrees C. Our product, Innocelle, an aqueous

EXPERT VIEWPOINT TEXTILE CHEMICALS we are trying to build in hygiene aspects into the textiles. The bed linens, bed covers, pillows, curtains, gowns, aprons, accessories worn by doctors and nurses are all treated with the anti-microbial technology. This has helped to avoid cross contamination between patients, doctors, nurses and the ward staff to a greater extent and control the overall hygiene in hospitals. Similarly, we are creating hygiene awareness in the hospitality industry, especially in hotels. Nowadays,

hydrophilic micro-emulsion, is designed to impart hydrophilicity on textiles with remarkable moisture management properties. We will witness a growth in the market trend for these materials in times to come. We are also working on technologies for quick drying of textiles. We are trying to develop appropriate coatings for textiles that will help the fabric dry faster. At Resil, we are also working on a natural and herbal mosquito repellent for textile substrates on non-woven products that will repel mosquitoes and other insects. Nearly, 40 percent of the world’s population is at risk from malaria. A typical mosquito repellent is synthetic in nature. But, nowadays we find various naturally derived insect repellents such as PMD and products based on citronella, which work by interfering with the chemical sensors of mosquitoes and confuse or drive them away. Using textiles treated with repellant technologies, we can prevent the spread of diseases by mosquitoes.

Looking at the usage of water, the industry is moving in the direction of reducing the wet processes. This in turn had led to enhancing our capabilities and developing new silicone formulations.

Another interesting technology that we are working on is the use of sunlight as an enabler to clean textiles. Conventionally, people clean fabric using washing machines, that leads to the use of detergents, heat energy and mechanical energy to complete the machine cycles. But we decided to use the freely available, clean energy source sunlight to clean clothes at just 1 to 2 percent of the energy required during a normal wash. The technology we developed is the solar cell technology which helps to clean the textiles when it is exposed to sunlight. Instead of a harsh wash, a milder wash will remove the dirt from shirts. This is based on the titanium dioxide coating technology- the microsphere technology. It is also called the self-cleaning technology because it cleans when exposed to sunlight and it is in line with the sustainability concept of using natural resources to clean a garment.

In what ways can textile technologies change the dynamics of the industry? There are a lot of innovative chemistries that is becoming a part of textile industry. One such chemistry is that of n9 pure silver which looks into hygiene requirements and can be very useful for hospitals and hospitality industry. In hospitals, majority of the infection is spread due to the environment and ignorance about the cleanliness. Working with hospitals,

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people are travelling more for work and pleasure. To ensure safer hotel facilities, we are working with well-known chains to improve the hygiene conditions of linen, bedsheets, towels and other laundry items. Promoting the use of anti microbial technology for hotels helps them enhance their image and also improve customer satisfaction in the long run. With changes that are taking place in the marketplace, textile chemical manufacturers are constantly creating products for the future fabrics used specially for medical, construction and functional interior textiles as well.

Tell us about the innovation award received for your anti microbial technology.

Last year we received an award from the government of India for our anti-microbial technology based on silver-based technologies. Silver is one of the oldest possible materials known to mankind and is as old as 3000 years. In ancient times, people used silver utensils and ornaments as an anti-bacterial element.

We extended this naturally-occurring anti-bacterial technology of silver to textiles and won an award for build-

ing the silver molecule composite which helps in treating textiles with anti-bacterial properties. This builds hygiene and wellness into textiles. The other advantage is that silver can be used for its anti-malodour property, for a variety of articles. The treated textiles will be useful for all apparels whether it is inner wear, outer wear and hence many companies have adopted these technologies.

How can the country’s SMEs add to the growth of the Indian textile industry?

As far as SMEs are concerned there is a major scope for new products and innovations that can be beneficial for the industry. These SMEs can work closely with reseach institutes and collaborate on developing commercial aspects of products. With innovative solutions, pilot-scale capability, testing and largescale production also needs to be considered. The SME strength in terms of skills, knowledge and industry network can help bring new products into the market.The other aspect is that SMEs need to look at products that have a global perspective and is not secluded for domestic markets. The export potential also needs to be on their agenda. To grow in the international markets, SMEs will have to carefully look at the standards, rules and regulations before they can actually build global companies.

RESIL CHEMICALS PVT LTD

At a glance:

• A 19 year history of leadership in silicones and specialty materials. • More than 1000 customers across 4 continents among varied industries such as textiles, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, leather, personal care, antifoams, car care and anti-microbials. • Marketing footprints across 4 countries namely India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Bangladesh. • Three technologically-efficient manufacturing units. • IMS certification from Lloyds Register Quality Assurance. • R&D labs recognised by Department of Scientific and Industrial Research – Government of India. • More than 250 employees across Asia.

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R&D

DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TWO-WAY INSECTICIDE MIXTURE FOR MALARIA CONTROL B

ayer has submitted a dossier to the World Health Organisation Pesticide Evaluation Scheme (WHOPES) for the evaluation of a new two-way insecticide mixture, Fludora Fusion, which includes a new mode-of-action for indoor residual spraying (IRS) against disease vectors. Fludora Fusion, is based on two active ingredients and intends to provide an effective solution to help African disease control programs address the challenge of insecticide resistance in malaria-transmitting mosqui-

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toes. Field testing of the product has shown excellent results against many different kinds of resistant mosquitoes and strong performance across a wide range of surfaces. Bayer foresees the WHOPES evaluation and testing process to take about two years and anticipates market availability of the product by the end of 2017. “We have been able to draw upon experience from other pest control situations, including agriculture, where mixtures have been shown to be very effective in situations where

insecticide resistance is present,” said Frederic Schmitt, global project manager vector control, Bayer CropScience’s Environmental Science Division. “In Fludora Fusion we took the decision to pair up a new insecticide with an unrelated mode of action as a two-way mixture. Used in conjunction with an integrated vector management approach, we think this innovation could continue to be a valuable tool long into the future.”

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RESEARCH ON FERMENTATION TECHNOLOGY FOR CROP PROTECTION S

ynthace and Dow AgroSciences LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, have entered into a research collaboration to optimise technology by accelerating development of fermentation-based production of crop protection products. In this collaboration, Dow AgroSciences will use the power of nature in conjunction with fermentation technology, to produce and develop solutions for farmers. These types of

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

products prevent pest infestation and control disease to increase crop yields. Applying automated strain engineering enables quicker development of new microbial production hosts in the lab which can expedite development of fermentation processes for new products. Farmers win as new solutions can be brought to market more quickly. “It is important for Dow AgroSciences to bring new products to farmers faster and this collaboration on strain engineering will

accelerate our ability to create novel microbial production strains,” said Dr Nigel Mouncey, bioengineering and bioprocessing R&D director, Dow AgroSciences. The collaboration includes a multi-seat enterprise license giving Dow AgroSciences access to Synthace’s Antha software tools. As part of the agreement, Synthace’s advanced tools and software will be used to support development of superior microbial production strains at Dow AgroSciences.

R&D

MULTIFUNCTIONAL BENEFITS OF PHA BIOPOLYMERS IN PVC APPLICATIONS: M

etabolix, an advanced biomaterials company focused on sustainable solutions for the plastics industry, announced its latest findings on the multifunctional benefits of bio-based PHA copolymers in a range of applications for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and wood polymer composites. The new research will lead to the development and commercialisation of PHA biopolymer technology that improves processing and performance characteristics in a range of polyvinyl chloride applications including flexible, semi-rigid and wood polymer composites, particularly when high levels of fillers and polyvinyl chloride recyclate are incorporated. Among the findings, Metabolix has shown that its PHA biopolymers - highly miscible in polyvinyl chloride - can be used as process aids that act as both a lubricant and fusion aid with a resulting reduction in machine torque to increase ease of processing. The use of PHA also allows the increased use of mineral fillers, wood flour or PVC recyclate with improved properties of the final parts. Another key finding is that all of these

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performance and processing advantages can deliver significant cost improvements. “Our PHA biopolymers display a set of unique performance properties in PVC formulations and represent a significant innovation in the industry,” said Max Senechal, Metabolix’s vice president of strategy and commercial development. “Our PHA biopolymers offer a range of processing and performance improvements while also delivering an economic benefit to PVC converters and brand owners.” Metabolix has taken its new PHA materials to the market and is working closely with processors and brand owners in a range of PVC applications such as:

Extruded railing in PVC wood polymer composites: PHA biopolymers act as a compatibiliser and process aid to improve incorporation of wood filler, increase throughput and improve surface finish during manufacturing of PVC wood polymer composite materials. Metabolix has also shown that the use of PHA can increase the mechanical strength of the parts, as well as increase the level of wood flour to

improve the sustainability profile of the final product. Metabolix is working closely with a leading manufacturer of wood polymer railings where PHA biopolymers are being used to improve mechanical properties and processing of its product.

PVC recyclate: PHA biopolymers can be used as both a process aid and fusion aid to increase the addition rate of PVC recyclate (post-consumer and post-industrial) in a range of PVC applications. Metabolix’s PHA biopolymers are being used as a fusion aid to enhance processing and to improve the performance properties of floor backing materials made from PVC recyclate.

Roofing: Acting as a high-molecular-weight plasticizer and process aid, Metabolix’s PHA enhances PVC permanence especially in installations where oil and grease resistance is needed. Acting as a process aid and fusion promoter, Metabolix’s PHA improves incorporation of the formulation ingredients and processing.

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NEW LOW-GLOBAL-WARMING INSULATION MATERIAL H

oneywell said that it has developed a new low-global-warming insulating material, Solstice® Liquid Blowing Agent (LBA), a critical material used in energy-efficient polyurethane foam insulation. Foam blowing agents allow closed-cell polyurethane foam insulation to expand and provide the majority of the foam’s excellent insulating properties. Solstice LBA has a global warming potential that is significantly lower than higher global warming hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) blowing agents while providing excellent insulating properties. According to Honeywell, widespread adoption of Solstice LBA would result in a reduction of more than 25 million metric tons per year of CO2-equiv-

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

alent in the U.S. alone; globally this number could exceed 90 million metric tons per year, which is equivalent to permanently taking 19 million cars off the road. Solstice LBA, which is based on hydrofluoro-olefin technology, has an ultra-low global warming potential of 1, which is 99.9% lower than HFC blowing agents it replaces and equal to carbon dioxide. It is non-ozone-depleting and nonflammable. Solstice LBA has received EPA approval under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program, and is volatile organic compound (VOC)-exempt per U.S. EPA. Solstice LBA, also won the 2015 Polyurethane Innovation Award by the American Chemistry Council’s Center

for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) during CPI Polyurethanes Technical Conference in Orlando, Florida. “This innovation award in recognition of the efforts by our world-leading fluorine researchers, who have developed a range of low-global-warming materials for applications ranging from insulation to automotive and commercial air conditioning,” said Sanjeev Rastogi, business director for Honeywell Fluorine Products. “After more than 80 years, we are still seeing exciting and meaningful innovation in the polyurethanes industry. Honeywell’s Solstice LBA continues this tradition,” said Lee Salamone, senior director of CPI.

ACADEMIC R&D

PLASTIC-EATING WORMS MAY BRING SOLUTION TO MOUNTING WASTE A

n ongoing study by Stanford engineers, in collaboration with researchers in China, shows that common mealworms can safely biodegrade various types of plastic. According to various surveys, in America 2.5 billion plastic foam cups are disposed every year. The total amount of plastic waste in American amounts to 33 million tonne annually. Out of which, less than 10 percent gets recycled, and the rest poses challenges ranging from water contamination to animal poisoning. Mealworm, which is the larvae form of the darkling beetle, can subsist on a diet of Styrofoam and other forms of polystyrene, according to two companion studies co-authored by Wei-Min Wu, a senior research engineer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford. The studies show that microorganisms in the worms’ guts can biodegrade the plastic in the process. “Our findings have opened a new door to solve the global plastic pollution problem,” Wu said.

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The papers, published in Environmental Science and Technology, are the first to provide detailed evidence of bacterial degradation of plastic in an animal’s gut. Understanding how bacteria within mealworms carry out this feat could potentially enable new options for safe management of plastic waste.

Plastic for dinner In the lab, 100 mealworms ate between 34 and 39 milligrams of Styrofoam-about the weight of a small pill-per day. The worms converted about half of the Styrofoam into carbon dioxide, as they would with any food source. Within 24 hours, they excreted the bulk of the remaining plastic as biodegraded fragments that look similar to tiny rabbit droppings. Mealworms fed a steady diet of Styrofoam were as healthy as those eating a normal diet, Wu said, and their waste appeared to be safe to use as soil for crops. Researchers, including Wu, have shown in

earlier research that waxworms, the larvae of Indian mealmoths, have microorganisms in their guts that can biodegrade polyethylene, a plastic used in filmy products such as trash bags. The new research on mealworms is significant, however, because Styrofoam was thought to have been non-biodegradable and more problematic for the environment. Researchers led by Criddle, a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, are collaborating on ongoing studies with the project leader and papers’ lead author, Jun Yang of Beihang University in China, and other Chinese researchers. Together, they plan to study whether microorganisms within mealworms and other insects can biodegrade plastics such as polypropylene, microbeads (tiny bits used as exfoliants) and bioplastics. As part of a “cradle-to-cradle” approach, the researchers will explore the fate of these materials when consumed by small animals, which are, in turn, consumed by other animals.

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PROFESSOR DISCOVERS NEW DIRHODIUM CATALYST, FOR PHARMA INDUSTRY U

niversity of Canberra has discovered a new Dirhodium Catalysts, of Rh2(S-PTTL)4 (Strem catalog 45-2105). The catalyst, discovered by associate professor of biomedical sciences, Dr. Ashraf Ghanem, is used for asymmetric, intermolecular and intramolecular C-H insertion, cyclopropanation and other reactions. It may also be useful in pharmaceutical processing. Dr. Ghanem explained that this synthetic catalyst produces a chemical reaction that allows certain molecules to be extracted with a very high level of purity, reducing the need for additional processing and diminishing the risk of unintended side effects.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

“This is important because it can helpproduce more effective pharmaceuticals quickly, at a reduced cost and hopefully in the future that means people are paying less for the medication they need,” he said. Strem Chemicals, Inc., a manufacturer of specialty chemicals for research and development, announce the addition of Rh2(S-PTTL)4 (Strem catalog 45-2105) to its portfolio of Dirhodium Catalysts. As a part of the University’s first commercialisation agreement for a chemical product to be sold globally, Strem Chemicals, Inc. has licensed this technology from the University. “This commercialisation deal shows that we

are achieving great results in our field and that our work is offering a solution that can improve the pharmaceutical industry’s access to more pure drugs,” said Dr. Ghanem who feels that his research may be delivering a beneficial outcome to the pharmaceutical field, and in turn potentially aiding those depending on their medication. “Strem is pleased to be adding this tool for drug discovery and process development scientists to use in their efforts to bring new pharmaceuticals to market and make them or generic drugs more efficiently,” said Dr. Ephraim S. Honig, Strem Chemical’s Chief Operating Officer.

