elements 25 - Evonik Industries

Transcription

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SCIENCE NEWSLETTER
|22|23|24|
|2008
BIOTECHNOLOGY
Cosmetic Esters: Sustainability That Gets Under the Skin
With Metabolic Pathways to Sustainable Chemistry
>>>
13.11.2008
14:19 Uhr
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EDITORIAL
3-Liter Society
Dr. Alfred Oberholz
Member of the
Executive Board of
Evonik Industries AG
elements25 | 2008
contents
Energy efficiency in chemistry is a win-win for everyone: The climate and the environment, because as
few raw materials and energies as possible are used; chemical companies, because a minus for energy and
raw materials means a plus for profitability; customers and end-users, because the products of chemistry
are not only based on energy-efficient processes but also help save energy.
When your car uses less gas thanks to lightweight construction materials, low rolling resistance tires,
and more powerful lithium-ion batteries for hybrid drives, when structural steelwork lasts longer because
of reliable corrosion protection, or when sufficient quantities of the raw material solar silicon are available –
naturally produced in an energy-efficient process – it can all be traced back to the chemistry of Evonik
Industries. When your house in Düsseldorf-Eller requires almost 90 percent less energy than two years
ago, or when, in the future, the people living in Soultz-sous-Forêts, France, obtain their energy from 4,000
meters below ground, the Energy and Real Estate Business Areas of Evonik will have helped make it happen.
Chemicals, Real Estate, Energy – with these business areas, we cover a significant portion of daily life,
and thus have enormous potential to use energy efficiently and protect the climate. With our Science-toBusiness concept, on the other hand, we have a sustainable method for closely interlinking science and
industry, and thereby developing new products quickly. We have now combined the two: At the beginning
of October, we launched our third Science-to-Business Center, S2B Eco², where we intend to exploit the
synergies generated from our Energy, Real Estate, and Chemicals business areas for the first time on a
large scale. The task of the new center is to develop technologies and products to generate, store, and use
energy efficiently, and to isolate CO2 from industrial processes for further use.
These activities reflect the mood of our society, which becomes clear even if we restrict our gaze to
Germany. Whether Germany experiences a power shortage in 2020 or not – and this question is still hotly
debated – the ambitious climate goals of the German government will remain: To reduce CO2 emissions
by 40 percent by the year 2020, and to increase the share of power generated by combined power and heat
to 25 percent, and by renewable sources to 25 to 30 percent by the year 2030. It is in this context we intend
to develop solutions that contribute to a safe and sustainable energy supply– solutions that, like the 3-liter
car and the 3-liter house, pave the way to the “3-liter society.” We refuse to save energy in only one area:
advancing these projects.
I hope you enjoy the current issue.
NEWS
4 Adhesion on command
5 Evonik is a key supplier for Microsoft Surface™,
focusing on the visual interface tabletop
BIOTECHNOLOGY
6 Cosmetic esters:
Sustainability that gets under the skin
NEWS
11 New solar silicon plant opened
11 New oil additives plant in Singapore
The cover photo shows
Dr. Henrike Gebhardt
from the Biotechnology
Science-to-Business
Center (p. 26)
DESIGNING WITH POLYMERS
12 Hyperbranched polymers:
Multitalented individualists
EUROPEAN SCIENCE-TO-BUSINESS AWARD 2008
18 Biocatalysis for Chiral Amino Diols
Dr. Paul Dalby wins € 100.000
NEWS
25 Nanotechnologies in power generation –
intensive exchange at symposium
BIOTECHNOLOGY
26 With metabolic pathways to sustainable chemistry
NEWS
33 Propylene oxide: Successful commissioning
of first ever HPPO plant
34 Homogeneous catalysis: Evonik has granted
exclusive license to Solvias
34 Hydrogen peroxide production in
South Africa to be expanded
34 Capacities expanded for biodiesel
catalyst at Mobile site
35 A quantum leap in MMA technology: AVENEER
36 EVENTS AND CREDITS
20 New additive for scratch-resistant polypropylene
compounds: Anti-aging properties for cars
2
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EVONIK SCIENCE NEWSLETTER
13.11.2008
14:20 Uhr
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news
+++ Dr. Klaus Engel to succeed Dr. Werner Müller as Chairman of the Executive Board
The Supervisory Board of Evonik Industries approved the request
made by Dr. Werner Müller (62), Chairman of the Executive Board,
to be released from his contract as of December 31, 2008. At the
same time, the Supervisory Board appointed Dr. Klaus Engel, member of the Executive Board of Evonik and Chairman of the Board of
Management of Evonik Degussa GmbH, to succeed him as Chairman
of the Executive Board of Evonik Industries AG effective January 1,
2009. The Supervisory Board unanimously accepted the proposals
put forward by the Executive Committee of the Supervisory Board,
which is chaired by Wilhelm Bonse-Geuking.
On behalf of the Supervisory Board, Wilhelm Bonse-Geuking
thanked Dr. Werner Müller for his outstanding achievements in the
transformation of the former RAG Group and the establishment of
Evonik Industries AG. He wished Dr. Engel success and entrepreneurial foresight in his new role: “With Klaus Engel at the helm, we know
that the Group is in the best of hands.“
Dr. Klaus Engel
+++ Energy Efficiency Center established
Evonik Industries launched the new Eco2 Science-to-Business Center
(S2B Eco2) at the Marl site on October 1. From now to 2013 alone,
the Essen-based industrial group will invest an additional sum exceeding € 50 million for this purpose. Together with the budgeted
subsidies, the total investment will be in the high double-digit million-euro range. The initial portfolio of the new center comprises 21
attractive research projects focusing on energy efficiency and climate
protection. “Evonik has already successfully developed intelligent
solutions for resource conservation and climate protection. We have
an idea of the future. Our new research center will be a catalyst for
translating ideas into market-ready products and services,” said
Dr. Alfred Oberholz, member of the Executive Board of Evonik
Industries AG.
The new research center pools the Group’s energy efficiency and
climate protection expertise, initiating development projects that extend across more than one business unit or business area. S2B Eco2
covers five fields: CO2 separation and utilization, energy generation,
energy storage, solutions for improving energy efficiency for customers, and pools for increasing energy efficiency in Evonik processes.
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“What we claim to do is translate the latest scientific knowledge
rapidly and efficiently into successful products,” said Oberholz, adding that Evonik’s S2B concept satisfies this claim, thanks to the vertical integration of all research and development activities under a single
roof. Under this concept, user industries as well as academic institutions are involved in development, and the focus lies more on the
product in question, its application, and the underlying market. In the
words of Oberholz, “Today, we have to see at the earliest stage of an
innovation what business opportunities it will open.” The new research center has created some 50 jobs at Evonik and additional jobs
for its partners.
Evonik already occupies a leading market position in innovative
energy supply and storage and in efficient utilization of energy. In
Duisburg (Germany), the industrial group is currently building
Europe’s most advanced coal-fired power plant. It is a leader in generating power from biomass and geothermal sources, too, and its
Chemicals Business Area offers leading products and technologies.
The portfolio includes the latest generation of large-volume lithiumion batteries as well as components for low-rolling-resistance >>>
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tires and processes for cost-effectively producing solar silicon for the
photovoltaics industry.
“With our research center for energy efficiency, we are now
going a step further and entering areas such as CO2 separation and
utilization,” explained Dr. Stefan Nordhoff, head of the Science-toBusiness Center Eco2. “In close collaboration with the Group’s business and service units, we will press ahead with commercially attractive projects with high potential for reducing CO2 emissions, and
bring these to market readiness.”
Following an intensive evaluation process, Evonik has selected
21 projects for the initial portfolio from a total of 230 project proposals. This includes projects in the following areas:
• CO2 separation: Use of customized absorbents for the partial absorption of CO2 from flue gases, with the CO2 reused as a raw material for chemical products;
• Power generation: A cost-effective process that can be used decentrally for enriching methane from biogases and feeding it into the
natural gas grid;
• Power storage: Regulation systems that take advantage of the
strengths of innovative storage technologies such as the lithium-ion
battery as much as possible, allowing energy harnessed from the
wind or the sun to be used more efficiently;
• Solutions for improving energy efficiency for customers: Development of systems for buildings that intelligently combine the functions of insulation and energy generation; and
• Increasing energy efficiency in Evonik processes: 700-degree
technology for coal-based power generation, with an efficiency exceeding 50 percent.
“We will regularly monitor the prospects of success of this project
portfolio, add new and attractive project ideas to the pipeline, and terminate projects whose chances of success turn out to be too low,”
explained Nordhoff. The introduction of a Group-wide standard for
life cycle assessments, which will make it possible to evaluate the
CO2 savings potential and resource efficiency of Evonik’s current
operations and its research and development projects over their entire lifetime, is also planned.
Creavis Technologies & Innovation, in which Evonik pools its
strategic research and development efforts, manages the S2B centers. Having launched S2B Eco2, Evonik now operates three S2B centers, all at the Marl site. The Nanotronics S2B Center develops system
solutions based on nanomaterials for the electronics industry, while
the Biotechnology S2B Center develops new biotechnological products and processes based on renewable raw materials.
+++ Adhesion on Command
In the near future, electronic devices could be much smaller, lighter,
and more powerful than at present. This is possible thanks to a
novel high-tech adhesive tape system, the product of a collaborative
effort between Lohmann GmbH & Co. KG and Evonik Industries.
Duplocoll® RCD (Rapid Curing on Demand) looks like, and is processed in the same way as classic pressure-sensitive adhesive tape,
but a downstream curing process allows bond strengths that cannot
be achieved by conventional pressure-sensitive tapes. The adhesive
force is about 300 percent stronger than that of a conventional
high-performance adhesive tape. In the case of a plastic hook glued
to the wall, the loadbearing capacity increases from 3 to 5 kilograms with a conventional adhesive to 20–40 kilograms with the
new system.
MagSilica®, the new adhesive additive recently developed by
Evonik, is responsible for this effect. MagSilica® is made of iron oxide
crystals embedded in a silicon dioxide matrix and therefore react
superparamagnetically. When an adhesive equipped with these particles is exposed to a high-frequency alternating field, it heats up and
hardens in seconds. The method results not only in enormous bonding strengths but significantly shorter curing times. Instead of the 30
minutes required before, curing now takes no longer than 60 seconds
when the adhesive matrix contains 5 to 15 percent MagSilica®. A further advantage is that heating is restricted to the area of the joint. The
rest of the component is heated only moderately, if at all. As a result,
even heat-sensitive materials such as plastics can be bonded without
being damaged.
High-tech, accurately die-cut adhesive tapes are used where liquid adhesives reach their limits – in bonding extremely small parts.
With Duplocoll® RCD, many parts can be made even smaller in the
future, because less surface area will be required for the adhesive to
4
hold. Cell phones, computers, DVD players, and hearing aids – there
are now unimagined new possibilities in function and design.
Potential for the automotive industry
The automotive industry is another promising field of application for
the MagSilica®adhesive system, because bonded joints allow the use
of lighter materials. One kilogram of adhesive used in this way reduces
the weight of a car by 25 kilograms. Until now, however, the use of
adhesion technology in automotive construction has had two serious
disadvantages: Adhesives needed very long curing times, and the
bonding was not easily reversed – a major drawback in repairs and recycling. For these problems, MagSilica® now offers a solution, because
the adhesive additive drastically shortens curing times. It also allows
the debonding of joints that have been specifically designed with this
possibility in mind.
MagSilica® opens up new possibilities not only in large-scale production but also for repairs and recycling, because the various plastic
components can be separated out and recycled without much effort.
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news
+++ Evonik is a key supplier for Microsoft Surface™, focusing on the visual interface tabletop
Under a strategic cooperation agreement with Microsoft Corporation, Evonik Industries will supply the projection tabletop for
Microsoft Surface™, Microsoft’s first surface computing device,
which enables users to interact with digital content on the tabletop
through touch, gestures, and objects placed on Surface. Composed of
several PLEXIGLAS®-based optical function layers, including one
rear projection film optimized specifically for Surface, the projection
hardware allows the tabletop to be used for both viewing and input,
opening up a wide range of new possibilities for Surface. For Evonik,
the collaboration with Microsoft is another milestone on the way to
becoming a complete system supplier, combining functionality and
design in an optimal manner.
“Microsoft is changing the way people interact with digital information, and the contribution of Evonik is helping to make that a reality,” said Pete Thompson, general manager of Microsoft Surface.
“Microsoft is bringing surface computing to life and transforming the
way consumers around the world shop, dine, entertain, and live.”
Production in Germany
To better meet the demands of this new technology, Evonik expands
its capacity for production under clean room conditions at its Weiterstadt site in the course of 2008. Production of components for commercial display applications requires the highest degree of cleanliness
because demands on optical quality are at the same level as for LCD
television monitors. Up to fifteen new jobs will be created at the site,
mainly in production and quality assurance.
