Messer nominated for the entrepreneurs’ award “TRIGOS 2011”

The industrial gas specialist Messer has developed a concept for the “Green Paper Mill” – this is designed to enable all the CO2 produced in paper production to be recycled.

The industrial gas specialist Messer nominated itself for the award TRIGOS Lower Austria 2011 with the “Green Paper Mill” concept. The TRIGOS is Austria’s award for Corporate Social Responsibility. Each year outstanding examples of entrepreneurial commitment are awarded prizes. Helmut Gutenberger from Messer in Austria and Robert Schlatter from Messer in Switzerland have developed the concept of the “Green Paper Mill”. A modular system would permit the use of energy and fresh water during paper production to be decreased while at the same time reducing the emissions in particular of substances which require a certificate, such as carbon dioxide. It is believed that it could be possible to recycle all the CO2 created in paper production.

Industrial gases to combat emissions and power consumption

Operation of a paper mill entails large amounts of different raw materials and significant impacts on the environment. The “Green Paper Mill” concept proffers a solution: The combination of an air separation plant for producing air gases such as oxygen and nitrogen and a paper mill enables large-scale synergies between paper production, power generation and air separation to be utilised, thus reducing the consumption of energy and fresh water and decreasing CO2 emissions and the use of various chemicals. Depending on the parameters required for paper production, it is even conceivable that the air gases produced and the carbon dioxide generated could be completely recycled in the paper production process.

In many industrialised countries the paper industry is one of the largest energy consumers. In particular the milling and grinding processes required for processing the pulp needed to produce paper consume a large amount of energy. The specific power requirements here amount to between 1500 and 2200 kWh per tonne of pulp. This is where one process element of the “Green Paper Mill” comes into play: It can significantly reduce the specific energy consumed during the pulp milling process. Further environmental impacts accounted for in the “Green Paper Mill” concept involve in particular water consumption, emissions of pollutants into the air and waste water, and the use of problematical chemicals.

The TRIGOS is awarded to companies which, regardless of their size, demonstrate the most holistic CSR commitment and implement the best project. The renowned entrepreneurs’ prize is awarded for the categories “Workplace”, “Society”, “Market” and “Ecology”.

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Agilent Technologies Publishes Industry’s First Compendium to Test for Synthetic Marijuana Compounds

05-27-2011: Agilent Technologies Inc. announced availability of the industry’s first GC/MS compendium to test for synthetic cannabinoids, recently declared controlled substances by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. They are most commonly found in “herbal incense” blends.

The compendium, available from Agilent at no cost to qualified forensics labs, contains detailed procedures for sample preparation and GC/MS method, plus a searchable mass-spectral library to test for 35 synthetic cannabinoids and their derivatives. The method and library were developed in collaboration with the Criminalistics Division of NMS Labs, an independent forensic laboratory certified by the American Board of Forensic Toxicology and the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors.

“These compounds had not been controlled until November of 2010, when health concerns prompted the DEA to evoke an emergency ban,” said Tom Gluodenis, Ph.D., Agilent forensic and toxicology business manager. “They present a number of analytical challenges. Formulations are rapidly evolving. When one is banned, it can quickly be replaced by a new one. They’re often sold in botanical matrixes as ‘herbal incense’ and other products, which presents additional challenges. We published this compendium to help labs get a handle on this dynamic situation.”

The DEA currently controls six versions of synthetic cannabinoids: JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-200, CP-47-497 (C7), CP-47-497 (C8) and HU-210. There are more than 20 uncontrolled forms, and this number is expected to grow.

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Eastman Announces Debottleneck of Isobutyric Acid Manufacture

 Eastman Chemical Company announces it is planning a significant debottlenecking in manufacture of its isobutyric acid at its Longview, Texas, facility. The production debottleneck, scheduled for a December 2011 completion, will add an additional 20 million pounds of capacity to help support growing internal and external needs for the acid.

“We have completed what can be seen as a significant debottleneck in our production for Eastman™ isobutyric acid,” says Chip Millican, business manager for Organic Intermediates in Eastman’s Performance Chemicals and Intermediates segment. "We are seeing a growing demand, both internally and externally, for the product. This additional capacity will enable us to meet those needs.”

“The debottlenecking will allow us to continue to be a reliable global supplier for years to come,” adds Millican. “In 2010 we added additional manufacturing capability at our Singapore facility of 3 million pounds and completed a 10 million pound expansion in 2009 at our Longview, Texas, site. Eastman is the largest isobutyric acid manufacturer in the world.”

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Sigma-Aldrich Acquires Vetec Quimica Fina Ltda

 Sigma-Aldrich Corporation announced it has acquired all outstanding shares of Vetec Quimica Fina Ltda to strengthen the Company's position in Latin America.  Based in Brazil, Vetec is a leading supplier of high quality specialty chemicals for the academic and industrial markets and provides products that support research, development and manufacturing.  Terms of the purchase were not disclosed.  The Company expects the acquisition to be neutral to diluted earnings per share in 2011.

Vetec brings to Sigma-Aldrich® more than 3,000 products and more than 30 years of expertise in the technical qualification, purification and packaging of high quality chemicals for laboratory and manufacturing applications. Vetec has built its reputation on superior service and quality and has been ISO certified since 2003.  Vetec employs more than 200 employees at its Xerem location, near Rio de Janiero.

Commenting on the acquisition, Eric Green, Vice President and Managing Director, International at Sigma-Aldrich said, "The acquisition of Vetec Quimica is part of Sigma-Aldrich's strategy to continue building a presence in the emerging markets and to leverage the economies afforded by producing and packaging products where our customers reside. In addition to localizing our supply chain, the combination of Vetec and Sigma-Aldrich allows us to broaden our distribution channel in Brazil and to enhance our ability to tailor our products to match the special requirements of the market."

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Sir William appointed new IChemE president

 Sir William Wakeham, former vice chancellor of Southampton University, UK has been appointed as the 70th president of IChemE (the Institution of Chemical Engineers). He succeeds Desmond King in the post and used his presidential address in London yesterday to highlight the impact that an increasingly diverse membership base will have on the future of IChemE.

Sir William explained to an audience of IChemE members and invited guests that as the location, industry sector and education background of the membership changes, the Institution must evolve: “IChemE is a global organisation with members in 120 countries. But those members are working in a wider range of sectors than ever before and not all of them have what might be called a ‘traditional chemical engineering’ background.

”This trend is going to become increasingly frequent and it’s important that the services, support structure and governance of IChemE meets the needs of a diverse and wide-ranging membership base,” said Sir William.

The presidential address, Thinking outside the pipe – unlocking potential, delivering chemical engineering futures highlighted IChemE’s significant recent growth in China, India, Malaysia, Singapore and North America as well as its established bases in both the UK and Australia.

Sir William also discussed the wide range of industry sectors in which chemical engineers and IChemE members can now be found and explained that members are not necessarily coming from a traditional chemical engineering background.

Sir William retired as vice-chancellor at Southampton University in 2009 following eight years in the post. He previously served at Imperial College London for over 30 years. Sir William was knighted in 2009 for services to chemical engineering and higher education.

A physicist by training who was educated at Exeter University, Sir William has spent much of his career in chemical engineering. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Institution of Electrical Engineers and the Institute of Physics.

Sir William also paid tribute to outgoing president, King and said that he was looking forward to the year ahead: “I follow in the footsteps of a successful and committed president and many more of chemical engineering’s finest before him. It will be a busy year and I look forward to meeting and working with as many IChemE members as I can.”

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