ACADEMIC R&D

NEW TECHNICAL TEXTILE PRODUCT FOR CYCLING CLOTHING T

he University of Bolton in partnership with a local sportswear company has developed a new technical textile product, Airide, for the cycling clothing industry to address a host of health issues associated with cycling shorts. Professor Subhash Anand, MBE, professor of Technical Textiles at the University’s Institute for Materials Research and Innovation, has joined forces with MD and founder of VO2 Sportswear, Matt Tomkin to create a new chamois padding for cycling and triathlon. Professor Anand said that health issues associated with traditional cycling shorts pads include: polyurethane foam cannot be washed at high temperatures, so harbours

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bacteria; it is not a breathable fabric and has no moisture-wicking properties; after short periods of time a foam pad loses thickness and becomes denser and hence uncomfortable. Also research carried out by BBC has shown cycling for more than three hours a week can cause erectile dysfunction due to excessive pressure against the perineal area, impacting on blood flow. In addition to its health and hygiene issues, polyurethane foam cannot be recycled. The Bolton technical textile product, consisting of a series of three-dimensional (3D) knitted spacer structures, has been developed to overcome the limitations of polyurethane foam, and one face of the product is finished

with an antimicrobial and a wicking agent. In contrast to the traditional foam pads, the Bolton solution distributes pressure over a much larger area giving more support than polyurethane foam; reduces peak pressure in the perineal area for the cyclist; is breathable, providing a well-ventilated, comfortable surface, and can be laundered in a washing machine and can be easily recycled, because it is manufactured from one type of fibre only. “We believe there is a huge market for our product – cycling and triathlon are popular sports with massive numbers of amateur as well as professional participants,” said Professor Anand.

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SOLAR TEXTILE COLLABORATION WEAVES CHEMISTRY AND DESIGN A

new faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Marianne Fairbanks is bringing decades of experience with dyes, fibre and design to the development of a technology she’s been dreaming of for years: the solar textile. “I found myself on a campus full of brilliant people of all disciplines so I just Googled ‘solar research UW-Madison,” said Fairbanks, assistant professor in the School of Human Ecology’s design studies program and co-founder of Noon Solar, a Chicago-based company that made solar-charging handbags. That search led her to Trisha Andrew, a rising star in energy research and assistant professor of chemistry at UW-Madison. Andrew draws from the fields of chemistry, materials science and electrical engineering to develop low-cost, lightweight solar cells. Her most recent innovation is an organic dye-based solar cell deposited onto paper. Fairbanks comes from the art studio and Andrew the chemistry lab, but the two women had an instant, if unexpected, rapport. Fairbanks, who arrived to their first meeting with a stack of textiles, got Andrew thinking about fabric and, by the

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

end of the encounter, the collaboration had begun. “The idea of building solar cells on fabric is potentially transformative,” Andrew said. “If we take this technology to grow devices on material, then we could talk wearable technology, as well as solar curtains, solar umbrellas, solar tents, or applications for the military.” Though Fairbanks and Andrew are not the first to conceive of solar textiles, their collaboration overcomes a manufacturing challenge that Andrew said is slowing the rollout of cheap, consumer-friendly solar cells, namely the early integration of technologies emerging from the lab with actual manufacturing processes. “There’s no one out there, there’s no designer working with a device person trying to do this - that’s us - and that’s what really excites me about this project even today,” said Andrew. With a recent grant funded by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and awarded by UW-Madison’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education, Fairbanks and Andrew have begun experi-

menting with different ways to create solar textiles. One project has materials science and engineering graduate student Lushuai Zhang using vapour phase chemistry to coat different fabric weave types and structures with a polymer that increases its conductivity. Once the weave is at least 10 times more conductive than it was before coating, the fabric will act as the bottom electrode on which Zhang will deposit two different dyes and a top electrode - the contact between the four deposits making up a complete and functional solar cell. A second idea grew from Fairbanks’ knowledge of weaving. Since the four layers of a dye-based solar cell actually don’t need to be placed down in sequence - the point being only to create the right contact between the four components-Fairbanks suggested they try creating a spool of read for each of the components. If Fairbanks could then weave those threads together, two electrodes and two dyes, the weave’s cross-sections would also create the contact points necessary for a fully functional device.

ACADEMIC SPEAK

A NOVEL SENSOR TO DETECT PANCREATIC CANCER 14-YEAR OLD JACK ANDRAKA ROSE ABOVE ALL OBSTACLES TO FIND A COST EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGY TO DETECT PANCREATIC CANCER.

Tell us about your current research.

When I was 14, I started working in a lab at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to try to develop a novel sensor to detect pancreatic cancer. My idea was to mix a combination of single walled carbon nanotubes with the antibody to mesothelin, a biomarker believed to be over expressed in that disease. I had dipped strips of ordinary lab filter paper in the mixture and let the layers dry.Â The mesothelin would bond with the antibody. Pushing the network of nanotubes apart, changing the electrical properties of the strip, which I could then detect using a common ohm meter.

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Give us a brief about the materials used for your research.

I used single walled carbon nanotubes because they are readily available and inexpensive and their structure allows for the integration of protein. This structure also allows them to conduct electricity without heating up enough to denature the protein. Due to their large electrochemically accessible surface area, they are considered very attractive electrodes. The addition of molecules into a carbon nanotube percolation network can drastically change the electrical properties of the network. I used mesothelin, a protein believed to

www.worldofchemicals.com be over expressed in certain cancers mixed with the carbon nanotubes and layered onto ordinary lab filter paper for some strips and I used keratin, a protein which has a similar structure to mesothelin, mixed with carbon nanotubes layered onto filter paper, as a control.

What are the biomarkers or proteins that you work with.

Many biomarkers are over expressed in pancreatic cancer. In this study, the pancreatic cancer biomarker mesothelin was detected. Mesothelin has been found to be over expressed in pancreatic cancers while not being over expressed in healthy tissues or in patients with chronic pancreatitis. Mesothelin can be found in blood serum.

Did you use the same methodology for identifying all the three - ovarian, lung and pancreatic cancers?

ine how many people can learn and innovate if they have access to knowledge that in many cases has been paid for by their taxes!

How is your technology more cost effective than current technology?

How difficult was it for you to take your innovation outside laboratory?

Interestingly, mesothelin can be over expressed in pancreatic, lung and ovarian cancers. Thus this sensor would not be specific to pancreatic cancer alone but could serve as an inexpensive and rapid method to detect the presence of mesothelin and a need for further tests.

My biggest challenge was to find a mentor since I was starting this research before I was even in high school and my age and inexperience prevented me from being considered in many labs. So I emailed about 200 professors asking to work in their lab. Since I was 14 with no lab experience it was no surprise when I was turned down by 199 professors but I did obtain an interview with one professor and after an interview I was accepted and was on my way! Of course, once I started working in the lab I had many setbacks due to my lack of experience: I dropped samples, contaminated samples; ruined cell cultures in the wrong size centrifuge and the Western Blot drove me crazy!

Finally though, I was able to create strips that could detect increased levels of mesothelin in the lab. Another obstacle I struggled with was the lack of open access to scientific journals. This is a huge obstacle to young innovators because an article can be very expensive ($35) which can really add up when you are doing research. I would not have been able to do this research without the internet and Google - there simply aren’t any books I need available to me in my local library. That’s a big reason that I am such a champion for open access - imag-

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

As I mentioned, I was only 14 when I first developed a biosensor to detect mesothelin and I naively thought I could have the idea go to market in just a few years ( a year seems like a really long time when you are a young teen!). Even though my mentor advised me of the prolonged process required, I didn’t grasp the amount of development required and overestimated my ability to push the idea forward quickly. I now see that, of course, my mentor was correct (no surprise there!) that it has a long way to go. I think the great thing about my idea is that it shows that with the internet, new innovations can come from anywhere and that industry should be aware that hidden innovators can develop ideas as well.

What were the challenges that you faced in this process?

I made small batches of the strips by hand dipping them and could perform several tests on each strip, bringing the cost per test to about 3 cents. There are different kinds of ELISA tests and the cost of some of them at the time I was researching was as high as $800.

Are you in talks with the pharma companies for commercialising your technology?

I spoke to several very large pharmaceutical companies. Unfortunately, they wanted me to bring the sensor through clinical trials which I simply am unable to do being a college student now with limited resources. My hope is that someone can take this idea and develop it for public good. I am not interested in making money from this idea but I would love for it to move forward.

What are the other research projects you are working on?

Right now I’m working on several projects. I am really interested in global public health issues so I’m developing my idea of water filters made from recycled plastic water bottles. I’m continuing to refine my cancer biosensor strip and I am starting a research project using nanorobots to find and then destroy cancer cells.

GREEN CHEMISTRY

NEW BIOPLASTIC PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY Bio-on SpA and University of Hawaii have signed an exclusive global research contract to further develop the technology for the production of the revolutionary bioplastic PHAs: the objective is to use lignocellulosic materials (wood processing waste) and domestic or agricultural waste as the raw material. Bio-on will invest $1.4 million in the Manoa (HI) laboratories for this project. Bio-on and University of Hawaii will create an industrial process that will enable Bio-on over the coming years to further increase its technological offer, which has a unique selling point in the sector: the wide variety of waste products from which its high performing PHAs can be made. Wood and domestic or agricultural waste are therefore added to the sugar beet and sugar cane, glycerol (biodiesel waste) and potato processing waste co-products already used. The industrial plants, part of the licenses granted by Bio-on SpA, will have the capability of using all of these materials, with limited

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adjustments, making them highly flexible. The PHAs (or poly-hydroxy-alkanoates) are bio plastics that can replace many conventional polymers, obtained today with petrochemical processes using hydrocarbons. The PHAs developed by bio-on guarantee the same thermo mechanical properties of polymers made from petroleum with the advantage of being completely biodegradable in a natural way. PHAs, or polyhydroxyalkanoates, are bioplastics that can replace a number of traditional polymers currently made with petrochemical processes using hydroarbons. The poly-hydroxy-alkanoatess developed by Bio-on guarantee the same thermo-mechanical properties as oil-based polymers with the advantage of being completely naturally biodegradable. “We are enthusiastic to participate in the development of Bio-on’s technology,” said Robert Bley-Vroman, Chancellor of the University of Hawaii Manoa USA. “Bio-on’s investment will make our scientists at the Hawaii Natural

Energy Institute School of Ocean and Earth Science & Technology University of Hawaii Manoa key players in the green chemical industry research at a global level.” “With this new contract, we are confirming a collaboration between Bio-on and UH active since 2008, which makes the research conducted in the USA on behalf of Bio-on one of the highest-level collaborations in existence,” explained Marco Astorri, Chairman of Bio-on SpA. “We are committing our funding and our technicians to support UH scientists in the technological expansion of the high performing biopolymers produced with Bio-on technology.” The agreement between Bio-on and University of Hawaii adds an important building block to the construction of the platform for bioplastic production and the green chemical industry of the future. This agreement heralds the opening up of highly promising scenarios for the development and internationalisation of Bio-on’s technology on new markets.

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PROFESSOR GENERATES VALUE ADDED CHEMICALS FROM ‘CHILLI CRABS’ D

r Yan Ning, assistant professor, National University of Singapore (NUS) Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, in his work in the field of green chemistry has found out an unconventional way to generate value added chemicals from chitin waste. Ning discovered that Singapore and the region, being so fond of seafood such as chilli crabs, generate a lot of chitin (a nitrogen containing substance forming the shells) wastes. His group was among the first in the world to realize the potentials in these chitin wastes, coming up with the world’s first series of

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

innovative systems to convert chitin directly into value-added chemicals. Their works have been published in leading journals in the field, and was highlighted by International Innovation in the paper, Beyond the Boundaries of Biomass Production. For his efforts, he was awarded the G2C2 Young Researcher Award. The award is for green chemistry researchers under the age of 35 who have made an outstanding contribution to their field, was presented at the 3rd International Symposium on Green Chemistry (ISGC) in La Rochelle. G2C2 is a global collaboration between research centres towards the furthering

of the cause of green chemistry. Dr Yan was selected as the only recipient of the award, out of 60 applicants. According to the G2C2 website, Dr Yan’s achievements in the field of green catalysis have set him apart from his peers. At 33, Dr Yan has already coauthored 60 peer-reviewed scientific publications and 1 book chapter. His citations exceed 1700 and his h-index is 22. Since joining NUS engineering in 2012, Dr Yan has established the Green Catalysis Lab, conducting diversified research covering a wide scope of green chemistry.

GREEN CHEMISTRY

ECONOMICAL, ECO-FRIENDLY CATALYTIC PROCESS R

esearchers at the University of New Haven and Yale University have discovered a high-quality catalytic process for converting biomass model compounds, which can be used to convert biomass into value-added chemicals, such as biofuels, while minimizing the environmental impact and boosting sustainability. “Some are concerned that you have to make sacrifices in quality to be green. But we have discovered a high-quality catalytic process for converting biomass model compounds that is economical and green,” said Dequan Xiao, assistant professor of chemistry and chemical engineering, University of New Haven. The researchers reported their findings in a

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research communication, “Highly Selective Hydrogenation and Hydrogenolysis Using A Copper Doped Porous Metal Oxide Catalyst,” published in the journal, Green Chemistry. “We discovered that earth-abundant metals based catalysts can be highly selective for the conversion of biomass model compounds,” Xiao explained. “And we question the principle of theoretical and computational chemistry to provide insights in understanding the phenomenon.” The researchers noted that sustainability has emerged as a global concern and has prompted chemists to develop procedures that minimise impact on the environment. Their work focused on non-food biomass, the

material derived from green plants and other living organisms, and biorefining, the process of converting biomass into useable chemical products. Biomass is viewed as a renewable resource that has the potential to meet the energy and chemical needs of society, while minimising environmental impact and increasing sustainability. “In summary, we have developed a very selective method for hydrogenolysis of benzyl ketones and aldehydes as a greener alternative to Wolff-Kishner and Clemmensen conditions or noble-metal catalysed reductions. Additionally, our method allows selective reductions of alkenes,” the paper states.