From personal computing to surface computing
Surface computing breaks down the traditional barriers between
people and technology, providing effortless interaction with digital
content. With Surface it is possible for multiple users to interact
directly and simultaneously with the computer by touching the tabletop, without the use of a mouse or keyboard. Surface also features
object recognition and will respond to objects placed on the tabletop,
triggering different types of digital responses.
The size and shape of Surface make it possible for multiple users
to interact with Surface at the same time, transforming the individual
workstation of the PC into a collaborative experience. Surface is currently available in the US only and being developed in retail, hospitality, and entertainment environments where customers can access
and interact with digital content directly on the tabletop. More information on Microsoft Surface can be found at www.surface.com.
Microsoft Press Photo
Microsoft Press Photo
Production of the displays in Weiterstadt (Germany):
PLEXIGLAS® sheets and films are bonded in a special clean
room to avoid any contamination
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Microsoft Surface is a 30-inch display in a table-like form factor
that’s easy for individuals or small groups to interact with. The
system recognizes more than 50 simultaneous touches or objects.
With Microsoft Surface, you can, for example, browse through
pictures by stretching, zooming, and dragging the images with your
fingers. The first Surface units have already been set up at select
stores of the U.S. company AT&T, and at Harrah‘s Las Vegas Casino
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COSMETIC ESTERS
Sustainability That Gets Under the S
DR. OLIVER THUM
Evonik Industries is the only company worldwide that offers biotechnologically
produced emollient esters for the cosmetics industry. Compared to the chemical
production process, the biotechnological variant boasts extraordinarily good
selectivity, mild reaction conditions, and high product purity. It is also sustainable:
For the first time, researchers at Evonik have used a life cycle assessment to
quantitatively record and evaluate the advantages of biocatalysis on the example
of myristyl myristate production.
W
ith a surface area of as much as two square
meters and a weight of about ten kilograms, the
skin is the largest human organ. It is also the
body’s control center for a number of sensory
perceptions, a key element in the regulation of body temperature, and the protective covering for the body. Care of the skin is
a high priority in our society. According to one ongoing study,
begun in the early 90s by the German Cosmetic, Toiletry, Perfumery, and Detergent Association in cooperation with various
universities and institutes, over 90 percent of women and nearly half of all men in Germany alone regularly use facial creams
and body lotions.
But how does the user like his skin to feel? Should the feeling
be relaxing, soft, light and silky, or rich and heavy? The decisive
factor here is the oil phase, which increasingly consists of “emollient esters.” Emollient esters are produced through esterification of a fatty acid with a long-chained alcohol. As the oil phase
of an oil-in-water (O/W) or water-in-oil (W/O) formulation,
emollient esters, along with emulsifiers and other additives,
represent valuable starting products for skin care cosmetics
such as creams and body lotions.
A trailblazer in biocatalysis
About 50 different emollient esters are now available on the
market for creating creams and lotions for optimal skin feel,
depending on preference and application. Evonik currently has
about 20 of these esters in its portfolio, and is the sole supplier
worldwide which produces four esters in a biotechnological pro6
cess using custom-tailored enzymes: myristyl myristate, decyl
cocoate, cetyl ricinoleate and isocetyl palmitate. With a production volume of several hundred metric tons per year, myristyl
myristate is the most important of these.
The biggest advantage of the enzyme catalysts is their mild
reaction conditions. The chemical process for the esterification
of long-chain fatty acids and fatty alcohols requires temperatures
as high as about 240 °C (464 °F), which can generate raw products that are dark-colored and do not meet the required quality
criteria for cosmetic products in terms of purity, color, and smell.
For this reason, they undergo a host of reprocessing steps in
which they are steamed, bleached, and filtered to remove the undesired color and smells caused by the impurities.
The biocatalytic process, on the other hand, runs at 60 °C
(140 °F) under nearly physiological reaction conditions, and supplies highly selective ultra-pure, colorless products that obviate
the need for expensive, time-consuming reprocessing and cleaning. The only problem: Because the enzyme is extremely expensive, a sufficient number of campaigns must be carried out each
time the enzyme is loaded to make the process cost-effective
compared to the chemical variant. Because the enzyme is by
nature highly sensitive, it cannot be used in its natural state.
To find an economically sensible solution, Evonik is using
immobilized enzymes, a variant in which the enzyme is bonded
to small spheres that act as a carrier material. Immobilization allows the enzymes to be integrated into a fixed-bed reactor with
a circulation loop, through which the reaction charge is pumped
long enough to reach the intended yield. With this technique, the
biocatalyst remains stable longer, and can be separated more
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BIOTECHNOLOGY
he Skin
Powerful quartet – the emollient esters produced in an enzymatic process at Evonik
•
•
•
•
Myristyl myristate: Ester of myristic acid with myristyl alcohol. White, wax-like substance. Used as an easily spreadable oil component in O/W emulsions, especially in lotions, and to improve the consistency of W/O emulsions
Decyl cocoate: Ester of coconut fatty acid with decyl alcohol. Primarily used in face care products and in O/W-type sunscreen
formulations
Cetyl ricinoleate: Ester of ricinoleic acid with cetyl alcohol. Uses include, for example, skin care products, decorative cosmetics and
lipsticks
Isocetyl palmitate: Ester of palmitic acid with isocetyl alcohol. Used, for example, as a substitute for mineral oil in skin care products,
especially for dry skin
easily from the reaction mixture – a technological advancement
Biotechnologically produced emollient esters meet this dethat explains why Evonik is now the only company that offers mand. This is also clear from the fact that, when given a choice
enzymatically manufactured emollient esters.
between an emollient ester produced in the conventional way
and one produced enzymatically, more and more cosmetic companies are choosing the latter.
Disproportionate growth in the market
for natural cosmetics
Bioproducts are on the rise, and not only in the food industry. In
Europe, the market for natural cosmetics is recording doubledigit growth rates. Even though bioproducts are still a niche
market, L’Oréal, the world’s largest cosmetics corporation, recently acquired the natural cosmetics chain The Body Shop, and
even discount chains are attaching great importance to environmental products. The reason is the consumer’s growing desire
for natural products, which are also often labeled as such.
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Life cycle assessment confirms
sustainability of biocatalysis
The life cycle assessment shows that what the consumer wants
is also good for the environment. In collaboration with the Danish company Novozymes A/S, the Consumer Specialties Business Unit of Evonik conducted the first environmental life cycle
assessment (LCA) of an emollient ester for cosmetic applications. The researchers selected production of the emollient >>>
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O
Figure 1. Using the
production of myristyl
myristate as their
model, Novozymes and
Evonik are the first
companies to conduct
an environmental life
cycle assessment for both
the enzymatic and
chemical manufacture of
an emollient ester for
cosmetics
O
Conventional
Enzymatic
Raw materials
Reaction
Volatile compounds
Aqeous waste
Catalyst
recycled
Catalyst
Deodorization
Steam
Bleaching
Bleach
Raw materials
Reaction
Drying
Aqeous waste
Applied temperature
Solid waste
Filtration
> 180 °C
Filter aid
140 °C
100 °C
60 °C
Packaging
Figure 2. Flow chart
of the enzymatic and
chemical processes that
Evonik compared. Process steps omitted from
the LCA are shown in
dashed squares
20 °C
Packaging
Enzymatic process
Waste water
treatment
Enzyme
production
(NZ 435)
Waste water
NZ 435
Ester formation
Enzyme catalysis
60 °C
Packaging
Induced processes
Coconut
production
Fatty
acid/alcohol
production
Fatty acid ester
Displaced processes
Elemental
tin
Ester formation
Tin catalysis
>180 °C
Deodorization
>140 °C
Bleaching
100 °C
Drying
100 °C
Filtration
100 °C
Packaging
Sodium
formiate
Sn oxalate
production
Steam
production
Ca(OH)2
Energy
production
NaOCl
production
Filter aid
production
Solid waste
Waste water
H2SO4
Liquid N
production
Energy
Waste water
Waste water
treatment
Waste water
Water
Solid waste
Treatment
of solid waste
Solid waste
Conventional process
8
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BIOTECHNOLOGY
ester myristyl myristate as their model process, but the results
can be easily transferred to similar cosmetic fatty acids (Fig. 1).
In their assessment, the scientists used immobilized lipase B
from the organism Candida antarctica to examine the industrial
enzymatic process used at Evonik to produce the ester, including recovery of the enzyme, all the way to its deactivation.
They then compared this process with the conventional chemical production process, which is carried out at 240 °C (464 °F)
and uses tin oxalate as catalyst. Other parameters for this variant
included the use of nitrogen as inert gas, and a refinement process consisting of bleaching with sodium chlorite, three hours of
steam stripping, and filtration.
Scientists made out an inventory for both processes, calculating how much electricity was needed for stirrers and pumps,
how much energy is needed to heat the vessel, what raw materials in what quantities go into the process, and what kinds of
waste are produced. In those few cases in which the parameters
in the detailed analysis are based on assumptions or are difficult
to calculate, the most conservative variant was used to avoid giving the advantage to the enzymatic process. For example, the
life cycle assessment did not consider all waste treatment, although the enzymatic process would have a clear advantage
here owing to the significantly lower amounts of waste it generates. The higher yields of the enzymatic process were, therefore,
completely disregarded in the life cycle assessment (Fig. 2).
The result of this inventory was an inventory table that lists
the raw materials and energies used, and the wastes generated
from all the process steps. They then integrated the existing life
cycle assessments contained in databases for the raw materials
used. This was the only way they could ensure that the life cycle
assessment factored the energy and raw material consumption
of myristyl myristate production as well as the production of the
feed materials (Fig. 3).
If no life cycle assessment was available for a starting material, the researchers traced the product lines based on the starting material until data was available. They had to rely on this
method in the case of tin(II) oxalate, the catalyst for the chemical
process, because there is no life cycle assessment for it. Instead
of tin(II) oxalate, they used elemental tin, sodium formiate, calcium hydroxide, and sulfuric acid as starting materials, and produced calcium sulfate as the waste product. Energy consumption
for the production of tin(II) oxalate was completely disregarded –
a conservative assumption to avoid giving the advantage to biotechnology. The scientists were also unable to find a life cycle
assessment for sodium chlorite, so they got around the problem
by substituting sodium hypochlorite.
Using the individual life cycle assessments of all the starting
materials, the scientists evaluated both processes based on five
standardized environmental categories: energy consumption,
influence on global warming using greenhouse gas emissions,
acidification of soil through noxious gases such as SO2, the eutrophication of soil and water through the immission of nutrients
such as phosphorous and nitrogen, as well as smog formation
through volatile organic compounds.
The results speak loud and clear: Despite conservative assumptions, the biocatalytic manufacturing process for the emollient ester myristyl myristate can, on balance, save more >>>
elements25
Emollient esters
are also used in
lipstick, among
other applications
Evonik uses lipase B
as a biocatalyst in the
enzymatic process
for manufacturing the
cosmetic ester
Figure 3. First, the researchers listed the used raw materials, energies, and
wastes generated from all the process steps in the comparison in an initial inventory table (upper table). To make a total assessment, their next step was
to integrate the individual life cycle assessments of the raw materials and prepare a second inventory table (lower table)
Conventional
Enzymatic
Electricity (primary energy)
GJ
0.63
2.38
Heating energy (from electricity)
GJ
6.34
0.76
Gaseous nitrogen
Litres
Tin(II)oxalate
kg
Novozyme 435
kg
Filter aid (Tonsil)
kg
Bleach NaOCl2
kg
20
Water for steam
kg
105
Cooling water
kg
570
Waste water
kg
445
Tin-containing waste
kg
70
Enzyme waste
kg
Conventional
Enzymatic
Total energy from electricity
GJ
6.97
3.14
Liquid nitrogen
kg
5
Tin from mining
kg
14
Sodium formiate
kg
17
H2SO4, 96 %
kg
18.2
Ca(OH)2, solid
kg
9.3
Novozyme 435
kg
NaOCl, 15 %
kg
133
Waste CaSO4
kg
17
Tin-containing waste
kg
70
Enzyme waste
kg
3,200
25
0.27
25
180
0.5
0.27
0.5
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Figure 4. The results of the life cycle assessment
show that the enzymatic process is considerably
more eco-friendly
Figure 5. In the chemical process the use of tin
and the energy necessary for heating the reaction
vessel have the biggest impact on the environment
Seite 10
Results of the life cycle assessment
5 ton scale
Conventional
Enzymatic
Savings %
22.5
8.63
62
kg CO2 eq.
1,518
582
62
Acidification
kg SO2 eq.
10.58
1.31
88
Nutrient enrichment
kg PO4 eq.
0.86
0.24
74
Smog formation
kg C2H4 eq.
0.49
0.12
76
Energy
GJ
Global warming
Main contributors to environmental impact
Fossil
energy
%
Global
warming
%
Acidification
Tin
15
15
70
55
45
Heating energy
70
70
20
35
40
5
5
5
5
5
<1
<1
<1
<1
1
2
<1
<1
5
1
NaOCl
Sodium formiate
Filter aid
than 60 percent energy while reducing the formation of environmentally damaging impurities by as much as 88 percent
(Fig. 4). All these facts clearly support the sustainability of the
biocatalytic process.
