Chemical Today Magazine PDF January 2022 by worldofchemicals.com

January 2022 | Volume VI | Issue XIV

Expert Viewpoint Speciality Chemicals Agriculture Solutions

Insights

Climate Change Decorative Colors Auto Color Trends

IT In Chemicals Digital Food Food Supply Chain Smart Packaging Measuring Carbon

FOOD RULES THAT WILL RULE 2022

A robot will cook your next restaurant meal I

n recent times, the food industry is re-imaging itself creating a platform to provide solutions for more aware and conscious consumers. In such a scenario, there is a heightened need for enhanced transparency, hygiene, long term sustainability, which is leading to major innovations in the food industry. Many food companies are now focused on developing sustainable foods, bio-based alternative proteins and food with additional nutrition, health value, owing to the growing consumer demand.

Also the latest research and technology development is in the area of microbial-based proteins as an alternative to meat & dairy proteins and food-grade fermentation solutions. Furthermore, innovative food and drink formulations will offer solutions for mental and emotional wellbeing that will create a new foundation for healthy eating. Other than the food trends, the consumption patterns too are being influenced by the digital platform. As opposed to earlier buying from a brick & mortar store or a food joint, consumers are ordering online from different portals. Food delivery and cloud kitchen business are paving the way for enhancing the food & beverage industry. Taking it a step further, technology has developed a combination of cooking robots with artificial intelligence (AI) tecniques to cook different kinds of cuisines. The creation of these cooking robots has paved the future for technological control as well as reducing labor costs. In the future, technology development and automation will give rise to more and more semi-automated dining experiences for restaurants goers. With the global discussions and growing perception among consumers, there is a stronger focus on electric mobilty. Here electric vehicles (EVs), be it twowheelers, three-wheelers or four-wheelers are getting more attention by all major car manufacturers. To bring the EVs into the mainstream, many of the industry stakeholders are working towards developing the ecosystem. Some of the obstacles in preventing the larger adoption of EVs is lack of innovation in product offerings, slower development of the charging infrastructure, accesibility, availability of resources and raw materials, maintainence issues, time & cost factor for buying and charging of the vehicles, to name a few. In all the conversations happeing around electric mobilty, the chemical manufacturers have taken cognizance and are ready with providing appropriate materials, technology and are even collaborating with the auto industry for further innovation and research & development. With the start of the new year, wishing all our national and international readers, a prosperous, successful and safe year 2022.

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

Chemical Today

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

CONTENTS QUOTES

SECTOR VIEW

FOOD & BEVERAGES

NEWS

NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL NEWS MOVERS & SHAKERS

CHEMICAL SECTORS

PLASTICS RECYCLED GLASS FIBER COATINGS BIO-BASED RESINS PHARMA PHARMACOPEIA STANDARDS TEXTILES ANTIMICROBIAL SOLUTIONS

EXPERT VIEWPOUNT SPECIALITY CHEMICALS AGRICULTURAL SOLUTIONS

EXPERT VIEWPOINT

SPECIALITY CHEMICALS

13 14 16 18 20 23

FOOD & BEVERAGES

FEATURE ELECTRIC VEHICLES

GREEN CHEMISTRY

INDIA FORECAST DECORATIVE COLOR TREND CLIMATE CHANGE POLICIES AXALTA COLOR REPORT

39 40 42 44

AGROCHEMICALS MARKET CONSTRUCTION CHEMICALS MARKET DIAMOND COATINGS MARKET ETHYL ACETATE MARKET FOOD ADDITIVES MARKET MEDIUM-CHAIN TRIGLYCERIDES MARKET

45 48 51 53 55 56

ACADEMIC R & D

REPORT Anand Desai,

Managing Director, Anupam Rasayan India Ltd

AGRICULTURAL SOLUTIONS

IT IN CHEMICALS

DIGITAL FOOD INDUSTRY CARBON FOOTPRINT FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN

FSMART PACKAGING

66 68 70 71

JOBS

PRODUCTS

EQUIPMENT PUMPS & COMPRESSORS

EQUIPMENT

Gustavo Palerosi Carneiro,

Head, Global Strategic Marketing, BASF Agricultural Solutions

04 07 10

SECTOR VIEW

INSIGHTS

EXPERT VIEWPOINT

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

Published for January 2022.

QUOTES

The rise of e-commerce and access to new technologies has accelerated counterfeiting and other forms of illicit trade. That makes fighting counterfeit medical products an ever-more urgent priority for pharma companies both in terms of patient safety and brand reputation. Yann Ischi Director, New Channels and Partnerships, SICPA

Within the Volkswagen Group, we have a clear strategy for how we want to put battery-electric vehicles into series production across our brands and in many different market segments. However, a major qualification for success in the volume market is more powerful battery concepts. In Volkswagen Group R&D we are focusing on close cooperation, not only with industrial partners but also with the smart minds of the scientific community. Dr Ulrich Eichhorn Head, Group R&D, Volkswagen AG.

India is a very important market for polyurethanes and has a wonderful potential for growth. When leaders of the industry from all over the world get together under one roof, it leads to better production and faster growth of the industry R C Bhargava Former CEO and current Chairman, Maruti Suzuki.

Indian Solar Manufacturers Association (ISMA) members have expressed positive sentiments as manufacturing and Make in India initiative gathered momentum. The phenomenal growth opportunity of Renewal Energy is unparalleled in the world today, looking at current and future energy consumption in India over the next 2-3 decades. All stakeholders have immense opportunities especially those who make and develop products in India. K N Subramaniam CEO, Moserbear Solar Ltd and Treasurer, Indian Solar Manufacturers Association (ISMA)

NEWS NATIONAL GAIL, IPICOL TO DEVELOP CLEAN ENERGY PROJECTS IN ODISHA, INDIA

HUBANESWAR, INDIA: Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha (IPICOL) and GAIL (India) Ltd, a leading natural gas company, said they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the areas of green hydrogen, green ammonia and renewable energy (solar/wind) for the production of eco-friendly fuels in Odisha. Scope of the MoU inter-alia incorporates preparing a feasibility study for setting up proposed plants. MoU also emphasizes promoting the production of eco-friendly fuels in Odisha.

And we are very eager to help the company in terms of suitable land and solid support,” said Asit Tripathy, principal secretary to CM of Odisha.

Green Hydrogen would help the industries cut aggregate emissions of Green House Gases (GHGs) thus contributing to the overall objectives of the Government of India’s INDC targets. Odisha, being a power surplus state, is looking to further strengthen its position in power and these upcoming plants will help Odisha based heavy industries to supplement their growing power requirements.

“We are focused on the development of natural gas infrastructure and clean energy projects in Odisha and the rest of the country. In Odisha, GAIL is laying natural gas pipeline, setting up a CGD project and also setting up a coal gasification plant in JV mode,” said M V Iyer, director (business development), GAIL.

“The entire world is trying to reduce the carbon emission, but it needs a lot of intent, support and energy to execute the massive change.

Principal secretary to Government of Odisha, industries department Hemant Sharma praised the active interest of GAIL to set up Green Hydrogen plant. He added that currently, Odisha has a very large pre-existing market for hydrogen and with this joint effort to produce green hydrogen in bulk, the cost of green hydrogen will get reduced for industrial consumption.

The MoU signing ceremony at Bhubaneswar saw attendance of leading steel, aluminium and chemical manufacturers along with the leading industry bodies such as FICCI, ICC, CII and UCCI.

RELIANCE TO ACQUIRE UK-BASED BATTERY TECHNOLOGY COMPANY FARADION

UMBAI, INDIA: Reliance New Energy Solar Ltd (RNESL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd said it has agreed to acquire 100 percent shareholding in Faradion Limited for an enterprise value of GBP 100 million. In addition, RNESL will also invest GBP 25 million as growth capital to accelerate commercial roll out. Based out of Sheffield and Oxford in UK and with its patented sodium-ion battery technology, Faradion is one of the leading global battery technology companies. It has a competitively superior, strategic, wide-reaching and extensive IP portfolio covering several aspects of sodium-ion technology. Reliance will use Faradion’s state-of-the-art technology at its proposed fully integrated energy storage giga-factory as part of the Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex project at Jamnagar, India. “We welcome Faradion and its experienced team to Reliance family. This will further strengthen and build upon our ambition to create one of the most advanced and integrated New Energy ecosystem and put India at the forefront of leading battery technologies. The sodium-ion technology developed by Faradion provides a globally leading energy storage and battery solution which is safe, sustainable, provides high energy density and is significantly cost

competitive. In addition, it has wide use applications from mobility to grid scale storage and back-up power,” said Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries. “Most importantly, it utilises sodium, which will secure India’s energy storage requirements for its large renewable energy and fast-growing EV charging market. We will work with Faradion management and accelerate its plans to commercialise the technology through building integrated and end-to-end giga scale manufacturing in India. We believe this will be one of our many steps that will also enable, accelerate, and secure large scale energy storage requirements for our Indian partners developing and transforming India’s EV mobility and transport sector,” said Ambani. “Faradion has been one of the first to champion sodium-ion battery technology. Reliance is the perfect partner for supporting Faradion’s growth in the rapidly expanding Indian market and to jointly speed up the transformation of the global energy market. Together with Reliance, Faradion can bring British innovation to India and globally, as the world increasingly looks beyond lithium. We look forward to being part of India’s Net Zero mission,” said James Quinn, CEO of Faradion.

Reliance will use Faradion’s state-of-the-art technology at its proposed fully integrated energy storage giga-factory as part of the Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex project at Jamnagar, India. (Representative Image © Pixabay GmbH)

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

ADANI TOTAL GAS TO FOCUS ON AFFORESTATION AND ENERGY AUDITS

HMEDABAD, INDIA: Adani Total Gas Ltd (ATGL), a joint venture of Adani Group and TotalEnergies of France, said it has launched a new green initiative that targets afforestation, outreach to millennials, and energy audits. Titled Greenmosphere, this ATGL initiative will drive mass tree plantation programmes, spread awareness about climate change among the young, and encourage sustainable energy practices through energy audits. The afforestation programme, which envisages large scale community participation, aims to increase the fresh sources of oxygen. This, in turn, will reduce the copious amount of greenhouse gases. ATGL sees Greenmosphere as a corporate movement that will help in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by halting deforestation, boosting afforestation, and supporting wetland conservation. Afforestation under this initiative will be done through the Akira Miyawaki technique, which works even on adverse soil and in adverse climate conditions. Case studies from across the world have established that the forests cultivated by adapting this technique are thirty times denser, which implies that they absorb thirty times more carbon dioxide. This scheme further aims to create dense green pockets in urban areas, which will greatly benefit the community. ATGL has already

employed the Miyawaki technique at its plant in Ramol, Ahmedabad. Another integral part of the Greenmosphere initiative is the creation of an awareness platform for millennials across educational institutions. Highlighting the importance of green technology, energy efficiency and conservation, the awareness programme will include activities such as tree planting, storytelling sessions, painting competitions, forest walks and skits. The most defining component of Greenmosphere is the energy audit, which covers industrial, commercial and residential areas. The assets to be audited include ATGL offices and CNG stations. This will enhance energy efficiency by aligning the processes with energy efficient practices and solutions. “If we are to achieve climate change targets, we need to build strong partnerships with all stakeholders, including governments, corporations and society at large. As a responsible corporate citizen, the Adani Group cares for the welfare of communities everywhere. This is why we are determined to give back to society through innovative, sustainable, long-term solutions,” said Pranav Adani, MD, Agro and Oil & Gas, Adani Group.

Adani Total Gas Ltd has launched a new green initiative Greenmosphere that will drive mass tree plantation programmes, spread awareness about climate change among the young, and encourage sustainable energy practices through energy audits. (Image © Pixabay GmbH)

GRASIM COMMISSIONS CAUSTIC SODA PROJECTS IN JHARKHAND AND AP MUMBAI, INDIA: Grasim Industries has commissioned caustic soda projects at Rehla, Jharkhand and Balabhadrapuram in Andhra Pradesh. The ongoing expansion project at Rehla has been completed and the company has successfully commissioned PhaseII of the expansion project — 80 tpd caustic soda lye at Rehla, taking overall caustic soda lye capacity of Rehla unit to 550 tpd. Moreover, the company had acquired the stalled chlor alkali

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

project of 200 tpd in 2019 from KPR Industries (India) situated at Balabhadrapuram. With systematic investments, the company is in the process of increasing the capacity at Balabhadrapuram unit to 400 tpd of caustic soda and three value added chlorine derivatives. The company has now successfully commissioned Phase-I of the project — 70 tpd caustic soda lye at Balabhadrapuram and it is in ramp up phase.

NEWS NATIONAL MEGHMANI ORGANICS COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF KILBURN CHEMICALS

HMEDABAD, INDIA: Meghmani Organics Limited (MOL) announced that it has completed an acquisition of Kilburn Chemicals Limited (KCL). MOL paid INR 132 crores (including INR 12.15 crores towards equity subscription) as per the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved resolution plan dated 16 December. Thus, the company has diversified its pigment division’s product offering with Kilburn Chemicals acquisition, fast-tracking its foray into titanium dioxide (TiO2). The aforesaid acquisition has been funded from MOL’s internal accruals. As a result, MOL’s titanium dioxide (TiO2) project will be EPS accretive. The plant is located at Dahej, Gujarat and its existing TiO2 manufacturing capacity is pegged at 16,500 metric tons per annum (MTPA). MOL expects to commence the commercial production of titanium dioxide (TiO2) from Q2 FY23, thereby adding ~INR 300-350 crores to the revenues on a full financial year basis. The company had recently mentioned that it will set up a new titanium dioxide manufacturing plant in Dahej, Gujarat. The company anticipates doubling up its titanium dioxide (TiO2) capacity to 33,000 MTPA by Q1 FY24 by incurring an additional capex of INR 270 crores funded by an appropriate mix of internal

accruals and debt. At normal capacity utilisation, the aforesaid plant is expected to contribute ~INR 650-700 crores to MOL’s topline on a full financial year basis. Capacity utilisation will be ramped up gradually. MOL’s titanium dioxide (TiO2) plant is expected to garner an EBITDA margin of ~23-25 percent, along with robust return ratios i.e, ROCE and ROE ranging ~19-20 percent each. Titanium dioxide (TiO2), a bright white pigment, has multiple industrial applications, including paints, plastics, inks, dyes, paper and cosmetics etc. The annual demand for titanium dioxide (TiO2) in India stands at 2,50,000 MTPA and is growing at 4.2 percent CAGR. Imports meet nearly 80 percent of India’s titanium dioxide demand. The TiO2 production capacity in India is pegged at 81,000 MTPA. Titanium dioxide, an import substitution product, accelerates MOL’s growth plans mirroring the Government’s ‘Make in India’ & ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ vision. The company remains committed to execute its overall capex guidance of INR 620 Crores (INR 270 crores – pigment division and INR 350 crores – agrochemicals division) by Q2 FY23 and achieve INR 3,000 crores topline by FY24.

RAM CHARAN BAGS $700-MN DEAL FROM AZERBAIJAN-BASED FIRM KAFKANS

HENNAI, INDIA: Ram Charan Co Pvt Ltd said it has bagged a $700-million deal from Kafkans Finanz LLC, based in Baku, Azerbaijan. The company will supply and set up waste management units in the industrial areas around Baku in Azerbaijan from December 2022, reported various media news. Ram Charan will build, operate, and transfer these high quality waste management units in the developing industrial areas of Azerbaijan to help manage industrial effluents and bring back a significant amount of energy to these industrial areas. The units when installed will initially have the capacity to generate upto 200 MW of power. Kafkans is the local partner with Ram Charan, with an experience in logistics, infrastructure, and imports to Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan, a developing country located on the old Silk Road, is a developing nation, and the provision of this technology will provide immense support to the industrial growth in the region, it said. Ram Charans technology includes environment to energy management systems

and renewable energy devices with high storage capacity made from sodium silicate. Through these agreements we hope to rapidly scale up our technologies offerings in the waste to energy field that will help the environment in a significant manner. The technology used by Ram Charan allows for zero toxic residue, and can be used to convert all types of unsegregated of waste into energy, with zero residue to the environment, making it the first of its kind globally and also the safest,? said Chris Curtis, chairman, TFCC International. Ram Charan is implementing modern techniques considering a zero part per million production unit, and also claims to be amongst the first globally to set up end product responsibility for their products. The technology, developed in-house after research from 2016 by the current team at Ram Charan has been branded under the name Entity 1, and has a slew of products lined up for release from 2022 till 2024. The company has planned manufacturing facilities in India, which are planned in the state of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.

Ram Charan Co Pvt Ltd has bagged a deal from Kafkans Finanz LLC, based in Baku, Azerbaijan, to supply and set up waste management units in industrial areas around Baku from December 2022. Shown here is Ram Charan’s plants in India. (Representative Image/File Photo)

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

NEWS INTERNATIONAL BASF TO DIVEST QUINCY, FLORIDA SITE, ATTAPULGITE BUSINESS TO CLARIANT

UDWIGSHAFEN, GERMANY/CHARLOTTE, US: BASF has reached an agreement to divest its manufacturing site in Quincy, Florida and the associated attapulgite business for a purchase price of $60 million to Clariant. The Quincy mining facility employs around 75 employees and manufactures clay-based mineral products used in a variety of industrial applications. BASF’s attapulgite business generated sales of approximately $36 million in 2020. The transaction is expected to close in the summer of 2022. BASF acquired the site as part of the Engelhard acquisition in 2006. It is operated by the dispersions & resins division of BASF. Based on

an in-depth review, it was determined that the future of the site and the attapulgite business would be best secured by a divestiture to a company with experience and expertise in mining. “BASF divests the site in Quincy and at the same time enters into a long-term supply agreement for attapulgite with Clariant, that will allow us to continue to support and grow with our customers in the paints, coatings, and construction markets which are core to the success of our business,” said Denise Hartmann, senior vice president of BASF’s Dispersions & Resins business in North America.

HUNTSMAN PLANS TO SELL SINGAPORE-HEADQUARTERED TEXTILE EFFECTS DIVISION

HE WOODLANDS, US: Huntsman Corporation announced two significant corporate initiatives: a review of strategic options for its textile effects division and a multi-year compensation plan designed to align the incentives of the company’s management team with the targets presented at the company’s investor day in November.

assets and will be a better owner for them,” said Peter Huntsman, chairman, president and CEO.

The Huntsman board of directors has authorized management to conduct a strategic review of the textile effects division, which is headquartered in Singapore, including a possible sale of the division. The review will begin early in the first quarter of 2022.

The board of directors also authorized management of the company to implement a multi-year compensation plan for all officers and vice presidents designed to align with the interests of all shareholders and with the targets presented at the company’s investor day in November.

“We believe now is the right time to explore options for textile effects. We expect that the division will generate close to $100 million of Adjusted EBITDA in 2021, recovering much of what was lost due to COVID-19. While its value-added portfolio of sustainable products is consistent with Huntsman’s strategic direction, there may well be an external party that recognizes the value of these extremely attractive

“Consistent with the guidance we gave on investor day, we are committed to improving upon the strongest profit and margin performance for our current portfolio of businesses. We believe these changes to our compensation plan will enhance our culture of accountability and effectively incentivize our management team to deliver on our investor day commitments and generate enhanced shareholder value,” said Huntsman.

Huntsman has not set a timetable or a deadline for the conclusion of its evaluation of strategic alternatives for the textile effects division but plans to move expeditiously.

HEXION HOLDINGS TO BE ACQUIRED BY AMERICAN SECURITIES COLUMBUS, US: Hexion Holdings Corporation announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by affiliates of American Securities LLC for $30.00 per share in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2022, following and conditioned upon the closing of the company’s previously announced sale of its epoxy business to Westlake Chemical Corporation.

leading companies and its associates to drive collaborative success. Operating under American Securities’ ownership, Hexion Holdings has a bright future and is poised to build on its momentum and continue its record of delivering innovative, high-quality products and service to customers,” said Craig Rogerson, chairman, president and CEO, Hexion Holdings.

Hexion Holdings net sales for the year-ended 31 December, 2020 were $2.5 billion. Pro forma net sales for the same period, reflecting the sale of the company’s epoxy business, would have been approximately $1.4 billion. Post-sale of the epoxy business, the remaining Hexion business will be a leading global producer of adhesives and performance materials that enable the production of engineered wood products and other growing specialty materials. The company has 27 manufacturing facilities globally and approximately 1,300 employees.

“Hexion is a market leader and leverages deep chemistry and application knowledge to support its customers in diverse end markets,” said Scott Wolff, a managing director of American Securities. “The company is well-aligned with global megatrends, including safety and sustainability requirements and regulations, population growth, and household formation.”

The transaction delivers substantial value to Hexion Holdings’ shareholders as the purchase price per share represents a 15 percent premium to the closing price as of 17 December, 2021 and a 53 percent premium to the company’s closing share price on 30 July, 2021, the day prior to its announcement of its ongoing strategic review. “This transaction, along with the pending sale of our epoxy business, is the conclusion of a comprehensive evaluation of strategic actions. American Securities has a proven track record of partnering with

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

As previously announced in November, the company entered into a definitive agreement to sell its epoxy-based coatings and composite businesses, which includes the epoxy specialty resins and base epoxy resins and intermediates product lines, for approximately $1.2 billion to Westlake. That transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2022. Moelis & Company LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC served as financial advisors to Hexion Holdings, and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP served as legal counsel. Lazard served as financial advisor to American Securities, and Kirkland & Ellis served as legal counsel.

NEWS INTERNATIONAL ADM TO ACQUIRE NUTRITION COMPANY FLAVOR INFUSION INTERNATIONAL

HICAGO, US: ADM announced that it has acquired Panamabased Flavor Infusion International SA (FISA), a full-range provider of flavor and specialty ingredient solutions for customers across Latin America and the Caribbean. With this acquisition, ADM adds an experienced and successful team of 60 colleagues who serve a growing list of food and beverage customers across Latin America and the Caribbean with a wide range of flavor ingredients and solutions from two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Panama and Colombia. “We’re excited to open up new growth opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean with the addition of FISA,” said Vince Macciocchi, president of ADM’s Nutrition business. “Our Nutrition segment has been delivering profit growth of 15 to 20 percent a year, and our

flavors business has been an important driver of that success, with annual sales growth of more than 10 percent. This acquisition represents another important bolt-on addition as we expand our capabilities in this high-value segment.” “Having founded and owned numerous flavor operations for more than 50 years, I can confidently say that ADM is the ideal partner to carry on FISA’s legacy as a premier provider of flavor and specialty ingredient solutions to the beverage industry in Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Daniel DeClark, chairman and CEO of FISA. “FISA’s customers, as well as its employees, will benefit from ADM’s global presence, significant R&D capabilities and robust sales and marketing resources.”

Flavor Infusion International SA (FISA) headquarters’ in Panama. FISA is acquired by ADM. (File Photo)

PERSTORP TO INCREASE TRIMETHYLOLPROPANE CAPACITY IN EUROPE

ALMO, SWEDEN: Perstorp said it is ramping up production capacity of Trimethylolpropane (TMP) at its site in Vercelli, Italy, to meet the growing demand from the European market. TMP is used to enhance the properties of numerous materials. Common applications include the use in saturated polyesters for coil coatings, polyurethanes for coatings and elastomers, acrylic acid esters for radiation curing, esters for synthetic lubricants, and for the surface treatment of pigments. Perstorp’s own TMP production sites

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

are located in China, Sweden, and the US. “The capacity expansion is fully in line with Perstorp’s ambition to further strengthen our position in the polyols market. TMP is a key product in our polyol portfolio, which is a core business within Perstorp. This product line have been instrumental in the development of Perstorp as an international company and we are happy to expand our position further to be able to serve a strong demand from the market,” said Filip Tauson, global VP, polyols, Perstorp.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

NEWS MOVERS & SHAKERS NUTRIEN NAMES INTERIM CEO AS CHIEF MAYO SCHMIDT RESIGNS executive vice president and CEO of Potash, has been named the company’s interim CEO. Seitz brings extensive global leadership experience in the agriculture and mining sectors and is wellpositioned to progress the company’s stated strategy and lead the integrated business during the transition. “Nutrien has delivered exceptional results in 2021 and is well positioned to continue this strong momentum into 2022,” said Russ Girling, chair of the Nutrien board of directors. “Nutrien has a talented and deep executive team, and we are confident that Ken Seitz and this team will continue to build on the organization’s record financial and operating performance.” “The Nutrien board of directors will work with an executive search firm to begin a global search to select a long-term leader that will take the company into its next phase, which will consider internal and external candidates,” added Girling.

Ken Seitz

ASKATOON, CANADA: The board of directors of Nutrien Ltd announced that Mayo Schmidt has left his position as president and CEO of Nutrien and has resigned from the board. Ken Seitz,

“I look forward to working with the executive leadership team, our tremendous employees and the board of directors to execute on our plan, continue this exciting progression across our business to serve our stakeholders, and deliver on our commitment to advance sustainable solutions to feed a growing world,” said Seitz. Seitz joined Nutrien as EVP & CEO of Potash in 2019. He was the former president and CEO of Canpotex, one of the world’s largest suppliers of Potash.