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EGG WHITES HAS THE RECIPE FOR BIODEGRADABLE, ANTIBACTERIAL PLASTICS A

recent study by the University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences has found that bioplastics made from protein sources such as albumin and whey have shown significant antibacterial properties which could eventually lead to their use in plastics used in medical applications such as wound healing dressings, sutures, catheter tubes and drug delivery. It can also be used for food packaging. Researchers tested three nontraditional bioplastic materials—albumin, whey and soy proteins—as alternatives to conventional petroleum-based plastics that pose risks of contamination. In particular, albumin, a protein found in egg whites, demonstrated tremendous antibacterial properties when blended

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

with a traditional plasticiser such as glycerol. “It was found that it had complete inhibition, as in no bacteria would grow on the plastic once applied. The bacteria wouldn’t be able to live on it,” said Alex Jones, a doctoral student in the department of textiles, merchandising and interiors. The albumin-glycerol blended bioplastic is fully biodegradable. “If you put it in a landfill, this being pure protein, it will break down,” he said. “If you put it in soil for a month-at most two months-these plastics will disappear.” The next step in the research involves a deeper analysis of the albumin-based bioplastic’s potential for use in the biomedical and food packaging fields.

As noted in the study, 4.5 hospital admissions out of every 100 in the U.S. in 2002 resulted in a hospital-acquired infection. In addition to the risk of contamination in hospitals, food contamination as a result of traditional plastics is a notable risk. The antimicrobial properties of albumin-based bioplastics could potentially reduce these risks through drug elution-loading the bioplastic with either drugs or food preservatives that can kill bacteria or prevent it from spreading. The study has been co-authored by Suraj Sharma- department of textiles, merchandising and interiors and Abhyuday Mandal- department of statistics, who also aided in the statistical analysis and discussion.

GREEN CHEMISTRY

COLORADO CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR DEVELOPS GREEN CONDENSATION TECHNOLOGY

ugene Chen, a Chemistry professor at the Colorado State University has developed green condensation reactions for renewable chemicals, liquid fuels, and biodegradable polymers. This new technology is waste-free and metal-free. It offers significant potential for the production of renewable chemicals, fuels and

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bioplastics that can be used in a wide range of safer industrial and consumer products. Chen was awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded a Presidential Green Chemistry award and is the only award winner recognized in the Academic category. Chenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s co-workers, Miao Hong, a post-doctoral fellow and D.J. Liu, a graduate student

also received the award and were recognized at the ceremony. In condensation reactions, as two molecules combine to form a larger molecule, small molecules split off. Because of the loss of this small molecule, such as water, hydrogen chloride, ethylene, methanol, or acetic acid, these reactions are intrinsically waste-generating.

www.worldofchemicals.com Additionally, condensation reactions are often mediated by metals. For the production of jet or other transportation fuels, fine chemicals, and bioplastics, biomass platform chemicals, such as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), need to be upgraded through the C-C bond forming, condensation reaction into chain-extended, higher energy-density substances, such as 5,5’-dihydroxymethylfuroin (DHMF). The 12-carbon DHMF is a new bio-derived building block that can be catalytically transformed into renewable fine chemicals, polymeric materials, and oxygenated biodiesel or premium alkane jet fuels. Direct HMF coupling is not possible through aldol self-condensation of HMF because it lacks a necessary hydrogen atom in the X-position to the carbonyl group. Existing alternative methods, such as metal-mediated cross-aldol condensation, have to use other enolizable petrochemicals. These methods

also suffer from the unavoidable waste inherent in conventional condensation reactions. The team developed a new condensation technology that uses an organic catalyst, such as an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC), to reverse the polarity of the HMF carbonyl (umpolung), to enabling a solvent-free direct condensation coupling of HMF into DHMF with quantitative yield and 100% atom-economy. Professor Chen and his postdoctoral fellow Dr Miao Hong also developed a polycondensation method, called “Proton-Transfer Polymerisation” (HTP), which uses an NHC catalyst to polymerize dimethacrylates uniquely into biodegradable polyesters with 100 percent atom-economy. The resulting unsaturated polyesters are of interest for producing tailor-made biodegradable polyester materials through post-functionalization and cross-linking. The synthesis of

such polyesters from dimethacrylates is not possible by a metal-based process, such as the Ru or Mo-mediated acyclic diene metathesis, because such methods are ineffective for polymerization of electron-deficient, conjugated or sterically demanding diolefins such as dimethacrylates. In contrast, existing methods polymerize dimethacrylates through non-condensation, polyaddition pathways into non-biodegradable polymethacrylates. The new condensation technology not only offers two novel condensation synthetic pathways towards the HMF upgrading and polyester production from acrylic monomers, both processes of which are not possible by any existing technologies, it also exhibits important hallmarks of a green technology by being catalytic, metal-free and 100% atom-economical as well as solvent-free (for the HMF upgrading) or biodegradable (for the polyester production).

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FOR YOU TO KNOW

ALL ABOUT CHEMISTRY Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

GREEN CHEMISTRY

REPLACING PETROLEUM WITH WOOD: A NEW APPROACH TO RENEWABLE RESOURCES S

cientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, US, are working towards using sustainable biomass, like wood, as an alternative raw material for chemical production. The research is driven towards replacing petroleum with wood in manufacturing chemical substances. The researchers have already managed to synthesize two complex chemical substances from wood-based starting materials. The process can be as cost-effective as the conventional petroleum product-based process and is less damaging to the environment. “Our aim is to manufacture everyday products from renewable resources without an impact on the environment while at the same time ensuring that the process is economically competitive,” said Professor Till Opatz of Mainz University. The results of their research have been published in the prominent journal Angewandte Chemie. The German research team led by Professor Till Opatz at JGU’s Institute of Organic Chemistry participates in the interdisciplinary research consortium Chemical BioMedicine (ChemBioMed) funded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation and works on the synthesis of substances that can inhibit tumor cell growth. The US research group under Professor Anthony Arduengo III focuses on developing industrially applicable methods for using materials derived from wood biomass for the

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sustainable manufacture of a broad array of basic chemicals such as, substances used to produce automotive coatings, plastics, adhesives, and other commodity materials. At a conference in Goslar in Germany about two years ago, the two researchers realised that their experience and expertise complemented each other perfectly for addressing issues surrounding sustainability of a modern chemical industry. Since then, a vigorous exchange of researchers and students between Mainz and Tuscaloosa has fueled the collaboration. The two teams have been able to demonstrate wood-based, or xylochemical, syntheses of substances for which petroleum products are usually employed as starting materials. This new work shows that the relevant carbon skeletons can be created solely from wood-based starting materials. In the case of one target compound, the natural product ilicifoline B, no comparison with a petrochemical route was possible as this substance had never before been synthesized in a laboratory. But when it came to derivatives of the natural painkiller morphine, the new xylochemical synthesis turned out to be significantly more efficient than any previously known route based on petrochemistry. “This shows that the implementation of a wood-based chemical economy is not necessarily associated with decreased cost-efficiency,” added Daniel Stubba, JGU first author of the publication. “Xylochemistry

could represent an important alternative to the climate-damaging use of the earth’s finite resources of natural oil and gas in the production of chemicals.” Further related research is ongoing in the two laboratories and additional international collaborators have been recruited to address a broader range of connected topics. For this latter purpose, an international research consortium called StanCE (Sustainable Technology for a new Chemical Economy) has been established. It brings together researchers from the USA, Germany, Japan, and Canada who are collaborating on the development of an alternative, sustainable chemical infrastructure that does not consume finite resources and avoids ecological imbalances while remaining cost-efficient. Wood contains a variety of potential starting materials that, because of their chemical structure, are better suited than petroleum products for many applications. It is often necessary to subject the latter to extensive transformation processes before they acquire comparable functionality. “Wood is the ideal raw material because it is renewable and an easily accessible resource at the same time. Its composition is like a box of varied building blocks from which products for today’s modern world can be manufactured,” said Opatz, adding that Alabama and Germany, like Canada, have extensive available wood resources.

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SURFACTANTS: A SOLUTION TO CLEAR UP OIL SPILLS S

urfactants play a huge role in the commercial and industrial arenas. Since they have the ability to reduce liquid surface tension, we typically associate them with soaps and detergents. However, surfactants are also important within the cosmetic, personal care products, agrochemical and paint industries. They are even used in oil drilling and textile processing. Unfortunately, these compounds have one drawback: the very best surfactants are chemically stable. This may sound like a positive; it’s part of why they’re so effective, after all. The problem with being chemically stable, however, is that it also means they’re non-biodegradable. As a result, surfactants can remain in the environment for years. This is certainly not a good quality to have when some surfactants are toxic to both humans and the environment. So what can specialty chemicals companies do to address this? With the push for better chemical safety and green products, the development of biodegradable surfactants is an area ripe with opportunity. A German-based specialty chemicals company even opened up a new innovation centre in Virginia with this goal as one of its main aims. They intend to develop products that are environmentally sustainable and safe while also perform well at a reasonable cost.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

Biodegradable surfactants can help clean the environment. One application of surfactants is to clean up oil spills. As so-called herding agents, they help contract oil slicks or push separate slicks together, in order to make it easier to collect or burn. Understandably, they’re crucial for cleaning up environmental disasters. But if the herding agents remain in the seawater they’re helping clean up, it ends up being less helpful for marine ecosystems. Thankfully, scientists have recently developed an alternative that can address this problem. A research team created a compound derived from a sugar-based molecule that is benign and eco-friendly. Even better, it’s renewable and biodegradable—something that should please the most ardent proponent of green, sustainable practices. The best news of all, however, is that it’s also effective. Tests showed that only a small amount of the compound was needed to clean up an oil spill. Only 5 percent of the volume of oil needed to be recovered, in fact. Digital Tools to helps find sustainable solutions When it comes to research and development, specialty chemicals firms face a variety of issues. They need to manage their inventory well. They need to have the capability to search through their protocols and experimental data effectively. They need to streamline their development

cycles to avoid wasting resources on deadend ideas while supporting the most promising ones. Ultimately, these all contribute to accelerating new chemical development. Adopting digital solutions can make achieving these goals easier. By transitioning from paper-based systems to digital tools, R&D labs can enjoy the following advantages: • Access past research and data with minimal fuss and effort. • Easily share information among collaborators. • Optimise experiment cycles through a centralised database. • Virtually screen materials to assess their performance and behavior, allowing researchers to eliminate dead-end candidates early in the R&D process. • Identify and source required chemicals to ensure that they are on-hand and available in the amounts needed. While biodegradable and eco-friendly products are certainly an area specialty chemicals companies should look into for opportunity, it’s important that innovation doesn’t come at the cost of precious resources. firms to develop new and exciting specialty chemicals while also remaining efficient in terms of time, effort and money.

INNOVATION

DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY & TRANSPARENCY IN TEXTILE MANUFACTURING TEXTILE COMPANIES AND CONSUMERS ALIKE IS HELPING TO DRIVE SUSTAINABILITY-RELATED INNOVATION

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www.worldofchemicals.com The intense focus today on resource conservation and environmental responsibility by textile companies and consumers alike is helping to drive sustainability-related innovation. Nowhere is that more evident than in some of the recent developments driven by the Swiss colour and speciality chemicals company, Archroma. The first involves turning agricultural waste such as almond shells, saw palmetto, rosemary leaves and other natural products into a new range of dyes for cotton and cellulose-based fabrics. Dubbed EarthColors, these dyes take products that otherwise would have been sent to landfill and use their natural properties to produce rich red, brown and green colours for use on denim and casualwear. Four years in the making, these dyes are produced using a patent-pending process. The new range is made near Barcelona, Spain, with all raw materials sourced from within a radius of 500 km. Additionally, notes Alan Cunningham, head of textiles dyes marketing at Archroma, “Not one square metre of land is set aside to grow the raw material for these dyes, so there is no competition for arable land.” But that’s only half the story. Knowing that supply-chain transparency is vital both to brand owners and to consumers, Archroma is leveraging the near field communications (NFC) technology that is incorporated into most smartphones today to provide extensive information to shoppers about the origin of the materials used to make the clothes they are considering buying. Each item of clothing made using this process can be fitted with a hang tag that incorporates a chip, which can contain information such as the mill that dyed the fabric, where the garment was laundered, and the source of bio-based raw material. Using their NFCequipped smartphones, shoppers can access all these data by simply scanning the chip. Brand owners also can use this chip-scanning technology to track the product’s sourcing history and production journey, from the factory to the store shelf. In another move that is designed to help textile manufacturers and brand owners to manage their use of resources more efficiently, Archroma has developed what it calls the One Way calculation tool. Its aim is to balance the

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

cost of compliance with sustainable production. The measurements made possible with the One Way Calculator include: • The cost and performance profile of a given production process, based on relevant parameters such as dyes and chemicals, water, energy, or time; • Environmental emissions and discharge based on actual measurements of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), CO2 emissions, energy consumption, and water usage. Archroma introduced One Way in 2012 after more than two years of development to demonstrate it is possible to successfully merge the dual objectives of ecology and economy. The One Way methodology takes a highly systematic approach to the selection of chemicals and production processes, and the tool provides a fast, measurable and reliable approach to such decision-making. This helps customers to meet their sustainability targets in a fast and reliable manner. One Way received industry recognition with the 2013 ICIS Best Business Innovation Award. And it is constantly being improved. In 2014, Archroma added its portfolio of ZDHC MRSL-compliant chemicals and dyes to the One Way tool. Additionally, Switzerland’s Bluesign Technologies AG has selected One

Way to be the engine behind the bluesign® blueXpert resource tool that is due to launch in 2016. Introduced last summer, the blueXpert tool is aiming to bring resource productivity in the textile industry to the next level, by enabling textile mills to slash water, energy and chemical consumption. The textile manufacturing industry is facing new challenges with push from legislators and pull from brands and consumers. This is prompting demand for a completely new approach to the manufacture and application of colourants. Textile producers, too, need to embrace new colouration technologies to conserve resources and develop ecological textiles to meet the rising expectations of consumers. Rather than being a threat, such market challenges open the way for new innovations in more ecological colourants, manufacturing and application technologies and in waste management. Archroma, with its EarthColors and One Way developments, is helping to challenge the status quo and lead the way on this important sustainability journey.