Finally, in their quest for improvement potential, the scientists analyzed which process steps and which feed materials
have the biggest environmental impact in chemical synthesis
(Fig. 5). They determined that the leading energy consumer is
the heating of the reaction vessel, which also makes the chief
contribution to the greenhouse gas effect. Tin was found to
have the most environmentally damaging impurities.
Portfolio of enzymatically manufactured
products will continue to grow
Evonik is encouraged by the positive response of cosmetics
manufacturers to products manufactured with enzymes, and
plans to market more high-quality enzymatically manufactured
products for the cosmetics industry. In cooperation with the
marketing department of the Personal Care Business Line,
%
Nutrient
Smog
enrichment formation
%
%
researchers are identifying new target compounds, and studying their production and technical application properties.
Because of the intrinsic advantage of biocatalysis – high
selectivity and mild reaction conditions – and the opportunity
to exploit both the environmental and economic improvement
potentials in the pursuit of sustainability, researchers in the
Consumer Specialties Business Unit are also working on the
enzymatic synthesis of products for other fields of application.
Even though enzymes currently reach their limits when it
comes to certain substrates – for example, in the case of emollient esters from branched carboxylic acids, which enable the
production of ultra-light creams – they keep their promises to
consumers and chemists. They produce high-purity substances,
protect the environment, and open the door to new products –
all good reasons for the Evonik researchers who work in this
area to press on with their work, and continue expanding the
company’s range of biotechnologically manufactured products.
They laid the foundation for this work years ago, having built a
broad enzymatic technology platform with numerous patents
that open up access to new substance classes. ●
DR. OLIVER THUM
Born in 1974
Oliver Thum is head of biotechnological research in the
Consumer Specialties Business Unit of Evonik. After
studying chemistry at the University of Bonn, where he
finished his thesis under the direction of Prof. Wilhelm
Boland of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, and subsequently earned his doctorate, he
began his professional career in 2002 as a scientific
assistant at Noxxon Pharma AG in Berlin. One year later
he moved to Evonik Industries as group leader in
research and development in the Consumer Specialties
Business Unit. Thum has held his current position since 2006.
+49 201 173-1658, oliver.thum@evonik.com
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news
+++ New solar silicon plant opened
Evonik Industries and SolarWorld have officially opened their new
solar silicon plant in Rheinfelden (Baden, Germany). As part of the
joint venture Joint Solar Silicon (JSSI), the two companies are using an
innovative process in the new plant that enables energy savings of up
to 90 percent compared to conventional solar silicon production.
“With the opening of the plant, Evonik Industries is answering the
worldwide demand to further increase the share of alternative energies, such as solar energy, in power generation,” says Dr. Alfred
Oberholz, member of Evonik’s Executive Board. The investment volume for the integrated production network will be in the double-digit
million euro range.
JSSI is a joint venture of Evonik Industries AG, Essen (51 percent),
and SolarWorld AG, Bonn. “With JSSI, we are consistently expanding
our activities in raw materials supply,” says certified engineer Frank
H. Asbeck, SolarWorld’s chairman of the board, stressing the importance of the new plant for his company. “We manufacture ultra-thin
wafers from solar silicon, and process them into solar cells and modules.” For Asbeck, one thing is certain: “In a few years, solar power
from your rooftop will be cheaper than power from an electrical outlet.”
Michael Müller, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Environment Ministry, welcomes the companies’ investment in Rheinfelden. “It’s good that photovoltaics are taking us out of the niche and
into comprehensive industrial added value.”
The integrated production network includes an Evonik monosilane plant. In the second plant in the network, JSSI takes the monosilane and uses it to manufacture solar silicon. The Rheinfelden facility
will start with an annual production capacity of 850 metric tons of
solar silicon.
Based on the steady international demand for solar power products, both joint venture partners see a substantial market for the new
technology. The process was developed by JSSI in cooperation with
leading universities. Currently, the growth of the solar industry is still
limited by low raw material capacities. With the new plant, JSSI has
come considerably closer to satisfying this demand bottleneck and
being able to supply the solar industry with high-quality and inexpensive solar silicon.
Photovoltaics and construction of this plant supports one of the
fields of concentration identified by Evonik: “Today, energy efficiency is one of the worldwide megatrends. With top technological products, Evonik will contribute to safeguarding the energy supply while
protecting the environment and climate,” says Oberholz. Evonik is
allocating up to two billion euros for this purpose from 2008 to the
end of 2010 alone. In the Chemicals Business Area, which includes
the site in Baden, Evonik already offers numerous intelligent solutions
that are helping to conserve resources and reduce emissions.
The new solar silicon plant in Rheinfelden
+++ New oil additives plant in Singapore
Evonik subsidiary RohMax has begun operating its oil additives
manufacturing facility on Jurong Island in Singapore. This new stateof-the-art facility manufactures the company’s high-performance
VISCOPLEX® lubricant additives for the global market, in particular,
the regions Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Africa.
VISCOPLEX® additives form a key component in finished lubricants used in automotive and other industrial applications and help
improve the performance of engines and transmissions. They thus
play a role in achieving better fuel efficiency. The facility also includes
a technology center, where new applications for oil additive products
are tested and developed. The plant represents an investment
of more than € 10 million and, together with RohMax’s other four
production facilities in Europe and North America, will strengthen
the company’s global supply chain capabilities for its worldwide
customers.
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Asia is the fastest-growing region for the industrial lubricants
market. This region accounts for more than one-third of the global
lubricant demand. “This plant is designed to support the growing demand for our VISCOPLEX® products in the Asia-Pacific region over
the next ten years,” explained Dr. Dirk Reese, managing director of
Evonik RohMax Additives GmbH. “We opened our technical center
in Shanghai just a few years ago in 2005, so now this new production
site will allow us to broaden our presence in the Asia-Pacific region
even more and extend our leadership position in high-performance
lubricant additives.”
RohMax Oil Additives is a leading global supplier of high-performance VISCOPLEX® lubricant additives and VISCOBASE® synthetic
base fluids for use in automotive and industrial lubricants. The company also produces dewaxing aids used in refinery processing and
cold flow improvers for biodiesel.
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HYPERBRANCHED POLYMERS
Multitalented Individualists
Polymer molecules with tree-like
branches are setting new standards.
Just a small quantity of these molecules
is enough to equip coating systems and
molded bodies with novel properties.
Because they branch just like a tree, their
natural model, hyperbranched polymers
have a high number of functional end
groups. These end groups can be used
to generate individual molecular properties that impart interesting functionalities
to materials. This is why “tree-like molecules” are such a high priority in the evaluation of innovative application ideas
at Evonik. Their fields of application are
just as versatile as the molecules themselves. In addition to paints and coatings,
these fields include molded bodies, antiicing fluids, cosmetic actives, drug delivery systems, and the separation of
multi-component mixtures in process
engineering.
12
H
yperbranched polymers are globular macromolecules with a branched, tree-like architecture. They
lack the perfect radial symmetry of dendrimers,
which also belong to the class of dendritic polymers
(from dendron, the Greek word for “tree”). While dendrimers
have to be synthesized in time-consuming, multi-stage syntheses, and are therefore extremely expensive, hyperbranched
polymers can be easily produced via one-step reactions from
multifunctional monomers and therefore represent economically promising products also for large-scale applications.
A young product for a variety of applications
“The variety of applications for hyperbranched polymers is fascinating. From performance additives in the coatings and
dispersions segment, through the controlled release of active
ingredients, all the way to anti-icing agents for aircraft surfaces,
a host of applications have been developed to market maturity
in the last few years. Often, the key to the success of these endeavors was the development of a detailed understanding of the
relevant structure-property relationships, as well as the solv ing
of challenges in the field of thermodynamics and chemical engineering,” says Dr. Matthias Seiler, head of the “Bringing Technology to Market” group in the Process Technology & Engineering Service Unit.
Hyperbranched polymers carry a wide variety of functional
groups, allowing scientists to tune molecular properties selectively. By chemically converting the functional end groups, they
can furnish polymer molecules with either hydrophilic or
hydrophobic properties, for example. By varying the polarity of
the end groups, developers can set the glass transition temperature to between –20 °C and +300 °C. Even very low melt viscosities and/or thermal stabilities of up to 500 °C are possible,
which makes hyperbranched polymers especially attractive for
use under extreme conditions.
Their globular, highly branched molecular structure also
means that hyperbranched polymers do not form intermolecular
entanglements. For this reason, they display significantly lower
melt and solution viscosities compared to linear polymers. This
is a great advantage for polymer processing, because far less energy is required, and the solvent can even be eliminated altogether.
Generally speaking, three aspects of the structure-property
relationships of hyperbranched polymers have proven critical:
the branched, tree-like structure, the variety of functional
groups, and the comparatively low molecular weights. These
are the features researchers adjust to create custom-made
properties.
>>>
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Adhesive (rheology, adhesion,dying, compatibilization)
Performance additive for flexible polyurethane foams
Paper coatings
Fuel additive
Moisture retention in cosmetics
Oil field chemical
Sensor materials
Controlled release agent
Textile chemical
Personal care additive
Dispersion agent
Dyes
Plastics additive
Molecular imprinting
Entrainer, extraction solvent, scrubbing agent
Catalysis, micelles
Processing aid
Additive/resin for waterborne applications
Dental composites
Elastomer crosslinker
Globular templates
Dye transfer inhibitor
Lubricant
Membranes
Anchor for catalysts, proteins etc.
(D)emulsifier
Photosensitive materials
Rheology modifier
Oligomer precursor for UV-curing applications
Hydrogel components for tissue-growth active hydrogels
Detergent
Wetting agent
(Anti)foam agent
Potential applications for hyperbranched polymers.
Hyperbranched polymers typically possess a
highly branched structure, several functional groups,
and relatively low molecular weights. These three
features allow chemists to control properties and to
adjust them to the target application
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Unique color effects and custom-made properties
“Thanks to their branched structure, custom-made hyperbranched polymers can be used for the dispersion and stabilization of pigments in paints and coatings,” explains Dr. Pedro
Cavaleiro, R&D manager in the Coatings & Additives Business
Unit at Evonik. Hyperbranched deflocculating agents use their
arms to hold pigments at a uniform distance, and they also bring
them to the surface of coating systems. This allows the creation
of exceptionally strong, intense colors.
“With this development, Coatings & Additives was able to
build on the groundwork of several other business units at
Evonik,” says Cavaleiro. “The results we have obtained so far
are quite promising. The first end users from the packaging print
report excellent performance as a dispersion additive, for which
two percent of these hyperbranched structures display the same
effect as seven percent of the best comparable conventional
product. Following successful production of dispersion additives based on hyperbranched structures, we are now ready for
a broad-based market launch of this chemical technology.”
“Because of their tree-like molecular shape, hyperbranched
polymers offer limitless opportunities for realizing defined architectures in materials. In the area of coatings chemistry, these
building blocks can be used to fine-tune properties such as
hardness, flexibility, and UV protection. This is why our customers also find these polymers and their properties so attractive,” says Dr. Markus Schwarz, group leader for Innovation
Management of the Coatings & Additives Business Unit.
The scratch resistance of paints can be strengthened considerably, for example, by redispersing inorganic nanoparticles
into the paint matrix. Since nanoparticles have a strong tendency
to agglomerate, the process of redispersion consumes a high
amount of energy.
A newly developed method eliminates this energy-intensive
step, and allows the nanoparticles to be developed right in the
matrix. With the help of this “in-situ nucleation”, scientists at
Evonik have succeeded in generating tiny, hard, hyperbranched
spheres inside the paint matrix. The spheres are evenly distributed in the polymer matrix, where the large number of functional groups ensures strong inter- and intramolecular cross-
As an adhesion promoter
in multi-layer tubing
made of various plastics –
for example, for fuel lines
in cars – hyperbranched
polymers improve compatibility
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linking. When the nanodispersion is cured, transparent paint
films with outstanding mechanical properties are obtained.
Self-cleaning and antimicrobial surfaces can also be produced with hyperbranched polymers that tend to accumulate on
the surface of the coating material. These kinds of performance
additives reduce the surface energy of the material, which means
that surfaces can be equipped with dirt- and bacteria-repellant
functions.
Supported by their many functional groups, hyperbranched
polymers can also take on the job of improving the compatibility
of various plastic components. In the area of high-performance
plastics, for example, Evonik uses these molecules successfully as
adhesion promoters in multi-layer tubing made of polyamide 12
and poly(butylene terephthalate). “Hyperbranched polymers are
outstanding performance additives that have proven successful
for us, especially in applications such as plastic piping,” says
Dr. Harald Häger, department head for process and product
development in the Performance Polymers Business Unit.