BIESTERFELD GROUP APPOINTS PETER WILKES TO EXECUTIVE BOARD board of the Biesterfeld Group with effect from 1 January. Wilkes will continue to serve as spokesperson for the management of Biesterfeld Spezialchemie GmbH. “Peter Wilkes has a distinguished track record in the industry, with international experience and considerable expertise. As management spokesperson he has already developed and internationalised the specialty chemicals business division very successfully in recent years. As a member of the executive board he will now take forward the ongoing strategic expansion of the group as a whole,” said Dirk Biesterfeld, chair, Biesterfeld AG supervisory board. “The Biesterfeld Group is a genuine global player and yet a family business with tradition and clear values. I would like to thank the family and the supervisory board for their confidence in me and the amazing team in the company – it has been wonderful to work with them so successfully over the last several years,” said Wilkes.

Peter Wilkes

AMBURG, GERMANY: The supervisory board of Biesterfeld AG said it has appointed Peter Wilkes (60) to the executive

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

Wilkes has over 30 years’ international experience in the specialty chemicals industry, having held executive roles at Dow Chemicals, Air Products and Chemicals and Kolb AG.

BRENNTAG APPOINTS LUFTHANSA SERVICE FINANCE HEAD AS NEW CFO member of the board of management of Thomas Cook AG from 2010 responsible for finance, purchasing, HR, tax and legal. The current CFO Muller made a personal decision to leave Brenntag at the end of March after almost 20 years with the company. He was CFO for the last ten years. “With Dr Kristin Neumann we are very happy to have been able to win an internationally experienced financial expert and leadership personality as CFO. The supervisory board is convinced that she will ideally complement and enrich the management board with her broad experience,” said Doreen Nowotne, chairwoman, supervisory board of Brenntag SE.

Dr Kristin Neumann

SSEN, GERMANY: The supervisory board of Brenntag SE has appointed Dr Kristin Neumann to the Brenntag SE management board as of 1 April, as chief financial officer. She will be responsible for the accounting, controlling, insurance, investor relations, legal, shared services, tax and treasury areas. Neumann will succeed Georg Muller, who chose not to extend his mandate beyond his current term ending 31 March. Prior to this, Neumann (born 1972) worked at LSG Lufthansa Service Holding AG, as chief financial officer and director of human resources since 2014. Before that appointment, Neumann was a

“Dr Kristin Neumann as a proven expert in the field of finance and with a broad range of experience also in other areas, she will bring fresh impetus to Brenntag’s successful path to sustainable earnings growth. Together we will expand our industry-leading position and further drive our company’s transformation,” said Dr Christian Kohlpaintner, chief executive officer of Brenntag SE. “Brenntag is an exceptionally successful company that has rightfully maintained its leading position in the chemicals and ingredients distribution industry for many years and is now raising the bar. The CFO has a central role to play in group management and the targeted development of a company – so this is both a challenge as well as a pleasure for me,” said Neumann.

ROSSARI BIOTECH APPOINTS EX-INDOFIL PURCHASE HEAD AS VP, PROCUREMENT Prior to this, Tulshyan was head of purchasing at Indofil Industries Limited. Earlier he has worked at Saint Gobain Abrasives, Owens Corning Fiberglas, Grindwell Norton Limited, Godrej – GE Appliances, Blue Star Ltd and Tata Power. He is experienced in the field of sourcing and supply chain. “We complete the appointment of senior executives at Rossari with Tulshyan. This will help Rossari increase scale and grow its portfolio by innovating and launching new offerings by proudly ‘making in India’ through the plants at Silvassa and Dahej. Tulshyan will help in strengthening procurement operations and streamlining supply chain function. With the availability of raw materials being a crucial factor in the post-pandemic era, we look forward to Tulshyan’s leadership and support for scaling our organization,” said Chari. Tulshyan specialises in setting up processes and his forte is monomer purchase, which is in sync with the goals of the company.

Sandeep Tulshyan

UMBAI, INDIA: Rossari Biotech Limited announced the appointment of Sandeep Tulshyan as vice president, procurement. Tulshyan will be based out of Mumbai and report to Sunil Chari, managing director & co-founder, Rossari Biotech Ltd.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

“I am delighted to join Rossari Biotech, one of the fastest growing homegrown brands. Procurement of raw materials in a sustainable manner has become of prime significance for all industries and I look forward to helping Rossari build an edge over competition by establishing efficient and long term procurement partners,” said Tulshyan.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

PLASTICS RECYCLED GLASS FIBER

PRE-CONSUMER RECYCLED GLASS FIBER TO SUPPORT CARBON NEUTRALITY

ABIC launched new LNP™ ELCRIN™ WF006XXPiQ compound and LNP™ ELCRIN™ WF0061XPiQ compound, the first two grades in a new portfolio of materials that incorporate pre-consumer recycled glass fiber diverted from the waste stream of industrial processes. These polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) compounds, each reinforced with 30 percent pre-consumer recycled short glass fiber, offer mechanical properties and color equivalency of ELCRIN iQ grades that use virgin glass fiber reinforcement. This new technology further decreases the carbon footprint of ELCRIN iQ materials, which already support the circular economy and help reduce plastic waste by using upcycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from discarded water bottles. “We are continually pursuing new avenues to accelerate carbon neutrality for our materials across our portfolio,” said Luc Govaerts, director, formulation & application development for SABIC’s specialties business. “This effort includes evaluating each component of our thermoplastic compounds and collaborating with others in the value chain to identify potential replacements that can drive circularity. Central to this process is the prioritization of customer needs, so that greater sustainability goes hand-in-hand with outstanding performance, consistent quality and processing efficiency.”

Lowering Environmental Impacts SABIC is one of the first material suppliers to adopt pre-consumer recycled glass fiber for thermoplastic compounds. The short glass fiber used in these new ELCRIN iQ materials contains 100 percent recycled content according to Underwriters Laboratories’ Recycled Content Validation procedure (UL 2809), following the mass balance

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

approach. Compared to virgin PBT reinforced with virgin glass fiber, LNP ELCRIN WF006XXPiQ compound contains 67 percent recycled content and lowers carbon footprint by 29 percent, while LNP ELCRIN WF0061XPiQ compound contains 55 percent recycled content and reduces carbon footprint by 24 percent. In addition to their improved sustainability profile, these materials deliver good structural performance (stiffness and strength), chemical resistance and colorability for applications in the consumer electronics, automotive and electrical & electronics industries. Furthermore, the new LNP ELCRIN WF0061XPiQ compound offers non-halogenated flame retardance. As a drop-in replacement for incumbent virgin PBT and ELCRIN iQ grades, the two new compounds enable customers to increase application sustainability without the need for design or tooling changes. “These two next-generation materials create new possibilities for customers to advance their carbon neutrality strategy by further increasing the amount of recycled content they use and lowering the carbon emissions of their applications, all while maintaining equivalent properties and processability,” said Darpan Parikh, global product management leader, LNP Portfolio, SABIC’s specialties business. “For SABIC, the move to adopt pre-consumer recycled glass fiber reinforces our commitment to optimize the use of resources and contribute to our customers net zero carbon goals.” SABIC plans to extend the use of pre-consumer recycled glass fiber to reinforced compounds based on other resins from their specialty offerings. These new products are available for sampling globally and formulations can be tailored to customers’ specific needs.

COATINGS BIO-BASED RESINS

A GROWING WORLD OF PLANT-POWERED COATING POSSIBILITIES

BY GERJAN VAN LAAR

ore than ever, both painters and end-consumers look for decorative coatings that not only achieve strong functional performance, but also address environmental concerns. In particular, the growing multi-substrate trend and intensifying climate crisis are driving demand for exterior coatings with better multi-substrate adhesion and outdoor durability in extreme weather conditions. To meet these market needs, resins manufacturer Covestro is now expanding its partly bio-based* portfolio of Decovery® resins, including the introduction of a new resin for outdoor-durable exterior coatings.

An ever-longer list of coating requirements Whether it’s a fresh coat of paint for your bedroom or a durable finish for your outside railings, there’s no question that a good decorative coating can make a world of difference to your surroundings. And, after spending more time at home in recent months, consumers are paying new attention to these exterior and interior coatings. As a result, to remain competitive among end-consumers and professional painters, manufacturers of these coatings must now meet a wider range of functionality and efficiency requirements than ever. But that’s not all. As we continue facing an increasingly severe climate crisis, end-users, painters, and regulatory bodies alike are also demanding safer, more sustainable decorative paints. In fact, according to the 2020 USP Painter Insight Monitor survey, environmentally friendly paints are now the number-one desired

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

innovation among painters in the EMEA region. Demand for biobased solutions is growing particularly rapidly, with the same survey finding that many painters are willing to pay more for such paints. These environmental and functional requirements are especially pressing when it comes to exterior coatings. As the use of multiple substrates becomes more common, painters require better multisubstrate adhesion. And, because of climate change, exterior coatings are also increasingly vulnerable to cracking under extreme weather conditions, which cause surfaces to contract and expand more. Covestro’s market research confirms that adhesion and outdoor durability are key issues for these coatings. To address these challenges, manufacturers will need to deliver more flexible coatings to enable better durability, as well as offering properties such as enhanced biobased content.

Covestro: Pioneers of bio-based resin innovation At Covestro, we have a long track record of producing innovative, futureproof, high-performance resin solutions for a wide range of decorative coating applications. These include interior and exterior wall paints, trim paints, floor coatings, metal coatings, furniture lacquers, and primers. In particular, we use our extensive experience in bio-based resin innovation to help our decorative-coating customers develop safer, more sustainable products and drive circularity across the industry.

Specifically, we have developed Decovery®, a dedicated family of resin solutions containing up to 52 percent bio-based content The biobased content of these resins – which is sustainably sourced from agricultural waste such as corn, seeds, tree bark, and castor beans – is verified by C14 analysis. And, as well as decorative coatings, Decovery® solutions can also be used in furniture, flooring, packaging, and joinery applications. Most importantly, Decovery® resins deliver equal or better performance compared with traditional water-based acrylic and alkyd equivalents.

Figure 1: Properties of Decovery® SP-8310 compared with other benchmark resins (exterior trim paint)

An expanding portfolio for expanding demands To continue enabling more sustainable solutions for the decorative paints and coatings market, while also meeting its accelerating performance requirements, Covestro is now expanding the Decovery® portfolio. To complement this expansion, we are also offering an extended set of additional services, such as technical advice, sustainability dialog workshops, and marketing support. Known as ‘A natural home to create more sustainable paints’, this set of solutions will help our customers deliver a wider range of coatings with a lower environmental impact and strong functional performance. In fact, this range of services is part of a wider approach to decorativemarket innovation at Covestro, known as our ‘House of Resins’. This approach involves carrying out proprietary market research through can-by-can analysis, benchmarking, artificial intelligence, big data, and analysis of online search behavior and paint reviews. We then use the insights from this research to co-create solutions using our advanced resin technology toolbox, as well as supporting customers with formulation and sustainability advice.

Decovery® SP-8310: For longer-lasting exterior finishes

Figure 2: ASTM adhesion scores on various substrates for Decovery® SP-8310 and competitor resins after three weeks at RT

Putting Decovery® SP-8310’s durability to the test To demonstrate the outdoor durability of Decovery® SP-8310, Covestro tested its UV-A resistance against two competitor resins. Wood panels coated with a coating based on each resin were stored in a QUV-A cabinet for 1,176 hours, and subjected to cycles of condensation at 45°C and UV rays at 60°C. The gloss of each panel was then measured over time. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, Decovery® SP-8310 displayed good gloss retention compared to the competitor resins, retaining the highest gloss of the three at almost all stages.

As part of our Decovery® expansion, and in response to the decorative market’s need for longer-lasting exterior coatings, we have added an outdoor-durable resin to the portfolio: Decovery® SP-8310. Its combination of UV- and water-resistance with low dirt pick-up gives this resin excellent long-term outdoor durability. For this reason, it’s well suited to architectural and industrial applications, such as outdoor trim, wood cladding, or exterior walls. At the same time, Decovery® SP-8310 also formulates easily into multi-purpose paints for a wide range of application areas. Its strong adhesion on a wide range of substrates, from pine to galvanized steel and tile, significantly contributes to this versatility. Decovery® SP8310 also offers good water vapor permeability and high elongation, enabling flexible, long-lasting paint systems with high breathability and elasticity. What’s more, its very good color rub-out facilitates highquality color finishes. Figure 1 shows an overview of its properties compared with other benchmark resins, and Figure 2 shows an overview for adhesion specifically. As a result of its 37 percent-bio-based content (verified by C14 analysis), Decovery® SP-8310 can enable carbon footprint reductions of up to 8 percent compared with non-bio-based water-based alternatives , and is Ecolabel-certified. Taking the decorative wood coating market’s yearly consumption into account, this impact is equivalent to that of one million football fields of forest. With this enhanced bio-based content and its multi-purpose profile, Decovery® SP-8310 allows our customers to meet multiple market demands. In this way, it opens new possibilities for longer-lasting exterior coatings with a lower environmental impact.

Figure 3: Gloss levels for Decovery® SP-8310 and other resins over time when exposed to UV-A rays

Figure 4: Wood panels coated with Decovery® SP-8310 and two other resins after 1,176 hours’ exposure in a QUV-A cabinet

A natural home to create more sustainable paints By addressing both environmental and functional demands, Decovery® SP-8310 and the other resins in our Decovery® portfolio can help our customers differentiate their offerings, futureproof their portfolios, and improve their sustainability profiles. And, in line with our approach to decorative-market innovation, we’ll continue investigating what our decorative-market customers need and developing high-performance solutions to meet their requirements. In this way, we’ll contribute to enabling more sustainable paints – and more comfortable, inviting living environments.

Author: Gerjan van Laar is Marketing Manager for Architectural Covestro. Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

PHARMA PHARMACOPEIA STANDARDS

IPA WITH INDIA PHARMACOPEIA (IP) CERTIFICATION TO UPLIFT PHARMA SECTOR

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

ver the last two years, Isopropyl Alcohol, commonly called IPA, has been at the forefront of the war against the deadly virus because of its widespread use in disinfectants and hand sanitisers. While this unprecedented use has resulted in a spurt of demand, it has had its share of negative effects too. For one, several hand sanitizers manufacturers mushroomed into the system to meet the demand, and the urge to maximise profits has pulled down “safety of the masses” from the priority list for most of them. Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA), also known as isopropanol, is a chemical that is used to make several industrial and household compounds. It has a lot of uses in the pharmaceutical industry, especially in the synthesis of bulk medicines and drug formulations. The pharmaceutical sector is the primary end-user of IPA in India, accounting for around 70-75 percent of overall IPA demand. The Indian pharmaceutical sector consumes roughly 170,000 MT of the overall India IPA demand of around 240,000 MT in FY21. The paradox lies here. Of the 170,000 MT of IPA consumed by the pharma Industry, only about 12 percent is pharma grade, meeting Indian and other Pharmacopeia Standards. The rest is non-pharma grade. The law mandates IP specifications for pharma application, but the ground reality remains that majority of IPA consumed in Pharma industry is non-pharma grade. The non-pharma grade IPA used in pharmaceutical industry fails to meet various critical parameters covered in various Pharmacopeia Standards. The failure to meet these parameters, eventually leads to usage of substandard material and ultimately compromises the quality of the drug.

The China impediment The IPA market has had its share of issues in India, the most vexing of which is the Chinese disruption. China accounts 40 percent of the world’s polycarbonate demand. Due to a strong growth in demand, many phenol factories, which generate raw material for polycarbonate, were built in China between 2012 and 2018. Acetone, a co-product of phenol synthesis, did not witness a comparable increase in demand. As a result of the surplus acetone quantities in China, acetone prices have fallen and in turn this situation prompted a surge in IPA production. However, with limited IPA consumption opportunities within China, the Chinese producers started targeting the export markets with major focus on India. They could not export into EU on account of stringent conditions imposed by REACH. Also, they faced stiff resistance from the US markets on account of USA-China trade war. USA has taken strong tariff measures by imposing higher additional duty on account of trade war. As a result of this, exports from China to India have increased significantly from 8 percent in 2016-17 to 57 percent in 2019-20. The low rate of customs duty in India has also aided the rise in imports. The Indian industry would have been able to

compete with the low-cost imports if the customs duty rate had not been decreased as a result of WTO requirements. Imported IPA continues to fail in a number of essential metrics, posing a risk to the Indian pharmaceutical industry. All major consuming nations, including as the United States, Europe, and China, demand that IPA used in the medication manufacturing process meet their individual pharmacopoeia criteria for pharmaceuticals sold to these countries.

Fraught with risks Imported IPA fails to meet specific conditions for identifying unsaturated hydrocarbons, such as UV absorbance, rapidly carbonizable material, and so on. The existence of these hydrocarbons might put India’s pharmaceutical industry in jeopardy. The new IP addendum 2021 has included UV absorbance test. Solvents such as IPA, Toluene, Acetone, and others are imported in bulk and stored in a comingled fashion in shore tanks located at Kandla, Vizag, and other ports. When it comes to comingled solvent storage, source traceability, which is one of the most critical aspects required by the pharmaceutical business, is absent. As a result, there is always the risk of contamination, which is something that an enterprise dealing with so many human lives cannot afford. India’s low customs duty rate has also supported the increase in imports. Excipients are not regulated in India, and foreign excipients are utilised in the production of pharmaceuticals at the expense of Indian excipient producers. Imported excipients, particularly solvents, must be carefully examined by regulators in terms of health hazards and the likelihood of contamination. Using industrial grade (nonPharma grade) IPA that does not fulfil pharmacopoeia criteria carries a lot of danger. As a result, mandating the use of IPA with India Pharmacopeia (IP) certification in pharma is vital, keeping in mind the health of Indian customers and the prestige of the Indian Pharma business.

To conclude The indigenous industry need protection from rising imports, particularly from China, which have hurt it. The government can employ tariffs and non-tariff measures to protect the sector. Under the provisions of India’s trade remedies, IPA requires a safeguard responsibility. The DGTR has already conducted a safeguard quantitative limitation investigation into IPA imports into India. It is necessary to make efforts such as making pharma grade IPA mandatory of all pharma applications, BIS standards mandatory for IPA and include key tests in the Indian Pharmacopeia monograph. The government should educate the public about the dangers of using imported IPA, particularly in the pharmaceutical business. Looking ahead, the domestic segment must band together and rise to the occasion to fulfil the growing demand for IPA.

Author: Vijaykumar Singhavi, Ex Drug Inspector, FDA.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

TEXTILES ANTIMICROBIAL SOLUTIONS

TECHNOLOGY DELIVERS OPTIMAL ANTIMICROBIAL PERFORMANCE FOR ALL FIBER TYPES

Odor control, fabric deterioration prevention, extended durability

Highly efficient, durable quat-silane polymer system to control the growth of unwanted bacteria:Sanitized® Puretec™ technology delivers optimal antimicrobial performance for all fiber types.

Preventing bacterial growth does not only significantly reduce odor formation but simultaneously protects the textile from bacteria induced deterioration and discoloration, all of which can jeopardize the durability of the product. As demonstrated in various microbiological tests, Sanitized® PuretecTM guarantees optimal odor control performance–even with ongoing washing and wearing. The product portfolio delivers added value to textiles by easing product maintenance and enhancing usability and performance.

ANITIZED AG, the Swiss expert in antimicrobial solutions for long-lasting freshness in textiles presents a new product portfolio: Sanitized® PuretecTM. A non-leaching, metal-free and particle-free antimicrobial solution for textiles to prevent the buildup of odorcausing bacteria. The technology provides long-lasting effects without release of the active ingredient, making it a safe and sustainable solution even after many washes.

Fueled by the search for more sustainable antimicrobial solutions, marketplace demands for effective metal-free and particle-free odor control technologies have increased. The developers at SANITIZED have managed to advance the durability and efficacy of Sanitized® PuretecTM, a family of quaternary silane (quat-silane) based antimicrobial finishes which meet these demands. Due to the active’s non-leaching nature, the quat-silane technology remains affixed to the fabric’s surface. PuretecTM technology has shown excellent performance on all fiber types, especially synthetic fibers like polyesters. It enhances the functionality of textiles by utilizing the high cationic charge density of a fully polymerized siloxane polymer network to reduce the microorganism on contact.

A durable solution for sportswear Sanitized® PuretecTM offers a unique solution for brands and retailers producing synthetic sportswear by allowing consumers to wear the products they love for longer periods of time before having to wash them again. This provides brands and activewear users with peace of mind by delivering long-lasting freshness on textiles. From hitting the gym to running errands, the technology allows consumers to remain confident and comfortable even throughout their busiest days.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

Technical advantages Sanitized® PuretecTM technology can be easily integrated into existing application techniques such as pad and exhaust and is compatible with other functional performance finishes. It exhibits excellent wash fastness and temperature stability and is dermatologically tested to be non-sensitizing to the human skin, making it safe for an abundance of textile applications.

Verifying antimicrobial performance Properly treated quat-silane surfaces can deliver broad spectrum, durable antimicrobial properties to prevent bacterial attachment and biofilm formation on fabrics. Utilizing appropriate test methods is critical to accurately measure and verify the microbiological performance of quaternary silane technologies. Sanitized® PuretecTM odor control solutions have been tested through 40 washes using ASTM E3162-18, the industry standard wash durability method approved by the International Antimicrobial Council (IAC). As for the microbiologcal test method, the IAC recommends ASTM E214920 for the PuretecTM technology. Using IAC Certified laboratories with IAC verified test reports, brands and retailers can be assured that products have been tested by trained and proficient microbiology professionals.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

EXPERT VIEWPOINT SPECIALITY CHEMICALS

INDIA EMERGES AS A STRUCTURAL BENEFICIARY OF ‘CHINA +1’ MODEL

Anand Desai, Managing Director, Anupam Rasayan India Ltd shares a positive outlook for the Indian speciality chemical companies to get an inherent advantage as global players by reducing their reliance on China.

BY SHIVANI MODY

lobal economic advancement impacting the speciality chemicals market.

chemicals is positive. China Plus One strategy continues to realign the

A year and a half since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the worldwide economy is ready to re-arrange its most difficult postdownturn recuperation in 80 years in 2021. However, the bounce back will depend on various factors and will be uneven across nations. The global economy is moving forward, but according to the OECD’s latest Economic Outlook the divergence between countries and regions will reflect the uneven progress made toward recovery from the economic crisis.

chemical industry. In addition to issues in China’s, other major factors

Speciality chemicals has been one of the few sectors that have bucked the COVID-19 slowdown and most companies in this space are now poised to deliver growth in FY22. This growth is led by the shift in global supply from China, increase in outsourcing opportunities due to global consolidation and domestic demand, fueled by burgeoning consumption.

The rising industrialization in the field of food, agriculture, cosmetics

India is emerging as a structural beneficiary of the ‘China +1’ diversification model. Beyond the labor cost advantages, a large pool of technically qualified manpower, strict adherence to global manufacturing standards and strong protection of intellectual property (IP) rights have led to rapid scaling up of the chemical industry in India.

Market dynamics and trends in specialty chemicals industry. Market dynamics of the chemical sector including the specialty

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

global chemical sector and continues to be a tailwind for the Indian that has been contributing for the structural growth of the sector is the increase in outsourcing opportunities due to global consolidation and domestic demand, fueled by burgeoning consumption, creating R&D ecosystem and rolling out PLI schemes.

Potential of specialty chemicals in India and Asia Pacific. and many other manufacturing sectors are propelling the demand of specialty chemicals in India and Asia Pacific. In certain segments (such as agrochemicals, personal care, dyestuff and pigments), a significant proportion of production in India is exported. Exports are growing rapidly as India is becoming an important manufacturing hub for such chemicals. Product development capabilities have become increasingly important across segments. Overall, agrochemicals, personal care and pharma intermediates are the three most attractive sectors in our opinion. They are characterized by strong product differentiation / specialization and strong end industry growth. Amongst these, agrochemicals have a large market and a number of scaled up investible assets.

Witnessing momentum post Covid-19 era for specialty chemicals.

the front ended capital expenditure over the past 4 years of around

Apart from the toll on the people who lost their lives due to Covid-19,

years as two major units were commercialized in March 2020. For the

the coronavirus pandemic is also affecting the global economy as

inorganic growth, we are evaluating potential targets in chemical as

governments undertake lockdown measures and curb the movement

well as pharma space specially targeting those companies which have

of their populations. Global chemical production witnessed a decline

synergies to our existing business. We believe such acquisitions will

of nearly 3 percent in March. Among the different categories in the

support our long-term strategy, strengthen our competitive position,

chemical industry, the specialty chemicals sector observed disruptions and production declines since February 2020. The most severe effects were felt in March ’21, when global specialty chemicals production fell

INR 800 cores which will take care of the organic growth for next 2-3

particularly in acquiring technical expertise and provide greater scale to grow our earnings and increase shareholder value.

by more than 6 percent.

Secondly, our plan is to continue to focus on custom synthesis and

Speciality chemicals industry is particularly in a sweet spot as

manufacturing by developing innovative processes and also focus

many global players are looking to reduce their reliance on China

on value engineering. We believe our focus on value engineering by

post-Covid-19. Indian companies have inherent advantages in the

extending our process and chemistry expertise to enter into new value

production of chemicals and there are many success stories in the

chains and replace the lower value products with higher value products

specialty chemical space which needs to be leveraged by providing

in the same chemistry will enable us to service more of our customers’

them with a lower risk environment and this can result in substantial

needs and increase the wallet share of our existing customers. Further,

increase in business. Focus on R&D, sustainable manufacturing

we intend to focus on early stage process innovation and development

practices and innovation & diversification in product portfolio will help India in taking 2-3 percent of global market share away from China. This might result encouragement in investment through incentives and ease of doing business and lowering the risk of

that we believe will enable us to capitalize on the complete lifecycle of these products and give us the opportunity to be the initial suppliers for such customized specialty chemicals and strengthen our

investors.

relationships with multinational corporations.