Author: Muriel Werle, head of communications, Archroma. 47

R&D YOUNG TURKS

RESEARCHER DEVELOPS BIODEGRADABLE POLYMER FOR BONE REGENERATION D

r. Matthew Becker, a 39-year old professor of polymer science at University of Akron has developed biodegradable polymers which can regrow broken bones. The polymer can help save the limbs of soldiers severely wounded in battle. Becker’s Laboratory for Functional Biomaterials develops biodegradable polymers for medical applications. Chief among these is a polymer tube designed to replace sections of arm and leg bones destroyed by battle wounds or removed during surgery. The tube, called a scaffold, is treated with biochemical signals that spur bone regrowth. Over time, the tube disappears. Becker’s research team

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and collaborators at Methodist Hospital Research Institute in Houston and at Akron Polymer Systems have been testing the tubes for the US Department of Defense. In trials with sheep, legs in which a section of bone has been replaced with a polymer tube have regrown the bone in four months. Recent advances in the technology could cut that full recovery time by as much as half, said Becker. Becker’s research team is unusual in that it bridges polymer science, medicine and organic chemistry. The first-generation polymer tubes were extruded in the laboratory of Dr Avraam Isayev, UA distinguished professor of polymer engineering.

The Akron and Houston researchers are finalists for another large Defense Department grant that would extend the sheep testing and also fund a human clinical trial of the technique. Soldiers who suffer serious limb injuries in battle would be eligible for the trial as an alternative to amputation. For this innovation, Becker also won the 2015 Young Investigator Award by the American Chemical Society journals Biomacromolecules, Macromolecules and ACS Macro Letters. The international award honours scientists, chemists or engineers age 40 or younger who have made a major impact in polymer science.

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IT’S A DIRECTORY OF CHEMICAL

SELLERS & BUYERS Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

R&D YOUNG TURKS

EGYPTIAN TEENAGER DEVELOPS INEXPENSIVE METHOD TO TURN PLASTIC WASTE INTO BIOFUEL A

zza Faiad, from the Zahran Language School in Alexandria, Egypt has developed a new inexpensive way to turn plastic trash into fuel. The method produces biofuel by breaking down plastics using a cheaper and plentiful low-cost catalyst. The Egyptian teenager converted plastic into fuel feedstocks, or the bulk raw material for producing biofuel, through a new catalyst called aluminisilicate. The catalyst reduces the cost of converting plastic waste into gaseous products, including methane, propane and ethane, which can be converted

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into ethanol for use as biofuel. The chemicals extracted from plastic polymers are the same chemicals extracted from vegetation to create ethanol biofuel. The Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute Mamdouh Elmelawy was attracted to Faiad’s idea, which they believe would offer a substitute to fossil fuels through her new catalyst. Faiad was granted by the institute an access to a lab with other researchers to help develop her trash-to-fuel formula. Faiad aims to take advantage on Egypt’s high plastic consumption, estimated to be around one million tonnes a year.

The process could convert Egypt’s massive plastic waste into fuel that would generate $78 million biofuel per year, Faiad estimated. The technology could “provide an economically efficient method for production of hydrocarbon fuel,” Faiad said. The teenager also believes the process could raise the total return to $163 million each year from Egypt’s plastic trash. Faiad had already won the European Fusion Development Agreement award at the 23rd European Union Contest for Young Scientists, and continues to work on a patent for her trash to fuel process.

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U YO

N A C

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HE C T

U O B A

R&D YOUNG TURKS

POLYMER CHEMIST WINS PM’S SCIENCE PRIZE IN AUSTRALIA C

yrille Boyer, polymer chemist from The University of New South Wales (UNSW) has been awarded one of the prime minister’s prizes for science - Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year 2015. Boyer has been awarded the nation’s most prestigious award for his innovative works using light to create complex, functional polymers

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and next generation nano medicines ti treate infectious diseases. The $50,000 prize honours early or mid-career researchers who have made outstanding achievements that can improve human welfare or benefit society. A French national, who grew up on a vineyard near Avignon, Boyer’s foray into science began with a chemistry set, gifted to him by

his parents at age 10. Today, he is recognized internationally and his research has been patented in several countries by the likes of heavyweight engineering firms DuPont and Toso. An Australian Research Council Future Fellow and associate professor in the UNSW School of Chemical Engineering, Boyer has been developing a more sustainable process

www.worldofchemicals.com to build polymers, which are chains of small, repeating molecules. Natural polymers, such as DNA and proteins, are ubiquitous in the biological world, and in our built environment, synthetic polymers are used to make paints, adhesives, textiles and plastics. As techniques to create polymers get more sophisticated, chemists can design materials with unique physical properties and functions, opening up a range of applications for drug delivery, medical diagnostics, energy storage, and for non-stick and anti-bacterial surface coatings, mimicking nature. Presently, however, the energy-intensive process to create synthetic polymers requires high temperatures to trigger the necessary chemical reactions, as well as toxic substances, largely derived from non-renewables fossil fuels. Boyer, who is a member of the Centre for Advanced Macromolecular Design at UNSW, has been developing a more sustainable polymerization process inspired by photosynthesis – the process used by plants, algae and certain bacteria to convert sunlight into stored energy. “By using light we can significantly reduce the energy consumption and carry out the polymerization process at room temperature,”

he said. In essence, Boyer and his team can precisely control when and where they introduce the next link into their polymer chains simply by shining a light, and by using lights of different wavelengths, or intensities, they can create links between up to 10 different compounds. “Light also allows us to precisely manipulate and control the polymer properties,” he said.In addition to using a renewable form of energy, Boyer’s group recently went one step further, incorporating a biodegradable catalyst. In a world first, they demonstrated that visible light along with chlorophyll – a natural, non-toxic and abundant pigment found in plants – could be used to activate the polymerization process and produce well-defined, functional materials. The results were reported in 2015 in the prestigious Chemical Science. “This is very exciting for our group and the polymer community globally, because it means we can now overcome the limitation of toxicity,” he said. “This recent advance brings us one step closer to emulating the synthetic capabilities of nature, which could lead us to the possibility

of producing synthetic polymers with comparable properties of natural polymers.” Boyer’s team has also demonstrated another impressive world-first: they recently triggered a similar polymerization process using near-infrared light, which has longer wavelengths than visible light and can penetrate a wider range of materials, including human skin. He said this will enable non-toxic polymers to be made inside the body, for medical applications like tissue engineering and wound healing, and in implant surgeries. Boyer, who is also the deputy director of the Australian Centre for Nanomedicine at The University of New South Wales (UNSW), is using his expertise in polymerization to develop intelligent, drug-delivering nanoparticles. By tailoring the size, shape and surface properties of these nanoparticles, which are thousands of times thinner than a sheet of paper, Boyer can exert incredible control over where they end up inside a cell, and when they deliver their therapeutic agents. One such particle, which will deliver antibiotics in combination with nitric oxide and/or carbon monoxide, could help in the fight against antimicrobial resistance – a growing international problem that could have catastrophic consequences.

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LOGISTICS REPORT

CHEMICAL LOGISTICS AN UNTAPPED €3,000 BILLION INDUSTRY BY 2017 LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT SHOULD BE KEY ELEMENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL GLOBAL CHEMICAL COMPANIES IN TODAY’S COMPLEX INTERCONNECTED MARKETPLACE.

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www.worldofchemicals.com The global chemical industry is one of the world’s largest and most important sectors with a worldwide sales value of €3,000 billion, generating international trade volumes above 700 million tonne of freight annually. However, does the industry invest equally in the logistics of the chemicals? An insight... Leading players in the chemical industry could significantly increase their competitive advantage if they started leveraging logistics as well as other global industries do, according to new research commissioned by DHL, a leading logistics company. DHL’s whitepaper “Supply chain in the boardroom - 5 levers to boost a chemical company’s bottom line” highlights opportunities to boost performance and overcome challenges such as commoditization by getting logistics onto boardroom agendas in the chemical industry. According to the report, the five levers that can help chemical companies increase performance and competitiveness are: optimizing logistics costs, freeing up capital for better inventory management, smart investment in logistics assets, increased focus on end-to-end safety and security processes and differentiated logistics services. “Logistics in the chemical industry is expected to run smoothly and reliably with senior executives usually only paying attention when something goes wrong and rarely regarding logistics as an opportunity,” explained Michael O’Hara, global head of chemicals sector, DHL Global Forwarding. “Logistics and supply chain management should be key elements in a formula for success for global chemical companies in today’s complex interconnected marketplace where products are fast being commoditized. The research has identified five levers that applied strategically at board level can restore competitive advantage, increase liquidity, and turn a standardized approach to safety and security from a cost into a benefit that adds value and attracts new customers.” With a worldwide sales value of €3,000 billion, the chemical industry is one of the world’s largest and most important sectors, generating international trade volumes above 700 million tonne of freight annually. The

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

industry is exceptionally diverse with complex supply chains challenged by the variety of products, highly specialized transportation and storage requirements and growing safety issues. With the ongoing globalization of the supplier and customer base, chemicals are fast becoming commodities and as a result competitive advantages are getting harder to find. To meet these challenges, the report urges senior management to change its perception and see logistics as a strategic asset rather than a transport and delivery service. Authors of the report, found that a holistic end-toend approach to logistics can achieve greater logistics value through cost optimization, increased supply chain liquidity, smart investments in logistics assets, standardized safety across the supply chain, and differentiated logistics services.

Authors: Prof Dr Thomas Krupp (Cologne University of Applied Sciences) Prof Dr Carsten Suntrop, (CMC² GmbH / European University of Applied Sciences) and Uwe Veres-Homm (Fraunhofer Center for Applied Research on Supply Chain Services SCS)

Professor Dr Thomas Krupp said: “Management boards of chemical companies usually do not perceive supply chains and logistics as opportunities for their business. The five levers we outlined provide executives with insights and recommendations how to improve their company’s capability for better performance and increased competitiveness.”

COSTS, SECURITY AND CUSTOM-FIT SOLUTIONS Five key levers for a best in class supply chain In the report, Professors Krupp and Suntrop provide chemical companies with five key levers to use logistics strategically and outlines how to apply them. 1 A fresh focus on optimizing logistics costs by adopting a ‘Total Cost of Ownership’ approach. This means creating an end-toend analysis of supply chain costs and integrating supply chain and logistics management into decision-making. 2 Freeing up capital for better balance sheet management by optimum use of just-in time solutions and reduced inventory; innovative companies see logistics as one of the ‘must-win’ battles of the future. 3 Smart investment in the best logistics assets - owned or with service providers - and adopting a collaborative approach to get best Return on Capital Employed. 4 Focusing on safety and security - a number one priority for chemical companies. A proactive approach to standardizing safety across an international supply chain can be a long-term and profitable differentiator. “A boardroom that commits to developing and implementing a comprehensive supply chain management safety strategy can set its company apart from the competition,” the report highlights. 5 To get the right logistics services for the product and business unit. Differentiated services and supply chains specifically designed to meet customer requirements can create a competitive advantage in an industry where standard molecules are basically the same no matter what region they are made in or by which company.

LOGISTICS FEATURES

CHEMICAL LOGISTICS: KEEP IT MOVING, KEEP IT SAFE THE RISK OF DANGER IS WHAT MAKES CHEMICAL LOGISTICS DIFFERENT AND COMPANIES DEALING WITH IT NEED TO BE IMPECCABLE.

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www.worldofchemicals.com As U.S. chemical production grows, chemical shippers and their partners refine their strategies to ensure trouble-free transportation, secure sufficient capacity, and navigate the regulatory landscape. Thanks to an improved economy, the U.S. chemical market has been gaining strength in recent years and continues to grow. U.S. chemical production will increase by 3.7 percent in 2015 and another 3.9 percent in 2016, according to the American Chemistry Council’s (ACC) latest annual report on the industry, published in December 2014. U.S. companies made $805.1 billion worth of chemical shipments in 2014, according to the ACC. The group expects that figure to rise to $849 billion in 2015. The word “chemical” covers a vast array of substances, including many that are sitting in your kitchen cabinets. But when people talk about the challenges of chemical logistics, they’re often referring to substances that must be treated with special care. Such hazardous products include substances that might explode, ignite, emit toxic gases, corrode the skin, or otherwise cause serious harm if not handled properly. The risk of danger is what makes chemical logistics different from most other branches of supply chain management. “The safety programs of the companies you’re dealing with need to be impeccable,” said Tom Voelkel, president and chief operating officer of Dupré Logistics in Lafayette, La. Anyone who transports or stores a hazardous chemical must thoroughly understand how to handle that product. The consequence of any error can be grave. “If a carrier has a problem while hauling chlorine, for example, you’d have to evacuate a small town,” Voelkel said.

Safety Training Because of the potential danger involved, employees at companies that move and store hazardous chemicals require special training. Some training is dictated by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), which regulates how companies prepare hazardous materials (hazmat) for transit. At Pacific Coast Warehouse Company’s CWC) chemical third-party logistics distri-

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

bution center in Chino, Calif., each employee takes one full day of DOT hazmat training every three years, plus an in-house course on hazard awareness, said Mark Burks, the facility’s manager. Burks himself has also taken training in the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard (HAZWOPER), as required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). “At first, I had to go through a 40-hour course,” he said. “Now I take an annual eight-hour refresher course.” PCWC’s chemical distribution center (DC) provides third-party warehousing services for companies that use hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals in manufacturing. PCWC also handles various finished goods chemical products for retailers, distributors, and other customers.