Magic: first tough, then liquid
The development of a new performance additive for anti-icing
fluids based on hyperbranched polymers has met with strong
interest among airport operators. Because ice that accumulates
on the surface of an aircraft when it is parked in cold weather
poses a safety risk, it is usually removed with an anti-icing fluid,
made from propylene glycol/water mixtures.
“As a liquid additive, hyperbranched polymers with their large
number of end groups are perfect for fine-tuning the rheological properties in aircraft anti-icing fluids, for example,” says
Dr. Stefan Bernhardt, whose responsibilities in the ‘Bringing
Technology to Market’ group include coordination of the activities related to polymer chemistry.
Hyperbranched polymers added to anti-icing fluids act as
thickening agents to ensure that the fluid has a high enough viscosity to adhere to the wings when it is sprayed, and thereby
offer significantly longer protection against freezing. When
exposed to shearing forces during take-off, however, the hyperbranched polymers reduce the viscosity of the anti-icing >>>
Hyperbranched polymers
as dispersing additives
for paint and coating
pigments. The results are
ultra-intense colors required for applications
such as packaging print.
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“We are developing formulations that can be used to protect
fluid – in other words, they improve its shear-thinning behavior
so it can flow off the wings. The use of hyperbranched polymers cosmetic active ingredients and release them selectively on the
also offers economic and environmental advantages because skin,” says Dr. Peter Lersch, head of the R&D department for
Care Ingredients/Biotechnology in the Consumer Specialties
they are biodegradable and help conserve other components.
Business Unit. “Hyperbranched polymers open up highly attractive possibilities for manufacturing multi-functional cosmetics
Formulation and selective release of active ingredients
systems. Together with our Process Technology colleagues we
Hyperbranched polymer substrates take on entirely different are developing new products in this area.” To cite one example,
tasks for the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, where Evonik is working on systems that can selectively release active
they are used not only to stabilize and protect active ingredients ingredients through enzymatic degradation of a hyperbranched
but to control their release at the target location over a defined polymer substrate.
“For the pharmaceutical industry, the multi-functional hyperiod of time.
The cosmetics industry offers enormous market potential perbranched polymers can also be used to develop active infor this function. Anti-aging is just one example. Consumers gredient formulations that are able to enter cells,” explains
turn to these products to hide signs of aging, and advanced cos- Dr. Norbert Windhab, responsible for strategic projects in the
metics research proves them right to do so. While cosmetic ac- Pharma Polymers Business Line. “Through skillful selection of
tive ingredients such as vitamins, fruit acids, and plant extracts functional groups, we at Evonik have succeeded in producing
cannot stop the aging process of the skin, they can slow it down hyperbranched polymer substrates that transport both hydroby nurturing and protecting the skin, and soften wrinkles by philic and hydrophobic active ingredients and additives. These
helping the skin to regenerate. But many cosmetic ingredients kinds of trimodular aggregates could then be absorbed by cells
are susceptible to environmental influences and become in- in the human intestinal tract and release the active ingredient
effective when exposed to ultraviolet radiation or oxygen, for there.
To prevent the body’s immune system from rendering them
example, or when processed at high temperatures. So the active
ingredients must be formulated in such a way that they become inert, researchers have equipped the surfaces of these nanotransactive only when they come in contact with the skin. The mar- porters with “signal peptides.” When the signal peptides adhere
ket for these kinds of technologies has already exceeded € 100 to the appropriate receptors of intestinal cells, the path to the interior of the cell is free for the particles containing the pharmaceumillion.
tical active ingredient.
Jets are not allowed to take off
when frost, snow, or ice has accumulated on the surface of the aircraft,
particularly the wings, because it
changes the aerodynamics. This is why
critical surfaces on the aircraft must
be deiced in winter and protected
against further ice formation with
anti-icing fluids. Hyperbranched polymers can be used to adjust the rheology of these fluids
Aerodynamics of aircraft wings
Unimpeded aerodynamics on
the wing of an airplane
(shown as a cross-section)
Lift
Drag
Lift
Drag
Airflow
Ice, snow, and frost roughen the
surface of the wings. This causes
turbulence, which reduces lift
Airflow
When the angles of attack are
larger, as they are when an airplane
starts, powerful turbulent forces
could cause the plane to stall. It
would then be in danger of crashing
Drag
Lift
Airflow
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Material separation
Hyperbranched polymers are providing valuable assistance in
the area of separating chemical, multi-component mixtures.
With their wide range of functional groups, hyperbranched
molecules can separate systems by selectively interacting with
specific components. This can be used to separate azeotropic
systems through extractive distillation or liquid-liquid extraction, or to separate gases through absorption. In this regard,
low-viscosity, hydrolysis-stable hyperbranched polymers possess enormous potential.
The key to success: crossing disciplines
and the mindset of an engineer
The pioneering research and development in hyperbranched
polymers is a great example of the way interdisciplinary teamwork can accelerate the innovation process. Using hyperbranched polymers as an additive for anti-icing fluids, for example, requires expertise in the areas of fluid hydraulics, thermodynamics, rheology, polymer chemistry, and polymer process
engineering – knowledge that cannot be found in just one discipline.
“Interdisciplinarity and close cooperation with the business
units are vital for the newly established ‘Bringing Technology to
Market’ group in the Process Technology & Engineering Ser vice Unit to live up to its name,” stresses Dr. Axel Kobus, director of the fluid processing department. “Our approach is to eval-
uate new business ideas with the mindset of an engineer and
implement them together with the business units to also promote the development of topics such as hyperbranched polymers in the future.”
Bundling competencies and creating synergies is also the
goal of all six Areas of Competence at Evonik – cross-unit competence fields that represent over 80 percent of the markets in
the Chemicals Business Area, and combine expertise in futureoriented technologies. This structure allows Evonik systematic
control over the interplay of various skills in the innovation process, and opens up additional growth potential.
“Cross-project, interdisciplinary exchange among colleagues
is essential to the discussion and evaluation of new, innovative
ideas,” says Dr. Manfred Stickler of the Innovation Management
Chemicals unit. “Evonik’s competence field days make a very important contribution in this regard. At Evonik, hyperbranched
polymers are handled within the ‘Designing with Polymers’
Area of Competence, and are a splendid example of how multiple
applications can arise from a single idea within just a few years.” ●
ANSPRECHPARTNER
DR. MATTHIAS SEILER
Evonik Industries
Process Technology & Engineering
Service Unit, Head of
“Bringing Technology to Market”
+49 6181 59-3049
matthias.seiler@evonik.com
The influence of different concentrations of various hyperbranched additives on the viscosity
of a standard anti-icing formulation (blank). Additive 3, for example, increases viscosity significantly at concentrations as low as 0.01 percent by weight. This allows aircraft to stand at the
gate for considerably longer periods of time before their surfaces ice up – an invaluable competitive advantage in an age of increased air travel and inevitable airport delays during winter
Experimental results
◆ Additive 1 ■ Additive 2 ▲ Additive 3 ● Additive 4
Viscosity [mPa · s]
2.5 · 104
▲
2.0 · 104
1.5 · 104
●
1.0 · 104
◆
▲
▲
■
●
◆
■
Blank
0.5 · 104
■
0
0.01
●
0.02
0.03
0.04
0.05
0.06
Additive concentration [wt %]
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Biocatalysis for Chiral Amino Diols
Dr. Paul Dalby wins € 100.000
D
r. Paul Dalby of University College London is the
winner of the 2008 Evonik European Science-toBusiness Award, having impressed the international
jury with a new biocatalytic route for the asymmetrical synthesis of amino diols. Dalby accepted the award on
November 12 in Berlin, at a ceremony attended by more than
150 guests from goverment, business, and science. Three other
scientists made it to the final round: Dr. Thorsten Eggert and
Dr. Thomas Drepper for the development of marker proteins
that emit light in the absence of oxygen, and Dr. Thore
Rohwerder, whose research could make acrylic glass from sugar
a reality.
Intended for young scientists who conduct their research in
Europe, the European Science-to-Business Award of Evonik
Industries aims to promote the conversion of scientific discoveries into marketable products. The €100,000 in prize money
ranks among the highest endowments of any research award. In
addition, the winner receives management coaching at the
University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The theme of this year's
award, which Evonik presented in cooperation with the
University of St. Gallen and the Financial Times Germany, is
“white biotechnology.” Dr. Arend Oetker, president of the
Donor’s Association for the Promotion of Sciences and
Humanities in Germany, sponsored the award.
“We’re proud that young European researchers have taken
part in the competition and are delighted about the innovative,
practical projects,“ said Dr. Alfred Oberholz, member of the
Executive Board of Evonik Industries AG. “This exciting work
shows the immense future potential of white biotechnology.“
Oberholz commented on one further important aspect, adding,
”The projects are all on the threshold of marketability or have
already taken this step. They therefore meet an essential condition of the Evonik Innovation Award: converting scientific
innovations into salable products – ‘science to business,’ just as
the name says.“
18
Dr. Paul Dalby
Biocatalysis for chiral amino diols
With the biocatalytic process developed by Dr. Paul Dalby enzymes can be combined and customized for new tasks. This makes
biotechnology a more attractive approach to producing chemicals, and it can open up access to new medicines with the help of
eco-friendly and energy-efficient processes.
The new method allows certain enzyme properties to be
identified and customized through genetic engineering for special tasks. A number of substrates can be converted into chiral
amino diols – a substance group particularly well-suited to further synthesis into pharmaceuticals, agricultural chemicals, and
even fine chemicals. The different variations are then screened
for the desired properties in an automated process. Because of
the focused approach, only 400 variations needed to be examined
instead of up to 10,000.
The project has resulted not only in innovative enzymes but
in stable and scalable biocatalytic processes. The integrated approach opens up, for example, new opportunities for time-critical syntheses in medication development (pre-clinical phase).
Potential users include the pharmaceutical, agricultural, and
fine chemicals industries. The methodology can also be used to
improve processes in the microbiological rehabilitation of soil,
in wastewater treatment, food production, and in medical diagnostics.
About 10 percent of chiral compound production today is
based on biocatalysis. For existing technologies, the entire market for 2009 is estimated to be about € 1 billion. With the new
process, biocatalysis could surpass the 10-percent mark and
capture another percentage point of the market. This would
mean additional sales of as much as € 30 million annually. The
biotechnological process also makes chemical production more
attractive, and can be used to manufacture not only low-cost but
entirely new medicines and substance groups. It is also a gentle,
eco-friendly, and energy-efficient process.
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The winner of the
European Science-to-Business
Award 2008 has been chosen
Nominated: Dr.Thorsten Eggert, Dr.Thomas Drepper
Marker Proteins as Fluorescent Reporters
Nominated: Dr. Thore Rohwerder
Acrylic glass from sugar
Dr. Thorsten Eggert (left), Evocatal GmbH, and Dr. Thomas
Drepper, Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf have developed new anaerobic fluorescent proteins that make it possible to
analyze cellular processes, even in the absence of oxygen. For
the first time, these fluorescent reporters, as it were, have
opened the door to observing oxygen-free processes more
closely and can be used as probes to develop novel tumor agents
or investigate oxygen-limited environmental processes.
In research and diagnostics, fluorescent proteins are used as
highlighters in living cells. The ability to visualize these marker
proteins provides an insight into the complex dynamic processes at the cellular and molecular level in vivo. Until now, molecular oxygen was absolutely essential for the fluorescence to
occur, so conventional fluorescent markers could not be used in
anaerobic (oxygen-free) systems.
Eggert and Drepper have now developed proteins that also
fluoresce in the absence of oxygen. In bioindustry, for example,
production and fermentation processes can thereby be monitored and optimized. In the environmental sector, these fluorescent reporters can be used as biosensors, for example, for labeling and localizing anaerobic bacteria that are able to break down
pollutants. In biomedicine, it is possible to use the fluorescent
markers to develop anaerobic microorganisms that can selectively attack cancer cells inside of human tumors.
Potential users include food and food additive companies
or consumer care companies, for example, in the oral and body
hygiene segments. The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry can use the fluorescent probes in research and development,
too.
The fluorescent proteins available under the trademark
evoglow® are forming a new market segment. Conservative estimates place the annual market value in Germany at € 250,000
to € 500,000. Other relevant markets include other European
countries, as well as Asia and the United States.
Dr. Thore Rohwerder, University of Duisburg-Essen, has discovered an enzyme that can help convert a branched-chain petrochemical-based C4 body into a linear one. Built into a sugar
metabolism, this enzyme can generate a precursor to MMA
(methyl methacrylate – monomer for acrylic glass). Up to now,
this precursor – 2-hydroxyisobutyrate (2-HIB) – could be produced only in a purely chemical process based on petrochemical
raw materials. With the new environmentally safer and more
efficient biosynthesis, the vision of manufacturing acrylic glass
from sugar could become a reality.
In collaboration with Dr. Roland H. Müller from the
Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, Leipzig (Germany), Dr. Rohwerder has discovered, in a bacterial strain, an
enzyme that serves as the basis for the biosynthesis of 2-HIB.