Opportunities in custom synthesis & manufacturing (CSM) segment.

Our third strategy is to diversify our product portfolio and expand our

The pace of contract manufacturing has been increasing, with

expertise and entering into new value chains by adding new reaction

companies shifting their focus on core activities. Major drivers of

capabilities at our manufacturing facilities. We intend to offer a new

global custom synthesis and manufacturing market are many and few

wide range of chemistry competency with emphasis on chemistries

of them are, new active ingredients development, innovators shifting

such as, Grignard, and develop products falling in group chemistries,

focus to core competencies and outsourcing of production to low

such as ethylene oxide, ammoxidation and isobutylene. Such steps

manufacturing cost destinations. India, being a low manufacturing

would enable us to climb up the value chain with higher value

cost destination, has advantage of skilled labour force successfully delivering to multinational corporations to address their outsourcing

group chemistry base. We are focused on expanding our chemistry

addition, increase our margins leading to improved profitability.

needs. With the increasing infrastructure of contract synthesis

Our fourth strategy is to continue to focus on cost efficiency and

in India, more players with patented products are expected to

improving productivity. Our focus is to continue to develop and

manufacture active molecules. As a result, the valuation for custom

adopt energy efficient technologies and practices, increase usage of

synthesis and manufacturing or patented business is relatively

alternative raw material and fuels, and waste utilization technologies,

higher, resulting in higher growth potential of custom synthesis and

to further improve the quality of our products and optimize our

manufacturing services in the contract synthesis sector.

production costs. As part of our strategy and in a conscious move

Company’s IPO in March 2021 and future plans.

towards reducing dependence on non-renewable sources of energy,

Anupam Rasayan was listed in March 2021. We raised INR 760

we have made an investment of INR 43 crores for the solar plant

crores for repayment of debt and general corporate purpose. Idea was

of 12.5 megawatts and this will give us savings of Rs. 10 crores per

to make the company’s balance sheet position strong and create room

annum for the next 25 years.

for further growth. We have incurred capital expenditure of INR 800

Research & development and innovation initiatives of the company.

crores in the last four years which have given us sufficient capacity to maintain our growth rate till FY2023.

Business plans, strategy and roadmap for the future. We are very focused with our business plan and key strategies. First,

“Innovation through Research” is the driving force for the company. We have a robust R&D center and the technological expertise, which helps us to develop products as required by our customers. The R&D

our aim is to capitalize on the industry opportunity through organic

center is capable of developing many multi-step synthesis products

and inorganic means. For, the organic growth we have already incurred

simultaneously.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

We aim to remain focused on specialized niche molecules and

chemicals companies’ core conversion and marketing processes to

continue expanding our product portfolio with the help of our strong

digitally transform operations and enable “smart” supply chains and

R&D team and technical capabilities. We intend to capitalize on the

factories as well as new business models.

industry’s potential for a double-digit growth through organic and

Sustainability and environment-friendly solutions of the company.

inorganic means. We are continuously working on various molecules in both life sciences related specialty chemicals and other specialty chemicals in our R&D. The number of inquiries from major MNCs have increased over the period which is followed by an increase in the number of products in the pipeline at R&D level for our company, this has lead us to expand our R&D laboratory also increase the headcount of scientist employed in the product development as well as product optimization.

Today’s business environment is very competitive. The challenge is to resist being another replicate business model. At the company, we combine economics with environment protection and social responsibility to be in a proper balance. We are determined to make today’s and tomorrow’s world more sustainable. Hence we don’t just innovate to create the best products; we innovate to pursue sustainable practices for our environment.

Our R&D center is backed by robust infrastructure to develop

We are committed to ensuring environmentally sustainable

products along with Kilo-Lab and pilot plants, which is capable of

and responsible operations to achieve the highest standards of

not only developing products but also defining novel manufacturing

environmental excellence. It is our constant endeavor to incorporate

process using continuous manufacturing concepts, flow chemistry

environment friendly and efficient technologies in our processes and

systems, microwave reactors and especially using the concept of

for which we have a full-fledged process optimization team working

flow chemistry in photo chemistry for photo chlorination & photo

on our existing as well as new products so as imbibe new technologies

bromination.

to minimize the by-product formation.

Role of Industry 4.0 in the growth of specialty chemicals industry.

Challenges faced by global specialty chemicals manufacturers.

Industry 4.0 brings together a number of digital and physical advanced technologies to form a greater physical-to-digital-tophysical connection—and it can potentially transform the chemicals industry by promoting strategic growth and streamlining operations.

Although the worldwide strength chemical market keeps on

Similarly, Advanced technologies relevant to the chemicals industry— such as the Internet of Things (IoT), advanced materials, additive manufacturing, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and robotics—together have reached a level of cost and performance that enables widespread applications. More importantly, these technologies are now advanced enough that they can integrate with

to be addressed. Basic raw materials like natural gas and crude oil

extending, the diving productivity and the rising business sector contest are influencing the exhibition of claim to fame substance organizations. However, it is witnessing some challenges which needs prices across the nation are on the rise. It is driving the prices across the value chain up. In addition to the rising input cost, domestic players are also marred by the rising shipping rates. Logistic challenges along with rising input costs have added short-term margin pressure for specialty chemical players.

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Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

EXPERT VIEWPOINT AGRICULTURAL SOLUTIONS

NEXT-GEN FARMING WITH NEXT - GEN SOLUTIONS

Gustavo Palerosi Carneiro, Head, Global Strategic Marketing BASF Agricultural Solutions talks in depth about the paradigm shift in farming from just growing crops to growing higher quality, more nutritious, affordable crops while minimizing environmental impact.

BY SHIVANI MODY

rends in global economy in relation to agriculture segments.

At the company, we like to say that farming is the biggest job on earth, and we believe that will continue to hold true for the foreseeable future. The long-term trends continue to show population and incomes continuing to increase – particularly in Asia Pacific – leading to growing demand for food, especially high value crops such as fresh fruits and

and cotton. Certainly, there is opportunity for new insecticides that can deliver good performance with lower environmental impact, or solutions that can improve efficiency and cost effectiveness. In India, over the last few years, we diversified our product portfolio to offer solutions including fungicides like Acrobat® Complete for Grapes, insecticides like SefinaTM and Priaxor® for cotton and vegetables apart from a repertoire of solutions for rice, vegetables and soyabean crops.

vegetables as well as feed for livestock such as soy and corn.

Potential for biologicals market in Asia Pacific.

Market dynamics in the agriculture industry.

The biologicals market in Asia Pacific is still small when compared

Farmers are under increasing pressure not just to grow more food, but

to conventional crop protection products, but we believe it has large

higher quality and more nutritious food at an affordable price, while also

growth potential. Biologicals can be a valuable tool in integrated pest

minimizing their impact on the environment. Thus, growers are looking

management (IPM) programs, providing growers with more options

for new solutions that allow them to harvest a “better” yield – one that

such as flexible working practices with shorter re-entry intervals,

provides more food while respecting the land, people’s health, and

extended windows of disease and insect protection as well as harvest

our planetary boundaries. BASF is responding to this need with new

timings, and resistance management.

solutions that not only manage weeds, pests and diseases effectively, but

The growth of biological solutions in Asia Pacific is mainly being driven

also contribute other benefits such as labor savings or plant health, and support more sustainable agricultural practices.

Growth opportunities in Asia Pacific and India for agriculture industry.

by the requirements of export markets like the EU which are tightening regulations on the use of some conventional pesticides, as well as local consumer and customer demand for more sustainably grown food. Thus, more growers are showing growing interest in non-chemical

Across Asia Pacific, we have a strong focus on rice and fruit and

solutions. High value fruit and vegetables (eg. berries, grapes) that

vegetable growers, which are key segments in the region. In addition, we

are eaten fresh, along with crops grown in green houses, are the most

see opportunities for the company in selected field crops, such as corn

promising segments.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

Pandemic impact on crop protection, seed treatment

benefits from giving farmers more information to make improved

and biological solutions manufacturers.

decisions. In India, we’ve already launched two digital farming solutions

While the pandemic has significantly impacted demand in many

that give growers easy access to agronomic advice that can already make

industries, agriculture was relatively spared in comparison to some

a difference in their fields today.

due to the critical need to continue to grow food. But like many

Our xarvio Scouting mobile app lets farmers identify weeds and diseases

other industries, the agricultural industry continues to contend with

affecting their crop with their phone, and get immediate

significant supply chain issues. From raw material sourcing to local

recommendations for treatment. Our AgGenie mobile app goes one step

distribution, many companies are facing a number of challenges in

further, combining satellite data with established packages of practice to

order to continue to supply customers. Further, as COVID-19 limited

give farmers tailored advice throughout the growing season. So far, we’ve

movement of personnel, we also increased use of digital media and

released AgGenie for tomato and potato farmers, with more crops to

social media platforms by companies as well as farmers. We conducted

come soon.

digital meetings in various languages for the benefit of over 5.2 million

Incorporating sustainability friendly solutions.

farmers across India in 2020.

and

environment-

Agriculture industry exports potential in Asia Pacific and India.

We firmly believe that the way forward for agriculture is to find the

Many countries in Asia Pacific are already leading exporters in certain

generations. BASF has a very strong commitment to sustainable

commodities – such as cotton, rice and cashews. That said, agricultural

agriculture, with clear and measurable targets to boost sustainable

yields per hectare in Asia Pacific tend to lag world averages. Furthermore,

agriculture by 2030. We are focused on the biggest levers and contribute

lack of infrastructure makes it difficult to get agricultural commodities

to the most pressing needs of society. For example, we want to help

from the field to the customer. As farmers in the region adopt more

farmers achieve a 30 percent reduction in CO2 emissions per ton of crop

innovations and best practices, and distribution networks improve,

produced, accelerate the adoption of digital farming, and increase our

countries in Asia Pacific should be able to have a bigger impact on export markets for more commodities.

Insight into company’s crop protection business. The company is committed to growing our business in India and Asia Pacific. In recent years, we’ve launched several new active ingredients in the region – including Inscalis insecticide active ingredient and Revysol fungicide active ingredient – which are being used in innovative products for both rice and fruits and vegetables farmers around the

right balance for success – for farmers, for agriculture and for future

share of sales coming from products with sustainability benefits. The company has been training farmers on various aspects of product stewardship and safety while dealing with crop protection products. Since 2016, we have conducted “Suraksha Hamesha” (‘Safety all the time’) training programs for farmers in India. The program serves as a platform to help educate farmers and spray men about the 9 steps of responsible use of crop protection products and personal protection

region and globe. In the next five years, we plan to continue this pace

measures. More than 1,53,000 farmers and 30,000 spraymen have

of innovation in the region with plans to bring more new solutions in

been trained on the safe usage of crop protection products. We also

the marketplace. Beyond crop protection, we’ve expanded our business

pioneered the cause of making innovative ‘Sanrakshan Kit’, which

in recent years with investments in digital farming and seeds offerings

contains certified personal protection equipment designed to meet the

– which complement our existing business and offer farmers additional

safety requirements of farmers and is made available to the farmers at a

value

subsidized price for the past several years in India

Innovation-driven initiatives for the company.

Challenges faced by the agriculture industry.

As an innovation-driven company, R&D is at the core of what our

There has never been a more challenging time in agriculture, and

company does. In 2020, we spent €840 million on research and

farmers face increased uncertainty in regard to climate, pests and

development activities for our global agricultural solutions business. Our

economic and social demands. Of course, as a solution provider we have

well-stocked innovation pipeline comprises new chemical and biological crop protection products, novel seeds and traits, new formulations and digital solutions to be launched over the next decade. In recent years, we’ve expanded our R&D footprint in the region, including the inauguration of our Innovation Campus in Mumbai, which supports our agricultural research activities both globally and specifically for Asia Pacific. This has allowed us to bring new solutions

our own challenges – like increasing R&D costs and lengthy timelines for developing new agricultural solutions, and the more stringent regulatory requirements in many markets that they have to meet. However, at the company front we see these challenges as opportunities because innovation is critical if we are to help farmers find the right balance for success.

to market at a faster pace, while better addressing the needs of farmers

In some cases, we’ve worked with partners to develop and commercialize

in the region. Moreover, with the Agricultural Research Station at Pune

new solutions – which allows us to use our R&D budget more

in Maharashtra, we focus on global agricultural research on herbicides,

strategically. It’s an approach we’ll continue to explore in the future

fungicides, and insecticides, as well as on solutions that go beyond

when it makes sense. To add to the efforts towards sustainable farming,

classical crop protection.

BASF Venture Capital (BVC) is also supporting by funding ag-tech

Benefits of digital farming in Asia Pacific and India.

startups like UrbanKisaan which focuses on the use of hydroponics to

We believe the digitalization of farming is critical for the long-term

grow vegetables and thus conserve water, resources in tropical urban

sustainability of the agricultural sector. We’ve already seen the enormous

environment.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

SECTOR VIEW FOOD & BEVERAGES

FOOD RULES THAT WILL RULE 2022

BY DEBARATI DAS

n the post-Covid era, food choices are playing an extremely important role mainly for two reasons:

First, a huge population across the planet has got infected by COVID. While medicines and vaccines were just one part of the recovery, doctors have constantly stressed upon healthy eating to increase immunity. And since then, nutrient rich food has become a part of the regular diet to increase and maintain overall health. Secondly, Covid pandemic has knocked us off our health goals. Since lockdown, people have started working from home which drastically

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

decreased exercises and overall physical mobility. Through this period, people lived a sedentary life leading to excessive weight gain, binge eating and a complete upheaval of daily routine. To top that, the 2020 lockdown saw Dalgona Coffee, Sourdough making and various other exotic recipes gaining a lot of popularity. With all this came a lot of weight gain. Now, although offices have started to open, people are far away from what they were in the pre covid times. In the year 2021, people became more conscious and switched to healthy eating and for that, smart choices of food and beverages plays a major role.

The industry has taken cognizance of these trends and while COVID might take time to disappear completely form the planet, people have started taking their health in their now hands and the food and beverage industry is changing their manufacturing trends to be in sync with the consumer demand. Here are some trends which will rule the market in the year 2022.

Holistic food in each bite Today, food is considered more as the primary way to fix health. The approach of most diets today is to strike a balance for holistic health benefit rather than fixing one problem at a time. Common people are understanding the value that each food incorporates and are using food as medicine. And hence, most diets concentrate on superfoods which boosts digestive health, emotional health and enhances every aspect of the body. Naturally functional foods, such as yoghurt that contains protein and active cultures, are also on the rise. To promote this, the food and beverage industry has fine streamed their products with probiotic and botanical ingredients. Hence a of packet chips has been upgraded with the nutrition of kale and spinach, with added vitamins and fibers and zero fat to make it more nutritious. The new entrant in the list of superfood is carob which is found argely in Portugal, Italy and Morocco. Carob is high in hydroxyproline, fiber, calcium, iron, antioxidants, and protein. It is also gluten-free, caffeine-free, naturally sweet, and low carb, and is mostly being used in coffee, RTD beverage, baked goods, bars, and powders. Fermented foods such as kefir, natto, miso, sauerkraut, kombucha is also getting a huge push in the market as they contain a lot of probiotics, which is good for the gut, boosts immunity and weight loss as well.

Boosting immunity with the right food In the year 2020, we all probably had an extra dosage of Vitamin A, B, C, E, Zinc, Potassium, Magnesium and almost any and every nutrient which helps to boost body’s immunity against any kind of virus. Tonics, tablets, immunity drinks etc were the bestsellers that year. With the fear of COVID still lingering, people are making them a part of their daily lifestyle. The food and beverage industry is making sure that its consumers get these nutritional benefits in the food that they buy. And hence, food with probiotics like naturally occurring yoghurt, or strains of the same are added to foods and drinks. Prebiotics foods like bananas, apples, oats, are also finding its way into food packets to have positive impact on immunity.Hibiscus, a popular flower known for its high vitamin C content, is now being used in flavoured yoghurts, functional sodas, fruit spreads and tea. Moringa, a superfood which has 7 times more vitamin C than an orange and 15 times more potassium than a banana, is now being included in desserts, protein bars, chocolates and even grain blends. During the pandemic, more than nutrition bars, people started believing in the power of herbs and spices and hence there was an increase in the number of brands offering ready to drink spiced cocktails. This trend will most likely grow even more in the year 2022 with new variants of COVID threatening the world. Recently, there has also been a growth in the herbal teas market to counter low immunity and after-effects of Covid. People took the herbal teas like chamomile tea, yellow tea, oolong tea, white tea, matcha tea, earl grey tea and even Kashmiri Kahwa to relieve stress & anxiety, improve sleep and boost immunity.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

Plant on the plate The whole trend towards plant-based food is becoming mainstream. Products like cheese, yogurt, ice cream and meat are getting plantbased alternatives. Today, most food packets and beverages on the shelves are loaded with the goodness of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts. This trend is here to stay and hence, innovative ways to make plant-based products will continue to rise. Not just this, but such products will also be customised to meet the nutritional requirements of various age groups like kids, teens, tweens, adult and elderly categories. There is a huge potential for innovation in this area. For instance, after almond milk and soya milk, the new trendsetter of 2022 will be Potato milk which will tap the goodness of the vegetable in varied ways.

Food for Thought and Mind With more and more people coming out with their mental health problems, this tabooed topic is getting more acceptance in the society. The WHO estimates that around 300 million people around the world suffer from an anxiety disorder, and this number has only gone up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health is also an illness which can be treated with the consumption of right food. While binge eating has always been associated with upliftment of mood, it is now advocated that the right kind of binge eating is necessary to not just uplift but also cure the mood. Today, many products are loaded with ingredients such as Turmeric, L-theanine, ginseng, mushrooms, certain herbs, vitamins and gingko which is tested to uplift mood and deal with stress. Nootropics and adaptogens too are being marketed in the form of tea, tintures, powders that can be added to food or capsules to deal with the stress of this fast-paced life.

Naturally Sweet Over the years, sugar consumption has come under the scanner and most health experts advice that natural sweeteners should replace white sugar. Hence, sugar reduction or sugar replacement with natural alternatives is becoming an important focus of the food and beverage industry as well. While Stevia was the go to alternative over the last couple of years, people are now talking about healthier alternatives like allulose which is a rare naturally occurring sugar in fruits like raisins and figs. So much is the fad that allulose can now be found in multiple forms– crystal, liquid syrup etc – and is being used in multiple categories as a sugar substitute. Many products in the global industry are featuring a combination of allulose and sucralose as sweeteners. Food-based purees are also being considered as it delivers extra nutrition than sugar with way less calories. The market is launching a range of products with better sweeteners.

A sustainability feast One thing that COVID has taught us is that instead of focusing just on ‘today’, we should curate today in such a manner so that it does not affect our ‘tomorrow’. Sustainability is an element which every industry is seriously imbibing. Food & beverage industry also is incorporating sustainability in its entire value chain. Even customers today are mindful of making a sustainable purchase. Hence, there is an increased focus on sustainable farming, sustainable sourcing practices, closed-loop supply chains, and giving back to the society in general by fighting hunger and minimising food waste. Year 2022 will be more about ‘zero waste’ and sustainable eating. Food & Beverage as an industry can never be replaced. It will however continue to evolve to make eating more nutritious, healthy and sustainable.

FEATURE ELECTRIC VEHICLES

DRIVING WITHOUT A SMOKE TRAIL

The growth of electric vehicles is due to growing demand for low emission, stringent government policies supporting sustainability, subsidies & tax rebates on zero emission vehicles. Most countries have set up targets for emissions reductions and EVs are the key contenders in the list. (Image Electric Car © Porsche AG)

BY DEBARATI DAS

he health of the planet is deteriorating at an alarming rate. We are already decades behind in making amends and turning back the damages that the human race has made. But the good news is that we have at least started working towards it. One of the major reasons that is choking up the planet is the amount of pollution created by vehicles. Along with this, the fast-depleting fossil fuels, has raised major concerns for the future. While researchers around the world are working on a gamut of alternate fuels, there is also a need for a cleaner, more sustainable solution for transportation. As countries invest in clean energy and introduce more and more subsidies, Electric Vehicles have come up as the most viable solution as several researches have shown that electric cars are way better for the environment as they emit fewer greenhouse gases and air pollutants than petrol or diesel cars. Electric vehicles can have a major contribution towards improving air quality in cities as it produces zero carbon dioxide emissions when

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

driving. On an estimate, one electric car can save an average 1.5 million grams of CO2 in a year!! All this has soared the demand for electric vehicles. According to Markets and Markets Research, the global electric vehicle market size is projected to grow from 4,093 thousand units in 2021 to 34,756 thousand units by 2030, at a CAGR of 26.8 percent. The growth in this segment is due to the growing demand for low emission, stringent government policies supporting sustainability, subsidies & tax rebates on zero emission vehicles which has encouraged manufacturers etc. Most countries around the world have set up targets for emission reductions and EVs are the key contenders in the list.

Major Roadblock in EV growth While EV manufacturing is on a rise, one of the major drawbacks in the EV segment is the lack of well-planned EV eco-systems which includes infrastructure for charging points.

Several countries which have major EV manufacturing ecosystem

this segment, various companies have started taking a plunge in this

are still staggering due to low presence of EV charging stations and

domain. Recently, Reliance BP Mobility Limited (RBML), under

hydrogen fuel stations. The higher costs involved in initial investments

the brand name Jio-bp and the Mahindra Group, announced a non-

o set up EV stations and the lack of public EV charging stations are

binding MoU for exploring creation of EV products and services. The

reducing the demand for electric vehicles.

MoU also covers evaluating charging solutions by Jio-bp for Mahindra

Taking this into consideration, many governments across the globe are

vehicles including electric 3 and 4 wheelers, quadricycles and e-SCV.

putting in increased investment to develop EV charging stations and

The partnership essentially aims at accelerating EV adoption in India

Hydrogen fueling stations. Governments are also trying to encourage

with high-performance and swappable batteries that will help in

the EV manufacturing OEMs to expand their geographical presence.

dispelling range anxiety.

Many companies are taking the matter in their own hands and opening charging stations to ease the situation. This has also made way for a huge business segment on its own.

For instance, TotalEnergies is fast extending its EV charging point

In India, although the EV market is still in a nascent stage, there is

across the city of Paris. It also acquired London’s largest electric

a lot of enthusiasm around it. Along with the government offering

vehicles charge points network. TotalEnergies also won contracts in

subsidies and building up an ecosystem to encourage the growth of

Belgium cities of Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent for the installation

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

network across Europe. The company recently gained the contract for the modernization and extension of public EV charge points network

and operation of electric vehicles public charging stations wherein the new charging stations will be supplied with 100 percent renewable electricity generated by offshore wind power in the North Sea off the coast of Belgium. Total has also extended its outreach in Germany by acquiring Viessmann group of Charging Solutions and became the operator of a network of 2,000 charge points. “The ambition of Total is to operate 150,000 charge points in Europe by 2025. Electric charging is modifying the traditional model of energy supply for vehicles, from the distribution at service-stations to a multi-channel distribution: at work, at home, in public places, in commercial areas or at service-stations,” said Alexis Vovk, president, marketing & services, Total.

“Affordability and range are two major barriers to mass EV adoption,” said General Motors president Mark Reuss. “With this nextgeneration Ultium chemistry, we believe we’re on the cusp of a oncein-a-generation improvement in energy density and cost. There’s even more room to improve in both categories, and we intend to innovate faster than any other company in this space.”

Such public charging infrastructure is needed to provide a solution for motorists who do not have private charge point at home or at work and also help consumers to get access to easy charging solutions.

In 2020, Honda Motor formed an alliance with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL) on new energy vehicle (NEVs) batteries to be in sync with the popularity of e-mobility. CATL and Honda will jointly develop, stable supply and recycling & reuse of NEVs batteries. The first model equipped with a CATL battery is scheduled to be launched in 2022.

In the US, bp acquired AMPLY Power, an electric vehicle (EV) charging and energy management provider for fleets that operate trucks, transit and school buses, vans and light-duty vehicles. By 2030, bp plans to grow its global network of EV charging points from around 11,000 to more than 70,000.

“As the speed of electrification continues to increase, we believe that our long-term alliance will enable Honda to further increase the competitiveness of our electrified products,” said Toshihiro Mibe, senior managing officer, executive in charge of Monozukuri, Honda Motor Co Ltd.

“bp is aiming to speed up electrification in the fast-growing fleet segment, which is key to lowering emissions from the transport sector - the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the US,” said Richard Bartlett, senior vice president, future mobility and solutions, bp.

BASF and Porsche too have collaborated to develop EVs highperforming lithium-ion battery. BASF will provide high-energy HEDTM NCM cathode active materials to contribute to highperformance battery cells for fast charging and high energy density. Germany-based Cellforce Group will produce the high-performing battery. The battery production plant is expected to start operations in 2022.