U.S. companies made $805.1 billion worth of chemical shipments in 2014, according to the American Chemistry Council. The group expects that figure to rise to $849 billion in 2015. At DCs owned by chemical distributor Brenntag North America in Reading, Pa., some employees require specialized training in handling chemicals. Brenntag buys chemicals in bulk from manufacturers, and then repackages them in smaller containers—ranging from 55-gallon drums to 1,000-gallon bulk tanks—for delivery to local customers, using a private fleet. “Employees who load the trucks learn to segregate materials that aren’t supposed to come into contact with one another,” said David Garner, senior vice president of operations at Brenntag. They also learn to affix the correct placards, indicating which hazardous materials the truck is carrying, according to the DOT’s hazmat regulations. Workers who repackage chemicals take a further level of training, focused on personal protective gear. DC staffs follow rules laid out by DOT and OSHA, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which governs cleanup in case of a spill.

Procedures For Plastics Even chemicals that don’t pose safety hazards require special procedures and careful handling. Consider plastic resin—a commodity well known to Houston-based A&R Logistics. Most of A&R’s business involves dry bulk transportation, warehousing, packaging, and 3PL services for large companies that make plastic resins used in manufacturing. In its transportation business, A&R primarily provides last-mile services. It transfers bulk loads of resins—which come in the form of pellets—from rail cars to its own tank trailers, and then moves them to consignees’ manufacturing plants. A&R also must be cautious in its use of vacuum systems to load and unload dry bulk trailers. “We make sure all the hoses are sealed tight,” Holden said. Drivers who operate those systems must monitor the pressure to make sure the pellets don’t flow too fast. “If they’re under too much pressure, the pellets will generate enough friction to make them melt,” he adds. In addition, operators work hard to avoid spills, even though spilled resin would create no environmental impact. “Our customers treat the inventory almost as if it were hazardous,” said Holden. “So A&R treats it that way, too. It’s a quality of service issue.”

The big concern with resin is the risk of contamination. “All it takes to contaminate a load is a few pellets from a previous load that are a different color or a different type of chemistry,” notes Mark Holden, A&R’s chief executive officer. “We have to be very disciplined in our material handling and trailer cleaning.” 57

LOGISTICS NEWS

LTI, Inc. receives EPA SmartWay Excellence Award SEATTLE, US: LTI, Inc. said that its Milky Way division received a third consecutive SmartWay Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in October 2015. LTI, Inc. earned a top score in the Tanker Fleet Category based on its exceptional fuel economy, payload, idle time and modern emissions equipment. LTI, Inc. specialises in the transport of liquid and dry bulk commodities, and its Milky Way division is a leading bulk milk hauler in the Pacific Northwest. The company uses the most efficient engines available, lightweight equipment with enhanced aerodynamics, automatic tire inflation systems and onboard computers to manage highway speed, progressive shifting, best routing options

and idle times “We are extremely proud to receive the a third Excellence Award from the EPA. Our entire team deserves credit for maintaining our high standards of productivity, efficiency and environmental stewardship,” said Jason Jansen, president, LTI, Inc. “We will continue our efforts to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions while serving our customers.” “EPA is pleased to honor these SmartWay Partners with a 2015 Excellence Award,” said Chris Grundler, Director, EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality. “SmartWay carriers work diligently to bring our families the goods we need each day, while contributing to a healthier, more sustainable future for our children.”

Nunner inaugurates new warehouse facility in Poland SOSNOWIEC, POLAND: Nunner Logistics said that it inaugurated a new 10.000 m2 facility in Sosnowiec (close to Katowice), Poland in September 2015. The new facility includes warehousing for general cargo and warehousing areas for regulated and non-regulated chemicals. The company’s growing customer base in the chemical industry necessitated the expansion of warehousing space, which prompted the company to offer solutions in one of Polands most industrialised areas, said Nunner. “Our processes, information systems, facilities and equipment are all customised for the safe and efficient management of all packed commodities including chemicals” said Marcin Szostak, Managing Director, Nunner Poland.

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BDP launches SmartChemical, SmartLife Sciences BDP International (BDP) said it has added BDPSmart Chemical and BDPSmart Life Sciences to its Smart Suite shipment and order process management/reporting platform. Chemical customers in particular will have instant access to all pertinent shipment information with a new dashboard, said the company in its press release. Users will have the option to customise widgets that include on-time arrival; on-time departure; con-

tainers per month; document distribution timeliness, etc. “All users will experience the new look and feel of BDPSmart that includes a streamlined design with updated logos, icons, and reports to maximise appeal and efficiency for a better user experience,” said Angela Yochem, Chief Information Officer, BDP. “This new release is the next evolution of BDPSmart that gives clients an unprecedented ability to better

manage their logistics segment, and also have visibility into their order-to-cash cycle,” said Lance Malesh, Chief Sales Officer, BDP. Smart Chemical and Smart Life Sciences also offer interactive maps to provide users with a global view of top 10 trade lanes, along with any alerts. BDP’s Smart Chemical provides extra focus on sensitive shipments with the placement of regulated hazardous placards to allow for instant visibility.

China releases hazchem guidance and mandatory classifications China’s State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) issued guidance on its hazardous chemicals catalogue, together with mandatory classifications for all chemicals listed, on 2 September 2015. Industry has awaited the guidance since the release of the updated catalogue in March (CW 10 March 2015). It entered into force on 1 May 2015. The guidance explains how to find out if a mixture, or “product”, is listed in the catalogue and whether firms producing or handling listed chemicals require licences or hazardous chemical registrations. If at least 70 percent, by weight or volume,

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

of the ingredients in a mixture are listed, it is deemed as listed in the catalogue, and may need administrative licences. A hazardous chemical registration is required if the mixture itself is listed – unless it has already been officially classified as not hazardous. If a mixture is listed in the catalogue, companies that handle it may be subject to administrative licence requirements, such as production, operation or safe use licences. Mandatory GHS classifications: The guidance also requires companies to use the mandatory classifications for all 2,828 chemicals listed in the catalogue. These are in a “classification information sheet” set out as

an annex to the guidance. Each entry includes the chemical’s Chinese and English name, CAS number; and Hazard Category. Companies must prepare or update safety data sheets and labels in accordance with these. Together, the catalogue, guidance and annex will help businesses that produce, import, distribute or use listed chemicals, comply with the safe management of hazardous chemicals regulations (Decree 591). Along with Order 53, the decree requires manufacturers and importers to register hazardous chemicals with the National Registration Centre of Chemicals (NRCC).

REPORT AGROCHEMICALS

INDIAN AGROCHEMICALS MARKET TO REACH $6.8 BILLION BY FY 2017 INDIAN CROP PROTECTION MARKET WAS ESTIMATED AT $3.8 BILLION IN FY12 WITH EXPORTS CONSTITUTING ABOUT 50 PERCENT OF THE MARKET.

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www.worldofchemicals.com By Manish Panchal and

Charu Kapoor

Current low consumption of crop protection products in India offers immense opportunities for future growth, says Tata Strategic Management Group study. Increasing demand of food grains & declining farmlands in India have increased pressure on farm yield improvement and reduction in crop losses due to pest attacks. Indian crop protection market was estimated at $3.8 billion in FY12 with exports constituting about 50 percent of the market. The crop protection market has experienced strong growth in the past and is expected to grow further at approximate 12 percent per annum to reach $6.8 billion by FY17. The growth would be largely driven by export demand, which is expected to grow at 15-16 percent per annum, while domestic demand is expected to grow at 8-9 percent per annum. Biopesticides, which currently represent only 4.2 percent of the overall pesticide market in India, are expected to exhibit an annual growth rate of about 10 percent in the coming years. Indian crop protection industry is largely dominated by insecticides, which form about 65 percent of share of the industry. Other segments like herbicides, fungicides and other (rodenticides/nematocides) form 16 percent, 15 percent and 4 percent, respectively. The Indian market is different from the global industry in terms of consumption patterns. Globally, herbicides constitute about 44 percent of the crop protection market followed by fungicides at 27 percent, insecticides at 22 percent and others at 7 percent. Favourable climatic conditions in North America and Europe drive herbicide consumption in those areas. Insecticides usage has also gone down in developed markets with increased usage of genetically modified (GM) crops. Tropical climatic conditions and high production of paddy, cotton, sugarcane and other cereals in India drive the consumption of insecticides. Availability of cheap labor for manual weed picking also contributed to low consumption of herbicides in India. However, the trend is expected to change in future as herbicides, now, are the fastest growing segment due to increasing farm labour wages in India.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

Key growth drivers Indian agrochemicals market is supported by strong growth drivers. Current low consumption of crop protection products in India, 0.6 kg/ha compared to world average of 3 kg/ ha, offers immense opportunities for future growth. Availability of cheap labour and low processing costs offers opportunity for MNCs to setup their manufacturing hubs in India for their export markets. The sector is also driven by huge opportunity for contract manufacturing and research for Indian players due to large availability of technically skilled labour.

in contract research and manufacturing. Companies also need to relook at strengthening their SCM strategies to improve their distribution reach. Certain progressive companies in the industry have adopted new innovative practices and are setting new benchmarks in supply chain performance which can be followed by other players as well.

Industry challenges Despite the strong growth drivers, Indian agrochemicals industry faces challenges in terms of low awareness among farmers (only 25-30 percent of the farmers are aware of agrochemical products and their usage). With large number of end users spread across the geography, managing inventory & distribution costs is a challenge for the industry players. Apart from this, as per feedback from leading industry players, rising sale of spurious pesticides and spiked bio-pesticides pose a major threat to industry growth. Effectiveness of current supply chain management (SCM) practices in agrochemicals is another area of concern for the industry. Companies face issues due to seasonal nature of demand, unpredictability of pest attacks and high dependence on monsoons. Month end skews and high inventory across the channel is a perennial problem for the industry.

Growth imperatives Going forward, the industry needs simplified registration norms for pesticides exports and increased scope of regulations to include all types of pesticides (including biopesticides). For effective regulatory policy, government and industry players need to work together to keep up the growth momentum. Regulators need to increase their inspection staff to ensure regular checks to contain the growth of spurious products. There is also a need to encourage R&D and ease registration process for development of new molecules. Large MNCs can look at strategic alliances with Indian counterparts to increase their marketing and distribution reach or expand into newer product categories. Smaller Indian companies can look at tie-ups with MNCs to explore opportunities

Authors : Manish Panchal, practice head (chemicals & energy), TSMG. Charu Kapoor, engagement manager, TSMG. 61

REPORT FERTILIZERS

INDIAN FERTILIZERS MARKET OUTLOOK 2015 WITH THE DEPLETING STATE OF SOIL IN THE COUNTRY, FERTILIZER INDUSTRY PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN REVERSING THE FATE OF AGRICULTURE IN THE COUNTRY.

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www.worldofchemicals.com Total Production & Consumption of Fertilizers in India (MMTPA)

60.00

57.93

56.60

52.92

52.61

51.38

50.00 40.00

36.52

37.89

38.07

36.86

37.46

30.00 20.00 10.00 0.00

FY 10

Fertilizers are crucial for sustaining and increasing food production in order to meet the increasing food requirement. Being an agriculture dominant nation, the dependence on fertilizers can never go down. Also, with the depleting state of soil in the country, fertilizer industry plays a vital role in reversing the fate of agriculture in the country. A reportâ&#x20AC;Ś Fertilizers can broadly be categorised into nitrogenous, phosphate, potassium and complex fertilizers. Application of fertilizers varies from region to region based on regional nutrient requirement, cost of fertilizers and farmer preferences. From a level of about 52 million tonne in 1951-52, food grains production has gone above 370 million tonne in 2013-14. Fertilizer consumption increased from 43 million tonne in FY08 to 58 million tonne in FY12, led by a rise in phosphorus and potash

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

FY 11 FY 12 FY 13 Total Production Total Consumption

FY 14

consumption. But due to adverse climate and price issues consumption fell to an estimated 52 million tonne in FY14.

a fuel. Government has been instrumental in this regards towards motivating companies to use the alternative option.

Market Outlook

Key Challenge

Lack of monsoon and relatively higher prices of complex fertilizers has impacted the overall consumption of fertilizers in 2014-15. The demand is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) ~3 percent as compared to the no growth in the past 5 years. Due to new government policies, the fertilizer demand in India is expected to grow from FY14 to reach 71.5 million tonne in FY19, higher than the global growth rate of 2 percent during the same period. Though urea consumption is expected to grow at relatively slower pace, non-urea fertilizers would register a steady growth. Companiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; efforts to educate farmers about balanced usage of nutrients would drive the demand of nonurea fertilizers.

Demand for urea is expected to decline marginally by 1-2 percent in FY16 after growing by 1 percent in the previous year. Also, the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s directive of neem- based fertilizer production would mean lower volumes would be required as it releases nitrogen content slowly into the soil and would check diversion of urea for other purposes. Thus, urea demand is estimated to grow relatively slower at ~2 percent CAGR to 33-35 million tonne over FY14 to FY19, compared with the previous 5 years when urea consumption was estimated to have recorded a 3 percent CAGR.

Key Trend Use of natural gas as feedstock for the production of urea is energy efficient and cheaper. The current fertilizer policy is aimed towards increasing the use of Natural Gas as

Key Opportunitie The government is hopeful for players to develop and market innovative formulations which could be tailored to a particular local soil and crop requirements. Since subsidy would be given on the nutrient basis, players developing newer formulations will be able to rate the products based on demand.

REPORT POLYETHYLENE

LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE MARKET ASSESSMENT 2015-2025 HIGH DEMAND FOR FILM & SHEETS AND COATINGS FOR GENERAL AND LIQUID PACKAGING, PAPER COATING AND OTHER COATING APPLICATIONS, IN TURN, IS LEADING TO THE RISE IN DEMAND FOR LDPE WORLDWIDE.

Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) is one of the key ingredients of the packaging and construction industry. With the growing demand for films and sheets used for packaging, here is an insight on the how LDPE will meet the demand of the packaging industry over the next decade. Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) is the most common form of polyethylene. It was also the first grade of polyethylene to be produced on a commercial scale. LDPE is

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produced from polymerization of the monomer ethylene at high pressures. LDPE finds major application in the manufacturing of film & sheets and coatings, which are utilized primarily in the packaging and construction industry.