With the help of this enzyme, a biotechnological production
process can be developed that can synthesize 2-HIB for use as a
precursor for MMA. This would make it feasible, for the first
time, to produce acrylic glass in a biotechnological process on
the commercial scale – and, compared to the purely chemical
process, under gentler conditions and with minimal environmental impact in terms of waste and water consumption.
Conceivably, up to 10 percent of the current MMA demand
could be met through biotechnological processes over the medium to long term. Because the world market currently hovers at
over 3 million metric tons or € 4 billion, sales of € 150 million
are possible in approximately ten years, and € 400 million thereafter. It takes about four years to design a suitable bacterial
system and a functioning laboratory process. The objective is to
have a pilot plant for the manufacture of several metric tons up
and running in five years.
The new process will allow acrylic glass to be manufactured
not only from fossil but from renewable raw materials in the future. For industry, this means increased flexibility, since it can fall
back on sugar or alcohol or similar raw materials for production.
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NEW ADDITIVE FOR SCRATCH-RESISTANT POLYPROPYLENE COMPOUNDS
Anti-Aging Properties f
KATHRIN LEHMANN, ANGELA NAWRACALA
The surfaces inside a vehicle should look just as good after
years of use as they did when they were new. With TEGOMER®
AntiScratch 100, experts from Evonik have developed an
additive that imparts superior and long-lasting scratch
resistance to grained components made from polypropylene.
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s for Cars
N
owadays, anyone who buys a car expects the interior of it to look
new even after years of use. A car with an instrument panel or
center console that shows ugly scratches even when slightly
bumped fails to meet this expectation. With each scratch, resale
value and customer satisfaction drops.
Today’s driver also wants high-end appeal. Consequently, surfaces of
plastic components should not be sticky. Only a grained surface looks
matte, top-quality, and is inviting to touch. The desire for dark, grained
surfaces is nearly universal, no matter what model, manufacturer, price, or
country: Car buyers in India and Russia also like interiors with a first-class
look and feel.
Today, plastics make up 15 to 20 percent of a vehicle’s weight. From the
broad range of polymers available, polyamide (PA), acrylonitrile butadiene
styrene copolymers (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), thermoplastic polyurethane
(TPU), and polypropylene (PP) are the materials of choice. Several methods
can be used to make the surfaces of these materials scratch-resistant. One
involves the use of high-quality plastics, such as polyamide or ABS, which
are relatively expensive. Another method is to apply a coating on the surface of the plastic part, but this is cost effective only for premium models.
When it comes to mid-range and small cars, every penny in savings
counts. This is why producers of these classes use low-cost polypropylene,
which achieves the necessary strength with the addition of 12 to 20 percent talc as a filler (PP talc compounds). Worldwide, 2.5 million metric tons
of such compounds are processed annually and their importance is on the
rise. On the downside, talc-filled PP materials have a poor scratch resistance
which is not just a purely optical criterion, but also helps to determine the
performance characteristics of a vehicle. Excellent scratch resistance is
also an important parameter in manufacturing: When components are assembled, the surfaces are often subject to greater mechanical stress than in
day-to-day use.
Wanted: a durable and cost effective
scratch-resistant polypropylene
Finding such a material has been a challenge for producers of plastic parts
for vehicle interiors and exteriors. Door handles, instrument panels, bumpers, door trims, and center consoles must be not only light, mechanically
stable, and cost effective, but grained and as scratch-resistant as possible.
At first glance, ‘grained and scratch-resistant’ seems to be a contradiction in itself. Indeed, the one serious drawback of graining is that fingernails, pens, or the sharp ends of car keys catch on the small structures of the
grain more easily than on smooth surfaces. This is why components with >>>
The pilot plant of the Consumer
Specialties Business Unit has all the
equipment necessary to conduct
practice-oriented and reproducible
tests for thermoplastic materials.
In addition to the twin-screw extruder,
pictured here, the equipment includes
a single screw extrusion line, an injection molding machine, a two-roll
mill, and various devices for measuring
scratch resistance and mechanical
properties of compounds
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Developers at Evonik use injectionmolded flow spirals to determine
the influence of additives on the flow
properties of compounds. This
method is a suitable tool for convincing
customers that highly structured
plastic parts are producible and the
high throughput does not create
surface defects; particularly important
in the manufacture of door handles
In the Erichsen test for determining
scratch resistance, a steel needle cuts a
fine checked pattern into the surface
of the plastic at a defined force of between 5 and 30 N (above)
In the five-finger scratch test, five steel
needles cut the surface of the plastic
with varying force. This helps to determine how much force is required to
visibly damage the surface (right)
As little as 2 to 3 percent TEGOMER®
AntiScratch 100 (above right) is enough
to make polypropylene scratch-resistant.
Talc particles can be clearly seen on the
surface of the sample without additive
(below left); the sample compounded
with silicone oil (middle plate) shows an
inhomogeneous surface caused by the
migration of the oil to the surface
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grained surfaces are easier to scratch. Additives are often used
to reduce this effect so that pointed objects slide more easily
over these structures.
To make talc-filled PP materials scratch resistant, additives
such as amides, silicone oils, and grafted polymers based on
polyolefins grafted with maleic anhydride are added. However,
many of these additives are not permanent solutions. Long-term
tests show that the substances have a relatively strong tendency
to fog. Sooner or later, the component will lose its scratch resistance. Moreover, many of the additives are not odorless, which
can prove a source of irritation for the vehicle’s passengers.
Migration is a problem for silicone oils and amides, which will
form unattractive specks or shiny spots on the polymer surface.
Grafted polymers and additive combinations migrate less, but as
they can cost as much as € 5–15/kg, they are quite expensive.
They also adversely affect the flow property of the compound
when it is injection molded.
A new additive from the Consumer Specialties Business Unit
at Evonik promises a solution to the problem. TEGOMER® AntiScratch 100 is a cost-effective, organically modified siloxane
that displays none of the drawbacks of conventional additives. It
has proven its capability in a series of comprehensive tests in the
pilot plant of the business unit, which contains all the equipment
necessary to conduct practice-oriented and reproducible tests
of PP materials: twin and single screw extruder, injection molding machine, roller mill, and various equipment for measuring
scratch resistance and mechanical properties.
While there are no DIN standards to determine scratch resistance, there is a series of tests now routinely used by automobile
manufacturers and compounders. One of the most important of
these is the Erichsen test, in which a steel needle with a 1-mm tip
cuts a fine checked pattern into the plastic surface at a speed of
1,000 mm per minute. The needle pressure can be set between
5 N and 30 N, depending on the polymer. For the tests in the
pilot plant, Evonik researchers varied the forces (5 N, 10 N), the
fineness of the graining (K31, K09), the talc content (12 to 20
percent), the particle size of the talc (1.5 to 20 μm), and the
quantity of antiscratch additive (two to four percent) used.
The filler plays an important role in all scratch tests: Each
scratched line of the checked pattern makes small quantities of
the talc visible – the scratches appear white. The deeper the
scratches and the lower the scratch resistance, the greater the
difference in brightness between an unscratched, dark surface
and the talc exposed after scratching. This difference is measured
as the Delta L value. The depth of the line is recorded microscopically by CLSM (confocal laser scanning microscopy), which
clearly reveals that PP materials with a high talc content (as much
as 40 percent) are particularly sensitive to scratching. Even the
slightest scratch is obvious.
A variety of requirements for additives
New additives must meet a number of requirements. One of
these is ensuring the short-term scratch resistance of the material, so the component is not damaged when it is handled by the
robots during production. To this end, scratch resistance is measured 24 hours after the sample has been injection molded. But
scratch resistance must also be guaranteed after years of use. For
long-term testing, the component is exposed to temperatures of
70 to 80 °C in a climate chamber for seven days. Additives should
also have a slip effect that gives the grain somewhat more surface slip. Not least, it should also display these properties in very
different polymers or compounds.
With TEGOMER® AntiScratch 100, the results on all these
points have been extremely encouraging. Thanks to the favorable interaction between PP and siloxane, the siloxane additive
does not migrate. During injection molding, the molecule orients itself on the surface of the component but remains firmly
anchored in the polymer matrix by side chains. This is why components with TEGOMER® AntiScratch 100 are odorless and the
scratch resistance is likely to last the entire lifetime of a component. Odor and migration are becoming more and more important as quality criteria. No customer wants to get into a car with
a chemical smell.
High scratch resistance with as little as
three percent of the new additive
Analyses have shown that the PP compound with three percent
anti-scratch additive has a particularly small Delta L value in
both the short- and long-term test. A significant improvement
over conventional additives is apparent even at a concentration
of just two percent. The organic modified siloxane ensures a very
good scratch resistance. The use of the additive is not limited to
PP only: It will also display its full effect in materials made from
PA, PET, and ABS.
Just as important as effective and durable scratch resistance,
easy handling of the additive is important for the customer, too.
Liquid additives are hard to dose for compounders. Organically
modified siloxanes are often liquid. Therefore, Evonik developers had to find a way to convert them to a solid. The solution is a newly developed process that can be used to increase the
concentration of siloxane in PP compounds. The result is
TEGOMER® AntiScratch 100, a product that can be dosed >>>
Because TEGOMER® AntiScratch 100 is firmly anchored in the polymer
matrix of a component such as an instrument panel, it ensures long-lasting
scratch resistance
Siloxane backbone
TEGOMER®
AntiScratch 100
Anchorage groups
Polymer matrix (dashboard)
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Scratch resistance of polypropylene, depending on the talc content and additive technology used (Surface K 31, Erichsen 5 N and 10 N)
The scratch resistance of polypropylene with different additive technologies
(Surface K 31, Erichsen 10 N)
■■ 12% Talc, dL/10 N ■■ 20% Talc, dL/10 N ■■ dL/5 N
■■ Without additive ■■ 3% TEGOMER® AntiScratch 100
■■ 3% Grafted polymer ■■ 2% Silicon oil masterbatch
■■ 0.5% Fatty amide
Without additive
3% TEGOMER® AntiScratch 100
Delta L
8.0
3% Grafted polymer
2% Silicon oil masterbatch
6.0
Without additive
4.0
3% TEGOMER® AntiScratch 100
3% Grafted polymer
2% Silicon oil masterbatch
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
Delta L
Scratch resistance depending on talc used
(Surface K 31, Erichsen 10N);
d50 stands for the average particle diameter
2.0
0.0
Delta L after 24 hours
Delta L 1 week at 80 °C
Scratch depth and Delta L value of a sample without an additive (above) and a
sample with TEGOMER® AntiScratch 100
■■ Without additive ■■ 3% TEGOMER® AntiScratch 100
■■ 2% Silicon oil masterbatch ■■ 3% Grafted polymer
14 μm
Delta L
6.0
60% PP/40% Talc,
without additive
Scratch depth = 14 μm
Delta L = 7.0
4.0
7 μm
2.0
0.0
d50 3.0 μm
5.0 μm
2.0 μm
3.6 μm
1.4 μm
2.4 μm
2.0 μm
Supplier 1
Supplier 1
Supplier 1
Supplier 2
Supplier 2 Supplier 2
Supplier 3
easily and precisely. Due to its high siloxane content – up to 70
percent siloxane in PP – a compounder only needs to dose a
small amount to achieve sufficient scratch resistance.
TEGOMER® AntiScratch 100 was introduced at the K 2007,
the international trade fair for plastics and rubber, in Düsseldorf. The market interest is strong because the additive shows
better results than conventional systems and at the same time –
compared with silicone oil or grafted polyolefins – it does not
create additional costs.
Not least, the development of the new additive is an example
of the change in our understanding of innovation. Today innovation means far more than just chemically modifying a molecule or changing a formulation. It calls for insight along the entire value-added chain. The development team at Evonik managed by focusing on the central practical concerns of plastics
manufacturers to develop an attractive and workable solution:
How do we get a solid, easy-to-handle product from a liquid
additive? What price will the market accept? What other technically important polymers can benefit from the knowledge?
Highly promising market potential
The newly developed method which converts liquid siloxanes
into a solid, easy-to-dose additive is also attractive for other applications. These include products with an especially high per24
60% PP/40% Talc,
2 percent by weight
TEGOMER®
AntiScratch 100
Scratch depth = 7 μm
Delta L = 3.1
centage of fillers, such as water pipes with excellent mechanical
properties and white agricultural films. The low percentage of
polymer in the formulations means that additives have to be effective at very small doses and so must be dosable at high concentrations.
Clearly, TEGOMER® AntiScratch 100 opens up an array of
highly promising markets in the entire area of thermoplastic
polymers. The potential for the new product in the area of PP talc
compounds alone is about 1,000 metric tons per year across Europe. Hinting strongly at future demand, vehicles whose grained
surfaces are equipped with TEGOMER® AntiScratch 100 will be
entered in the market as early as this year. About 2,000 metric
tons of PP compound can be produced from the tonnage – or
enough to manufacture at least 250,000 permanently scratchresistant instrument panels. ●
KATHRIN LEHMANN
Born in 1967
Kathrin Lehmann studied synthetic chemistry at the
Humboldt University of Berlin. After working for a pigment manufacturer for five years, she moved to Degussa
in 1999, where she was responsible for the development of wetting and dispersing additives until April 2005.