Moreover for Europe, bp has partnered with BMW Group and Daimler Mobility AG to significantly improve electrification, making electric vehicles charging more convenient, simpler and seamless for drivers. bp has acquired stake in the company Digital Charging Solutions GmbH (DCS), a leading developer of digital charging solutions for automotive manufacturers and vehicle fleet operators in Europe. DCS already offers access to 228,000 charging points in 32 countries giving OEMs, fleet customers and EV drivers extensive access to charging infrastructure across Europe. In order to address the EV charging infrastructure and ecosystem concerns in India, Indian Oil has taken the initiative to provide a collaborative solution. The oil major has planned to install EV charging facilities at 10,000 fuel stations over the next three years to facilitate an uninterrupted driving experience for EV users and boost the country’s EV manufacturing ecosystem. Currently, Indian Oil has 448 EV Charging Stations and 30 Battery Swapping Stations across the country. It has collaborated with Tata Power, REIL, PGCIL, NTPC, Fortum, Hyundai, Tech Mahindra, BHEL, Ola for setting up EV chargers at its fuel stations.

“As an automotive manufacturer, Porsche aims to be CO2-neutral in its overall balance sheet by 2030. In this respect, a low CO2 footprint, closed-loop recycling and sustainability are increasingly in the foreground,” said Michael Steiner, member, executive board for Research and Development at Porsche AG. In India, Travancore Titanium Products Ltd (TTPL) is entering into manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries for EVs. TTPL has developed lithium trinitrate, the main raw material for Li-ion batteries. “In Li-ion battery, lithium trinitrate can be used in place of carbon in positive electrodes. This will help avoid fire and explosion in electric vehicles. Moreover, such batteries will have 10 to 20 times more life than those using carbon. Besides, they will not get heated up during charging and the requirement for creating a cool environment while these batteries are working can be avoided,” said industries minister E P Jayarajan.

Global growth opportunity

“Electric Vehicles are now a reality, and Indian Oil is geared up to tide over challenges and leverage opportunities in this area. Our bouquet of services will now include alternative energy offerings, including EV charging at our fuel stations. I am confident that this small step by Indian Oil will be a giant leap for the EV ecosystem in India,” said S M Vaidya, chairman of Indian Oil.

Most geographies are turning towards EVs. Markets in North America and Europe are growing faster due to the government initiatives and growing high-performance passenger vehicle segment for electric vehicles. The market in Asia Pacific is expected to have a steady growth due to the high demand for cost-efficient and lowemission vehicles.

Ancillary Growth: Battery market

Also, with the rampant technological advancements and the production of EV batteries in large volumes, the cost of EV batteries has been decreasing as well. Along with this, the parallel creation of an ecosystem which includes charging stations, local manufacturing and service stations etc, is increasing the customer confidence in making the switch to EVs. All the efforts will eventually lead to a sustainable future with cars zooming down the street without leaving behind any smoke.

The automotive industry is a critical end market for chemical industry. With the seismic shift in the market with EVs poised to command a much bigger share of automotive original equipment manufacturers’ (OEMs) offerings, many companies are diversifying into battery manufacturing to meet the growth curve. For instance, US automaker General Motors (GM) jointly developed

lithium metal battery with SolidEnergy Systems. GM’s Li-Metal battery with a protected anode will feature a combination of affordability, high performance and energy density.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

GREEN CHEMISTRY

BREWING ELECTRICITY WITH WASTEWATER FROM COFFEE PRODUCTION

The bacterial process of treating wastewater from coffee production can be turned into a low-cost microbial fuel, giving coffee producers a sustainable, renewable source of power. (Image © Unsplash)

elegates at COP26 will drink an estimated 250,000 cups of coffee over the two-week event, according to the caterers, Levy UK. None of us want to give up our daily cup of coffee, yet wastewater from primary coffee production contains contaminants that damage ecosystems in coffee-growing countries. Surrey scientists have developed a way of cleaning up the water and turning the waste into electricity.

Cleaning local water supplies Wastewater from coffee processing is harmful to the environment, as it contains substances that take a very long time to degrade. This is a particular problem in coffee-producing countries like Colombia, the world’s third-largest coffee producer, where nearly all coffee is grown on small, family-owned farms. It can be very difficult for the farmers to afford the large-scale water treatment systems needed to process the coffee waste, so it ends up in local watercourses, which become contaminated. Working in a lab at the University of Surrey, professor Claudio Avignone Rossa identified a way to process the waste differently by feeding it to a community of electrogenic microbes. These bacteria break down more of the contaminants, and in the process, they produce electricity. Although they don’t fully clean the water, they enable the reuse of much more water and reduce contaminants by around 30 percent.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

Generating green electricity from waste Along with this, the bacterial process can also be turned into a low-cost microbial fuel cell to generate electricity, giving coffee producers a sustainable, renewable source of power. The lab trials involved expensive materials such as membranes, casing and electrodes, but the Surrey team, working with colleagues from the University of Antioquia in Colombia after winning a Newton Prize, have identified cheap alternative materials easy to find locally. They found that readily available clay and ceramics could replace the membrane, and they sourced plant-based materials locally to make the casing. Expanding the benefits “Small-scale coffee growers who use the classical method to produce green coffee beans could use this approach,” said Avignone Rossa. “It means less strain on water supplies, cleaner local waterways and more green electricity in family farming communities which could welcome a boost to their social and economic development.” “As well as rolling this out more widely, we’re also looking at what can be done at the other end of the coffee chain to see if there’s a more efficient use for waste ground coffee. Coffee has a variety of biologically active compounds, which present interesting opportunities if they can be extracted. We’re also researching what can be done with other forms of agricultural waste, like a banana peel.”

NOVEL DEGRADABLE POLY-ETHYLENE DEVELOPED WITH POLAR GROUPS

Test specimens of novel polyethylene, which contain predetermined breaking points in the molecular chains.

olyethylene is the most abundantly manufactured plastic in the world. Due to properties like durability, it has many diverse, and even long-term uses. Professor Stefan Mecking’s team in the department of chemistry at the University of Konstanz has now incorporated polar groups in the material’s molecular chains in order to expand its properties and simultaneously reduce the problematical persistence of plastic in the environment. The desired favourable properties of polyethylene remain unchanged afterwards. Results of this laboratory study have been published in Science in October. Polyethylene is a non-polar, hydrophobic material. To expand its material properties, by for instance improving adhesion to metal surfaces, ways have long been sought to incorporate a small amount of polar groups in the material during polyethylene synthesis. To date, this has been most elusive as conventional catalysts used in the process were destroyed by polar reagents.

which – due to its position in the periodic table of elements – is compatible with the carbon monoxide utilized as a reagent for producing keto groups. A key factor in this process is creating just a limited amount of keto groups in order to maintain typical and favourable mechanic properties of polyethylene like durability. “Science and technology have long sought after a method to incorporate such groups in polyethylene chains. Our current achievement now opens up new perspectives,” Mecking concluded.

New plastic with better degradability

Small amounts of carbon monoxide and a suitable catalyst

Another special feature is that the limited amount of keto groups can also improve the new plastic’s degradability. On a laboratory scale it was demonstrated that, when exposed to simulated sunlight, the new plastic displays a slow chain degradation which does not occur in conventional polyethylenes. “This material provides a new approach for developing non-persistent polyethylene. Further studies are definitely required, in order to also understand longterm performance,” Mecking cautiously remarked.

Doctoral researchers Maximilian Baur, Tobias Morgen and Lukas Odenwald, together with post-doctoral Humboldt research fellow Fei Lin in the Chemical Materials Science research team, have now succeeded in incorporating keto groups in the molecular chains that plastics are comprised of. This is achieved by using a catalyst

Meanwhile, in their laboratory studies the team demonstrated that the new material has the same favourable properties as conventional polyethylene, as far as mechanics and processability are concerned. The study was funded by ERC Advanced Grant awarded to Mecking by the European Research Council in 2019.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

GREEN CHEMISTRY

NEW HYDROGEN STORAGE MATERIAL STEPS ON THE GAS

View of a subnanoscale reversible alane cluster coordinated to a bipyridine site on covalent triazine-based framework that can be used in hydrogen storage systems.

ydrogen is increasingly viewed as essential to a sustainable world energy economy because it can store surplus renewable power, decarbonize transportation and serve as a zero-emission energy carrier. However, conventional high-pressure or cryogenic storage pose significant technical and engineering challenges. To overcome these challenges, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Sandia National Laboratories researchers have turned to metal hydrides because they provide exceptional energy densities and can reversibly release and uptake hydrogen under relatively mild conditions. The research appears in the journal Angewandte Chemie. Solid-state metal hydrides with high volumetric and gravimetric hydrogen densities are attractive alternatives to gas-phase hydrogen storage. However, many high-capacity metal hydrides suffer from poor thermodynamics of hydrogen uptake after initial release, which necessitates extreme hydrogen pressures to regenerate. Such a limitation is often tied to their metastable nature and hinders their real-world applications.

lower than that required for its bulk counterpart. This pressure is readily achievable in commercial hydrogen fueling stations, although further improvements are necessary to achieve rapid fueling. “The work paves the way for developing composite materials suitable for real-world hydrogen storage applications, including onboard vehicular hydrogen storage,” said LLNL materials scientist Sichi Li, who serves as co-first author of the paper. Through a combination of sophisticated spectroscopic and microscopic experiments, as well as first-principles modeling by Li, they found a surprising and nonintuitive mechanism for the stabilization of alane. The mechanism involves formation of intrinsically stable radicals and tiny alane clusters that interact chemically with the nanopores of the confining framework, giving rise to thermodynamics that are completely different from the bulk material.

In the recent research, the scientists found a new way to ease the thermodynamic limitation. The team focused on one typical metastable metal hydride called alane. Alane, or aluminum hydride, has a volumetric hydrogen density twice that of liquid hydrogen. However, converting bulk metallic aluminum into alane was long thought to be impossible except under extreme conditions with more than 6,900 atmospheres of dihydrogen (H2) pressure.

“Nanoconfinement is a really interesting approach for stabilizing metastable hydrogen-storage materials, particularly given the wide palette of potential host materials,” said LLNL materials scientist and co-author Brandon Wood, who leads the LLNL team on materials-based hydrogen storage. “Beyond hydrogen storage, this work also could have implications for tuning properties of other energy-generation and storage materials, including batteries and catalysts.”

The team developed a nanoconfined material with improved thermodynamics of alane regeneration. They found that alane situated within the nanopores of a highly porous bipyridinefunctionalized covalent triazine framework can be regenerated at a H2 pressure of only 700 bar (690 atmospheres), which is tenfold

Other LLNL co-authors include Maxwell Marple and Harris Mason. The work is funded by the Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, through the Hydrogen Storage Materials Advanced Research Consortium (HyMARC).

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

CIRCULAR ECONOMY OF SYNTHETIC RUBBER

A new research provides important impetus toward the recycling economy of rubber industry. (Representative Image © Unsplash)

nzymes are capable of degrading synthetic polyisoprene. The specific conditions for that have now been created and exploited by researchers at Martin Luther-University HalleWittenberg (MLU) and the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB). Polyisoprene is the principal component of natural rubber and of many types of rubber also used in car tires, for example. Up until now, it has only been possible to degrade polyisoprene, with a composition similar to naturally occurring rubber. The present research could provide important insights toward a circular economy. The study appeared in the journal Green Chemistry. Natural rubber is used to make polyisoprene, which in turn enables the production of many types of rubbers and plastics. Polyisoprene is a long-chain molecule formed by linking hundreds or thousands of smaller isoprene molecules. “Various bacteria are able to degrade natural polyisoprene with the help of enzymes,” said MLU chemist Vico Adjedje. Enzymes are biomolecules that make chemical reactions possible in all living organisms - from simple single-celled organisms to humans. Since global demand for rubber products is greater than can be satisfied by existing stocks of natural rubber, the starting material is mainly produced by chemical synthesis. Natural and synthetic variants have similar properties, but exhibit a number of differences in the structure of the molecules of which they are composed. The research teams of prof. Dr. Wolfgang Binder at MLU and Jun.prof. Dr. Martin Weissenborn at IPB and MLU have now found a way to decompose artificially produced polyisoprene using the enzyme LCPK30.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

“We are the first to have succeeded in getting the polyisoprene into a form that the enzyme can also work with,” said Binder. In doing so, the researchers took inspiration from nature: “Our assumption was that synthetic polyisoprene should be present in an emulsion so that the enzyme can work properly,” said Adjedje. Just like fat, polyisoprene is virtually insoluble in water. Nature nevertheless manages to distribute it evenly in water: as milkywhite latex milk, which is harvested on rubber plantations and processed into natural rubber. Inspired by this latex milk, the researchers succeeded in distributing synthetically produced polyisoprene evenly in water, using a specific solvent. The enzyme complied with the artificial emulsion and thus remained intact over the reaction time, breaking down the long molecular chains of the polyisoprene into much smaller fragments. The researchers’ goal is to be able to break down other similar substances from car tires in the future. “A lot happens to the starting material before it becomes a finished tire: the molecule chains are chemically cross-linked to change the mechanical properties. Plasticizers and antioxidants are added. The latter in particular present a problem for the enzyme because they attack its structure,” said Adjedje. The results also provide important impetus toward a recycling economy. “We could further process the degradation products into fine chemicals and fragrances - or reproduce new plastics,” explained Binder. The researchers used LCPK30 as it occurs in nature. Weissenborn’s research team is currently working on optimizing the enzyme so that it becomes less sensitive to solvents and triggers further reactions.

GREEN CHEMISTRY

CONVERTING ELECTROCATALYTIC HYDROGENATION OF ACETYLENE TO ETHYLENE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

The new process of converting acetylene to ethylene under room temperature process provides a green route for industrial production of C2H4 from C2H2 under mild conditions. This process can directly take water as hydrogen source under ambient temperature, pressure, avoiding the additional supply of hydrogen. (Image © Unsplash)

thylene is one of the most important building blocks in chemical synthesis. Traditional thermocatalytic hydrogenation of acetylene

to ethylene (HAE) requires high temperatures and high pressure, leading to excessive energy consumption. Besides, large amount of H2 consumption makes this process even more costly. Recently, a research group led by Prof. DENG Dehui from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) realized highly efficient electrocatalytic hydrogenation of acetylene to ethylene (E-HAE) under room temperature by directly using water as hydrogen source. The study was published in Nature Communications in December. Compared with the thermocatalytic path, the new process developed by the researchers can directly take water as hydrogen source under ambient temperature and pressure, thereby avoiding the additional supply of hydrogen. In combination with renewable energy-based electricity, this process provides an environmentally-friendly, cheap, and efficient way for hydrogenation of acetylene to ethylene.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

The researchers optimized the Cu catalyst to expose more active facets, facilitating preferential adsorption and hydrogenation of acetylene against hydrogen adsorption and evolution. By using a microporous gas diffusion layer to promote mass transfer, they achieved a high Faradaic efficiency of 83.2 percent for ethylene production. In-situ spectroscopic characterizations combined with density functional theory calculations demonstrated that electron transfer from the Cu surface to adsorbed acetylene promoted the adsorption and hydrogenation of the acetylene, while suppressing the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction and facilitating ethylene desorption. This resulted in highly selective ethylene production via the electron-coupled proton transfer pathways. “This process provides a green route for industrial production of C2H4 from C2H2 under mild conditions,” said Dehui. The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials.

E-WASTE RECYCLING EMITS EMERGING SYNTHETIC ANTIOXIDANTS

Researchers have detected a broad range of emerging synthetic antioxidants, called hindered phenol and sulfur antioxidants, in dust from electronic waste (e-waste) recycling workshops, possibly posing risks for the workers inside. (Representative Image © Pixabay GmbH)

anufacturers add synthetic antioxidants to plastics, rubbers and other polymers to make them last longer. However, the health effects of these compounds, and how readily they migrate into the environment, are largely unknown. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters have detected a broad range of emerging synthetic antioxidants, called hindered phenol and sulfur antioxidants, in dust from electronic waste (e-waste) recycling workshops, possibly posing risks for the workers inside. Previous studies revealed widespread environmental pollution and human exposure to a class of compounds called low-molecular weight synthetic phenolic antioxidants. In lab experiments, some of these compounds were toxic to rodents or human cells. Recently, manufacturers introduced a class of high-molecular weight synthetic phenolic antioxidants, also known as hindered phenol antioxidants (HPAs), with improved performance and slower migration from products. In addition to HPAs, compounds called sulfur antioxidants (SAs) are often added to rubber and plastic polymers as “helper” antioxidants. The toxicological effects and environmental occurrence of most of these new compounds are unknown. Therefore, Lixi Zeng and colleagues wanted to investigate the occurrence of emerging HPAs and SAs in dust from e-waste recycling centers — workshops where large amounts

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

of discarded electronics, such as laptop computers, cell phones, tablets, wires and cables are dismantled and processed. In August 2020, the researchers collected 45 dust samples from three categories of e-waste recycling workshops in an industrial park in Yichun City, China: wire and cable dismantling, electronic plastic processing, and general e-waste dismantling. Then, they used liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry to screen for 18 emerging HPAs and 6 emerging SAs. All 24 compounds were detected in the dust: 22 for the first time, and some at relatively high levels compared with other e-waste pollutants. Although dust concentrations of SAs were similar for the different categories of workshops, centers that dismantled wires and cables and processed electronic plastics had significantly higher levels of dust HPAs than those that dismantled general e-wastes. Given the ubiquitous occurrence of emerging HPAs and SAs in e-waste dust, further research is needed on their environmental behaviors, fates, toxicities and risks, the researchers say. The authors acknowledge funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Guangdong Special Support Program, the Guangdong (China) Innovative and Entrepreneurial Research Team Program, the Special Fund Project for Science and Technology Innovation Strategy of Guangdong Province and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.

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INSIGHTS INDIA FORECAST

EFFORTS ARE ON TO IMPROVE DOMESTIC CHEMICAL PRODUCTION IN INDIA

India holds a strong position in exports (ranks 14th) and imports (ranks 8th) of chemicals at a global level (excluding pharmaceuticals). The chemicals industry in India covers more than 80,000 commercial products with overall market size at $178 billion in 2018-19. (Representative Image © Pixabay GmbH)

ndia’s chemicals industry is de-licensed, except for few hazardous chemicals. In the Indian chemical industry, alkali chemicals have the largest share with ~69 percent in the total production; production of polymers accounts for ~59 percent of the total production of basic key petrochemicals in 2019. The chemical industry is expected to contribute $300 billion to India’s GDP by 2025. India holds a strong position in exports and imports of chemicals at a global level and ranks 14th in exports and 8th in imports at global level (excluding pharmaceuticals). The chemicals industry in India covers more than 80,000 commercial products with overall market size standing at $178 billion in 2018-19. The industry is expected to grow at 9.3 percent to reach $304 billion by 2025 on the back of rising demands in the enduser segments for specialty chemicals and petrochemicals. In July 2021, production volumes of key chemicals stood at 909,310 MT and petrochemicals at 1,867,351 MT. The specialty chemicals sector is expected to reach $40 billion by 2025. Indian manufacturers have recorded a CAGR of 11 percent in revenue between FY15 and FY21, increasing India’s share in the global

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

specialty chemicals market to 4 percent from 3 percent, according to the Crisil report. A revival in domestic demand and robust exports will spur a 50 percent YoY increase in the capex of specialty chemicals manufacturers in FY22 to Rs. 6,000-6,200 crore ($815-842 million). Revenue growth is likely to be 19-20 percent YoY in FY22, up from 9-10 percent in FY21, driven by recovery in domestic demand and higher realisations owing to rising crude oil prices and better exports. Insecticides share 53 percent of the total domestic agrochemicals market, followed by Herbicides. Agrochemicals are the key revenue component of India, which exports 50 percent of its total production. Petrochemicals consumption stood at 22 million tonnes in 2019-20, out of which 16.5 million tonnes was polymer products. India holds a strong position in exports and imports of chemicals at a global level and ranks 14th in exports and 8th in imports at global level (excluding pharmaceuticals). The chemicals industry in India covers more than 80,000 commercial products with overall market size standing at $178 billion in 2018-19. The industry is expected to grow at 9.3 percent to reach $304 billion by 2025 on the back of rising demands in the end-

user segments for specialty chemicals and petrochemicals. In July 2021, production volumes of key chemicals stood at 909,310 MT and petrochemicals at 1,867,351 MT. The specialty chemicals sector is expected to reach $40 billion by 2025. Indian manufacturers have recorded a CAGR of 11 percent in revenue between FY15 and FY21, increasing India’s share in the global specialty chemicals market to 4 percent from 3 percent, according to the Crisil report. A revival in domestic demand and robust exports will spur a 50 percent YoY increase in the capex of specialty chemicals manufacturers in FY22 to Rs. 6,000-6,200 crore ($815-842 million). Revenue growth is likely to be 19-20 percent YoY in FY22, up from 9-10 percent in FY21, driven by recovery in domestic demand and higher realisations owing to rising crude oil prices and better exports. Insecticides share 53 percent of the total domestic agrochemicals market, followed by Herbicides. Agrochemicals are the key revenue component of India, which exports 50 percent of its total production. Petrochemicals consumption stood at 22 million tonnes in 2019-20, out of which 16.5 million tonnes was polymer products.

INSIGHTS DECORATIVE COLOR TREND

COLOR OF YEAR 2022 & NEW DECORATIVE COLOR TREND PALETTE FEATURES GOLDEN

“Golden” - Decorative Color Trends 2022 by Clariant features four color sets and month-by-month highlight shades designed to stimulate creativity, feelings, friendships and a focus on ourselves.

ooking forward to a year of love, joy, mindfulness and making memories. Clariant pays an advance tribute to the year to come in its new Decorative Coatings Trends for 2022 – “golden.” Launched recently, consumers are invited to take inspiration for decorating their rooms, spaces and furniture from the palette’s 40 new shades that reflect 4 different phases of natural human behaviors in the new world in which we live. “Now close to the end of another slowed-

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

down year, we’re really craving what comes next, for the chance to move forward and re-experience life following the intense focus on our behaviors, lifestyles and desires,” commented Franziska Hammerl, segment head decorative and wood coatings, Global Technical Marketing Coatings at Clariant. In phase 1, “memotions”, a rather calm color selection with some poppy color accents represents a coming back to life of sorts, where we’re re-orienting ourselves,

considering our recent pasts to plan our futures. This palette includes Color of the Year “memory gold,” an antique gold tone with just the right touch of luxury, inspiring us to create new memories distinct from the past. The shade was formulated with Clariant pigment preparations and was mixed with SHINEDECOR C393, a brand new ready-to-use gold pearlescent effect pigment concentrate for waterborne paints from Clariant’s styling partner, Eckart, to achieve the final antique and sparkling golden tone.

“Memory gold is set to be an ever-present through 2022, perfect for accenting, or for color drenching and blocking techniques to partner other colors of the years announced by decorative coatings brands. The combination of a neutral gold shade and effect pigment brings something meaningful and special to homes and lives,” added Franziska. From memotions we enter “wembrace,” where the color scheme becomes more colorful while staying with calmer, naturally driven colors like greens, beiges and blues that reflect the happiness and feelings of being allowed to “breathe” again. In “wescalate,” the palette evolves to become yet more colorful again, as we take these new opportunities into overdrive and go beyond our previous comfort zones. Blue tones continue to be dominant, but are accompanied by intense shades such as pink, orange and turquoise – ideal as accent colors to create a focal point without overwhelming the room. Finally, within the “metox” palette you find very calm colors which are more on the cold side. Grays, blues, green and beige are the key colors that can be used for full color schemes in our homes. Because, after all this building excitement has waned, it’s time to settle back down to who we really are. Clariant sets new trends as one of the only pigment producers to publish color palettes for decorative coatings, supporting do it yourself (DIY) enthusiasts to professional decorators with trend-setting colors relevant to key application trends and design directions. All shades in golden are formulated with our Colanyl® 500 waterborne pigment preparations which enable consumers to match any color they choose in modern architectural paints and plasters. The resin-free and low VOC range combines the advantages of broad compatibility in waterborne architectural coatings and suitability for Point-of-Sale and In-Plant tinting. Colanyl 500 is manufactured without using alkyl phenol ethoxylated additives (APEO) and meets the requirements of the official VOC test norm DIN EN ISO 11890-2 (Directive 2004/42/ EC). In December 2020, India witnessed unrealised growth potential in agrochemicals and is focusing on developing new products and judiciously using pesticides. Despite decreasing demand for polymers due to COVID-19 pandemic, India is likely to witness growth to ~32 million tonnes from 2020 to 2030. India is a global supplier of dye, accounting for ~16 percent of the global production of dyestuffs and dye intermediaries. India has strong presence in the exports market in the sub-segment of dyes, pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. The country exports dyes to Germany, the UK, the US, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey, Singapore and Japan. The Indian dyes and pigments market is projected to reach $63.0 billion by 2022. The domestic chemicals sector’s small and medium enterprises are expected to showcase 18-23 percent revenue growth in FY22, owing to an improvement in domestic demand and higher realisation due to high prices of chemicals. The country ranks 14th in export and 8th in import of chemicals worldwide. In September 2021, exports of organic and inorganic chemical exports increased 29.65 percent YoY to reach $2.37 billion. Supply disruption in China has caused the global end-user industries to diversify their vendor base mainly towards Indian players. Closure of plants in the EU and China due to increasing environmental concerns have favoured Indian manufacturers to invest further in specialty chemicals. In the chemical sector, industrial licensing and 100 percent FDI, under the automatic route, are allowed with exception to few hazardous

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

chemicals. Total FDI inflow in the chemicals (other than fertilisers) sector reached $18.06 billion between April 2000 and September 2020. Indian companies are witnessing interest from strategic investors led by Japan, Korea and Thailand, as they seek to diversify supply chains from China. This includes large deals in FY 2020 — KKR’s $414 million acquisition of JB Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and Carlyle’s $210 million acquisition of SeQuent Scientific Ltd. The Indian Government supports the Industry through research & development and initiatives such as reducing basic customs duty on several imported products and promoting the ‘Make in India’ campaign. A 2034 vision for the chemicals and petrochemicals sector has been set up by the government to explore opportunities to improve domestic production, reduce imports and attract investments in the sector. The government plans to implement production-link incentive system with 10-20 percent output incentives for the agrochemical sector; to create an end-to-end manufacturing ecosystem through the growth of clusters. Lower per capita consumption and ease of doing business are promoted by the Indian government; this reflects good investment opportunities with huge growth potential. The government has established four petroleum, chemicals and petrochemical investment regions (PCPIRs) as investment regions for petroleum, chemicals and petrochemicals, along with associated services. Plastics Parks have been set up to facilitate technology development and conducive ecosystem to produce specialised plastic products. In December 2020, the PCPIR policy is being completely redesigned. Under the new PCPIR Policy 2020-35, a combined investment of Rs. 10 lakh crore ($142 billion) is targeted by 2025, Rs. 15 lakh crore ($213 billion) by 2030 and Rs. 20 lakh crore ($284 billion) by 2035 in all PCPIRs across the country. The four PCPIRs are expected to generate employment for ~33.83 lakh people. ~3.50 lakh persons have been employed in direct and indirect activities related to PCPIRs by the end of 2020. The government is planning to hold roadshows in eight overseas markets for the proposed investors’ summit planned in January 2022, with focus on the petrochemicals sector, and is eager to attract investors to its newly launched Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR) near the upcoming crude oil refinery in Pachpadra village (in Barmer district, Rajasthan). In September 2021, Dorf Ketal Chemicals India Pvt Ltd, a company headquartered in Mumbai, India; and TriBonds Chemical Co, based in Dammam, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, have announced a joint venture (JV) to manufacture water specialty chemicals for applications in the Middle East refining and petrochemical industry. The JV will focus on meeting the energy and water management and processing needs of refineries, petrochemicals, fuel additives, plastics, lubricants, oil field chemicals, catalysts and adsorbents. In June 2021, the Rubber Skill Development Council (RSDC) announced that it is expanding its vertical to cover the chemicals and petrochemicals sectors and will be now known by the name Rubber, Chemical, Petrochemical Skill Development Council (RCPSDC). The council will implement skill training programmes in chemicals and petrochemicals verticals for the youth across country. Under the Union Budget 2021-22, the government allocated Rs. 233.14 crore ($32.2 million) to the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals. The Government of India is considering launching a production linked incentive (PLI) scheme in the chemical sector to boost domestic manufacturing and exports.