Market Dynamics LDPE is a form of polyethylene possessing lower density as compared to other grades of polyethylene. Molecules of LDPE are not packed tightly and their branching is high. These properties make LDPE suitable for applications such as film & sheets, extrusion coating, injection moulding, etc. High demand for film & sheets and coatings for general packaging, liquid packaging, paper

coating and other coating applications, in turn, is leading to the rise in demand for LDPE worldwide. Besides, packaging plays a crucial role in the retail industry. With the retail industry, especially the e-retail industry, growing at a significant rate, demand of LDPE for packaging purpose is also expected to boost up in these industries. Growing urbanisation and construction industry is also fuelling the demand for LDPE in the global market. Several house-hold goods, such as general purpose containers, kitchen products, bathroom products, etc., are manufactured using LDPE, through the injection moulding process. Growing population and GDP are further propelling the demand for LDPE worldwide.

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3.5%

4.8% 6.3%

13.0%

• APEJ

7.3%

• Western Europe

• Film & Sheets 6.7%

7.7%

2015E

• Injection Molding

Technology Analysis On the basis of technology, the LDPE market is segmented into autoclave and tubular reactor segments. In terms of market value, the tubular segment is projected to exhibit above average CAGR during the forecast period, with an incremental dollar opportunity approximately three times more when compared to the autoclave segment.

Application Analysis On the basis of applications, the LDPE market is segmented into film & sheets, extrusion coating, injection moulding and other applications. In terms of market value, the film & sheets segment is projected to exhibit the highest growth rate during the forecast period. The incremental dollar opportunity for this application segment is expected to reach around $16,080.7 million over the forecast period, which is approximately more than double the total incremental opportunity for the other three application segments during the forecast period.

• Latin America

22.1%

17.2%

23.5%

• Others

Currently, crude oil feedstock prices are low. This is driving the market players, especially in Europe and Asia, to increase LDPE production in order to gain low raw material cost benefits. As a result, the LDPE market is expected to grow, not only from the demand side, but also from the supply side, over the forecast period.

2025F

• MEA

68.8%

67.2%

36.5% 8.2%

• Eastern Europe

• Extrusion Coating

11.8% 11.7%

7.4%

• North America

28.4%

14.3%

6.5%

6.8%

• Japan

which include Asia Pacific (Excluding Japan), Latin America, Western Europe, North America, Japan, Eastern Europe and the Middle East and Africa. In terms of market value, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, the Middle East and Africa and Latin America are anticipated to expand at a higher CAGR when compared to other regions while all the other regions, together, are projected to expand at a collective CAGR of 3.7 percent over the forecast period.

Global LDPE Market by Region2015 & 2025 Markets in the developing economies are expected to represent an incremental opportunity of more than 2.5X for LDPE manufacturers as compared to the incremental opportunity in developed markets over the forecast period. Market value share of Asia Pacific excluding Japan in the global market

20.4%

is expected to increase by over 8 percent between 2015 and 2025, followed by the Middle East & Africa and Latin America. The BRICS LDPE market, in terms of value, is projected to expand at a promising CAGR of 7.7 percent during the forecast period.

Key Players Some of the key players in the LDPE market that have been covered in this study include LyondellBasell Industries NV, ExxonMobil Corporation, The Dow Chemical Company, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), BASF-YPC Company Limited, LG Chem Ltd, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Braskem SA, Formosa Plastics Corporation and Qatar Petrochemical Company.

Source: Future Market Insights

GLOBAL LDPE MARKET SIZE (US$ MN) 2015 AND 2025 CAGR (2015-2025): 5.6%

Regional Analysis On the basis of regions, the global LDPE market is segmented into seven main regions,

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

2015 (E) APEJ North America

Western Europe

Eastern Europe

MEA

2025 (F) Latin America

Japan

REPORT POLYMERS

A GLOBAL OUTLOOK ON BIO-BASED BUILDING BLOCKS AND POLYMERS:2020 BIO-BASED POLYMERS PRODUCTION CAPACITIES ARE PROJECTED TO GROW BY MORE THAN 400 PERCENT BY 2019.

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www.worldofchemicals.com In 2015, for the second time, the association “European Bioplastics” used nova-Institute’s market study as its main data source for their recently published market data. For European Bioplastics’s selection of biobased polymers, which differs from nova-Institute’s selection, bio-based polymers production capacities are projected to grow by more than 400 percent by 2019. The graph in Figure 1 shows European Bioplastics’s growth projection of bio-based polymers production; by 2019, these could grow by over 300 percent, or from 2 million tonne in 2015 to 7.8 million tonne in 2019 in absolute terms. The market is clearly dominated by bio-based and non-biodegradable polymers. The production capacity for bio-based polymers boasts very impressive development and annual growth rates, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20 percent in comparison to petrochemical polymers, which have a CAGR between 3-4 percent. Due to their broader scope, nova-Institute’s projected production capacities are much higher than those projected by European Bioplastics. This bio-based share of overall polymer production has been growing over the years: it was 1.4 percent in 2011 4 (3.3 million tonne bio-based for a global production of 235 mil-

lion tonne). With an expected total polymer production of about 400 million tonne in 2020, the bio-based share should increase from approximately 2 percent in 2015 to more than 4 percent in 2020, meaning that bio-based production capacity will grow faster than overall production. The most dynamic development is foreseen for drop-in bio-based polymers, but this is closely followed by new bio-based polymers. Drop-in bio-based polymers are spearheaded by partly bio-based PET, whose production capacity was around 600,000 tonne in 2014 and is projected to reach about 7 million tonne by 2020, using bio-ethanol from sugar cane. Bio-based PET production is expanding at high rates worldwide, largely due to the Plant PET Technology Collaborative (PTC) initiative launched by The Coca-Cola Company. The second most dynamic development is foreseen for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), which, contrary to bio-based PET, are new polymers, but still have similar growth rates to those of bio-based PET. PBS and PLA are showing impressive growth as well: their production capacities are expected to quadruple between 2014 and 2020.

Bio-based polymera detailed study Epoxies are approximately 30 percent bio-based (only bio-based carbon content2 considered in this report) and are produced out of bio-based epichlorohydrin. The market

Figure 1: Global production capacities of bioplastics

Global production capacities of bioplastics 7,848

In 1,000 tonnes

8,000 7,000

6,798

6,000

1,287

5,000 4,000

3,412 901

3,000 2,000 1,000 0

1,581 591

1,697 663

990

1,034

2013

2014

Biodegradable

2,028 737

2.053 762

1,291

2015

2016

Biobased/non-biodegradable

6,561

2,511

2017 Forecast

Source: European Bioplastic, Institute for Biocompasites, nova Institute (2015) More information: www.bio-based.edu/markets and www.downloads.ifbb-hammover.de

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

5,511

2018 Toatal capacity

2019

is well established since epoxies have already long been partly biobased. Production capacity increased in 2014 through the growing production capacity of biobased epichlorohydrin. However, from now on, it is expected to stay steady until 2020.

Polyurethanes (PUR) can be 10 to 100 percent biobased. PUR are produced from natural oil polyols (NOP). Bio-based succinic acid can be used to replace adipic acid. The global PUR market (including petro-based PUR) is continuously growing but the bio-based PUR market is expected to grow faster.

Cellulose acetate (CA) is 50 percent bio-based. This market is similar to that of epoxies: well established, for example cigarette filters are made from CA, with small capacity growth.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is currently 20 percent bio-based and produced out of bio-based monoethylene glycol (MEG) and terephthalic acid (TPA) as a drop-in bio-based polymer. TPA is currently still petro-based but subject to ongoing R&D. Bio-based TPA can be produced at pilot scale. Most bio-based PET and MEG are produced in Asia. Bio-based PET is one of the leaders of the bio-based polymers market and is slated to become the bio-based polymer with the biggest production capacity by far. This is largely due to the Plant PET Technology Collaborative (PTC) initiative launched by The Coca Cola Company Bio-based epoxies, PUR, CA and PET have huge production capacities with a well-established market in comparison with other biobased polymers. However, other bio-based polymers listed on Figure 5 show strong growth as well. Figure 5 shows the evolution of worldwide production capacities only for selected biobased polymers (without biobased epoxies, PUR, CA and PET). Some of these polymers are brand new bio-based polymers. That is why their markets are smaller and need to be developed correspondingly.

Polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) is 27 percent bio-based and made out of bio-based 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) and currently petro-based TPA. PTT is similar to PET since both have TPA as precursor. Bio-

REPORT POLYMERS based PTT and 1,3-PDO are produced by one leading company, DuPont. The market is well established and is expected to grow in 2016 due to the very good market acceptance.

Ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM) is made out of bio-based ethylene and can be 50 to 70 percent bio-based. Specialty chemicals company Lanxess is currently producing bio-based EPDM in Brazil. The market is small but a steady growth is expected in the coming years through the development of new grades and new applications.

Polylactic acid (PLA) is 100 percent bio-based and biodegradable but only under certain conditions: PLA is industrially compostable. Produced by numerous companies worldwide, with NatureWorks as market leader, PLA is the most well established new bio-based polymer. However, the PLA market is still expected to grow further, with a projected fourfold growth between 2014 and 2020. In 2014, Zhejiang Hisun Biomaterials scaled up its facility. PLA can already be found at near-comparable prices to fossil-based polymers. In short, the most dynamic development is expected for bio-based PET, with a projected production capacity of about 7 million tonne by 2020. Second in the drop-in polymers group is PBS. Regardless, new bio-based polymers such as PLA and PHA are showing impressive growth as well: PLA production capacity is expected to almost quadruple and PHA production capacity is expected to grow tenfold between 2014 and 2020.

Selected bio-based building blocks: Evolution of worldwide production capacities from 2011 to 2020

Polyethylene (PE) is a 100 percent bio-based drop-in polymer. The bio-based building block needed is bio-based ethylene, which is made out of sugar cane. Brazilian petrochemical company Braskem produces bio-based PE in Brazil. Bio-based PE has been on the market for a few years but its production capacity has hitherto remained the same. Further developments have been slowed down because of the shale gas boom.

million t/a

3 actual data 2

Polyamides (PA) are a big family since there are many different types of polyamides. This explains the wide range of bio-based carbon content: from 40 to 100 percent. Polyamides are generally based on sebacic acid, which is produced from castor oil. Evonik has recently developed a polyamide based on palm kernel oil. The market, which is expected to grow moderately, is headed by one big player, Arkema.

forecast

2011

2012

2013

MEG 1,4-BDO

2014

L-LA 1,3-PDO

2015 Ethylene Lactide

2016

2017

2018

Epichlorohydrin 2,3-BDO

2010

2020

Succinic acid 2,5 FDCA

D-LA

full study available at www.bio.based.ed/markets

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA)

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5,878

6,000

In 1,000 tonnes

are 100 percent biobased and biodegradable even in cold sea water. PHA are produced through a fermentation process mainly by specific bacteria. Many different companies are involved in the production of PHA. The market is currently very small but is expected to grow tremendously. The joint venture Telles, set by Metabolix and ADM in 2006, aimed at big capacity but hardly sold any PHA and subsequently collapsed in 2012. PHA are brand new polymers, which means their market still needs time to fully develop. Nevertheless PHA producers and several new players are optimistic and see potential in PHA. Therefore, production capacity is expected to have grown tenfold by 2020. Production capacity increased in 2014 since Newlight Technologies scaled up

1,000 560

500 10

184

208

& e & s & n ds e & rt r re oo cs ic gs ctio tiv spo ltu ultu rg in tri tron e u c c c li d stru mo tran m le lec o ri orti u u t g n E B co e A h ns Au Co

Biodegradable Biobased/non-biodegradable

PLA & PLA-blends Bio-PET302

Starch blends Bio-PE

587

378

g ing in ag ag ck ck a a p eP ibl gid ex Ri Fl Other1 (biodegradable) Other1 (biobased/non-biodegradable) til

x Te

www.worldofchemicals.com Bio-based polymers: Evolutions of production capacities in Europe from 2011 to 2020 (without thermosets and cellulose acetate) 0.8

0.6

million t/a

actual data

forecast

0.4

0.2

2011

2012

2013

2014

Starch Blends

2015 PLA

2016 PBAT

2017

2018

PEF

Investment by region

Production capacities in Europe

Most investment in new bio-based polymer capacities will take place in Asia because of better access to feedstock and a favourable political framework. Figures 7 and 8 show the 2014 and 2019 global production capacities for bio-based polymers repartitioned by region. European Bioplastics published these market data, which take into account fewer types of bio-based polymers than nova-Institute. Due to the complexity of the manufacturing value chain structure of epoxies, PUR and cellulose acetate, the repartitions by region cannot be reliably determined for all bio-based polymers. As a result, a graph representing the repartition by region with nova-Institute’s scope is not provided in the report, but only for the subgroup selected by European Bioplastics. Europe’s share is projected to decrease from 15.4 percent to 4.9 percent, and North America’s share is set to fall from 14 to 4.1 percent, whereas Asia’s is predicted to increase from 58.1 to 80.6 percent. South America is likely to remain constant with a share between 10 and 12 percent. In other words, world market shares are expected to shift dramatically. Asia is predicted to experience most of the developments in the field of bio-based building block and polymer production, while Europe and North America are slated to lose more than two thirds of their shares.

Europe’s position in producing bio-based polymers is limited to just a few polymers. Europe has so far established a solid position mainly in the field of starch blends and is expected to remain strong in this sector for the next few years. This can be traced back to Italy’s Novamont, a leading company in this field. Nevertheless, a number of developments and investments are foreseen in Europe. PLA production capacities are predicted to grow. One noteworthy finding of other studies is that Europe shows the strongest demand for biobased polymers, while production tends to take place elsewhere, namely in Asia. In Europe, biobased polymer production facilities for PLA are not only small in size but also small in number. On the other hand, bio-based PA production is partly based in Europe and is likely to continue supplying for the growing markets of the building and construction and automotive sectors. Europe does have industrial production facilities for PBAT, which is still fully fossil-based capacities are predicted to grow. However, judging by industry announcements and the ever increasing capacity of its bio-based precursors, PBAT is expected to be increasingly bio-based, with a projected 50 percent share by 2020. Housing the leading chemical corporations, Europe is particularly

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

2019

2020

strong and has great potential in the fields of high value fine chemicals and building blocks. However, only few specific, large-scale plans for bio-based building blocks incorporating concrete plans for the production of biobased polymers have been announced to date.