Today, she is head of technical service and development
for additives in plastics and polymer applications
in the Consumer Specialties Business Unit at Evonik.
+49 201 173-2824
kathrin.lehmann@evonik.com
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news
+++ Nanotechnologies in power generation – intensive exchange at symposium
“Nano and material technologies for the power generation of the
future” were the focus of a symposium at the Hanau Wolfgang
Industrial Park in September. Organized by the Hessen Nanotech
Initiative of the Hessen Ministry of Economics, this was the second
conference on the topic of NanoEnergy since a launch event was held
in June 2007. According to event organizers, it was time to take a
look at what had been accomplished in research and development
one year on.
Hessen Economic Minister Dr. Alois Rhiel clearly recognizes the
importance of nanotechnologies: “As key and interdisciplinary technologies, they have the unique potential to pave the way for decisive
technological breakthroughs in the energy sector,” said the minister
during his welcome address to the roughly 170 participants from
industry, science, and politics. The symposium that followed covered
a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from overarching issues dealing
with energy policy, all the way to concrete problem-solving strategies based on nano and material technologies.
Prof. Christian Schönwiese stressed that the energy sector is
demanding innovative and, above all, fast solutions. Backed by facts
and figures, the expert asserted that climate change is far more likely
to be caused by humans than natural forces, and concluded that carbonaceous energy sources must be replaced and energy efficiency
significantly increased. And not just for environmental, but for economic reasons: “Each metric ton of CO2 that is added to the atmosphere by human activity causes eighty-five U.S. dollars worth of
damage,” said Schönwiese, citing former World Bank Chief Economist Nicolas Stern.
Practical solutions for greater energy efficiency
Dr. Wolfgang Luther of the VDI Technology Center explained how
nanotechnologies can hold the key to efficient solutions. Nanotechnology-based innovations can be used in all parts of the value-added
chain in the energy sector, from the opening up of primary energy
sources, through energy conversion, distribution, and storage, to
energy consumption.
A number of solutions came from Evonik Industries, which helped
organize the event, along with Evonik subsidiary Industriepark Wolfgang GmbH (IPW). For a long time, Evonik has worked not only to
continuously boost energy efficiency in its own processes but to
manufacture products that help customers increase their own energy
efficiency. One of the company’s goals is to make solar energy more
cost-effective and, therefore, competitive. Dr. Claudius Neumann
presented the plastic materials research for photovoltaics from the
current Functional Films & Surfaces Project
House, directed by Dr. Jochen Ackermann.
“Our vision is a solar module that can be
manufactured in a roll-to-roll process with
the help of our film systems. In practice, then,
it would be really easy to unwind a roll and
flexibly mount it.”
Another field in which Evonik is active is
energy storage. Dr. Martin Schuster, employee in the Lithium-Ion Technology unit at
Creavis, presented the development status of
new, powerful lithium-ion batteries used in
hybrid and all-electric vehicles. These batteries are currently produced on a commercial
scale by Li-Tec Battery GmbH, in which
Evonik has a stake. For these applications,
Evonik developed the SEPARION® ceramic
separator, which significantly increases the
safety of large-format lithium-ion batteries,
and owes many of its outstanding properties
to nanoscale oxide materials.
Dr. Alois Rhiel, Economic Minister of Hessen
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WITH METABOLIC…
… Pathways to Sustainable Che m
DR. HENRIKE GEBHARDT, DR. THOMAS HAAS, DR. ACHIM MARX, DR. STEFFEN SCHAFFER, DIPL. ING. ALEXANDER SCHRAVEN, DR. THOMAS TACKE
They develop synthetic metabolic pathways for new products, expand the
product range of bacteria by changing
fermentation conditions, use raw
materials such as methanol instead of
sugar to feed cells, develop bioprocesses,
and transfer them to the commercial
scale. For nearly two years, the roughly
40 researchers of the Biotechnology
Science-to-Business Center at Evonik
Industries hve been working in close
cooperation with the business and service
units and a large number of external
partners to expand the company’s
product portfolio and ensure greater
flexibility in the supply of raw materials.
These activities are already starting
to bear fruit.
B
io is a high priority at Evonik Industries. In the Consumer Specialties and Health & Nutrition Business Units,
biotechnology already accounts for part of the existing
business. Amino acids, emollient esters, and cosmetic
active ingredients such as phytosphingosine are just a few of the
substances they produce biotechnologically. For the production
of feed additives, the company is backed by a tradition of more
than 20 years. A recent highlight was a change in the raw materials basis for pharmaceutical amino acids. Chemical hydrolytic
processes based on animal raw materials are increasingly falling
from favor with customers, and are being replaced by biotechnological production processes based on renewable raw materials, especially sugar. In the case of the amino acids proline and valine, for instance, the conversion has taken less than three years.
This shows that biotechnological processes can be developed
extremely quickly under certain conditions and has strengthened
the company’s trust in biotechnology as a key technology.
The Biotechnology Science-to-Business Center develops new
biotechnological production processes in close cooperation
with the business units: The researchers design new biological
product syntheses and conduct feasibility studies. Four of their
projects provide a good illustration of the results they have already achieved: the biological synthesis of 3-hydroxyisobutyric
acid, a precursor of polymers; the synthesis of dihydroxyacetone, originally a by-product that became a valuable key product
through optimization of fermentation conditions; methanol as a
carbon source for the purple-colored bacterium Methylobacterium extorquens, whose biomass concentrations are similar
to those of the established sugar-based production processes; and
a bioprocess for the production of the pharmaceutical product
α-ketoglutarate.
A biological path to 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid
as a building block for polymers
Evonik is a leading producer of polymers. To maintain its longterm competitiveness, Evonik is constantly researching improved and even groundbreaking new processes for the production of polymers. To this end, the company’s chemists identified a possible class of precursors for polymer synthesis that
also caught the imagination of biotechnologists: hydroxyisobutyric acid. This molecule can also be synthesized in various ways
biologically and then converted to polymers chemically – just
the same as 3-hydroxypropionate, which has long been discussed in literature as a building block for a wide variety of
applications in chemistry.1
With raw material prices on the rise and concerns over sustainability, other chemical companies have also recently begun
considering manufacturing polymers from renewable raw
materials. Some of them have already turned their plans into
reality. The Cargill company in the Midwestern United States,
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BIOTECHNOLOGY
he mistry
for example, biotechnologically produces 140,000 metric tons
of polylactic acid per year from sugar. Since 2007, DuPont has
operated a sugar-based bioprocess with a capacity of 50,000
metric tons per year for the production of 1,3-propandiol, a
starting material for a line of high-performance polymers.
Hydroxyisobutyric acid occurs in nature in two isomers:
2- and 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid. In nature, hydroxyisobutyric
acid is formed in the degradation of alcohols and amino acids,
but it is not synthesized from sugar, which is the preferred starting material for industrial bioprocesses because of its availabil-
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ity and raw material costs. The first step for Evonik researchers
was to hit their drafting tables and design synthetic – that is,
made from various building blocks – metabolic pathways for the
production of both compounds from sugar. They then analyzed
these pathways for their suitability in a biotechnological process
and for potential difficulties in practical implementation.
The biotechnologists tested a number of different biological
syntheses for 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid.2 At first, one of these
existed only on paper – a kind of “dream reaction.” It involved
conversion of methylmalonic acid, formed naturally from >>>
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bacteria through selective hydrogenation of one of the two acid
groups to 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid – an extremely expensive
reaction by the chemical route, and one for which no enzyme
has yet been found.
The key to success:
selective activation of a dicarboxylic acid
They got the inspiration from their cooperation partner Prof.
Georg Fuchs of the University of Freiburg. Part of Prof. Fuchs’
work involves bacteria that come from hot sources (Fig. 1). In
one of his rare bacteria – Sulfolobus tokodaii – he found activated malonic acid using an extremely sensitive measuring method
as an intermediate step. The advantage is that malonic acid is
selectively activated by the enzyme malonyl-coenzyme A synthetase only on a carboxyl group as a thioester, and in a second
step, further converted by a reductase to the aldehyde. This reaction sequence is part of a new bacterial metabolic pathway for
carbon dioxide fixation discovered by Fuchs.3 This also explains
the 100 percent selectivity of the malonyl-coenzyme A reductase: Nature requires the activation of only a single carboxyl
group to manage the carbon dioxide fixation newly discovered
by Fuchs.
To obtain 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid from aldehyde, the aldehyde group must then be reduced to the alcohol by an alcohol
dehydrogenase. This is easy and requires no further activation,
since the reaction is exergonic, meaning that it runs voluntarily
in the direction of alcohol formation. Obviously, then, biology
offers a possibility for the selective hydrogenation and reduction of activated malonic acid to aldehyde, and the subsequent
conversion of the aldehyde to the alcohol.
Encouraged by the results of the Fuchs working group, the
interdisciplinary Evonik team composed of biologists, chemists,
and engineers addressed the question of whether a similar
method could be applied to use the reductase to convert methylmalonic acid, which differs from malonic acid by just one methyl
group. The answer was yes. The reaction works, and the Evonik
Figure 1. Thermophilic bacteria like Sulfolobus tokodaii are found in hot springs,
such as those in the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming
team has applied for a patent on the topic of synthetic metabolic
pathways.4 The method, however, is still not achieving the kind
of conversion rates typically required of a commercially viable
bioprocess.
The researchers at the Science-to-Business Center are convinced, however, that this is only a matter of time. Indeed, the
working group of Dr. Ulrich Ermler at the renowned Max Planck
Institute for Biophysics in Frankfurt – directed by Nobel Prize
winner Prof. Hartmut Michel – has now described the structure
of the enzyme with a resolution of about two Ångström and met
a key requirement for clarifying the non-specific conversion of
methylmalonic acid in place of malonic acid.
The structure-function analysis, described here with reductase as an example, is an important tool for metabolic engineering. This method is just one of many, however, needed to estab-
Figure 2. Synthetic metabolic pathways are made up of a number of biocatalysts . These biocatalysts (here, shown as Enzymes A, B, and C) and, therefore,
the reactions catalyzed by them, do not occur in natural systems such as bacteria, yeast, or other cells – hence the term “synthetic.” The genetic information
for these biocatalysts (shown here as Genes A, B, and C), is extracted from
various sources, combined in a test tube, and inserted into bacterial or yeast
cells. These then form the corresponding biocatalysts and can convert the
raw material (here, corn, from which glucose, the usual raw material for biotechnological processes, is obtained) to the desired product. In addition to
natural enzymes, enzymes whose properties (such as stability, activity, pH
optimum, etc.) are selectively improved beforehand in a test tube are also used –
a process called directed evolution. In addition to realizing the synthetic metabolic pathway, scientists usually have to suppress the native reactions of the host
cell (as depicted in the illustration of the host cell) in order to prevent the formation of undesired by-products, (here, labeled E and F). They may also have to
remove negative feedback mechanisms, if needed (shown by the example of
the inhibition of the formation of the intermediate B through high concentrations of C), or increase the export of the desired product out of the cell
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BIOTECHNOLOGY
lish synthetic metabolic pathways successfully. Increasing the
availability of the substrate of the reductase reaction within the
cell is also critical. In cooperation with Dr. Lothar Eggeling of the
Jülich Research Center and Prof. Rolf Müller of the University of
Saarland in Saarbrücken, the researchers of the Biotechnology
Science-to-Business Center examined such questions as whether the concentration of the activated methylmalonic acid in
Corynebacterium glutamicum can be increased within the cell.
They demonstrated that this can be done by feeding the cell with
propionic acid as a supplement and selecting an intelligent process control. Figure 2 summarizes the subdisciplines of metabolic
engineering that are used to design synthetic metabolic pathways.
Downstream processing affects the
cost efficiency of the entire process
ducts without the formation of unwanted by-products such as
inorganic salts which are currently still state-of-the-art in commercial processes. For the greatest possible flexibility with
regard to raw materials, processes that also allow biotechnologically produced intermediates to be integrated into existing or
future chemical processes are also very desirable.
In addition to high product yield, or in other words efficiency in raw material utilization, energy efficiency is also a highpriority for a state-of-the-art and sustainable overall process.
This is the reason why one of our goals is the development of
energy-efficient processes that exclude the expensive vaporization of the water to isolate the products from biotechnological processes. Evonik has already applied for a patent for such a
process.
Bioglycerol: for greater independence
in the supply of raw materials
In addition to the biotechnological synthesis of products such as
3-hydroxyisobutyric acid, the purification of this intermediate
and the further processing to the target product also play an
important role in the total process efficiency. Downstream processing (DSP) is responsible for supplying intermediates and
end products in a defined purity (Fig. 3).