INSIGHTS CLIMATE CHANGE POLICIES

WHAT COP26 MEANS FOR ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

There are a set of pledges, with countries setting their own policies to achieve them. As for the global economy - coordination, policy detail and firm spending commitments are still lacking.

ith the dust settled, it’s a good time to look at what the pledges and commitments made at COP26 mean for energy and

natural resources. Here’s a summary of our views on the implications for the global economy, carbon markets and individual sectors in energy and natural resources. We have a set of pledges, with countries setting their own policies to achieve them. As for the global economy - coordination, policy detail and firm spending commitments are still lacking. Despite some progress, COP26 left key issues unresolved. Countries vulnerable to warming effects have higher adaptation costs. Meanwhile, the costs to mitigate climate change will be higher for carbon-intensive economies. But the renewed commitment to $100 billion per year of support to low-income economies isn’t enough to address this and ensure a fair transition. At the same time, there is a lack of globally coordinated and aligned policies and projects for carbon reduction. Instead, we have a set of pledges, with countries setting their own policies to achieve them. Coordination, policy detail and firm commitments to public spending remain glaring omissions in the global climate pact.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

Global carbon markets: inclusion in Article 6 makes global carbon markets a reality After six years of missed opportunities, international carbon markets were finally included in Article 6 of the Paris Rulebook. Thanks to the more robust and transparent framework, we estimate the value of the market could surge from $1 billion in 2021 to nearly $200 billion in 2050. The elimination of double counting makes decarbonisation real (although the carry-over of 300 Mt of legacy Kyoto credits could undermine market transparency). In the near term, price volatility will continue. But by 2030 demand for high-quality credits could drive prices up more than tenfold, allowing the financing of real emission reduction.

Fossil fuels: subsidies are on the table After 25 iterations, Glasgow saw fossil fuel subsidies mentioned explicitly in a COP cover decision for the first time. The debate over what constitutes a subsidy remains contentious, however, with the text referring to the ‘phase-out of inefficient fuel subsidies.’ We take that to mean regulated or capped pricing, which skews the competitiveness of energy supply, devalues the commodity, and fails to incentivise energy efficiency. The issue creates a difficult balancing act for many fossil-fuel dependent economies — the word ‘inefficient’ allows them plenty of room to manoeuvre.

Coal: a stay of execution The climbdown on a global agreement to phase out coal made headlines, but the COP26 messaging was clear enough: coal’s days are numbered. As a result, finance and insurance costs for coal will climb even higher. Alternatives to coal-based power and industrial applications that are both scalable and affordable will take time to roll out. But a global carbon market will eventually accelerate the competitiveness of lowcarbon solutions in both the power and steel sectors. The consequences for coal are clear.

Gas: headroom for resilience COP26 was positive for the gas industry, despite the lack of a clear statement on its role in the energy transition. To hit 1.5 °C, gas use will inevitably need to reduce over time. However, the global methane pact facilitates direct Scope 1 and 2 emissions reductions. That would give gas a role as a transition fuel. Meanwhile, the ‘phasing down’ of coal could encourage increased gas use in developing Asian markets. At the same time, global carbon markets could incentivise the scale up of carbon capture and storage (CCS), as well as blue hydrogen.

Oil markets: few surprises Our base case energy transition outlook for oil needs no significant adjustments following COP26. We expect continued oil demand growth in the medium term, with production increasing enough to meet demand. In the long term, CCS and low-carbon hydrogen adoption will support synthetic eFuels supply into sectors which are harder to decarbonise.

Upstream oil & gas: all roads lead to Scope 1 and 2 decarbonisation Under a 1.5 °C scenario upstream oil & gas must decarbonise, starting with Scope 1 and 2 emissions. But while most countries now have net zero goals, tensions remain between producers and consumers, and between developing and mature economies. These issues must be addressed so that policy ambitions can drive policy actions. The global methane pact will intensify scrutiny whether countries are signed up or not — that will embed the status of gas as a transition fuel. Meanwhile, the potential for CCS to form part of a climate solution is good news for upstream — it’s the only sector with the assets, infrastructure, and expertise to sequester gas at scale.

Petrochemicals: under the radar Petrochemicals accounts for around 4 percent of energy-related emissions (and rising). Yet the sector was relatively unaffected by COP26. Article 6 developments should bring greater clarity to an industry pursuing offsets as a core element of its journey to net zero. Meanwhile, the phasing down of coal may limit appetite for further expansion of the (relatively small) Chinese coal-to-chemicals industry. For now, the hard-to-decarbonise petrochemicals value chain is an obstacle to change. But the industry needs to speed up net emissions reduction to avoid attention at future COPs.

Investors: COP26 turns up the heat on sustainability Stakeholders responsible for assets worth over $130 trillion joined the Glasgow Financial Alliance for net zero at COP26. Members and their portfolio companies must set science-based near-term and 2050 decarbonisation targets, both for the near term and for 2050. They must also release supporting plans and report progress annually. Another

development was the formation of an International Sustainability Standards Board. This is aimed at developing globally consistent climate disclosure standards for corporates, to help investors compare their sustainability performance and related risks. More consistent disclosure will aid deeper scrutiny, which is likely to add to pressure on oil and gas companies.

Power and renewables: the electric 21st century Increased net zero commitments and support for less-developed countries to decarbonise confirm it: the 21st century economy will be electric — and powered by low-cost renewables. However, as variable renewable generation proliferates, providing reliable supply will be a challenge. The phasing down of coal is therefore likely to force the power sector to depend on natural gas, at least over the next decade. That means reliable gas supply will be a key focus for utilities. Meanwhile, a global carbon market will reinforce how carbon pricing influences power prices and investment decisions.

Hydrogen: new pledges are a step in the right direction The announcement of the ‘H2Zero’ initiative was a positive step for hydrogen at COP26. Twenty-eight companies from sectors including refining, fertilisers, and mining pledged to support the supply and demand of low-carbon hydrogen. That’s a step in the right direction, but only represents about 4% of the current overall hydrogen project pipeline. To achieve a 1.5 °C scenario, supply-side pledges will need to grow 20-fold. At the same time, demand-side pledges would need to increase from 1.6 million tonnes per year to 500 million tonnes.

Carbon capture and storage: set for rapid growth Three key outcomes from Glasgow impact carbon capture and storage, if indirectly. Firstly, countries’ higher net zero ambitions will rely on both offsets from nature-based programmes and mechanical carbon removal; that will include both CCS and direct air capture (DAC). Secondly, the call to phase down coal should drive carbon abatement in the coal value chain. And thirdly, approval of Article 6 should be a spur for all forms of offsets. To achieve net zero by 2050, we still forecast up to 8 billion tonnes of total CCS and DAC. As of November 2021, the pipeline is at 500 million tonnes and growing rapidly.

Metals: positive outcomes but more focus needed Any acceleration of the energy transition will drive greater demand for metals and battery raw materials. Several outcomes from COP26 are positive in this respect: these include the completion of the Paris rulebook, agreements promoting electric vehicles, Paris-aligned finance, and a shift away from inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. However, agreements like those on forest protections, while critical, work against the supply of elements such as cobalt and nickel which are crucial to the energy transition. As yet, decision makers apparently fail to fully understand this paradox. Overall, we see COP26 as a qualified success. Of course, it could have gone further, but the pledges and commitments announced at the conference are a clear step in the right direction. Next stop, Sharm elSheikh, where COP27 needs to build on the progress made in Glasgow.

Source: Wood Mackenzie

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

INSIGHTS AXALTA COLOR REPORT

AXALTA RELEASES 69TH GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE COLOR POPULARITY REPORT

Axalta’s 69th annual Global Automotive Color Popularity report revealed that the majority of vehicles on today’s roads are white (35 percent), black (19 percent) and gray (19 percent).

xalta released its 69th annual global automotive color popularity

South America as it ranks second place with 23 percent usage. Black is

report revealing most cars on today’s roads are white (35

most found in Europe at 22 percent and continues to lead in the luxury

percent), black (19 percent) and gray (19 percent). Gray increased

segment. North America has the most amount of new red cars on the

by four percentage points worldwide. The results of Axalta’s Global

road at 8 percent.

Automotive Color Popularity Report are tabulated on Axalta’s analysis

This year proved to be challenging in the automotive market due to

of 2021 automotive build data in major markets and are an indicator of current market trends.

the impact of the semiconductor chip shortages affecting automotive builds. “Consumer demand is expected to showcase trends in upcoming

White vehicles have been found in the most abundance on the roads

automotive color popularity,” said Nancy Lockhart, global product

since 2011 worldwide, with Asia leading in white vehicle builds.

manager of color at Axalta.

Overall, the popularity of white hit a long-term high of 39 percent in

Axalta continues to report on color trends and color preferences. In

2017 and has seen declines in several regions each year since. This year, white declined three percentage points, largely due to a decrease seen in all regions, especially China, with a 7 percent decrease.

addition, color forecasts are reported in Axalta’s global annual color trend forecast. The future landscape of automotive color continues to change as vehicle and consumer preferences evolve. Axalta designs

For the third year in a row, Europe is the only major region to report

conceptual colors that are aesthetically and functionally beneficial to

gray as the most popular color at 27 percent. Silver is most popular in

the vehicle surfaces.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

REPORTS AGROCHEMICALS MARKET

BIO-BASED FERTILIZERS, PESTICIDES TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMPANIES

Agrochemicals are engineered chemical or biological formulations used for improvements in the quality and yield of crops. The sector is expected to recover soon owing to the increase of food grain production in both developed and developing economies. (Image © Pixabay GmbH)

he global agrochemicals market size was valued at $231.0 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach $315.3 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 2.9 percent from 2021 to 2030. The agrochemicals market has little impact due to the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, owing to the disruptions in the supply chain for various agrochemical products. The agrochemical sector is expected to recover soon owing to the increase of food grain production in both developed and developing economies. Agrochemicals are engineered chemical or biological formulations used for improvements in the quality and yield of crops. Agrochemicals are classified into fertilizers and pesticides. Fertilizers enhance the quality of the crop by providing essential nutrients to the crop and soil whereas pesticides protect the crops and control, kill, or repel pests and weeds that can harm the crop. Considering the current global population scenario, it is extremely important to increase the production of crops within the present arable land to feed the global population. Thus, agrochemicals play an important role in the agriculture industry, assisting farmers in enhancing their crop quality as well as quantity. The major factors driving the global agrochemicals market include high population and subsequent increase in the demand for food, soil degradation, limited agricultural land, and increase in awareness in the consumers regarding the benefits of agrochemicals. However, the market growth may be hampered by the potential harm of using synthetic pesticides such as 2, 4-D and atrazine herbicide.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

Agrochemicals, when used in higher concentration, result in surface water pollution and adversely affect the environment. Thus, the production of bio-based fertilizers and pesticides have created numerous opportunities for the key market players.

Market by Type By type, the market was dominated by fertilizers segment dominated the market growth in 2020. However, pesticides segment is expected to grow at higher CAGR during the forecast period. This can be attributed to the rise in population that drives the demand for food, which ultimately drives the demand for insecticides for reducing damages to crops.

Covid-19 Impact Analysis The unfavorable global effects of the coronavirus are already evident and have impacted the demand for agrochemicals in 2020. The World Health Organization declared a public health emergency after the COVID-19 virus outbreak in December 2019. The disease has spread to over 100 nations and has resulted in massive deaths all across the world. Exports & imports, global manufacturing, tourism, and financial sectors have all been heavily damaged.

Market by region By region, Asia-Pacific has the dominant market share in 2020 and is anticipated to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. This is attributed to numerous factors such as a huge consumer base and the presence of key players in the region. Moreover, Asia-Pacific is anticipated to grow at a noteworthy rate owing to rise in end users in developing countries such as China, Australia and India.

The downward pressure on the global economy, which had previously shown signs of improvement, has escalated once more. The outbreak of the virus has added danger factors to the international economy’s already declined development. Many international groups have stated that the global economy is experiencing its most difficult moment since the financial crisis.

Key Market Players Some of the known market players in the agrochemicals sector are Agrium Inc, BASF SE, Bayer AG, Dow Agrosciences LLC, E. I. Du Pont Nemours and Company, Monsanto Company, Sumitomo Chemical Co, Syngenta AG and The Mosaic Co to name a few.

Source: Allied Market Research

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

REPORTS CONSTRUCTION CHEMICALS MARKET

INFRASTRUCTURE ACTIVITIES BOOM TO SUPPORT CONSTRUCTION CHEMICALS GROWTH

Government in developed and developing countries are focusing highly on green building standards. Also, the environmental initiatives by global industry players will create enormous opportunities for the construction chemicals market. (Representative Image © Pixabay GmbH)

he global construction chemicals market forecast shall be $48.9 billion by 2026, surging from $31.7 billion in 2018 at a healthy rate of 5.6 percent. Asia-Pacific construction chemicals market is projected to rise at a noteworthy CAGR of 6.2 percent by registering a revenue of $11.3 billion throughout the analysis period. Massively increasing urbanization rate, and the strong presence of market leaders of construction chemicals in this region is expected to accelerate the Asia-Pacific market growth.

Market Analysis: Construction chemicals are primarily used by the civil repair and construction industry for infrastructure-based development. Construction chemicals help to improve concrete strength and quality, along with protecting concrete structures from atmospheric degradation. Construction chemicals have a wide range of applications like waterproofing, concrete modification, and repair.

Global construction projects growth to drive the chemicals market Significantly growing urbanization along with booming construction activities across the globe are the key factors for the rising demand for construction chemicals, during the forecast period. For instance, as per the study conducted by the UN (United Nations), the global population is expected to reach approximately 11.2 billion by the year

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

2100. Thus, it is projected that globally around 2 billion new homes will be needed in the coming 80 years. In addition, heavy downpours, wetter winters, and milder climate drastically reduce the durability of construction projects such as roads and buildings. The vulnerability of climate also affects the indoor climate of buildings as well. vulnerability of climate also affects the indoor climate of buildings as well. Thus, to overcome such problems, builders and developers highly prefer the construction chemicals. This element will fuel the growth of the construction chemicals market, over the analysis period. Furthermore, these construction chemicals improve the properties of construction such as compressive strength, durability, and resistance to undesirable working conditions. Due to these aforementioned factors, it is anticipated that construction chemicals will have potential growth, over the forecast period.

Environmental regulations against VOC emissions to restrain growth Extensively rising environmental regulatory policies regarding VOC (volatile organic compounds) emissions are anticipated to obstruct the demand for construction chemicals, during the forecast period.

Eco-friendly chemicals to create huge opportunities

Market by Application

The governments of developed as well as developing countries are focusing highly on green building standards. The new policies are exerting more pressure on construction ventures to use chemicals that have the lowest carbon footprint and are less resource-intensive. The invention of the newest chemicals is becoming more preferable in the construction industry. Established players are emphasizing more on eco-binders and silicate binder system, which have a longer shelf life, high efficiency, and lower environmental impact. A silicate binder system protects buildings’ surfaces from salts, aggressive media and acids. This silicate binder system has unique, innovative features and are environment-friendly and inorganic in nature. The environmental initiatives by global industry players are further anticipated to create enormous opportunities for the construction chemicals in the global market.

The infrastructure segment for the construction chemicals market shall experience substantial growth in the global market and it is expected to register a revenue of $12.8 billion during the forecast period, increasing at a CAGR of 6.2 percent. Extensively growing urbanization and increasing population are the major reasons for the growth of infrastructure in the global market. Also, the fastest growth in middle-class residential housing, along with huge infrastructure initiatives funded by the government especially in emerging economies is anticipated to the growth of the global infrastructure segment of this market. Furthermore, recent advancements in the construction chemicals are also expected to foster this market, over the forecast period.

Regional Insights

Market by Type Concrete admixtures have a significant market share in the global market and it shall generate a revenue of $12.7 billion by 2026; this is mainly because it reduces concrete construction cost. The global concrete admixtures segment is the leading segment in the global market and it is expected to surpass $12.7 billion by 2026, increasing from $8.9 billion significantly at a rate of 4.6 percent. The increasing demand for concrete consumption worldwide is one of the key factors for the growth of this segment. Moreover, concrete admixtures minimize concrete construction cost and provide excellent quality during mixing, placing, transporting, and curing. In addition, these admixtures also reduce overall water usage, along with time equired to set. Furthermore, availability of ligno-based, PCE-based and SNF (sulfonated naphthalene formaldehyde) & SMF (sulfonated melamine formaldehyde)-based highly advanced admixtures, are projected to drive the market.

Asia-Pacific construction chemicals market has experienced substantial growth. This market is expected to reach $11.3 billion in 2026 and it is projected to surge at a CAGR of 6.2 percent. Significantly growing construction projects, growing demand for luxury homes, and optimal adoption of product development in the construction industry, mainly in Asian countries such as China, India, and South-east Asia, are expected to augment the growth of the construction chemicals in the Asian market. Moreover, Asian countries such as India and China have significant growth in the urbanization rate, across the world, which eventually fuels the demand for construction chemicals market. In addition, to strengthening the global footprint across the world key players are following various strategies. For instance, Pidilite Industries’ Construction Chemicals Division (CCD) is emphasizing to expand its footprint in the developing African and Asian markets. Pidilite Industries has wholly-owned subsidiaries in the UAE, Singapore, and Thailand. These key factors are expected to accelerate the growth of construction chemicals in the global market. North-America construction chemicals market is a dominating market in the global market. This market has generated revenue of $14.2 billion over the forecast period. The booming economy and significant market fundamentals for commercial real estate projects are anticipated to drive the demand for construction chemicals in this region. Also, an increase in state and federal funding for public works and institutional infrastructure also expected to boost the construction chemicals market, particularly in the US and Canada. Moreover, the growing population and upcoming projects that are in the pipeline for the construction sector may fuel the growth of construction chemicals market in this region.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

Competitive Market Scenario Advanced product development coupled with mergers & acquisitions are the frequent strategies followed by significant construction chemicals market players. Some of the known construction chemicals market industry players are Arkema SA, Fosroc Inc, Sika AG, BASF SE, Dow, RPM International Inc, W R GRACE & Co, Ashland, MAPEI SpA and Pidilite Industries Ltd. These are the multiple strategies followed by established key players. For instance, in December 2019, Lone Star has acquired BASF’s Construction Chemicals business for $3.54 billion.

Porter’s Five Forces Analysis for Construction Chemicals Market: • Bargaining Power of Suppliers: A high number of suppliers, significant geographical spread, and high price sensitivity is resulting in low bargaining power of suppliers. Moreover, a very low switching cost for buyers gives Low bargaining power to the supplier.

• Bargaining Power of Buyer: Buyers have high negotiation power majorly because of the variety of construction chemicals, in the global market. Moreover, market leaders of building and construction projects prefer bulk buying of chemicals. Thus, the bargaining power of the buyer is High.

•

Threat of New Entrants: The emerging companies do not pose any huge threat for the existing market brands. Moreover, high maintenance and distribution cost obstructs to new startups of the construction chemicals industry. So, the threat of the new entrant is Low. • Threat of Substitutes: Threat is very low as there is no alternative available in construction chemicals in industry. The threat of substitutes is Very Low.

•

Competitive Rivalry in the Market: Competition is deep as market leaders compete with each other on the quoted price to win a contract amid high price sensitivity. Moreover, Lower switching costs from the customer boost the competition. Competitive rivalry in the market is Very High.

Source: Research Dive

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

REPORTS DIAMOND COATINGS MARKET

DIAMOND COATINGS USED IN ELECTRONICS, MEDICAL INDUSTRIES TO PROPEL MARKET

Diamond coatings offer a perfect shine on vehicles when applied over the car’s original paint. However, ceramic coatings are emerging as an alternative to diamond coatings. (Representative Image © Pixabay GmbH)

ince financial situations have been squeezed for many in the diamond coatings market, stakeholders are striving to become an essential company to ensure business continuity for missioncritical projects during the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Key revenue generating industries such as medical, industrial and electronics are helping manufacturers to maintain a steady revenue flow, as per a market report on the diamond coatings segment for the forecast period 2021 to 2031.

Ceramic Coatings a Threat to Diamond Coatings

Companies in the diamond coatings market are tapping business opportunities in regions such as India, China and Japan where lockdowns are opening up and restrictions are being relaxed. On the other hand, to reduce dependence on other countries for product and raw materials, manufacturers are increasing local production capabilities. They are relying on data analytics to predict possible business uncertainties in the upcoming years.

The diamond coatings market is expected to reach the valuation

Diamond coatings offer a perfect shine on vehicles when applied over the car’s original paint. However, ceramic coatings are emerging as an alternative to diamond coatings. Ceramic coatings also help to protect the car from weather, scratches and spills. Nevertheless, advantages of diamond coatings such as durability up to five years, cost efficiency and protection of original car paint are compensating for the advantages of ceramic coatings. of $3.7 billion by 2031. Diamond coatings help to lock in the color and shine of new cars & newly painted vehicles. They also remove or reduce any visible hairline scratches. Diamond coatings help to easily maintain vehicles since they eliminate the need for polishing and waxing the car regularly.

Next-gen Diamond Coatings Ideal for Machining Highly Abrasive Base Materials The diamond coatings market is estimated to register a CAGR of 6.5 percent during the forecast period. In May 2021, Oerlikon Balzers - a provider of surface technologies, has introduced its new BALDIA profile of diamond coatings that are extremely weatherresistant owing to its unsurpassed hardness and offers excellent thermal conductivity. Manufacturers are increasing the production of diamond coatings that are chemically inert and make it an ideal choice for machining highly abrasive base materials.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

Companies in the diamond coatings market are bolstering R&D investments to develop products that improve cutting performance and allow parts to be manufactured with tightest tolerances for the best possible finishing accuracy.

Composite Diamond Coatings Help Minimize Maintenance Related Downtime in Metal Parts Composite diamond coatings are being publicized for their exceptional wear resistance and enhanced corrosion resistance. Surface Technology Inc, a specialist in electroless nickel plating, composites with diamond and PTFE, is gaining recognition for offering its composite diamond coatings that increase thermal transfer and deploy excellent hardness in end-use applications. Companies in the diamond coatings market are bolstering the production in composite diamond coatings that increase the lifetime and minimize maintenance related downtime in metal parts. An increasing number of metal finishers are opting for these coatings, since they have the potential to allow new materials with other performance or cost advantages to be utilized.

Innovative Diamond Coatings Gain Prominence in Ceramics for Dental Applications

the other hand, composite diamond coatings are being publicized as a standard and economical solution for extreme weather conditions in the high-speed textile industry.

Market Overview A diamond film can be deposited as a thin, conformal coating using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and physical vapor deposition (PVD) processes. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a deposition method used to produce high-quality, high-performance, solid materials, typically under vacuum. This technique of CVD process for diamond involves the deposition of carbon atoms that originate from the dissociation of a carbon-containing gas precursor on a solid substrate. The PVD process transfers the coating material as a single atom or on the molecular level; it can provide extremely pure and highperformance coatings, which are used for a wide range of applications. Diamond coatings are utilized in industrial cutting tools and machinery, the electronics industry, medical tools & equipment etc. Rise in usage of diamond coatings in electronics and medical industries is a key factor that is expected to boost the global diamond coatings market.