Market segments The packaging industry consumes most petro-based polymers. For bio-based polymers, the same trend can be observed: the major part of this as rigid packaging (bottles for example) and the rest as flexible packaging (films for example). These uses cannot come as a surprise, since bio-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the biggest bio-based polymers in terms of capacity and is mostly used for the production of bottles. On the other hand, the packaging industry has a considerable interest in biodegradability since packaging is only needed for short times but in big quantities, which contributes to the accumulation of waste. It should be understood that not all bio-based polymers are biodegradable but some important ones are e.g. PHA, PLA and starch blends. This feature is also interesting for agriculture and horticulture applications (mulch films for example). However, bio-based polymers are also used in many different other market segments.

REPORT CHEMICALS

SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MARKET OUTLOOK 2015 BEING SO “USAGE-SPECIFIC,” SPECIALITY CHEMICALS TOUCHES UPON EVERY SEGMENT OF POPULATION THESE DAYS.

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www.worldofchemicals.com Speciality chemicals are a unique group of high value and low volume products known for their end usages and performance enhancing properties. The consumption of speciality chemicals in India is envisaged to grow exponentially and the market is expected to reach $44 billion by 2019. A report…

and Indian population will result in consumption-driven growth in key end markets over the next decade and an increased need for better products and services. Currently, the penetration of speciality chemicals within India’s end markets is low. With an increased focus on improving products, usage intensity of speciality chemicals within these end markets will rise in India over the next decade. Also, as the economy develops, on stringent regulation of products and strengthening of consumption standards, usage of speciality chemicals can be promoted.

Speciality chemicals are a largely fragmented segment in chemical industry. It encompasses products from paints, coatings and plastics to home care surfactants, flavours and fragrances. Being so “usage-specific,” speciality chemicals touches upon every segment of population these days.

Specialty Chemicals Industry Future Outlook (USD billion)

Market Outlook The Indian Speciality Chemical market was valued at ~$25.3 billion in 2014. Speciality chemicals have observed a high growth rate in the past as well. A growth of ~9.6 percent p.a. was witnessed since FY10 when the market size was ~$16 billion. The end usage, which defines speciality chemicals, has been the key growth driver in the past. This has led to increment in consumption. The growth potential of consumption of speciality chemicals is strong and is expected to reach ~$44 billion by 2019. Indian speciality chemicals production is generally much higher than global standards, as the speciality chemicals usage is at an early stage in India. Increase in gross domestic product (GDP)

Key Trends Focus on R&D: Spending on innovation has escalated. This is basically because of the increased sales in the automotive and consumer electronics segments. Recently, the focus has been shifting towards the R&D sector. National research institutes like NCL and private sector companies are concentrating on developing speciality chemicals and polymeric additives for specific end user segments like automobile, textiles, etc.

There is a growing need to have adequate power and water to support the utilities such as transportation, storage, etc. There is poor connectivity by roads, rail and water, which should be looked upon.

Complex regulations: Currently, multiple licenses and certification are required to operate a plant in India. The process for a new up and running plant is very complex and tedious. This poses a resistance for new players.

Develop better catalysts: There is a lack of good catalysts and processes for better processing and value addition to feedstock. One of the key reasons is the lack of autonomous research centres in catalysis.

Key opportunities Availability of feedstock: For production of commodity petrochemicals, basic building blocks like ethylene, propylene etc. are required by crackers in India. But unavailability of these in the production is a concern. Due to alternate fuel availability like rap-seed oil, castor oil etc, and Indian companies can overcome the challenge by using alternative feedstock.

Innovation:

A cohesive approach across the value chain including procurement, product development, manufacturing process and marketing along with adequate risk management and reporting at each step is becoming critical. Companies establishing “Sustainable Leadership” among all other stakeholders would have a distinct edge over others.

With a huge pool of technical human resource, scientists and researchers, technology will play vital role in growth of this sector. With the processes being very energy and resource intensive, there is an opportunity to optimize at every step during production and operation.

Source: Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Reference: Report co-authored by Naina Malani and Manish Ratna TATA Strategic Management Group.

12% 25

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

Improve infrastructure:

Green Transformation:

FY14

Key Challenges

FY19 (E)

MARKET BIOPLASTICS

BIOPLASTICS A $30 BILLION GLOBAL MARKET BY 2017 WORLD BIOPLASTICS MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FORECAST, 2014-2020

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According to a new report by Allied Market Research, titled, “World Bioplastics Market Opportunities and Forecast, 20142020,” the global market for bioplastics would reach $30.8 billion by 2020, registering a CAGR of 14.8 percent during 2015-2020. The rising environmental awareness among the consumers and substantial curiosity of packaging industries towards biodegradability are the key factors responsible for the increasing adoption of bioplastics in rigid packaging applications. The rigid plastic application would account for more than 40 percent of the market revenue by 2020. Bioplastics are plastics derived from the renewable feedstocks such as corn, sugarcane and cellulose among others. Large availability of renewable feedstocks and eco-friendly nature of bioplastics boost its market across the globe. Furthermore, increasing adoption in new end user industries and favorable government policies for the use of eco-friendly and biodegradable products are some of the key factors that would drive the market

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

growth. On the other hand, high production cost is likely to dampen the market growth during the forecast period. The consumption of “drop-ins” bioplastics (Bio-PE, Bio-PET 30, Bio-PA and others) would continue to dominate the overall bioplastics market through to 2020, owing to its overall properties and wide applications similar to traditional plastics (PE, PET and PA among others). Bio-PET 30 would be the fastest growing segment in the non-biodegradable bioplastics market, as it delivers same performance as synthetic PET with regards to re-sealability, versatility, durability, appearance, weight and recyclability. North America and Europe collectively accounted for more than 60 percent of the market, in 2014 and are expected to maintain their lead throughout the forecast period. European policy support for bioplastic manufacturers and increasing health awareness among consumers are the key factors responsible for the market growth within this region. However, Asia Pacific is projected to be the most lucrative market owing to availability of huge renewable feedstocks coupled with increasing investment made by the global bioplastics players. The leading players in the market are adopting collaboration, partner-

ship and expansion as the key developmental strategies. The prominent players profiled in this report include Novamont SPA, Metabolix Inc., BASF SE, Natureworks LLC, Corbion Purac, Braskem, Cardia Bioplastics, Biome Technolgies Plc, FKuR Kunststoff GmbH and Innovia Films.

KEY FINDINGS OF THE STUDY • Rigid plastics would be the fastest growing application segment, at a CAGR of 31.8 percent, during the forecast period • Europe was the highest consumer, whereas, Asia Pacific was the largest producer of bioplastics in 2014. Asia Pacific would be the fastest growing consumer during the forecast period. • Bio-PET 30 segment is expected to have healthy volume growth, at 25.7 percent CAGR, during the forecast period. • Polyesters and starch blends segment collectively accounted for about one-third of the overall biodegradable bioplastic market in 2014. • PLA is projected to be the fastest growing segment in the overall biodegradable plastics market, in terms of revenue and volume.

FORECAST TEXTILE CHEMICALS

ASIAN TEXTILE CHEMICALS MARKET ANALYSIS & OPPORTUNITY ASSESSMENT 2015 – 2020 TEXTILE CHEMICALS COMPRISING TEXTILE AUXILIARIES AND TEXTILE COLOURANTS ACCOUNT FOR NEARLY 2 PERCENT OF THE OVERALL SPECIALTY CHEMICALS MARKET.

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www.worldofchemicals.com The demand for textile chemicals across Asia has seen a consistent rise and is expected to become a $11,626 million industry by 2020. The sector is also witnessing an increasing demand for eco-friendly chemicals, innovation and unique product offerings. A report… The class of specialty chemicals which involves chemicals and intermediates that are used in various stages of textile processing such as preparation, dyeing, printing and finishing, is termed as textile chemicals. These are often used to enhance or impart desired properties colour to the fabrics during their manufacture. Textile chemicals comprising textile auxiliaries and textile colourants account for nearly 2 percent of the overall specialty chemicals market. Asia’s textile chemicals market is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 7.6 percent to reach nearly $11,626 million by the end of forecast period.

Drivers & Trends Growing concern for ensuring sustainable development is expected to have a major impact on Asia textile chemicals market. There is an ever increasing demand for eco-friendly chemicals which minimize the amounts of water and energy required in various stages of textile processing and are in compliance with regional and international regulations. Moreover, due to fragmented nature of the industry, developing innovative, differentiated product offerings has become need of the hour in order to gain a competitive advantage. Also, growth in demand for functional finishes such as water repellence, anti-bacterial finish, and soil release among others has resulted in a steady growth of textile finishing chemicals that impart these specific finishes to textile and apparels.

Textile Chemicals - Market Taxonomy In this report, based on geography, the Asia textile chemicals market is analysed for key countries including China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia and Rest of Asia segments. On the basis of end use applications, the market is segmented into apparels, home furnishings, and others (industrial and technical textiles etc.). Moreover, based on

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

Asia textile chemicals market size, 2015-2020 (US $ mn)

Auxiliary chemicals Colourants

2015F

2016F

2017F

process types, the market is segmented into pre-treatment, dyeing, finishing and others (chemicals involved in printing process etc.) segments. Depending on the type of products, Asia textile chemicals market is segmented into textile auxiliaries and colourants segment.

Analysis by Product-Type Asia textile chemicals market has been segmented into two segments depending on the type of product. These product-type based segments are textile auxiliaries and colourants. Textile auxiliaries segment comprise those chemicals that are used during various processing stages involved in manufacture of textile and apparels from the fibre, fabric stage. The chemicals that impart colour to textiles and apparels fall under textile colourants segment of Asia textile chemicals market. The two segments are evenly poised in Asia textile chemicals market with textile auxiliaries segment having a slight edge over colourants segment. During the forecast period, the demand for auxiliaries is expected to witness a faster growth as compared to that of colourants. Moreover, auxiliaries segment is expected to retain its majority share in market value terms throughout the forecast period. The forecast CAGRs for these segments are 8.0 and 7.1 percent respectively. The textile industry in the Asia has witnessed a steady growth over the years due to emergence of several relatively low cost manufacturing avenues such as Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Indonesia among others. These regions have

2018F

2019F

2020F

shown considerable growth in their textile exports to key developed countries especially the US and European countries. This growth in textile industry is in turn expected to manifest in growth in demand for textile chemicals. As such Asia textile chemicals market is expected to witness steady growth during the forecast period, 2015-2020. Growing emphasis on higher quality chemicals that are compliant with prevailing regulations has gained momentum and as such has resulted in an increase in their demand. Moreover, as is mentioned, growth in demand for functional finishes for textiles and apparels has led to an increase in demand for the chemicals imparting these finishes. This in turn is expected to drive the auxiliary segment’s growth during the forecast period. The chemicals and intermediates that are used in various stages of textile processing such as preparation, dyeing, printing and finishing, are termed as Textile chemicals. These chemicals enhance or impart desired properties, colour to the fabric. Textile chemicals are high value chemicals that are used in relatively lower volumes. Global textile chemicals market accounts for nearly 2 percent of the overall specialty chemicals market size and the demand for textile chemicals in Asia is witnessing a considerable growth on account of steady growth of textile industry in the region, the report said.

Source: Future Market Insights ‘ Asia Textile Chemicals Market’ for the period, 2015-2020. 75

AUTOMATION

INTEGRATING CONTROL AND SAFETY TO OPTIMIZE EXPLOSIVES CONTROL SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

hen a leading Australian explosives manufacturer decided to undergo a complete control system upgrade, SAGE Automation, a leading provider of industrial automation and control services, was engaged to develop a solution to cater for both current and future requirements

Seamless Integration The control system of the high explosives plant is responsible for a variety of machine, process and safety control functions in a number of physically separated process areas. SAGE Automation was tasked with developing a new solution to replace unsupported hardware with current day platforms and technology. “The new control system was required to be integrated across 17 process buildings and also include a new control room fit out, while ensuring the safety instrumented system complies with today’s current standards. This scope included upgrades to the distributed control system (DCS), programmable logic controllers (PLC), operator interfaces, network infrastructure and the delivery of a simulation system for operator and maintenance personnel training,” said Steve Lloyd, senior project manager, SAGE Automation.

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In executing the control system upgrade, there was a focus for best practice design, high availability system and an integrated architecture from plant controller through to reporting and asset management. To achieve this, a detailed design process together with an integrated architecture from process controller through to enterprise level reporting and asset management was successfully implemented. “After investigating a number of options, we found that the Rockwell Automation PlantPAx® process automation system with ControlLogix® Integrated Architecture® and AADvance® fault tolerant system was the best choice for this application to provide integrated control and safety,” said Lloyd. Integration on this scale with the Rockwell Automation solution allowed for full use of the pre-integrated functionality within each individual product resulting in rapid deployment, pre-validated software function and access to information and diagnostics key to operational efficiencies. The PlantPAx process automation system delivers all the core capabilities expected in a world-class distributed control system (DCS). The system is built on a standard-based architecture using Integrated Architecture components that enable multi-disciplined control and seamless

integration and scalability to support ongoing increasing demand. The AADvance fault tolerant control system comprises of both a hardware controller and a software environment that allows the user to apply different levels of module redundancy as required by specific parts of their application. “It is a reasonable size installation and a stateof-the art control system. The solution is the result of an innovative design in terms of the way the control system is architected, moving away from traditional centralized models and employing a decentralized virtualized architecture which still maintained and utilized the full functionality and capabilities of the PlantPAx and AADvance platforms,” explained Nigel Dezdjek, solution architect at Rockwell Automation.