Physico-chemical unit operations such as filtration (separation of biomasses), extraction (isolation of the target products
from aqueous fermentation solutions), and distillation (isolation of the target products in high purity) are utilized to supply
the target product, if necessary, in a skillfull combination with
other chemo-catalytic conversions. Only a seamless interaction
between biology, chemistry, and process engineering can guarantee the production of the desired product in a cost-effective
and sustainable overall process. Innovative downstream processing steps close the gaps between biology and chemistry.
As a consequence, special requirements have to be taken
into account with regard to downstream processing. The
Biotechnology Science-to-Business Center, for example, is working on highly efficient processes that produce the target pro-
Figure 3. The figure shows an example
of a bioprocess. Similar to a chemical
process, downstream processing also
has a big impact on the sustainability
and cost efficiency of the process
Another task of the Biotechnology Science-to-Business Center
is ensuring the availability of raw materials. Glycerol, for example, flooded the market at the beginning of the biodiesel boom
because it occurs as a by-product of biodiesel production. As a
result, at prices below € 200 per metric ton, depending on the
quality, glycerol was comparatively inexpensive, and the chemical industry developed a number of processes with glycerol as
the raw material. Evonik, for instance, has constructed a glycerol-based biotechnological process for α-ketoglutarate (see also
p. 31). But to avoid dependence on biodiesel production, the
company is developing an alternative manufacturing process.
Because glycerol can be easily produced through the chemical hydrogenation of dihydroxyacetone, researchers from the
Science-to-Business Center looked for a bioprocess for dihydroxyacetone. Since Evonik has spent more than 20 years developing
bioprocesses for the production of amino acids, they first looked
in their own backyard and identified dihydroxyacetone in low
concentrations as a by-product of biotechnological L-lysine production with the bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum. >>>
Biomass
Fermentation broth
Purification
Crystallization
Water and
low boiling
by-products
Ultrafiltration
Residual
mother liquid
Evaporation
Product
Water
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To boost the concentration of dihydroxyacetone, the scientists had to reduce the delivery of certain nutrients. If the bacteria “feel” a nutrient deficiency, but great quantities of sugar are
still flowing into the cell, it is likely that carbon skeletons are
being discharged as an overflow. Under these conditions, C. glutamicum forms high concentrations of dihydroxyacetone from
sugar.
All key parameters of the fermentation were varied to increase the performance data. This is part of the standard repertoire of the fermentation experts in the Biotechnology Scienceto-Business Center. When the researchers changed the pH value of the fermentation medium with Base A from X to Y, the
concentration of dihydroxyacetone increased by a factor of ten
to over 10 g per liter. When Base A was exchanged for Base B in
the case of pH Y, product formation improved to over 20 g per
liter (Fig. 4). These results, now patent-pending, are impressive
proof of how the concentration of a fermentation product can
be increased through process optimization alone.
With the bioprocess for glycerol, Evonik can reduce dependence on biodiesel production and arm itself against a potential
rise in glycerol prices. Similar strategies will be used in the future to manufacture other products of synthetic metabolic pathways in high concentrations – instead of speculating on shortterm raw material opportunities, work will focus on an overall
raw material portfolio.
Methanol as an alternative carbon source
Like the synthesis of 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid recently developed by Evonik, almost all biotechnological processes are currently based on sugar as the carbon source. To have an alternative process on hand in the event of a rise in sugar prices,
researchers at the Biotechnology Science-to-Business Center
looked for bacteria that can utilize methanol. Only bacteria that
Figure 4. Fermentation of Corynebacterium glutamicum for the production of
dihydroxyacetone. By replacing Base A with Base B to set the pH value – which
withholds the cell nutrients – and changing the pH value from X to Y, scientists
were able to increase the concentration of dihyroxyacetone significantly
are genetically accessible and can be optimized made it to the
short list. Since the idea is to build synthetic metabolic pathways
into bacteria, all the genetic information, including the genome,
must be present, and genetic tools such as plasmides must be in
place.
Ultimately, Evonik selected the methylotrophic (that is, it
utilizes methanol) purple-colored bacterium Methylobacterium
extorquens. Methylobacterium types can be found all over leaf
surfaces (Fig. 5). Because of their special metabolism, these
microorganisms can use methanol produced by the plant and
generated by pectin metabolism, and thereby live in competition with various microorganisms for carbon and energy sources.
The working group of Prof. Georg Fuchs of the University of
Freiburg contributed to the research by characterizing the entire enzymology of the bacterium.5 Moreover, the work ing
group of Prof. Julia Vorholt at ETH Zurich studied this bacterium with the most advanced metabolome analyses – a method
that supplies valuable information about the concentration of
the most important chemical intermediates in the cell, and also
about the existing metabolic pathways and enzymes.6
While the engineering of synthetic metabolic pathways into
M. extorquens is still in its infancy, researchers were still able to
achieve a breakthrough with the fermentation. The working
group of Dr. Jens Schrader of the Karl Winnacker Institute of
DECHEMA in Frankfurt, in close cooperation with Evonik researchers, improved a bioprocess to such an extent by optimizing the fermentation conditions that the cell dry mass concentration of M. extorquens reached values of up to 60 g per liter
(Fig. 6). This roughly corresponds to a cell wet mass concentration of 300 g per liter, which is similar to the consistency of lightly diluted apple sauce. The contents of the bioreactor have a
vivid purple color.
This work has laid a solid foundation for the development
of biotechnological processes with this bacterium. As a result,
Figure 5. In nature, Methylobacterium extorquens, which utilizes methanol,
is isolated by shamrocks, for example
(courtesy of Dr. Jens Schrader and Prof. Julia Vorholt)
■■ pH Y, Base B ■■ pH Y, Base A ■■ pH X, Base B ■■ pH X, Base A
Dihydroxyacetone concentration [g/l]
20
10
0
0
5
10
20
Fermentation time [h]
30
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BIOTECHNOLOGY
Evonik has cleared the first hurdle on the way to increased raw
material flexibility – for the company as well as for the customer. Chief among the company’s next steps is optimizing the product yield on the methanol substrate – a task it will take on as
soon as a relevant synthetic metabolic pathway is selected for
insertion into M. extorquens. The researchers at the Biotechnology Science-to-Business Center are confident they will be able
to make significant advances in this area through directed and
non-directed metabolic engineering.
FOR FURTHER READING
1
Werpy T., Petersen G., 2004.
Top Value-Added Chemicals From Biomass, Vol. I,
www.nrel.gov/docs/fy04osti/35523.pdf, accession 07.10.2008.
2
WO 2007/141208, Marx A., Pötter M. et al., 2007.
Microbial production of 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid.
3
Alber B., Olinger M., Rieder A., Kockelkorn D., Jobst B.,
Hügler M., Fuchs G., 2006. Malonyl-coenzyme A reductase in
the modified 3-hydroxypropionate cycle for autotrophic carbon
fixation in archaeal Metallosphaera and Sulfolobus spp..
J. Bacteriol. 188: 8551–8559.
4
DE 10 2006 025 821. Fuchs G., Alber B., Marx A., 2007.
Ein Enzym zur Herstellung von Methylmalonatsemialdehyd
oder Malonatsemialdehyd.
Glycerol as raw material for the pharmaceutical
product α-ketoglutarate
5
Erb T.J., Berg I.A., Brecht V., Müller M., Fuchs G., Alber B. E.,
2007. Synthesis of C5-dicarboxylic acids from C2-units involving
crotonyl-CoA carboxylase/reductase: the ethylmalonyl-CoA
pathway. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104: 10631–10636.
In another project, the researchers at the Biotechnology
Science-to-Business Center optimized a bioprocess for the production of α-ketoglutarate and adapted it to industrial production conditions. The keto acid α-ketoglutarate is an important
component of physiological infusion solutions.
Currently, Evonik manufactures α-ketoglutarate chemically. Since researchers at the Biotechnology Science-to-Business
Center already converted the production of some amino acids
into biotechnological processes successfully, they were encouraged to check whether α-ketoglutarate, just like the amino acids,
could be manufactured more cost effectively in a biotechnological process. First, they searched for an organism that produces the product in large quantities, since this is crucial for the
success of a biotechnological process.
They found such an organism in the working group of
Dr. Roland A. Müller at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig, where scientists have worked for decades with the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica, which can be isolated
from certain types of cheese (Fig. 7). The last part of the name
“lipolytica” (fat dissolving) indicates that this yeast consumes
fats quite readily. Y. lipolytica can also utilize a lot of other >>>
6
Kiefer P., Portais J.C., Vorholt J.A., 2008. Quantitative metabolome analysis using liquid chromatography-high-resolution
mass spectrometry. Anal. Biochem. 382: 94–100.
7
DD267999 Weißbrodt E., Barth G. et al., 1989. Verfahren zur
Herstellung von 2-Oxoglutarsäure durch Hefen.
THE AUTHORS
All of the authors are employees in the Biotechnology Scienceto-Business Center at Evonik Industries, which is managed by the
strategic research unit Creavis Technologies & Innovation, and
headed by Dr. Thomas Haas.
Dr. Henrike Gebhardt, biotechnologist, works primarily on the
development of new bioprocesses and evaluates potential
applications of bioproducts.
The work of Dipl. Ing. Alexander Schraven is focused on the
development of intelligent downstream processing for bio-based
processes.
Microbiologist Dr. Achim Marx is responsible for the Fermentation
Area of Competence.
Dr. Steffen Schaffer, biologist, is responsible for the Synthetic
Metabolic Pathways Area of Competence.
Dr. Thomas Tacke, chemist, is responsible for the Bio Product &
Process Development Area of Competence.
Figure 6.The purple-colored Methylobacterium extorquens achieved biomass concentrations of
60 g cell dry mass and 300 g cell wet mass per liter – values similar to those of established sugar-based
production processes. In the future, scientists will be able to engineer synthetic metabolic pathways
into this host organism (courtesy of Dr. Jens Schrader )
Bio dry mass concentration [g/l]
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
20
40
60
80
100
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Figure 7. The yeast Yarrowia lipolytica, which among other organic acids
produces α-ketoglutarate, can be isolated from Camembert cheese. The last
part of the name lipolytica, which means “fat dissolving,” indicates that this
yeast consumes fat quite readily (courtesy of Prof. Gerold Barth)
Figure 8. Through continuous optimization of fermentation conditions,
the researchers at the Science-to-Business Center were able to increase the
final concentration of α-ketoglutarate (AKG) in fermentation broth by
a factor of ten within one year. The concentration in percentage is based on
the maximum value obtained
■■ January 2008 ■■ January 2007
AKG concentration [%]
100
50
0
45
90
carbon sources and naturally forms large quantities of organic
acids, including α-ketoglutarate. The working group of R.A. Müller has demonstrated that the biotechnological production of
α-ketoglutarate is generally possible with this yeast7, but the
corresponding fermentation process is based on alkanes obtained from crude oil.
Evonik looked for a more cost-effective carbon source and
chose glycerol, which is formed as a by-product in the production of biodiesel. With this carbon source, the yeast first
produced only small concentrations of α-ketoglutarate. Together with the Helmholtz Centre, the Evonik researchers
varied the composition of the fermentation medium and the
cultivation conditions in the bioreactor until they identified
ideal conditions for the yeast cells to produce α-ketoglutarate.
Within one year, they had increased the final concentration
of α-ketoglutarate in the fermentation medium by a factor of ten
(Fig. 8). They also shortened the process time and reduced the
percentage of by-products. Finally, the fermentation team at the
Biotechnology Science-to-Business Center adapted the optimized fermentation to commercial production conditions,
which the collaboration partner then tested in its pilot plant.
Thus, by close collaboration between the Science-toBusiness Center and the Helmholtz Centre, the process for biotechnological α-ketoglutarate production which had initially
been tested in the R.A. Müller working group was optimized in
terms of product formation and transferred to the industrial environment at Evonik. The result was a new biotechnologically
manufactured product to expand the Evonik portfolio.
From these few examples – which are designed for the
medium and long term, as are nearly all developments of the
Biotechnology Science-to-Business Center – the potential that
biotechnology offers Evonik is clear. It helps expand the product
portfolio, allows the manufacture of products that cannot be
made with fossil raw materials and/or chemical catalysis, and
increases raw material flexibility, not only for the company but
for customers. With the Biotechnology Science-to-Business
Center, Evonik has accepted the challenge and intends to consistently leverage the opportunities generated by biotechnology.
The work of the Biotechnology Science-to-Business Center is
financially supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. Funding is also provided by
the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and is co-financed by the
European Union. ●
CONTACT
DR. ACHIM MARX
+49 2365 49-2427
achim.marx@evonik.com
32
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news
+++ Propylene oxide: successful commissioning of first ever HPPO plant
The Korean company SKC of Seoul has started up in Ulsan the
world’s first ever commercial-scale plant for production of propylene
oxide by the HPPO process. The plant has an annual capacity of
100,000 metric tons. Evonik Industries, Essen (Germany), and Uhde,
Dortmund (Germany), who jointly developed the HPPO process,
have licensed it to SKC. Using a catalyst developed by Evonik, the
process produces propylene oxide from propylene and hydrogen
peroxide (H2O2). The joint venture Evonik Headwaters supplies the
H2O2 in Ulsan directly “over the fence” to the HPPO plant.