Diamond coatings help to save on expensive paint correction jobs due to harmful particles that a car can get on a daily basis. Innovative diamond coatings are suitable for an entire spectrum of demanding machining applications and is divided into groups of different base materials. Companies in the diamond coatings market are boosting the production of coatings for machining highly abrasive compacted and sintered powders such as graphite for molds & dies as well as ceramics for dental applications.

In terms of revenue, the global diamond coatings market is expected to reach $3.7 billion by 2031, expanding at a CAGR of 6.5 percent.

Fiber-reinforced plastics, stack materials, and highly abrasive aluminum alloys are fueling the demand for diamond coatings. Companies in the diamond coatings market are leveraging revenue opportunities in the aerospace and automotive industries with the help of these coatings. Maximum coating quality with consistently high tool performance is being preferred in diamond coatings.

In electronics industry benefits of CVD diamond have been measured in the thermal management of power semiconductor devices and insulated gate drive bipolar transistors other favorable electronic properties, which makes it the enabling material for a new generation of high-performance electronics and computer products.

Rapid Advancement in Technology & Electronics Industry: Key Driver of Diamond Coatings Market Increase in urbanization, rise in disposable income of consumers, and surge in preference of diverse culinary lifestyles have contributed to the rise in sales of new and developed consumer electronics.

Applications of cutting tools have been increasing in various sectors such as industrial, electronics, mechanical, and medical. Diamond possesses extremely high thermal conductivity, which removes damaging heat from the cutting edge of the cutting tools and run the diamond coated tools at high speed. Increasing demand for enhanced cutting tools is a major driver for the diamond coatings market.

Electronics Sector Dominates Diamond Coatings Market

Analysts’ Viewpoint Companies in the diamond coatings market are becoming price competitive to gain an edge over other suppliers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Next-gen diamond coatings allow customers to machine highly challenging special materials economically and help to increase the service life of cutting tools. Ceramic coatings are emerging as a substitute to diamond coatings, which is anticipated to affect market growth. Hence, companies in the diamond coatings market should market diamond coatings as an excellent solution for easy and cost efficient maintenance of cars. This is evident since diamond coatings eliminate the need for frequent polishing and waxing of vehicles. On

Based on end-use, the electronics sector dominated the global diamond coatings market in 2020. This can be primarily ascribed to the unique combination of the thermal conductivity with high electrical resistivity and other favorable electronic properties possessed by CVD diamond coating, which makes it the enabling material for a new generation of high-performance electronics and computer products. The benefits of diamond have been measured in the thermal management of power semiconductor devices and insulated gate drive bipolar transistors. This is augmenting the demand for diamond coatings in the electronics industry and subsequently, driving the global diamond coatings market.

Competition Landscape Major providers of diamond coatings, such as OC Oerlikon Management AG, Sandvik AB, Element Six (UK) Ltd etc, are focusing on research & development, mergers, joint ventures, collaborations and product innovation strategies.

Source: Transparency Market Research Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

REPORTS ETHYL ACETATE MARKET

CONSTRUCTION, PHARMA, AUTO SECTORS TO FUEL ETHYL ACETATE MARKET SIZE

Growing demand for used vehicles and adoption of new technologies are some of the factors responsible for driving growth of the automotive to refinish coating market which will directly propel demand for ethyl acetate. (Representative Image © Pixabay GmbH)

Overview The global ethyl acetate market size was valued at $4.7 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.8 percent from 2021 to 2028. This is attributed to the growing investments in the construction, pharmaceuticals and automotive sector. There has also been a significant rise in the production of sustainable packaging products such as flexible packaging due to increasing environmental concerns, which is anticipated to propel the demand for solvent-based printing inks in the packaging industry over the forecast period.

Ethyl acetate solvents are used in car care products in the automotive industry. These solvents are also used in chromatographic separation applications in the pharmaceuticals industry, thus resulting in a stable market. Moreover, they are used in food products and beverages to enhance their flavor. Increasing demand for convenient and sustainable packaging is triggering the demand for flexible packaging solutions across the world. It is anticipated to contribute to the demand for ethyl acetate solvent-based printing inks globally. In the packaging solutions industry, flexible packaging solutions are witnessing the highest demand on the account of numerous benefits offered by them, including lightweight, low cost, easy recyclability, increased flexibility, and enhanced shelf life. Furthermore, the demand for ethyl acetate-based flexible packaging solutions is expected to grow in the coming years due to the flourishing e-commerce and retail business across the world wherein these solutions are used. As ethyl acetate has more than four polarities, it is used in applications with difficult separations. It is also used in column chromatography applications, thereby resulting in its surged use in the wine industry for the differentiation of various wines and the study of wine vintage. With increasing wine consumption in Germany, the UK etc, new chromatography applications are anticipated to emerge contributing significantly to the overall market growth.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

As chemicals containing VOC are used in the footwear and leather manufacturing industries, the product is expected to witness wide application scope in artificial leather manufacturing processes. With the stringent imposition of various government regulations on the production of natural leather and the surged demand for cruelty-free leather accessories such as belts and apparel, the global market for artificial leather is anticipated to witness significant growth over the forecast period.

End-use Insights The food and beverage segment dominated the market and accounted for the largest revenue share of 25.9 percent in 2020. This high share is attributable to increased usage in various food products such as fruits, dairy, meat and vegetables among others due to its low toxicity, agreeable odor and low cost.

In North America, ethyl acetate is mainly used for manufacturing printing inks, paints, and coatings, synthetic leather etc. The increasing consumption of these products is expected to contribute

The pharmaceutical application segment is another large segment in the market. The segment accounted for a revenue share of around 24.0 percent in 2020. Ethyl acetate is commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry owing to its low purity; it is also used for purifying and concentrating antibiotics. In the pharmaceutical industry, solvent extraction finds many applications due to its suitability for processing heat-sensitive products and inherent flexibility.

to the growth of the ethyl acetate market in the region. The growing

It is used for the auto refinishing process, which involves refurbishing and repairing automobiles and other transportation vehicles. Growing demand for used vehicles and continuous adoption of new technologies are some of the factors responsible for driving the growth of the automotive to refinish coating market which will directly propel the demand for ethyl acetate over the coming years.

products, and beverages, packaging solutions, and chemical products.

It has a wide scope of application in the manufacturing process of artificial leather as the ethyl acetate solvent plays a vital role in the leather production process. The global market for artificial leather is expected to show significant growth over the forecast period owing to rising demand for cruelty-free leather products such as belts, wallets, bags, clothing and others. Moreover, the rising demand for solventbased printing inks in flexible packaging is estimated to propel the market demand over the forecast period.

among others. This is due to the rising awareness among customers

Regional Insights

and conveniently packed. This, in turn, is expected to augment the

In Asia Pacific, the market accounted for the highest revenue share of 50.0 percent in 2020. This is attributed to the rising urbanization and research and development for the creation of technologically advanced products at an affordable rate. The region has a presence of numerous ethyl acetate manufacturing companies which is also key a driver in the growth of the market.

demand for convenient and flexible packaging solutions for food products and beverages in the US is expected to fuel the consumption of ethyl acetate in the country. Europe has the presence of major industrial economies, such as the UK, Germany and France which have a continuously increasing number of manufacturers and suppliers of automobiles, food The presence of major automobile manufacturing units in Europe drives the demand for ethyl acetate in the region. The growth of the market in this region can be attributed to the flourishing automotive, food & beverages and artificial leather manufacturing industries in the key countries of the region such as the UK, Germany and France to opt for cruelty-free products. The steady economic growth and an increase in the number of middle-and high-income consumers in countries, such as Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Chile, are leading to a change in lifestyle patterns in the region. These factors have led to a strong increase in the demand for Ready-To-Eat (RTE) food products that are healthy growth of the flexible packaging market, which will directly increase the consumption of ethyl acetate solvent-based printing inks in the region. In addition, the high demand for paints and coatings in the automotive, furniture, and other industries in countries, including the UAE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, is expected to increase the demand for ethyl acetate.

Source: Grandview Research

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

REPORTS FOOD ADDITIVES MARKET

GROWING POPULATION, FOOD REQUIREMENTS TO DRIVE DEMAND FOR FOOD ADDITIVES

Growing population and food requirements coupled with changing lifestyles and preferences for packaged food are expected to drive the demand for food additives for 2022 to 2030. (Representative Image © Pixabay GmbH)

ood Additives demand stood at 1.36 million tonnes in 2020 and is forecast to reach 2.45 million tonnes by 2030, growing at a healthy CAGR of 5.75 percent until 2030. Food Additives are chemicals that are added to food items to impart specific properties to the food product. Food Additives can enhance several properties of food, including shelf life, lowering contamination, appearance, appeal, and overall food safety. Food Additives are of various types including acidulants, emulsifiers, colors, flavors, hydrocolloids, preservatives and sweeteners. Due to their property-enhancing capabilities, food additives find application in various types of food products, including bakery and confectionary, beverages, dairy, and frozen desserts, spices, condiments, sauces and dressings and others. Growing population and food requirements coupled with changing lifestyles and preferences for packaged food are expected to drive the demand for food additives for the forecast period. Moreover, the increasing number of working women worldwide is also another factor propelling demand growth of packaged food, thus growing the demand for food additives.

Along with the online delivery systems, many businesses expanded over the online platform, and with the ease of access and surety of all the health checks done and confirmed, consumers were inclined to purchase the packaged food from the online platforms that influenced the production of the snack items and other products in abundance and thereby aided to the growth of the global food additives market in the upcoming ten years. Region-wise, the Asia Pacific region holds the major share of global demand for food additives due to increasing population and food security requirements in emerging economies like India and China. Moreover, increasing preference towards packaged food coupled with a growing number of food industries using food additives is another factor influencing demand growth in the Asia Pacific region. Major players for food additives globally include BASF, DuPont, Cargill, Archer Daniels, Adani Wilmer, Midland Company, Ajinomoto, Hansen Holding A/S, Kerry Group Plc, Kerry Group, Evonik Industries AG, Tate & Lyle PLC, Novozymes A/S etc.

In 2020, the spread of COVID-19 in major global economies caused nationwide lockdowns, which had an impact on several industries. The food industry was among the least affected industries during the pandemic. In fact, during the pandemic, there was a surge in the demand for packaged food, which impacted the demand for food additives for the first half of 2020. The demand for food additives grew during the coronavirus pandemic.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

Source: ChemAnalyst

REPORTS MEDIUM-CHAIN TRIGLYCERIDES MARKET

HEALTH AWARENESS IN CONSUMERS TO SUPPORT MARKET GROWTH

Medium-chain triglycerides are becoming popular among consumers who are health conscious and inclined toward healthy eating habits, resulting in their increased demand. (Representative Image © Pixabay GmbH)

he global medium-chain triglycerides market has been influenced by some of the macroeconomic and microeconomic factors witnessed in some key countries. This would prove strong enough to drive the market significantly in terms of value sales during the forecast period. Prominent companies are well-established, financially stable players who have been operating in the industry for several years and have a diversified product portfolio, proprietary technologies, and strong distribution networks globally and offices at strategic locations. Some of the prominent companies are DuPont (US), Cargill (US), and Kerry (Ireland), as they operate under the advantages of economies of scale required to remain profitable. The global medium-chain triglycerides market size is estimated to be valued at $763 million in 2021. It is projected to reach $1034 million by 2026, recording a CAGR of 6.3 percent during the forecast period.

Impact of Covid-19 on Medium-chain Triglycerides Market The current COVID-19 outbreak is associated with better immunity, resulting in consumers buying more branded and private label products. Generally, consumers prefer branded products, particularly due to the growing trust in the brand and perception of use of safe and high-quality ingredients. Retailers have reported increased sales of premium vegan products, indicating the shifts in customer purchasing behavior.

Market Dynamics Drivers: Increasing incorporation of mediumchain triglycerides as an alternative to regular fats in diets Medium-chain triglycerides are often used in nutritional diets, infant formulas, functional foods, pharmaceutical products, personal care products, sports drinks and dietary supplements, as they rapidly generate energy and enhance the endurance of human body. These triglycerides are rapidly broken down and easily absorbed in the human body due to their shorter chain length of fatty acids, making them less likely to be stored as body fat. This also helps with instant energy generation in the body. Extremely low-carb or ketogenic diets are efficient ways of weight reduction, and these triglycerides can be added in such diets as they produce ketones. Due to the aforesaid benefits, medium-chain triglycerides are becoming popular among consumers who are health conscious and inclined toward healthy eating habits, resulting in their increased demand.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

Restraints: Use of mineral oils as substitute Mineral oils are often used as substitutes for medium-chain triglycerides in cosmetics and personal care products, as the former are more cost-effective. Medium-chain triglycerides act as good skin barrier builders when used in personal care products, but not strong enough as mineral oils. These triglycerides are good substitutes for mineral oils only if they are formulated without petrochemicals. Thus, the availability of substitutes such as mineral oils is restraining market growth.

Opportunities: Rise in demand for natural cosmetic products According to FAOSTAT, the global natural and organic beauty market is estimated to be valued at $24 billion in 2024. Over years, the preference for natural products over artificial chemicals has increased in the beauty and personal care industry. Factors such as the increasing millennial population, specifically in the Asia Pacific region, and use of the Internet, growing per capita income, a rising awareness regarding sustainable and environment-friendly products have together driven the market for organic cosmetics and personal care products. This has resulted in an increase in the demand for specialty ingredients such as palm oil and coconut oil for use in the beauty and personal care industries in recent years. Citing the significant growth of the organic beauty and personal care markets, some of the key manufacturers are now investing in and developing innovative cosmetic products that serve the requirements of target customers. In 2018, Malaysia-based IOI Corporation opened a formulation and multinational CARE studio in Hamburg, Germany, where the company aimed at developing natural cosmetic products with the help of palm oil-based natural fatty acids.

faced by the manufacturers of medium-chain triglycerides. Also, the fractionation process requires sophisticated technology, the cost of which is also increasing, thus making it a challenge for manufacturers.

Dry form segment dominated the market Medium-chain triglyceride powder is a white or off-white and freeflowing powder with water solubility capabilities. This powder is derived from sources such as coconut oil, palm oil, or palm kernel oil. It is used in combination with other nutritional ingredients to produce various nutritional formulas, such as infant formula, products for weight management, and sports nutrition.

Coconut market, by source segment dominated the sector The coconut segment dominated the market and accounted for $303 million and a market share of 42.2 percent in 2020, owing to rising preferences of consumers for more natural food products. In coconut oil, about half of the fatty acids are lauric acid. As the primary source for MCT oil, more than 60 percent of the fatty acids in coconut oil are MCTs. Coconut oil is one of the most important raw materials for the medium-chain triglycerides industry, as its fatty acid composition is used as a starting block for many Medium-chain triglycerides products. The oil also has health benefits that include cholesterol-lowering effects, regulating blood pressure, reduction of risks of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), weight loss, improvement of cognitive functions, actions as an antimicrobial agent, and others.

Similarly, in 2015, Natural Sourcing, one of the key suppliers of natural ingredients to the cosmetics industry, announced the launch of a new line of strawberry specialty oil as a skincare product. Thus, the rising demand for natural cosmetic products paves the way for the growth of the medium-chain triglycerides market in the beauty and personal care application sector.

Challenges: High dependence on imports and increasing technology costs leading to high costs of end products There is a significant gap between the demand and supply of oilseed processed products, including edible oil, owing to the limited availability of oilseeds in some countries. For instance, India and European countries import palm oil on a large scale from Indonesia and Malaysia, which are the leading producers owing to the favorable climatic conditions of these countries. Palm oil is widely used in the confectionery products sector, which experiences high demand in India and other European countries.

Lauric acid, by fatty acid type, to witness fastest growth in market Lauric acid makes up most of the MCTs in coconut oil. However, it is often removed from MCT oil. Compared to other MCTs, lauric acid is the slowest to metabolize but still provides anti-microbial properties and other health benefits.

Similarly, the European personal care product manufacturers depend on high-cost imports of shea butter from South Africa, which accounts for a significant share of its production. Due to the high dependence of these countries on the imports of palm oil and shea butter, respectively, their imports cost as well as the cost of the end products increase, posing a challenge for the market. For instance, the average import price of palm oil is $500 per ton. Considering its use in various food sectors as an ingredient in bakery, confectionery, and processed foods, the overall end use price of the products shoots up to near about 40 percent of its total initial price. Such differences in marginal prices pose a challenge to the market, specifically in developing countries.

Asia Pacific region to grow at a significant CAGR of 8.4 pc by 2026

Increasing production cost due to the rising cost of raw materials such as coconut oil, palm oil, and milk fats is one of the major challenges

lotions, gels, creams and cosmetics products for women are fueling

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

Asia Pacific is one of the fastest-growing regions for the consumption of medium-chain triglycerides, globally. Growing usage in cosmetics, personal care, and food & beverages segment is driving the demand for medium-chain triglycerides such as caprylic, capric, and lauric triglycerides in the region. China, India, and Japan are the leading consuming countries of medium-chain triglycerides. With busy lifestyles and increasing disposable incomes, the demand for nutritional food & products is growing in the region. Moreover, the growing use of personal care & cosmetics products such as the growth of the market in the Asia Pacific region.

Source: Markets And Markets

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ACADEMIC R&D

SUGAR-LOVING MICROBES COULD HELP POWER FUTURE CARS

Genetically engineered bacteria can convert glucose into a fatty acid, which can then be transformed into hydrocarbons called olefins. To grow such bacteria, scientists add the microbes to flasks filled with nutrients (the yellow broth) and shake them in an incubator to encourage oxygen flow, as pictured here.

n a study in Nature Chemistry, researchers report harnessing the wonders of biology and chemistry to turn glucose (a type of sugar) into olefins (a type of hydrocarbon, and one of several types of molecules that make up gasoline). The project was led by biochemists Zhen Q. Wang at UB and Michelle C. Y. Chang at the University of California, Berkeley. Olefins comprise a small percentage of the molecules in gasoline as it’s currently produced, but the process the team developed could likely be adjusted in the future to generate other types of hydrocarbons as well, including some of the other components of gasoline, Wang said. She also notes that olefins have non-fuel applications, as they are used in industrial lubricants and as precursors for making plastics.

Two-step process To complete the study, the researchers began by feeding glucose to strains of E. coli that don’t pose a danger to human health. The E. coli in the experiments were genetically engineered to produce a suite of four enzymes that convert glucose into compounds called 3-hydroxy fatty acids. As the bacteria consumed the glucose, they also started to make the fatty acids. To complete the transformation, the team used a catalyst called niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5) to chop off unwanted parts of the fatty acids in a chemical process, generating the final product: the olefins. The scientists identified the enzymes and catalyst through trial and error, testing different molecules with properties that lent themselves to the tasks at hand.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

“We combined what biology can do the best with what chemistry can do the best, and we put them together to create this two-step process,” said Wang, assistant professor of biological sciences, College of Arts and Sciences. “Using this method, we were able to make olefins directly from glucose.”

Glucose comes from photosynthesis “Making biofuels from renewable resources like glucose has great potential to advance green energy technology,” Wang said. “Glucose is produced by plants through photosynthesis, which turns carbon dioxide (CO2) and water into oxygen and sugar. So the carbon in the glucose — and later the olefins — is actually from carbon dioxide that has been pulled out of the atmosphere,” Wang explained. More research is needed, however, to understand the benefits of the new method and whether it can be scaled up efficiently for making biofuels or for other purposes. One of the first questions that will need to be answered is how much energy the process of producing the olefins consumes; if the energy cost is too high, the technology would need to be optimized to be practical on an industrial scale. Scientists are also interested in increasing the yield. Currently, it takes 100 glucose molecules to produce about 8 olefin molecules, Wang said. She would like to improve that ratio, with a focus on coaxing the E. coli to produce more of the 3-hydroxy fatty acids for every gram of glucose consumed.

NOVEL LIGHT-BASED METHOD SHOWS CHANGING FACE OF BIOACTIVE MOLECULES

Photosensitization-based rapid racemization technology can be used for dynamic asymmetric-induced reactions in chiral active pharmaceuticals and functional materials. (Representative Image © Pixabay GmbH)

hiral sulfoxides, molecules that contain sulfur centers that cannot be superimposed on their mirror images, have wide applications in the chemical industry. This ‘chirality’ of the molecules can make them extremely selective during reactions, which makes them valuable, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. But sulfoxides are famously stable, making their conversion into the desired mirror image challenging. Now, scientists from Tokyo University of Science have developed a new method to convert sulfoxides using light. The first place you need to look to understand “chirality” are your hands - identical structures that cannot be successfully superimposed over one another. Like our hands, many molecules also exhibit chirality. Different forms of chiral molecules (like the right and left hand) are called enantiomers. Chirality is of particular importance in biology because it endows biological reactions with a high specificity. The reactions that one enantiomer take part in may not necessarily be ones that the other can interact in. This makes enantiomers, and the production of enantiomers, highly desirable to the pharmaceutical industry. In a solution, enantiomers convert automatically into their mirrorimage version by a process called “racemization.” Manipulating the racemization reaction helps produce the desired enantiomer as a product. But some molecules, such as sulfoxides, undergo racemization very slowly. Recently, a team of scientists from Japan— including professor Hideyo Takahashi, assistant professor Kosho Makino, Kumi Tozawa, and Yuki Tanaka from Tokyo University of Science—have developed a method to achieve the rapid racemization of chiral sulfoxides, an important group of bioactive compounds and

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

intermediates in chemical reactions. This study has been published in the Journal of Organic Chemistry. One of the challenges in the racemization of chiral sulfoxides is the requirement of very high temperature (about 200°C) to invert the sulfur-centered pyramid-shaped structure of sulfoxides. But previous research had shown that the racemization of chiral sulfoxides by using light, i.e., photoirradiation, was also possible. This was achieved using a “photosensitizer,” a molecule that donated an electron to the reactants when irradiated with light, thus decreasing the energy required to achieve the reaction. “By conducting the reaction in the presence of a photosensitizer, we were able to achieve the racemization of chiral sulfoxide in much more moderate conditions,” said Takahashi. For their work, the team photoirradiated several sulfoxides in the presence of the photosensitizing molecule 2,4,6-triphenylpyrylium tetrafluoroborate (TPT+) and found that effective racemization of a number of different sulfoxides occurred very quickly. Finally, they investigated the kinetics of these reactions and hypothesized a reaction mechanism by which they occurred. The study emerges as a distinguished addition to research on manipulating the chirality of molecules. As per Takahashi, “Our photosensitization-based rapid racemization technology can be used for dynamic asymmetric-induced reactions for obtaining the desired enantiomers.” Such research is sure to advance the field of chiral active pharmaceuticals and functional materials.

ACADEMIC R&D

SUGAR-COATED COVID-19 TEST TAKES ADVANTAGE OF CORONAVIRUS’ SWEET TOOTH

Ronit Freeman, a UNC-Chapel Hill associate professor of biomedical engineering and applied physical sciences, studies the way coronaviruses enter cells as well as how to simplify the COVID-19 testing process.

ven those tracking each new discovery about the coronavirus and its variants may not be aware of the virus’ sugar cravings. Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of California San Diego take advantage of the virus’ sweet tooth in the design of a sugar-coated COVID-19 test strip that’s been effective at detecting all known variants of the coronavirus, including delta. In the next few weeks, researchers will determine if the self-test known as GlycoGrip can detect infections caused by the omicron variant too, said Carolina researcher Ronit Freeman. “We have turned the tables on the virus by using the same sugar coat it binds to infect cells – to capture it into our sensor,” said Freeman, who published the findings in ACS Central Science. The test is inspired by the natural biology of epithelial cells – those that are targeted and infiltrated by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. These cells are coated with a dense matrix of sugars called the glycocalyx, and it’s this sugar net that the virus exploits to cause infection. The concept is intuitive: a droplet of biofluid containing the virus, such as saliva, is placed on one end of the strip and flows along the surface. When the fluid reaches a sugar-coated patch, the virus can’t help but indulge its sweet tooth, becoming trapped on that specific area. This capture is then signaled by antibodies treated with gold nanoparticles producing a visual color that indicates infection. “We tapped into nature to reimagine viral diagnostics,” said Freeman, co-corresponding author of the paper and associate professor of

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

applied physical sciences and biomedical engineering in the UNCChapel Hill College of Arts & Sciences. To better understand how these sugar polymers bind the virus, Freeman connected with Rommie Amaro, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California San Diego and cocorresponding study author. Amaro and her team developed computationally intensive simulations that helped explain the mechanics behind how and why the cellanchored sugars bind the viral spikes. “By using atomic-level views of the spike protein, we were able to identify key binding sites for the glycocalyx sugar polymers and unlock how these sugars adapt to different spike conformations,” said Amaro. “This is exciting, we essentially revealed another secret of how spike binds cells to facilitate infection.” One of the greatest challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been responding to the virus’ mutations and emerging variants. New tests must be developed for new tweaks in the virus’ genetic code. “We are optimistic that GlycoGrip will capture future variants just as easily,” Freeman said. A patent has been filed for this new technology, and looking beyond the current pandemic, the team envision a future in which GlycoGrip can offer cheap and reliable testing for a wide range of viruses. The paper is titled “GlycoGrip: Cell Surface-inspired Universal Sensor for Betacoronaviruses.” The full author list includes: Sanghoon Kim, Fiona Kearns, Mia Rosenfeld, Lorenzo Casalino, Micah J. Papanikolas, Carlos Simmerling, Rommie Amaro and Ronit Freeman.