Back Up Plan Being an explosives manufacturing plant, introducing redundancies across a number of control system layers was paramount for safety reasons. The customer highlighted the specific requirement for the provision of complete control from the local process areas. Consequently if there was a loss of control path between the main control room and a process area, complete control was still required in that process area to facilitate a safe

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and controlled process shutdown. To achieve this, the architecture design was modified to separate the primary and standby SCADA servers across locations. This satisfied the requirements although now the solution required a larger number of hardware components to achieve this. The PlantPAx platform provided an effective and reliable solution for this redundancy. A key feature of this solution is the HMI fault tolerance; allowing each building to continue to function independently and provide local control functions in the event of a network outage. In addition, high availability ensures that a failure of the primary HMI server node at each building location will not prevent the system from running, as the secondary HMI server in the control room data centre will take over. The plant operator interface consists of four dual monitor FactoryTalk® View SE clients within the central control room and nine dual monitor FactoryTalk® View SE clients distributed throughout the process areas, all served by a distributed redundant HMI server configuration. The system installed is a dual redundant system with 2-1-0 degradation so that if a module fails, the system degrades to single control and if the last module were to fail, the system would shut down. Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

This solution also allows the management all projects from the centralized engineering work-station and avoids the need to duplicate changes to a standalone project for each process area. “We implemented redundant process controllers within critical process areas at the building level, with the overall facility connected via a redundant fibre optic Ethernet network. Redundant power supplies were also implemented to provide redundancy in the power supply system,” said Lloyd.

Virtualization and Customization Due to the size and complexity of the control architecture of this facility, SAGE designed and implemented a virtualized server environment and associated network architecture to satisfy and exceed the specific site requirements. The network infrastructure involved a new fault tolerant Gigabit fibre Ethernet network, utilizing a Cisco and Allen-Bradley Stratix™ managed switch configuration to connect the 50 hectare facility. “Additional benefits that virtualization brought to this project included reduced power consumption, and centralized management of the virtualized environment which equates to lower running and support costs. Also part of that same architecture is the

use of thin HMI clients which are low cost computers with a small physical footprint that typically have a higher environmental rating and are more robust than traditional PC based clients,” said Lloyd. This solution used a lot of different product offerings from within the FactoryTalk suite of products to deliver a fully integrated solution. FactoryTalkHistorian and VantagePoint were used for all trending and reporting, FactoryTalk AssetCentre was used for asset management and FactoryTalk View was used for the HMI component of the PlantPAx solution.

Successful Implementation Meeting the customer’s unique requirements and specifications was a key priority for Rockwell Automation and SAGE. “We successfully delivered a completely integrated control and safety solution that maintains functional safety compliance to AS61508 and Hazardous Area regulations, AS60079. The new solution provides enormous benefits around a common approach and platform to provide all the functionality within the system. Downtime was also minimised during installation as the solution was delivered around the plant’s normal operating schedule,” said Dezdjek.

EQUIPMENT ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENTS

HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO EMBRACE THE ‘MAKE IN INDIA’ CONCEPT … SAYS , K V VENUGOPALAN, PRESIDENT, WATERS INDIA, AS HE TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY, TRENDS, INSTRUMENTS DESIGN INNOVATIONS AND POTENTIAL IN THE ANALYTICAL INDUSTRY.

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ademic and government institutions, and by some organisations in the pharmaceuticals and food safety industry. Waters is currently looking to bring mass spectrometry from research labs to clinical laboratories and operation theatres. Last year, Waters introduced a product called ‘intelligent knife’ or ‘i knife’- which is a mass spectrometry device for real-time diagnostics during surgery. Surgeons can use the ‘i knife’ to make exact fine cuts during cancer surgery. We are working towards further refining the technology. It is possible that in the future, mass spectrometry will became an easy to use, more accurate, cost effective clinical tool.

How does Waters India plan to shape its growth trajectory in the future? In the last 25 years, Waters has become one of the strongest analytical organisations in the country. We will continue to focus on ensuring customer success via two main strategies: By designing innovative products that give better and faster results, increases productivity and reduces cost. And by focusing on analytical instruments, particularly the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)- which is the most intensive-support equipment in any analytical laboratory, and mass spectrometry. Being one of the emerging technologies, expertise in this area is limited. As leaders for these products globally as well as in India, we provide customers with high-level support and ensure maximum returns on their investment.

What are the trends in analytical technologies and in what ways will the dynamics of this technology change the future? There is major potential for innovations both in liquid chromatography (LC) and mass spectrometry. Over the years, the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) systems have seen incremental improvement in performance. Making a quantum jump in this area, Waters researched and introduced the product called ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). It is usually believed that any major technology breakthrough happens typically in 30 years. But we have managed this in a shorter time frame. Feedback and suggestions from customers helped us understand their challenges and based on their insights, we have introduced different variants since the launch of UPLC system. Recently, we introduced another version of the UPLC called the Acquity Arc system. It is a modern LC system for scientists who are looking for the versatility and robustness required to bridge the gap between HPLC and UPLC while continuing to support validated assays. Another aspect here is that mass spectrometry is mostly used for research in ac-

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2016

We also have huge scope for development in the area of Informatics. Every equipment produces huge amount of data which needs to be managed and converted into knowledge. This is a crucial task for organisations. We introduced Waters Empower, one of the most widely used chromatographic data system in the world. Even our competitors are using the software, as it is regulatory compliant, helps increase productivity of the lab and guarantees accurate results. We also have a new software, UNIFI, that actually integrates the chromatography, mass spectrometry as well as the scientific data management software as a single software. This will give users greater ability to control almost all major vendor instruments.

In the field of liquid chromatography, what are the trends in terms of instruments and column sizes?

In the HPLC, the column contains the chromatographic packing material that is used to effect a separation. It must withstand backpressure created both during manufacturing and in use. The result of the chromatography performance is also based on the packing materials used in the column. When Waters initially introduced HPLC, we used to have 10 microns irregular particle sizes. Over the years, the particle sizes have reduced up to 3.5 microns. This poses a big challenge because as the particle size reduces, the backpressure in the column increases and the HPLC systems were not designed to handle that kind of back pressure.

We needed an altogether new design for the equipment. That is when Waters introduced columns that could support a particle size of 1.7 micron and handle high pressure, a UPLC system can go up to 18,000 psi (pressure measurement)

while a typical HPLC can normally go up to 5,000 psi or 6,000 psi. We have to our credit the introduction of the first UPLC system that can go up to 18,000 PSI. Probably we have reached the optimum level of the column and particle size and the back pressure that can be commercially used in the laboratory. We also have to consider the packing materials and additional costs while planning for new equipment design. With our latest UPLC systems, we can provide best-in-class solutions to chromatographers that gives ten times faster results, while allowing nearly three times more sensitivity. As pioneers of the UPLC systems, we believe it is a major breakthrough, but five years from now, we definitely expect a new technology.

In this age of automation, organisations seek products that are easy to use, automatic and user-friendly. How is your comppany meeting this demand? Today, the number of systems used in a company has increased and they are looking for uninterrupted 24 X 7 operations, reliability and repeatability of accurate results. However, finding qualified resources to operate these systems has become a tedious task. Hence, nowadays the thrust is on having instruments that are easy to use and operate. Additionally, cost is also an important factor. For instance, a company may plan for a 30 percent growth strategy but this does not include investment in more people or instruments. This suggests that productivity of people and equipment needs to be improved - which is a challenge as well as an opportunity for automation techniques. As a solution, we came up with Alliance system, wherein an operator can load 120 samples in the evening, before leaving work and put it in an automatic mode. The next morning the operator can directly take the results, thus saving time. The instrument does not need any supervision as long as the system is set up properly. In the UPLC systems, the number of samples loaded can go up to hundreds or more. If samples are prepared and loaded properly the entire day’s operation can be conducted automatically thereby reducing the dependency on people and expertise. Any person with fundamental understanding of chromatography and chemistry can operate the systems.

EQUIPMENT ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENTS has brought clarity in the standards, the government too is keen to invest in this sector. We foresee large scale investments in establishing world-scale laboratories across the country as well as upgrading some of the existing laboratories. With this, the academic investments in these sectors will also see a major boost. Besides these, chemical industries, dyes, polymers and petroleum, are some of the other areas that have growth opportunity in the country.

Training has become a key differentiator for manufacturers. Also manufacturers are increasingly using the e-learning tools for training sessions. How important is e-learning facility for Waters? Training is an important factor in today’s times. Subjects, such as mass spectrometry and chromatography which is commonly used in the industry nowadays is not a part of college curriculum. As opposed to this, the industry requirement is high. For instance, Waters sells more than 4,000 systems every year and we need almost 1,000 chromatographers. But we hardly find 1,000 trained chromatographers for the job while also dealing with high level of attrition. To overcome this challenge, we started conducting liquid chromatography sessions in colleges and even hold training sessions at our corporate office in Bangalore and other cities as well. However, while the day-to-day requirements are increasing, customers are unable to spare chemists for 2 or 3 days at a stretch. To address this concern, we introduced the e-learning facility which offers more than 100 different courses. People can take up these courses on their own time, from the convenience of their homes. On completion of the course and clearing the online test, people receive a certificate which is mandatory for operators working in regulated sectors such as the pharmaceutical industry.

In the current economic scenario, which are some of the sectors that have potential in the coming years?

We envision the pharma industry as one of the biggest growth drivers. Considering the current per capita consumption of pharmaceutical products in India compared to that of the developed countries, we have a long way to go. Apart from the domestic consumption we have a good market for exports. In fact, almost 50 percent of what we manufacture is exported and even that is on the rise.

The next major opportunity is the food safety sector. While the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

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Being present in Bengaluru - the ‘Silicon Valley’ of India, what scope does this industry offer to entrepreneurs who are into software dvelopment?

In the pharmaceutical or the food safety industry, software developers can look into product development by understanding the challenges and requirements for these industries. Both the pharma and food sectors are regulated markets so any product that they use needs to have regulatory compliance and follow certain standards. The entry barriers are higher in these cases. Similarly, our customers need many specific products to meet their challenges. Here, software developers can interact with pharmaceutical or food safety companies, understand their needs and finally create specific packages applicable for them.

At Waters India software development centre, part of our work is done in-house while the rest is outsourced. We have a team of nearly 50 software developers working closely with our research facilities in the UK and the US.

ernment and organisations such Waters to jointly brainstorm and invest in creating the appropriate environment. The need of the hour is for all stakeholders to create an infrastructure where modern equipment are manufactured locally, making the country self-sufficient in manufacturing analytical instruments.

WATERS INDIA At a glance • Waters India started direct operations in India in 1988 as a joint venture operation. • It was the first international company to start the direct operations in India. • It was also the first manufacturing unit by any multinational analytical company in country. • In 1998, Waters became a 100% subsidy of the Waters Corporation. • Waters has been investing in India for more than 25 years in creating one of the best infrastructures for the industry, for the analytical industry.

As president of Indian Analytical Instruments Association (IAIA), what message would you convey to youngsters?

The analytical industry is one of the smallest segments in India- probably between $1.5 - 2 billion. But it is one of the most crucial industries.

Today 95 percent of the analytical instruments are imported in India. There is a huge opportunity for entrepreneurs to ‘Make in India.’ Since high-level technology is needed for development, there is a necessity for entrepreneurs, gov-

The analytical industry is one of the smallest segments in India but it is one of the most crucial industries.

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QUOTES “Though consumer preferences and lifestyles are constantly changing spawning a desire for fresh colour palettes in leather design, style and colour coordination remains a consistent goal”

“The life expectancy of patients with sickle cell disease is only 40 to 50 years. Devastating pain crises are part of their lives”

Alex Wartini, vice president, leather chemicals, BASF.

Dr Katalin Kauser, head, hematology research, Bayer HealthCare.

“Being part of innovation and R&D has become the most important role in our organization—everybody recognizes these people as crucial for future company success”

“Given the current situation with insecticide resistance, any new insecticide is precious and must be introduced in a way which gives it the best possible chance of remaining useful for malaria control programs for the long-term”

Jorg Unger, head, innovation performance materials, BASF SE.

Justin McBeath, market segment manager malaria vector control, environmental science division, Bayer CropScience.

“The application of high performance powder coating solutions in body coatings represents a major technological breakthrough in this sector. Powder coatings have advantages such as high utility rate and zero wastage, making them a sustainable solution of choice for body coatings”

We will only be able to make equal use of fossil and biogenic raw material streams if we can find a way to incorporate biotechnological processes into integrated chemical production. This will help maintain and expand the industry’s established and efficient value chains.

Eddie Wang, business director, powder coatings business, North Asia, AkzoNobel.

“For the chemicals sector, energy costs (power plus feedstock) are by far the single biggest cost factor. That means there is a natural incentive to increase efficiency. You see innovation driving that, for example when the science of chemistry is used to create catalysts that reduce the energy produced during the manufacturing process” Mike Walls, director, American Chemistry Council (ACC).

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Dr Thomas Haas, head, science & technology unit, creavis, strategic innovation unit, Evonik.

“Chemical industry is a key enabler for other industries. As chemicals are consumed in varying proportion by every industry (rightly from electronics to paints, from pharmaceuticals to cosmetics), without chemicals sustainable development of other sectors is not possible.” Surjit Kumar Chaudhary, secretary, department of chemicals and petrochemicals (DCPC), government of India.

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GLOSSARY A Page

Page

Akzonobel 82 Nova-Institut GmBH

Allied Market Research

Nunner Logistics

American Chemistry Council (ACC)

31, 57, 82

National University of Singapore

Archroma 47

Resil Chemicals Pvt Ltd

03, 24

BASF SE

65, 73, 82

Resonance Laboratories Pvt Ltd

Bayer CropScience

28, 82

R L Fine Chem Pvt Ltd

Bayer HealthCare

Rockwell Automation

BDP International

Bio-on Spa

Stanford University

Strem Chemicals, Inc

33 29

C Camson Bio Technologies Ltd

03, 20

Synthace

Colorado State University

Tata Strategic Management Group (TSMG)

61, 71

The University of Bolton

DHL 55

The University of New South Wales

Dow AgroSciences LLC

Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering

18 29

University of Akron

Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute

University of Canberra

Evonik

58, 82

University of Georgia

University of Hawaii

Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) 71

University of New Haven

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Honeywell International Inc.

Waters India Pvt Ltd

Indian Chemical Council - Southern region

J 44

L 58

M Metabolix

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30, 68, 73

Z Zahran Language School

LTI Inc

03, 78

Y Yale University

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU)

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