New market for hydrogen peroxide
The commissioning brings Evonik a big step closer to its strategic goal
of providing hydrogen peroxide in large quantities for chemical processes such as the HPPO process. The company expects this first
commercial-scale application of hydrogen peroxide in the chemical
synthesis of propylene oxide to result in annual growth of the H2O2
market by 200,000 metric tons over the next ten years. Dr. Klaus
Engel, member of the Executive Board of Evonik responsible for the
Chemicals Business Area, and Helmut Knauthe, member of the
Executive Board of Uhde, are agreed that the production facility in
Korea is now a reference point for the construction of further plants
using the HPPO process. With an annual capacity exceeding
600,000 metric tons, Evonik is the world’s second largest producer
of hydrogen peroxide, which has so far been used mainly in paper and
pulp bleaching. The annual worldwide requirement for these classical applications exceeds three million metric tons.
Propylene oxide for Asia
SKC supplies propylene oxide produced by the HPPO process to the
markets of Korea and its neighboring countries. The Asian market,
with a volume of about two million metric tons, is currently growing
at about seven percent per year. Propylene oxide is a chemical with
above average sales growth of five percent worldwide; the annual
requirement exceeds six million metric tons. Propylene oxide is used
mainly for production of polyurethane precursors. Polyurethanes
themselves are processed into, for example, cushioning for car seats
and upholstered furniture.
The advantages of the HPPO process lie in a significantly lower
investment volume, resulting in higher profitability than with the
conventional production process for propylene oxide. Moreover, the
process is extremely environmentally friendly: The yield is high and,
apart from water, no by-products are formed in any appreciable
quantity. “With environmental regulations becoming increasingly
more stringent, the by-product-free HPPO process is the process of
the future,” says Helmut Knauthe. Engel adds: “We at Evonik believe
that, with our excellent technological position and our HPPO process
expertise, we will benefit most strongly from the growth of the
hydrogen peroxide market.”
SKC’s HPPO plant in Ulsan (Korea)
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+++ Homogeneous catalysis: Evonik has granted exclusive license to Solvias
Evonik Degussa GmbH, Essen (Germany), has granted an exclusive
license to Solvias AG, Basel (Switzerland), to develop, manufacture,
and market the catASium® and cataCXium® ligand product lines.
Evonik, a leading supplier of catalytic system solutions, remains active
in homogenous catalysis as manufacturer and vendor of catMETium®
catalysts for metathesis reactions. Solvias is one of the most capable
excellence centers for homogeneous catalysis and High Throughput
Screening (HTS). “We developed catASium® and cataCXium® in
record time and successfully introduced it to the market,” said Dr. Jürgen Krauter, the head of marketing in the Catalysts Business Line of
Evonik. “We are pleased to pass on these activities to a highly competent partner such as Solvias, who will further advance these technologies.” catASium® is a product line of chiral ligands for asymmetric
hydrogenations that consists of highly variable chiral ligands and their
associated Rh complexes. cataCXium® is a line of CX coupling ligands
with proven success in solving industrial CX coupling problems.
+++ Hydrogen peroxide production in South Africa to be expanded
Evonik Industries is significantly expanding the capacity of the hydrogen peroxide plant at its Umbogintwini site in South Africa. “In the
first half of 2009, we expect a 50 percent capacity increase to 15,000
metric tons,” announced Thomas Rieche, head of Evonik’s Active
Oxygens Business Line. The expansion is intended to secure market
leadership in South Africa and meet the steadily increasing demand
for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Evonik is investing about € 3 million
in the expansion of the production facilities.
Evonik Industries has been active in South Africa for over thirty
years, and producing H2O2 during the last eight years for the African
market in Umbogintwini, near Durban. The pulp and paper industry
in particular, which is the company’s largest customer in South Africa,
has announced that its requirements are increasing. Hydrogen peroxide is used here as an eco-friendly bleaching agent for pulp. Other
customers include the chemical companies and the textile industry.
With an annual capacity exceeding 600,000 metric tons, Evonik’s
Industrial Chemicals Business Unit is the world’s second-largest producer of the eco-friendly bleaching and oxidizing agent hydrogen
peroxide. This is used mainly in paper and pulp bleaching, and some
producers have recently begun using it in the synthesis of propylene
oxide. Evonik produces H2O2 in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Austria,
the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Korea, New Zealand, and South Africa.
+++ Capacities expanded for biodiesel catalyst at Mobile site
Evonik Industries is building a plant to manufacture sodium methylate
at its site in Mobile (Alabama, USA). The groundbreaking took place
at the end of July. Designed for a capacity of 60,000 metric tons, the
new alkoxide plant is scheduled to commence operation in early
2009, and will serve customers in the entire NAFTA region. Alkoxides are required as catalysts in biodiesel production. The Chemicals Business Area of Evonik is already the world market leader in
specialty catalysts for this application.
With this new facility, Evonik is continuing its strategy of consolidating its activities in markets in which the company already holds leading positions and expects long-term growth. Against the backdrop of
the intense debate over climate protection, the biodiesel market is predicted to experience significant double-digit growth. This is particularly true of the United States, but also of the South American market. To meet this demand, Evonik is planning to commence operation
of another production plant for alkoxides in Brazil in 2010 that will supply the entire South American continent. “For biodiesel, Brazil is the
most attractive market in South America, and is therefore an obvious
site for the production of biodiesel,” explains Dr. Thomas Haeberle,
head of the Industrial Chemicals Business Unit at Evonik Industries.
Biodiesel is produced from natural oils such as rapeseed or soy.
The Evonik catalyst, which is a ready-for-use mixture of sodium methylate and methanol, is used to produce fatty acid methyl esters, or biodiesel, through the transesterification of these oils. The advantages of
the Evonik catalyst are its high yields and the purity of the by-product
34
glycerol, which is highly marketable in the pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food industries.
Biodiesel is part of a closed circuit. Each kilogram of CO2 emitted
into the atmosphere during combustion was previously removed
from the air by the plant through photosynthesis. One metric ton of
biodiesel compensates for approximately 2.5 metric tons of CO2.
With biofuels, hydrocarbon emissions are 20 to 40 percent lower
than with normal diesel. The lubricating properties of biodiesel are
also superior to those of fossil diesel, which requires additives. Biodiesel comes naturally equipped with these properties, and is sulfurfree.
Biodiesel from Jatropha
Production of biodiesel from these first-generation raw materials,
however, has come under fire because rapeseed and sunflowers are
also food products. The fear is that the use of oil-bearing seeds for
biodiesel applications will drive up food prices.
But science has already found an answer to this problem: a new,
second generation of raw materials such as jatropha curcas, also
known as physic nut. This plant is a member of the Spurge family of
flowering plants and was once used for such applications as laxatives.
It is not a food, and will even grow under desert-like conditions – outstanding properties that could make use of land in certain hot climates
that would otherwise lie uncultivated. It also does not compete with
food crops.
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news
Jatropha: a next-generation raw material for biodiesel
Future scenario: biodiesel from algae oil
To uncover more alternatives for the production of biodiesel, scientists are also studying the manufacture of biodiesel from algae oil. If
science can find a suitable process for extracting sufficient oil from
algae, it will pose a solution to some of our current problems. The
advantage of algae is that it is relatively simple to cultivate in large
quantities. There are already large algae farms all over the world that
primarily serve the cosmetics and food industries. In order to grow,
algae needs light and – most interestingly – CO2, which it converts by
photosynthesis into biomass such as algae oil and oxygen. Several
research teams worldwide are currently searching for suitable processes for obtaining algae oil efficiently. One possible scenario is
coupling the cultivation of algae with the flue gas systems of power
plants that emit CO2.
It is hard to predict how long it will take before research finds an
efficient process. It is clear, however, that the discovery of jatropha
has already created great potential for the efficient, environmentally
compatible, and socially responsible production of biodiesel.
+++ A quantum leap in MMA technology: AVENEER
Under the name AVENEER, Evonik Industries has developed a new,
pioneering manufacturing process for methyl methacrylate (MMA).
The industrial company thus provides an answer to the question of
how future methyl methacrylate monomers and polymers can remain
competitive.
“AVENEER represents a quantum leap in MMA technology. With
this process, we are further expanding our position as an innovative
trendsetter in methyl methacrylate chemistry. We can thereby ensure
supplies for our customers in this high-demand market,” states
Gregor Hetzke, head of the Performance Polymers Business Unit. In
addition to the site currently under construction in Shanghai with
significantly further developed C4 MMA technology, a significant
technological advance could also be achieved now in the classic ACH
sulfur process.
Thanks to significantly improved efficiency in the use of raw materials and energy with regard to all established MMA processes, Evonik
views itself as a future cost leader with the new process in this field.
elements25
Like the traditional ACH sulfur process, AVENEER is based on the
starting materials ammonia, methane, acetone, and methanol – without the additional use of sulfuric acid. The omission of the reprocessing
of sulfuric acid, which has now become unnecessary, both saves costs
and conserves resources. “We use fewer raw materials for manufacturing, and can thus offer our customers the security of continuing to
drive competitive MMA prices in the future,” explains Hetzke.
In addition, the new technology is distinguished by its regional and
technological flexibility: On the one hand, it can be conducted in general at typical chemical plants around the world; on the other, it allows
existing Evonik plants to be reequipped.
“This option presents interesting strategic possibilities to us with
the opening of our first world-scale plant,” adds Hetzke. Evonik has
already proven the feasibility of the new process in test production. In
addition to further optimizations, the planning of the first large-scale
technical plant will begin in the next few months. It could be commissioned in 2012, according to the current state of planning.
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Seite 36
events
DECEMBER 08
12/04 – 12/05/2008
2nd Aachen-Dresden International
Textile Conference
DRESDEN (GERMANY)
www.aachen-dresden-itc.de
12/08 – 12/09/2008
5th Status Seminar
Chemical Biology
FRANKFURT/MAIN (GERMANY)
events.dechema.de/en/
chembio08.html
12/08 –12/12/2008
4th International Meeting
on Molecular Electronics
GRENOBLE (FRANCE)
www.elecmol.com
J A N UA RY 0 9
F E B RUA RY 0 9
MARCH 09
01/28 – 01/30/2009
4th International Symposium
on Separation and Characterization
of Natural and Synthetic
Macromolecules
AMSTERDAM (THE NETHERLANDS)
www.ordibo.be/scm
02/15 – 02/17/2009
Materials of the Future,
Science of Today: Radical
Polymerization – the Next Stage
MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA)
www.csiro.au/events/RAFT.html
03/11– 03/13/2009
42nd Annual Meeting of
German Catalysis Experts
WEIMAR (GERMANY)
www.processnet.org/
katalytiker09
APRIL 09
M AY 0 9
04 /27– 04/30/2009
Additives 2009: Fuels and
Lubricants for Energy-Efficient
and Sustainable Transport
YORK (UNITED KINGDOM)
www.rsc.org/Additives2009
05/11– 05/15/2009
ACHEMA
FRANKFURT/MAIN (GERMANY)
www.achema.de
JUNE 09
03/31– 04/02/2009
European Coatings Show
NUREMBERG (GERMANY)
www.european-coatingsshow.com/de
J U LY 0 9
06/08 –06/10/2009
Annual Reaction Engineering
Meeting
WÜRZBURG (GERMANY)
www.processnet.org/reakt09
06/14 – 06/17/2009
2nd International Congress on
Green Process Engineering
VENICE (ITALY)
www.gpe-epic2009.org
07/05 – 07/09/2009
13th IUPAC Conference on
Polymers and Organic Chemistry
(POC‘09)
MONTREAL (CANADA)
www.poc09.com
Credits
Evonik Industries AG
Rellinghauser Strasse 1–11
45128 Essen
Germany
www.evonik.com
Published by
Evonik Degussa GmbH
Innovation Management
Chemicals
Rellinghauser Strasse 1–11
45128 Essen
Germany
Scientific Advisory Board
Dr. Norbert Finke
Evonik Degussa GmbH
Innovation Management Chemicals
norbert.finke@evonik.com
Editor in Chief
Dr. Karin Assmann
Evonik Services GmbH
Editorial Department
karin.assmann@evonik.com
Contribution Editors
Dr. Angelika Fallert-Müller
Christa Friedl
Dr. Rolf Froböse
Dr. Ute Heinemann
Walter Klöters
Design
Michael Stahl, Munich (Germany)
Photos
Evonik Industries
Dirk Bannert
Karsten Bootmann
Dieter Debo
Dr. Bernd Hannebauer
(AQura GmbH)
Stefan Wildhirt
Corbis (p. 6)
Digitalstock (p. 28)
Getty Images (p. 35)
Printed by
Mediahaus Biering GmbH
Munich (Germany)
Reproduction only with permission
of the editorial office

elements 25 - Evonik Industries

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