SYNTHETIC CODE OF RARE MOLECULES USED IN DRUG DEVELOPMENT CRACKED

Molecules, Glionitrin A and B respectively shows antibiotic properties against resistant bacteria and makes cancer cells less prone to migrate. Shown here are the researchers Niels Koning and Daniel Strand.

research team at Lund University in Sweden has succeeded in producing two molecules that are otherwise only formed by microorganisms from extremely contaminated wastewater in an abandoned mine in South Korea. The method, which took four years to develop, could pave the way for new types of drugs. The study is published in Journal of the American Chemical Society. Glionitrin A and B are two molecules with properties that make them useful tools in drug development. However, researchers who want to use these molecules have faced an uphill battle for almost a decade. Glionitrin A and B are natural products, and are produced by a fungus found in extremely contaminated acidic wastewater from an abandoned South Korean mine. Since the fungus only creates the molecules when triggered by specific bacteria from the same sewage, it has proved difficult to produce them by fermentation. “We have been working on this problem for four years. Every time we thought we had a solution, the molecules revealed unexpected properties that sent us back to the drawing board,” said Daniel Strand, chemistry researcher at Lund University. Despite the complex nature of the problem, the solution proved to be both simpler and more effective than the researchers thought.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

By developing a new so-called asymmetric organocatalytic reaction, Strand and his colleagues succeeded in forging the most inaccessible parts of the molecules. “Even when we thought the problem was finally solved, the molecule had one last surprise. It turned out that the real structure was the mirror image of what we initially thought was glionitrin A. So, all this time we and others had chased a molecule that was never there,” said Strand. Complex natural products with unique properties such as glionitrin A and B are important tools in drug development. Glionitrin A has shown antibiotic properties against resistant bacteria, while glionitrin B makes cancer cells less prone to migrate. Being able to produce the molecules synthetically helps researchers not only understand how they work, but also improve their properties. “There is a great need for new types of antibiotics, especially those that can contribute to the fight against resistant bacteria. We expect our results to inspire further developments in basic synthetic chemistry but also to be used in drug development,” concluded Strand.

ACADEMIC R&D

CONVERTING BIOWASTE INTO BIOPLASTICS

A paper by a research group including Brazilian scientists and international collaborators shows that low-cost waste biomass can be upcycled to make bioplastic, electronic devices, equipment for power generation, storage & transmission and other high added-value products.

group of Brazilian scientists and international collaborators shows that low-cost waste biomass can be upcycled to make bioplastic, electronic devices, equipment for power generation, storage and transmission, and other high added-value products. Converting waste into resources (or “turning trash into cash”, in the latest jargon) is one of the drivers of a circular economy. When the waste comes from biomass, it is part of a circular bioeconomy. The topic is explored in a recent article published in Advanced Materials, one of the highest-impact materials science journals, and featured on the inside back cover. “In our group, we have seen waste and residues of various kinds as raw materials for over a decade. We conducted a critical review of the literature and repositioned the state of the art in strategies to convert agri-food losses and waste into bioplastic and advanced materials. We looked for arguments not to do this but could find none. It’s a winwin,” said Caio Gomide Otoni, first author of the article. Otoni is a professor in the Department of Materials Engineering at the Federal University of Sao Carlos (DEMA-UFSCar), in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and creator of a group called maTREErials. As an alternative to the more rustic and environmentally harmful recycling of agro-industrial waste as cattle feed, for example, the study shows that the biomass that is habitually thrown away or underused can serve as low-cost raw material for bioplastics and advanced materials usable in a wide array of high added-value devices. The applications range from multifunctional packaging with antiviral, anti-microbial and anti-oxidant properties to flexible electronic equipment, biomedical devices, power generation, storage and

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

transmission gear, sensors, thermal and acoustic insulation, and cosmetics, among many others. “The food-materials-energy nexus is highly relevant to the circular bioeconomy. We set out to present the most advanced strategies for deconstructing agri-food waste, converting the result into monomeric, polymeric and colloidal building blocks, and synthesizing advanced materials on that basis,” said Daniel Souza Correa, penultimate author of the article. Correa is a researcher at the National Laboratory of Nanotechnology for Agribusiness (LNNA), an arm of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) in São Carlos, and a professor of chemistry and biotechnology at UFSCar. The researchers have also produced anti-microbial foam from sugarcane bagasse, packaging containing chitin extracted from crustacean and insect exoskeletons, and emulsion-stabilizing particles with potential applications in the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and paints. This research displays strong affinities with the economy of a country such as Brazil, the world’s largest producer of sugarcane and oranges, and a leading producer of many other food crops. It is also worth recalling that a highly significant source of food losses and waste is associated with fruit and vegetables: about a third of the total amount produced is lost from one end of the chain to the other. “The alternative of converting waste into chemical platforms and useful materials with potential applications in high added-value devices. Given the large and growing volume of food waste, food producers are genuinely interested in valorizing these flows,” said Otoni.

CATALYST TECHNOLOGY CONVERTS METHANE GREENHOUSE GAS SUSTAINABLY

Chemical and biological engineers Yue Wu, professor (right), Xiaopeng Liu, doctoral student (left) and Fan Yang, postdoctoral research associate (center), are part of the team that’s developed a catalyst that converts a greenhouse gas into chemicals used to make plastics and other materials.

ethane, which produces more warming than other greenhouse gases is hard to break down and keep out of the atmosphere as a methane molecule is just one carbon atom and four hydrogens. Breaking it involves high temperatures and mixing the flammable gas with oxygen to produce syngas to make methanol and hydrogen to make ammonia. That’s expensive and potentially explosive. Yue Wu and his research group at Iowa State University have found and tested a catalyst technology that appears to be an answer. “The results provided a potential solution to this long-time challenge and represented the best stability, conversion rate, and selectivity to convert methane to ethane or ethylene, two main precursors for the modern petrochemical industry,” according to a project summary written by Wu, the Herbert L. Stiles professor in Chemical Engineering at Iowa State. A research paper recently published in the journal Nature Catalysis reports the discovery. Wu and Yang Xiao, a senior research engineer in the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering at Purdue University in Indiana, are corresponding authors. Zhe Li, who earned a doctoral degree at Iowa State in 2019 and is now a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, is the first author. The catalyst consists of one or two layers of platinum, each layer just an atom thick, deposited on two-dimensional metal carbide structures called “MXenes.” In this case, the structures are made from carbon, molybdenum and titanium. They discovered the MXene surfaces are very active and able to absorb many molecules. And so, with support from Wu’s Stiles professorship

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

and the Iowa State College of Engineering, Wu’s research group began studying these MXenes as a potential catalyst. “We had never seen carbide so active,” Wu said. “It’s usually very inert. It’s used, for example, for high-speed drill bits – the surface is hard and inert.” They started using the technology to remove hydrogen from shale gas, the natural gas found in shale rock formations. That work evolved to study other reactions involving natural gas. “Nobody tried to use these carbides for these high-volume reactions before,” Wu said. Keys to the methane-to-ethane/ethylene conversion are making the carbides pure enough and making the surfaces clean enough to support the reactions, Wu said. Get it all right, and those reactions exhibit about 7 percent methane conversion with about 95 percent selectivity toward ethane/ethylene in a continuously operating fixedbed reactor. The products can be turned into plastics and resins, such as the common and ubiquitous polyethylene plastic. “Remarkably, these novel catalysts run for 72 hours of continuous operation without any signs of deactivation, indicating a promising start toward technologies suitable for exploitation on the industrial scale,” Wu wrote. The researchers’ new catalyst technology could advance those efforts to keep methane out of the atmosphere. Wu calls the technology “revolutionary,” saying it “opens the door to reducing the emission of methane and its combustion product, CO2, in the future.”

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IT IN CHEMICALS DIGITAL FOOD INDUSTRY

DIGITIZING FOOD INDUSTRY TO INCREASE RESILIENCE POST-COVID-19

As supply chains rebound from the gravest disruption in our lifetimes, safety concerns and need for resilience grow stronger. Also the global food industry needs other structural changes to its supply chains and operations, many of which will benefit from technology. (Image © Pixabay GmbH)

s supply chains rebound from the gravest disruption in our lifetimes, safety concerns and the need for resilience grow stronger. The food industry must embrace a new value chain built around new business models, practices and technologies that can enhance operational capabilities in preparation for the next Black Swan event. In the post-pandemic era, all blueprints will include a COVID-19 rider. Infectious diseases are expected to be the number-one cause of death around the world by 2050, which makes food safety a top priority. The movement toward alternative sources of meat is a step in the right direction, as it can reduce the risk of zoonotic transfer of pathogens. But the global food industry needs other structural changes to its supply chains and other operations, many of which will benefit from technology.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

Here are some of the key steps in the food-industry that can help in rebuilding — creating an industry that is resilient and better prepared for future crises. The way forward — shifting gears and deepening digital

1. Re-engineering food supply chain for resilience Building resilience into the global food supply chain begins with accepting the idea that things cannot go back to the way they used to be. Feeding a global population is expected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030 while also dealing with the climate crisis requires that the supply chain be strong, nimble and smart — none of which can be achieved overnight. Businesses will need to make tough decisions regarding how they source, store and deliver their products.

For example, the past decade has seen growing dependence on imported fresh fruits and vegetables in countries such as the US. Meanwhile, the industry also needs to reduce post-harvest food losses (up to 30 percent for dairy and fish, 40 percent for fruits and vegetables) while cutting its dependence on vapor compression-based cold storage, which is a major contributor of greenhouse gases. This means production needs to move closer to the consumer and the industry needs to invest in newage cold-storage solutions that aim to reduce energy consumption. In the long run, this translates into creating a more diversified food supply chain, which will be better able to handle disruptions. Further down the supply chain, food retailers need to optimize their last-mile delivery mechanisms. In the age of heightened digital competition, delayed deliveries can cost companies future business. To provide on-time delivery while optimizing delivery costs, businesses need greater automation in their warehouses and delivery partners that can provide real-time visibility of shipment status for online buyers. Automation of brick-and-mortar stores can provide a frictionless and safe buying experience for in-store buyers.

2. Leveraging IoT and blockchain for transparency and trust Meeting the food safety concerns of an increasingly health-conscious and well-informed consumer requires constant monitoring, as product moves from farm to table, as well as the ability to use gathered data to improve visibility across manufacturing and distribution. Internet of Things (IoT) sensors deployed throughout the value chain will collect and present data with which businesses can improve their visibility and create data-driven processes and decisions. These sensors can be deployed on drones for crop monitoring and for temperature monitoring during transit. This visibility also improves the ability of companies to respond to unforeseen disruptions. Similarly, blockchains have emerged as a reliable way to track not just food products but also the ingredients they consist of. For downchain players such as grocery stores and restaurants, this data could make all the difference during an unforeseen event. For example, this information can help identify and reduce contamination and, in the case of product recalls, identify specific shipments. Providing customers access to this data can help build or reaffirm their trust in a brand.

3. Overcoming retail barriers with digital For retailers and grocers, the pandemic has demonstrated the need for a digital-first approach when it comes to customer engagement. This approach, in turn, requires a deep understanding of customers, which can only come from enhanced data collection and analytics capabilities. With customers moving to online grocery shopping, the opportunity to learn more about their eating and lifestyle habits is now clearer and more present. It is, therefore, critical for food retailers to move quickly. With some shoppers still avoiding in-store grocery purchases, retailers need to blend elements of in-store shopping with their digital offerings. In-store associates, for example, can be replaced by virtual store associates — artificial intelligence-enabled chatbots — to guide both in-store and online shoppers. This means rethinking the entire customer journey and identifying opportunities made via promotional online offers. Being data-driven also allows retailers to build trust

with customers by providing information about food’s origins and ingredients at the click of a button. For restaurants, emerging tech-enabled business models such as cloud kitchens can provide new streams of revenue by eliminating the risks posed by in-person dining, which may not recover to pre-pandemic levels anytime soon. Apart from cost savings, these business models also provide an opportunity for restaurants to understand consumers’ food preferences and habits, which can inform future business decisions.

4. Advancing automation for safety and efficiency For the food industry, automation holds great promise. Those who have invested in AI report an increase in worker productivity and say it has increased the quality of the employee experience, as shown in the figure below. The scope for automating manual processes in the food value chain extends from the farm to the dinner table: Robotic farming, combined with crop-status analysis, can save time while quantifying yield potential and environmental impact of crops. In warehouses, automated storage and retrieval systems can manage a variety of food products under different storage conditions. At packaging facilities, restaurants and retail stores, robotics can automate repetitive processes with remote oversight and minimum human intervention, thus reducing human errors and food contamination. When accomplished at scale across the food value chain, automation will enhance the industry’s ability to overcome challenges posed by climate change, global food security, and a consumer who is more health-and environment-conscious than ever.

5. Building digital-era skills and culture Large-scale automation will supplant old jobs with new ones. Early AI adopters in the food industry have experienced an uptick in the demand for high-skill jobs. However, the digital skills gap is not limited to the food industry. This means food industry players will have to compete with other industries in attracting new talent. We believe companies that are able to upskill their existing talent pool and leverage talent from reliable technology partners stand to benefit the most, because attracting fresh talent may prove to be much more expensive. Accelerated digital adoption technologies also require cultural changes. As machines do more work and data volumes surge, an organizationwide effort to ensure that data-driven insights steer decisions at all levels is necessary.

A digital future The pandemic has exacerbated the challenges faced by the global food industry, but it also provides an unprecedented opportunity to solve these longstanding problems. With digital technologies at their disposal, food industry leaders can drive a ground-up transformation of the supply chain while developing a better understanding of their customers through data-driven insights.

Source: Cognizant

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

IT IN CHEMICALS CARBON FOOTPRINT

A DIGITAL CARBON FOOTPRINT MEASUREMENT SOLUTION FOR AGRICULTURE

Project Carbonview will enable US ethanol producers to report, analyze and better assess their end-to-end supply chain carbon footprint. It enables US farmers to further participate in the value derived from emerging low-carbon fuel markets.

ayer, Bushel and Amazon Web Services (AWS) recently unveiled Project Carbonview. This has been conceptualized by Bayer and developed in collaboration with Bushel and AWS. It is a first-of-its-kind technology solution that will help farmers in the United States drive more sustainable supply chains and mitigate the impact agriculture has on the environment by aggregating the carbon footprint of end products. Project Carbonview is the latest example of Bayer’s unique focus on connecting the farmer more deeply into the value chain to better capture their carbon contribution and drive the entire value chain to net-zero carbon emissions. Through this solution, farmers are empowered to connect to more sustainable supply chains that benefit their farming operations while minimizing carbon emissions.

Project Carbonview focused on the United States will initially enable

Beginning as a pilot program, Project Carbonview is focused on creating awareness and acceptance for low-carbon fuel markets. Eligible farmers who enroll in the pilot will receive compensation for participation. Ultimately, once these markets are broadly established, we anticipate growers will be compensated based on the implementation of sustainable farming practices and will share in the financial incentives created by low-carbon fuel markets.

who to share their data with.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

US ethanol producers (corn is a key ingredient in ethanol production) to track carbon emissions across the entire supply chain – from planting through production – and implement more sustainable business practices by providing the data needed to make more informed purchasing decisions and reduce their carbon emissions. For farmers who opt into the program, Project Carbonview streamlines on-farm data collection with Bayer’s Climate FieldView™ application and connects it with delivery and transportation data captured from the 54,000 US active users of Bushel’s platform. Through the Climate FieldView™ platform, farmers continue to own their data and choose Project Carbonview, which is built on AWS, allows permissioned access to on-demand product transaction and crop exchange market data from the ethanol production facilities through the Bushel platform to evaluate the carbon impact of sourcing and purchasing decisions.

“We are very excited to launch a solution to help transform the food and agriculture value chain by paving the way for a more resilient, regenerative and net-zero carbon future,” said Leo Bastos, global commercial ecosystems lead, Bayer Crop Science. “While FieldView™ helps farmers make more informed decisions on their own operations, Project Carbonview will make it possible for them to drive sustainability improvements across the entire value chain. The integration of our leading digital and data science under Project Carbonview will give farmers greater choice and resources to be compensated for more productive and sustainable decisions on-farm.” As part of a recent pilot, Project Carbonview identified opportunities to optimize supply chain partners to reduce Scope 3 - or downstream supply chain - emissions in a single year. For farmers, Project Carbonview provides another option for them to participate in and capture value from these evolving markets. This new solution marks the latest development by Bayer – who is working to build a portfolio of farmer-facing programs to complement its existing Bayer Carbon Initiative, a program which incentivizes the adoption of climate-smart practices, creating new revenue streams for growers who use technology to keep carbon in the soil – and out of the atmosphere.

“Project Carbonview gives grain buyers and producers visibility into the carbon impact of production so they can evaluate the impact of different agronomic practices, make sustainability improvements and help their customers make better purchasing decisions,” said Elizabeth Fastiggi, head of worldwide business development for agriculture, AWS. “We supported Bayer by working backwards from their vision, to ensure Project Carbonview has the potential to be successfully adopted at scale within the current business operations of producers.” “Project Carbonview makes it easy for producers and processors to share information. Through our relationship with Bayer and support of AWS, we can empower and incentivize sustainable behavior across the agricultural value chain and build a scalable digital solution that can be deployed anywhere,” said Jake Joraanstad, co-founder and CEO of Bushel. The team behind Project Carbonview is piloting the solution with US corn producers during the 2022 season and plans to expand the program in the future to other global regions and other feed grains, food grains and oilseeds such as soybeans. Within the pilot, the team is exploring how Project Carbonview can assist ethanol producers to capture the impact of corn production within their emissions reporting, as well as opportunities for users to share best practices for achieving emissions benchmarks within a dedicated community.

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IT IN CHEMICALS FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN

FIVE KEY TECHNOLOGIES SET TO DISRUPT THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN

ith earth’s population set to exceed eight billion within the next five years, IBM has looked at five key technologies and how they will radically transform the food supply chain. The 5 in 5 research breaks down the complex global food supply chain, one that is already stressed by climate change and a finite water supply and how it will only be tested further. “To meet the demands of this crowded future, IBM researchers are exploring new technologies and devices, scientific breakthroughs, and entirely new ways of thinking about food safety and security,” said Arvind Krishna, SVP, Cloud & Cognitive Software.

5 in 5 technologies Digital twinning and data analytics Through the digitisation and capture of all aspects of agriculture, including soil quality, the skills of the tractor driver and even the price of melon sold at the market Digital Twinning looks set to become a norm across the global supply chain. Over the next five years, combining digital twinning with AI will allow farmers and food supply chain professionals to utilise data to accurately forecast crop yields, which in turn will give banks and financial institutions the data points they need to provide credit to help farmers expand. The IBM PAIRS Geoscope is an innovative platform that takes geospatial-temporal data from maps, satellites, weather, drones, IoT and works in unison with Watson Decision Platform for Agriculture and other platforms to “provide critical data not only to growers, but to sellers, consumers, governments, and those looking to combat world hunger,” said Krishna.

Blockchain eliminating food waste Through an increased implementation of blockchain technology, farmers, grocery suppliers and all players in the food supply chain will have greater access to information to make better and more informed decisions. Planting, ordering and shipping costs will be reduced as waste diminishes, with artificial intelligence (AI), IoT and blockchain creating smarter data analytics. The IBM Food Trust and Blockchain is a digital ledger that, through blockchain technology, connects every member of the food supply chain through accurate shared information.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

“It’s the first and only network of its kind—and within five years, it has the potential to transform our food ecosystem,” said Krishna.

DNA and RNA sequencing to better understand microbiomes Microbes, both healthy for human consumption and not, are present in the entire food supply chain. IBM research shows that food-borne illnesses caused by microbes account for US$9bn in medical costs and $75bn in recalls and destroyed food. Advanced data analytics achieved through the development of a “world-class data base of microbes” within the food supply chain will prove essential to bringing down those costs. IBM’s Consortium for Sequencing the Food Supply Chain is an IBMled partnership that utilises Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to represent the “intersection of big data and microbiology.” Researchers can tap into an unprecedented reference database of genomes to foster a “new and more predictive kind of food testing,” added Krishna.

Artificial Sensors to detect foodborne pathogen Powerful, portable AI sensors are being developed to detect foodborne pathogens. These mobile bacteria sensors could dramatically increase the speed of a pathogen test from days to seconds, allowing individuals up and down the food chain to detect the existence of harmful E.coli or Salmonella before it becomes an outbreak. IBM’s Next-generation Crypto Anchor Verifier is an optical device that uses AI and machine learning to analyse microscopic features and records the data on the blockchain, comparing its fingerprint to that of other identical substances.

Advanced plastics recycling IBM’s research reveals that by 2050, there will be more plastic waste in the ocean than fish. In the food and beverage supply chain, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is used largely for food packaging and accounts for 10 percent of total plastics produced per year. IBM’s Volatile Catalyst (VolCat) is a catalytic chemical process that digests specific plastics into a substance that can be recycled and reused for new plastic products. “In the next half decade, plastic recycling advancements like VolCat could be adopted around the globe to combat global plastic waste,” said Krishna.

IT IN CHEMICALS SMART PACKAGING

TRANSFORMING THE ORDINARY WITH SMART CONNECTED PACKAGING

Smart connected packaging is an effective response to many evolving market dynamics. It enables companies to weave digital threads throughout smart product lifecycles and create a steady flow of downstream and upstream value.

BY SEF TUMA, RAGHAV NARSALAY, ANITA ETRATI AND MORGAN MULLOOLY

ackaging has been a crucial part of the product experience for centuries. But its purpose has mostly remained the same—to protect and promote its contents. Now, digital innovations are enabling companies to completely transform what packaging can do. And none are more promising than the concept of smart and connected packaging. Smart connected products are electro-mechanical products with features like processors, embedded systems, screens and interfaces, companion apps and cloud platforms. Customers benefit from unique digital services and unified product experiences that constantly exceed expectations. And companies get access to vital data about product usage and consumer behavior—data that can power actionable insights and drive value. Smart connected products are proliferating, but smart connected packaging is yet to have the same kind of impact. Smart connected packaging can also make passive and bulk products experiential, interactive and sustainable. For example, companies that specialize in analog or organic products can use smart connected packaging to enable their passive products (from jars of coffee to cans of paint) to become alive. As products and their packaging are symbiotic—neither exists without the other—digitizing packaging means products are also be digitized by proxy.

The last mile of product digitization Smart connected packaging provides digital touchpoints at every stage of the product lifecycle. It helps brands deliver exceptional customer experiences that delight and achieve ongoing operational value. And

the software and systems used to control smart packaging systems and analyze data for business purposes. The specialized scanners used in warehouses and distribution centers are examples of smart connected packaging but so are QR codes, which are completely free of electronics and physical apparatus—companies can simply make a change to the design printed on their products to realize the benefits of smart connected packaging. Use cases across industries are highly diverse and smart connected packaging can activate digital content and experiences for consumers such as registering or authenticating a product. It can also support operations-focused use cases like tracking products through the supply chain.

Why now? Demand for smart connected packaging is being driven by a growing need for companies to become customer-relevant and achieve supply chain resiliency as well as sustainability. Smart connected packaging can help them reimagine the entire business through the lens of experience, ensure supply chains are repurposed for resilience and create sustainable value through responsible business.

Lens of Experience Companies are willing to change to stay relevant to their consumers. In fact, 77 percent of CXOs surveyed for our Business of Experience

it involves an ecosystem of powerful technologies, which drive new

research published in 2021 said their company will fundamentally

modes of product interactivity.

change the way it engages and interacts with customers. Packaging can

The last mile includes physical sensors, flexible electronics, cameras,

surely be a source of sharing a differentiated consumer experience for

QR codes, NFC tags and RFID tags among many others, in addition to

these companies.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

Moreover, the demand for e-commerce is forcing companies to rethink package design to stay relevant and stand out from competitors. In some ways, e-commerce has negatively impacted the role of packaging as a customer attraction and sales tool—online stores tend to display their products on web pages without packaging. But online influencers have elevated the role of packaging through unboxing videos on YouTube and other platforms. The millions of viewers who watch these videos can be won over by sensational customer experiences through product unboxing. Companies must take a fresh look at packaging design and explore how digital engagement moments can be leveraged for information, education and entertainment. Another area companies must focus on is leveraging smart connected packaging to augment direct-to-consumer (DTC) strategies. DTC boomed during the pandemic due to supply chain disruption, delivery delays and physical store closures. Smart connected packaging that monitors consumption patterns can serve as an experience differentiator. Firstly, smart connected packaging can schedule replenishment appropriately, so the consumer never has too much or too little of a product but always the right amount. Secondly, smart connected packaging can tell brands where and when a product is being consumed in near real-time. This can be fed into more detailed marketing, logistics and production optimization.

Repurposed for resilience Recent events such as Covid-19, Brexit and the 2021 Suez Canal Obstruction illustrate the central role that well-functioning supply chains play in society and how they can be disrupted. In particular, 81 percent of surveyed business leaders for Accenture’s Tech Vision 2021 said that the pandemic has been their organization’s greatest stress test. Companies are now under intense pressure to better prepare for future supply chain challenges. At the same time, consumers and legislators are demanding more transparency around products and the product journey—they want to be able to track products back through supply chains to their origins. The continued rise of global sourcing and competition for quality materials is causing its own challenges, while increased regulation and standards are changing the competitive landscape and transforming business models across the value chain. Smart connected packaging can help overcome these issues by acting as a conduit for digital identification and tracing the product along the entire lifecycle with data at the center of everything. By assigning a unique digital identifier to each item and printing it on packaging in the form of a code (serialization), a product’s location in the supply chain or its lifecycle can be tracked and traced. These digital IDs can provide near real-time updates on the product as it moves through the supply chain through code scanning at distribution centers, fulfillment centers, retail outlets and at home. The earliest track-andtrace applications were developed for sectors where consumer health could be at risk such as the food and beverage and pharmaceutical industries. However, track-and-trace solutions are also relevant for many other B2C and B2B products ranging from apparel to industrial chemicals. For example, one of the world’s largest confectionary companies is increasing the supply chain transparency of its products through QR codes displayed on the packaging. Scanning the code with a smartphone delivers an interactive web app experience and information about the product and its journey from farm to mill to baker.

Sustainable Value Packaging is one aspect of business that has come under some serious scrutinies from stakeholders who want companies to step up and take responsible actions. Globally, $5tn of consumer spending is influenced by companies’ purpose and those that don’t commit to sustainability will lose out on profit. Product packaging has become an important part of sustainability, and companies must use packaging as a catalyst for positive change. Our research found that consumers have stopped buying one or more products due to environmental concerns, with food and beverage packaging (23 percent) and personal care products (16 percent) topping the list. With purchasing decisions at stake, brands and retailers are working to address these concerns and retain brand loyalty. While recent years have seen organizations strip product packaging back to the basics in response to the growing sustainability movement, the focus is now shifting to “adding” to packaging with digital innovation— smart connected technologies can shape the package of tomorrow to be purpose-led and sustainable. With an ever-growing need for brands to act responsibly when it comes to environmental policies and packaging, smart connected packaging and the wider technology supporting it provides an intelligent solution.

Product packaging has become a central concern for brands’ sustainability credentials For example, consumers are often confused by recycling symbology and instructions on containers. But what if they could scan the package and be told which parts are recyclable? Geolocation features could then direct them to drop-off points in their local area. And with access to real-time or near real-time consumption information using smart connected packaging, visibility to excess inventory also improves. This enables better supply chain planning as well as sustainability benefits by reducing waste due to overproduction and product expiry. Companies are already making strides in this area: A sustainabilityoriented apparel brand has launched a low carbon and carbonnegative clothing line. All pieces in the line feature a distinctive piece of technology—a biodegradable NFC tag that provides each wearer with a unique ID to trace and unravel the story of the garment’s supply chain.

What are market leaders saying? Smart connected packaging is an effective response to many evolving market dynamics like Covid-19, regulation, customer expectations and sustainability. It enables companies to weave digital threads throughout smart product lifecycles and create a steady flow of downstream and upstream value.

What are the next steps? The basic technologies of smart connected packaging—such as RFID, NFC and QR codes—have been around for a long time. But many companies still underestimate smart connected packaging’s potential for value and have misconceptions of costs. In this age of disinformation, it’s up to companies to get the facts straight on any opportunity that could help drive growth. Accenture’s accompanying point of view, to be published in the coming months in collaboration with The Active and Intelligent Packaging Industry Association (AIPIA) and its members, focuses on the misconceptions companies hold around smart connected packaging and the steps they need to take to succeed.

Authors: Sef Tuma is Managing Director and global lead for Intelligent Products & Platforms business in Industry X; Raghav Narsalay is Managing Director and global research lead for Industry X; Anita Etrati is Senior Manager and Lead for Consumer Good & Services and Retail Industry for Industry X practice in Switzerland; and Morgan Mullooly is Research Manager in Industry X practice, all at Accenture.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

JOBS

PAD Engineer

Company: LyondellBasell Industries Date Posted: 29-Dec-2021 Country: INDIA City: Vadodara

Quality Engineer

Company: Exxon Mobil Corporation Date Posted: 05-Jan-2022 Country: INDIA City: Bengaluru

Director, Industrial Oils Technology Company: The Lubrizol Corporation Date Posted: 31-Dec-2021 Country: UNITED STATES City: Wickliffe, OH

Job Description: Support the BU growth strategies by development of new or modified polymer masterbatch products, applications, or processes to meet market or customer objectives, lower overall cost, or improve application performance. Manage collaboration in the development and/or importation and of global technologies (formulations, performance, processing) to achieve commercialization and sales in domestic market. Work on next generation material innovation in the responsible technical fields. Find ideas and conduct proof-of-concept scouting and push for market implementation.

Job Description: Develop and execute Quality Surveillance plans, programs, procedures and tools to manage Procurement Quality across multiple project(s). Provide Quality discipline input to the Project Organization Plan and manage staffing of Quality Source Inspection personnel. Prepare and maintain Project Quality Plan, Surveillance Programs, quality procedures and tools and ensure their successful implementation across the project. Interface and coordinate work activities between Quality and other Project disciplines. Job Description: Manage, develop and participate in succession planning for the Industrial Oils technology team of professionals in direct (USA and UK) and matrixed (Asia) reporting lines. Lead and manage product development, product extensions and technology deployment. Work with R&D to define and drive success of medium to long-term Fundamental Knowledge and Component Development programs and IP activities. Drive improved safety among the team and among the groups that support us.

Development Chemist Company: Glaxosmithkline Pharmaceuticals Date Posted: 21-Oct-2021 Country: UNITED KINGDOM City: Irvine

Job Description: Act as the principal point of contact for chemical development activities within the manufacturing processes in Pot Clav blends manufacture, spanning membrane, extraction, intermediate isolation and Final isolation process stages. Identify improvement opportunities with respect to quality or wastes and design & conduct testing activities to support the assessment of these improvements, both in the lab environment and out in the plant. Assume day to day ownership of the laboratory areas; planning and conducting day to day tasks, monitoring and ordering consumables / feedstocks and coordinating equipment maintenance all while adhering to GLP.

Manager / Senior Manager, Development

Job Description: Initiate, direct and execute scientific efforts in the areas of molecular assay development. Collaborate with key stakeholders to insure efficient delivery (on time and within budget) of molecular product development milestones, on market support activities and development investigations. Establish and maintain program milestones and timelines. Make major contributions to all areas that need molecular expertise, including feasibility, development, assay transfer and manufacturing.

Research Engineer (m/f/d)

Job Description: Work in interdisciplinary teams on innovative research topics in the field of petrochemicals (synthesis gas, olefins, acrylic acid, etc.) and renewable raw materials. Participate in concrete process optimizations in existing factories that can be implemented quickly, develop new processes, or work on scenarios for the long-term strategic orientation of petrochemicals in context of sustainability. Drive projects forward and support the transfer of results from simulation and laboratory to pilot plant and production.

Quality Control Analyst

Company: Glaxosmithkline Pharmaceuticals Date Posted: 06-Jan-2022 Country: SINGAPORE City: Singapore

Job Description: Test raw material specific to value stream, in process check, turnaround samples, and final product samples (including stability and retained samples). Conduct micro testing for process water, APIs, purified water and specific raw materials. Manage retained sample and reference standard in accordance to written procedure. Perform usage decisions for Value Stream specific raw materials in accordance with the relevant procedures.

Process Engineer Company: Akzo Nobel N.V. Date Posted: 13-Dec-2021 Country: UNITED STATES City: Waukegan, IL

Job Description: Monitor the process performance through metrics such as RFT, MME, OEE, cost productivity, customer complaints, Waste Indices and takes action as required to correct adverse trends, performing plant based process investigations. Develop plans to improve the above performance through focused improvement activities (in conjunction with the operations group) along with capital project and othe CI/ALPS initiatives.

Senior Development Scientist Company: Bayer AG Date Posted: 04-Jan-2022 Country: UNITED STATES City: St. Louis, MO

Job Description: Develop, design and perform process development work to support the broad application biological sample collection and storage. Work towards scalability of sample collection workflow to support field operations. Become part of a cross-functional team focused on combining basic biotechnology and engineering to develop novel sample collection techniques and process optimization for production and develop new protocols based on research and innovations.

Company: F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd Date Posted: 05-Jan-2022 Country: UNITED STATES City: Tucson, AZ

Company: BASF SE Date Posted: 05-Jan-2022 Country: GERMANY City: Ludwigshafen

Website: http://www.worldofchemicals.com/chemical-jobs.html

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

PRODUCTS

Naphthenic specialty oils launched with proven advantages for sealants N

ynas has launched a new white oil called NYFLEX® 2120B and a range of other naphthenic specialty oils for sealant formulators. The portfolio offers cost-effective replacements for silicone fluids, while reducing problems related to microbial growth and maintaining the right balance between viscosity, colour stability and volatility. The NYFLEX naphthenic oils can be used to partially or fully replace silicone fluids, resulting in a product with optimal performance and reduced manufacturing costs. The entire NYFLEX range for sealants has excellent colour stability thanks to Nynas’ hydrotreating technology, suitable molecular weight and very low aromatic content. These naphthenic oils can also reduce microbial growth in silicone sealant joints, which can cause permanent staining and etching, as well as shortening the lifespan of the joints. Contact: Nynas Naphthenics Pvt. Ltd 3rd Floor, Land Mark, No. 136, Hill Road, Bandra West, Mumbai - 400050 Mob No: +91-98-11873011 Email: manoj.singh@nynas.com Website: https://www.nynas.com/en/about/

Innovative feed enzyme to unlock valuable nutrients B

ASF has launched the new enzyme product Natupulse® TS for animal feed. It is a non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) enzyme. As an endo-1,4-ß-D-mannanase, it hydrolyzes ß-mannans into smaller components, e.g. manno-oligosaccharides (MOS). The addition of ß-mannanase to the feed decreases digesta viscosity, increases the digestibility of the feed and ensures a more sustainable production. A significant amount of nutrients in poultry diets of up to 30 percent remains undigested. The presence of NSP’s is one of the key reasons for this. NSP’s are considered anti-nutritional factors in broiler feed since broilers lack the endogenous enzymes to digest NSP´s. One of the most common NSP’s in soybean meal, the main protein source in commercial broiler diets, is the ß-mannan galactomannan.

Contact: BASF SE Carl-Bosch-Straße 38 67056 Ludwigshafen/Rhein, Germany Tel: +49 621 60-0 Email: joachim.hueter@basf.com Web: www.basf.com

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

PRODUCTS

New range of silicone softeners for textile industry C

osmo Speciality Chemicals has launched Hanatex Soft range - a highly concentrated speciality silicone softener that gives inner softness and surface smoothness. The special formulated agent exhibits soft and bouncy handles. There are two sets of products in this range: 1. Hanatex Soft HB - a hydrophobic silicone softener for all substrates for surface smoothness; 2. Hanatex Soft HL - a hydrophilic silicone softener for cotton terry towels knits and woven gives soft and silky handle. Based on speciality amino silicone, the finishing agents withstands moderate shear forces, high liquor TDS Easily miscible with water in all proportions, these are applicable on any substrate like cotton, polyester and their blends etc. Improves the stretch and recovery capacity of Knit goods.

Contact: Cosmo Speciality Chemicals 301 & 302, Gokul Arcade, A Wing, 3rd Floor, Subhash Road, Vile Parle East, Mumbai 400 057, India Tel: +91 22 2826 1195 / 97

New SLA 3D printing material for open materials platform H

enkel extends its range of high-performance photopolymer resins for VAT polymerization technology with the addition of a new resin for stereolithography (SLA) technology to explore and expand the opportunities for the next phase of industrial quality solutions which are scalable and reliable. Loctite 3D IND408 designed for SLA Vat printers enables the production of parts with isotropic properties and low moisture absorption. This unique formulation can be used in very fast print speeds. The printed parts have fine features and smooth and glossy surface finish making them ideal for design visualization. This material is ideal for producing parts quickly with high details and excellent surface finishes for applications ranging from general purpose to end-use parts.

Contact: Henkel AG & Co. KGaA 40191 Düsseldorf, Germany Tel: +49-211-797-0 Email: Loctite3DP@henkel.com Web: www.henkel.com

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

New flexible, conductive silver adhesive W

ith Elecolit ® 3647 Panacol has a new, electrically conductive silver conductive adhesive based on epoxy resin in its portfolio. The flexible conductive adhesive is particularly suitable for contacting temperature-sensitive foils or flex PCBs. Elecolit ® 3647 is a one-component conductive adhesive filled with silver particles that adheres very well to plastics such as polyimide, PC, PVC, ABS or FR4. Its high flexibility and peel strength in the hardened state enable it to be used in applications that are subject to vibrations, oscillations or rapid temperature changes. These applications are used, for example, in the field of printed and in-molded electronics, in wearables, or for contacting semiconductors in general. Contact: Panacol-Elosol GmbH Stierstadter Strabe 4 61449 Steinbach/Taunus Germany Tel.: +49 6171 6202 0 Email fanny.negussie@panacol.de Web: https://www.panacol.de

E-mail : sales@worldofchemicals.com www.worldofchemicals.com Tel : 08119350001

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

EQUIPMENT PUMPS & COMPRESSORS

ENGINEERING CUSTOM-MADE PUMPS & COMPRESSORS FOR CHEMICAL INDUSTRY

Michael Romano, Global Strategic Account Leader, Sundyne talks at length about the material advancement and how customers are looking for specific custom-made, ‘engineered solutions’ in the pumps & compressors industry.

BY SHIVANI MODY

dvancement in chemical industry impacting the pumps & compressors industry.

At our end, we are seeing growth – for both inquiries and orders for pumps & compressors in the chemical & petrochemical markets. In the petrochemical space, activity has returned to (and even exceeded) pre-COVID levels. We’re seeing increased interest in “engineered solutions” ie. pumps & compressors that are designed & built to a customer’s specific requirements (using certain materials of construction, and built to perform at highly specific flows, temperatures & pressures). We continue to see demand for sealed pumps – and the demand for sealless pumps is increasing even faster for certain CPI applications.

Trends and development compressors segments.

the

pumps

Our compressors are widely used as fuel-gas boosters (increasing gas pressure from pipeline pressures to the levels required by gas turbines). We’re seeing significant demand for the company’s PPI line of diaphragm compressors, which are used to transport hydrogen and also to boost hydrogen to higher pressures required by dozens of applications. In chemical processing, we’re seeing increasing demand for sealless pumps. And across the board, we are focusing on the following segments of the CPI: - Chlor-Alkali - Agricultural chemicals - Polycarbonates - Isocyanates - Plastics & polymers

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

- Inorganic Specialty chemicals - Pharma & biotech and - Petrochemical In each of these eight areas, our business model is evolving. We’re working with large CPI companies at a highly strategic level. We provide custom-engineered pumps & compressors, with all the aftermarket services, on a single P.O – making it easier for customers to get more of what they need from a single equipment provider.

Growth potential for pumps & compressors in Asia Pacific & India. India is a strategic region for the company. We recently announced an expansion to our office in India. We’ve been adding headcount aggressively in this region – not just to support local demand, but also to bolster the company’s engineering services to all of it’s global customers. Our staff in India plays a key role in the company’s growth around the globe.

Strategies to maintain a competitive edge over peers. Lead time for deliveries is always a priority. The company makes customized, engineered solutions, so there is a lead time built into the: conceptual design, procurement, construction, testing & commissioning, and delivery stages. As an added advantage our testing is rigorous – and this is designed to ensure that there are no surprises for the customer once the equipment is installed onsite. Despite this highly customized process, we strive to reduce delivery times by manufacturing products on several continents. Our facilities in Arvada-Colorado, Dijon-France, Illescas-Spain and EastbourneEngland are continuously ramping up capacity in order to meet delivery schedules.

On the compressor side, the company has always provided a wide range

After sale services offered by the company.

of condition monitoring capabilities (both internal tech and third-

The company takes a proactive approach to rerates and exchanges.

party solutions). We’re investing resources to bring this same level

Our global service centers (and our global channel partner network)

of conditioning monitoring to our pumps. For our customers (who are some of the world’s largest refineries & chemical manufacturers), security – and integration with a plant’s existing monitoring systems are always priorities that influence our thinking when it comes to condition monitoring solutions for pumps & compressors.

Segments in pumps & compressors that are seeing increased demand.

customers. The company’s exchange programs have been aggressively expanded and promoted in recent months. The channel partners make sure that customers are aware of their options to keep our equipment running at peak performance.

Sealless pumps (both HMD and ANSIMAG) are seeing significant

Factors affecting the life cycle costs of pumps & compressors.

growth – for several reasons. Safety, EHS & ESG concerns all influence

About 10 percent of the cost for equipment is the initial purchase.

our customer’s criteria, and sealless pumps have a great track record

Another 10 percent comes from the installation. Approximately 50

when it comes to handling harsh & aggressive chemicals. In addition

percent of the total cost (over the life of the pump or compressor)

to the sealless designs, the company pumps feature secondary

comes from the operation costs (ie. the power bill). Roughly 30

containment capabilities that lead the market – offering customers

percent is the maintenance costs. The company equipment is highly

an unmatched level of safety & security. On the compressor side, hydrogen applications are permeating several markets.

Diaphragm compressors are the preferred type

of compressor for hydrogen, and the company’s PPI line is seeing significant growth in terms of inquiries, and sales.

Material advancement in manufacturing of pumps & compressors. ANSIMAG pumps are a great example. They are ETFE lined pumps, with a Kevlar-fibre secondary containment shell. This combination

engineered to run at BEP – which helps minimize operational costs. Hundreds (if not thousands) of the company’s pumps & compressors have been reliability running in the field for 20 years or more (in some cases, 30 years). Vibration monitoring, and other sensors play an important role in helping maintenance teams stay on top of maintenance activities – however, the initial design and the construction of the equipment ultimately plays a bigger role helping customers maximize the total lifecycle value of the equipment.

used widely today. For example – the chemical polymers that coat

Challenges faced by the pumps & compressors manufacturers.

electrodes in lithium ion batteries are extremely harsh in nature, and

Today, everyone, in every business is facing supply chain delays. In

provides unmatched resistance to harsh chemicals that are being

these polymers corrode the internal linings in most types of pumps. It takes combinations like ETFE, and Kevlar to stand up to these materials. For extremely high temperature applications, our HMD line offers a wide range of metal alloys (that are each specifically designed to handle different substances). It takes a comprehensive portfolio to be able to meet a wide range of customer needs.

do not wait for problems to arise before proactively engaging with

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

the CPI, additional challenges form when a plant’s process conditions change. For two years now, plants have either reduced capacity, or quickly ramped up capacity. As process conditions change, equipment needs to be tuned, and re-rated. It’s important for pump & compressor manufacturers to make flexible equipment that can be easily adapted to address changing plant requirements.

EQUIPMENT New gas detectors protect workers, property in extreme environments

merson introduced two new open path gas detectors to increase safety and reduce downtime by offering performance reliability over wide areas in extreme environments and an easier, faster installation and commissioning process. Extreme environments include both heavy vibration conditions and operating temperatures commonly found in the oil and gas, refining, chemical, mining and large-scale refrigeration system operations. The Rosemount™ 935 Open Path Combustible Gas Detector uses infrared technology to detect a wide range of highly combustible hydrocarbon gases including, methane, propane and ethylene. In the oil and gas industry alone, 22% of all fatalities come from explosions (combustion or fire) and exposure to hazardous gases.

Contact: Emerson 6021 Innovation Blvd, Shakopee, MN 55379, USA Tel: +1 952-906-8888 Web: https://www.emerson.com

Multi-gas meter modules measure pure hydrogen, hydrogen blends, natural gas

ensirion’s SGM64xx is the first gas metering module on the market able to measure any gas mixtures, including pure hydrogen, blends of hydrogen, biomethane and natural gas types H, L and E. The SGM64xx is based on the proven and reliable SGM63xx platform, and brings it to a new level by extending its measurement capabilities to pure hydrogen. This is achieved via an augmented calibration procedure, which otherwise does not introduce any changes to the product’s mechanical, electrical and software interfaces. Furthermore, the hydrogen flow ranges supported by SGM64xx are three-times higher than those of natural gas, which guarantees a compact meter size no matter the hydrogen content. The gas meter modules provide excellent measurement performance and robustness at ultra-low power consumption levels.

Contact: Sensirion AG Laubisruetistrasse 50 8712 Stafa, Switzerland Tel: +41 44 306 40 00 Email: info@sensirion.com Web: www.sensirion.com

New RTC for improving accuracy, faster calibration time in sanitary sensors

METEK STC has a solution with the launch of their JOFRA RTC-168 Reference Temperature Calibrator. The RTC-168 features a new well design allowing sanitary sensors with large flanges to get closer to the temperature uniformity zone than before for improved accuracy and faster calibration time. A redesigned sensor basket combined with a temperature equalizer and a faster magnetic stirrer help create an extended temperature uniformity zone for liquid calibrations. The RTC-168 is a combination wet bath and dry block temperature calibrator. With an excellent stability of ±0.01°C, the RTC-168 is the ideal calibrator for the high demands of the pharmaceutical and food industries.

Contact: AMETEK Denmark A/S Gydevang 32, 3450 Alleroed, Denmark Tel: +45 4816 8000 Email: jofra@ametek.com Web: www.ametekcalibration.com

Ultrasonic clamp-on flowmeter with new features

ROHNE has launched OPTISONIC 6300 which is now available with new designed stainless steel sensor rails and enhanced signal converter for quick and easy setup. The ultrasonic clamp-on flowmeter is suitable for temporary or permanent mount installation on virtually any pipe. It allows for flow measurement of (non-)conductive liquids in main and utility applications where inline measurement is not possible or desirable. The new stainless steel 316L sensor rails are designed for quick, easy and accurate installations and can be mounted to any pipe within minutes: the same rail type can be used in hazardous areas, in extended temperature applications, in harsh conditions like offshore environments, or as IP68/ NEMA 6P version in submerged applications.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

Contact: KROHNE Messtechnik GmbH Ludwig-Krohne-Str. 5, 47058 Duisburg, Germany Tel: +49 203 301-0 Web: https://de.krohne.com

New non-return valves with enhanced performance features

ITT-Gasetechnik expanded its range of ULTRA non-return valves and introduced the new, larger ULTRA 30 and ULTRA 40 models. The ULTRA series is the latest generation of non-return valves from the specialist in gas safety technology and offers unique performance features. With an opening pressure of around 4 mbar, ULTRAs are ideal for low pressure applications. Small size, low weight, high flow, low pressure drop, low-noise operation - the ULTRA meets the demand for more compact highperformance valves and offers corresponding economic advantages for users. Design engineers can further reduce the system size and increase efficiency at the same time. The ULTRA series is suitable for towns/natural gas, as well as for LPG, propane and hydrogen. Also for non-flammable gases and compressed air.

Contact: WITT-GASETECHNIK GmbH & Co KG Salinger Feld 4-8, 58454 Witten, Germany Tel: +49 (0)2302 8901- 0 Web: www.wittgas.com

Chemical resistant pumps with increased performance, less energy consumption

rest Pumps EOV chemical resistant pumps are the intelligent choice for engineers. The EOV pump range based on a radically redesigned volute casing and impeller featuring an improved vane design that improve efficiencies by up to 35 percent, not only are flow rates and discharge pressures increased, but these improvements are achieved absorbing considerably less power and reducing your running costs. The features are it has 10 percent increase in performance and further has 15 percent less energy consumption. This huge improvement in efficiency means you will reduce your energy consumption costs and reduce your risk of unplanned downtime.

Contact: Crest Pumps Ltd 7 Queensway, Stem Lane Ind Est New Milton, Hampshire, UK Tel: +44 (0)1425 627700 Email: info@crestpumps.co.uk Web: www.crestpumps.co.uk

New oil-lubricated piston compressor for pressure off-loading of bulk liquids

ardner Denver has introduced the GD70 oil-lubricated piston compressor to the Gardner Denver Transport product line. This compressor is intended for use in pressure off-loading bulk liquids, ranging from solvents to resins. This two cylinder, single stage compressor provides a small footprint via its in-line design, which allows additional space for other necessary on-loading and off-loading equipment. The GD70 is manufactured using all cast iron construction, providing maximum durability that is built to last.

Contact: Gardner Denver 305 North State Fair Boulevard Sedalia, Missouri, USA Tel: +1-217-222-5400 Web: www.gardnerdenver.com

Intelligent actual-position feedback unit for pneumatic linear valves

hen developing its new intelligent actual-position feedback unit of the type SK-i LED, the KSB Group company SISTO Armaturen SA attached particular importance to meeting the special requirements of biotechnology, fine chemicals and the pharmaceutical industry. The unit continuously measures the valve travel. The limit positions of the valve are saved in the microcontroller, doing away with the need for time-consuming manual settings. Initialisation can be carried out automatically on site based on an integrated magnetic sensor or remotely from a control station using a process control system. SISTO-SK-i LED is connected via an M12 connector (24 V).

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

Contact: KSB SE & Co. KGaA Johann-Klein-Straße 9 67227 Frankenthal, Germany Tel: +49 6233 86-0 Email: info@ksb.com Web: www.ksb.com

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022

CHEMICAL TODAY English Monthly RNI: KARENG/2016/71454 Registered/KRNA/BGE -1148/2022-2025 Licensed to Post without prepayment License No. PMG BG/WPP-362/2017-19 Posted at Bangalore PSO 560026 on 7th or 11th or 13th of every month. Total No of pages 78 Date of Publication: 7th of every month.

Chemical Today Magazine | January 2022