Coatings World - December 2013

products but also in new products they want to commercialize,” said Pierre Gagnon, president and CEO of Rhino Linings Corporation. “We saw an opportunity to help them reach their potential, and to play a role in bringing new products to market.” Rhino Linings will continue producing Advanced Coating Solutions’ current commercial products which include water-based polyurethanes, acrylic coatings and water-based acrylic emulsion coatings. As a result of Rhino Linings streamlined manufacturing process, scale of production, warehouse and logistics network, these products will be more price competitive in the market.

Employees will be relocated to the Rhino Linings San Diego headquarters, and production will be based in that facility. Additional terms of the acquisition were not released.

PPG Donates $55,000 to the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) for New Energy Explorers Exhibition The PPG Industries Foundation has donated $50,000 to COSI, the Center of Science and Industry, located in Columbus, in support of its new Energy Explorers exhibition area, along with $5,000 to assist COSI in covering general programming expenses.

“PPG is a long-time supporter of
COSI and STEM education partners and
we are appreciative of that support,” said
David E. Chesebrough, Ed.D., president
and CEO of COSI. “The additional fund-
ing has helped COSI enhance the Energy
Explorers exhibition area, which engages
visitors in hands-on activities demon-
strating how individuals use energy and
how their individual choices regarding
energy impact the world around them.”
PPG has supported COSI since 1992,
providing $5,000 annually and an addi-
tional $50,000 in 2010 and again this year
for two phases of COSI’s energy exhibit
work: Innovations in Energy, a temporary
exhibition, and the Energy Explorers ex-
hibition. Energy and Environment is one
of four strategic areas of focus for COSI.

Innovations in Energy focused on bridg-
ing the gap in public understanding about
energy issues and the systems in which
they live, while Energy Explorers focuses
on consumer choices around home ener-
gy consumption, transportation, purchas-
ing and products.
The new exhibition incorporates much
of the content of the Innovations in Energy
exhibition and engages visitors in activi-
ties about the impact of their choices by
highlighting issues such as how energy is
measured, energy systems and the grid, in-
novations in energy and technology, global
energy use compared to the U.S. and cur-
rent energy news. Overall, the project aims
to motivate people to alter their behavior
in ways that will lead to a more sustain-
able world and to increase awareness of
STEM (science, technology, engineering
and math) careers in the energy sector.

“PPG and the PPG Industries Foundation are strongly dedicated to supporting educational programs that impact communities where our employees work and live and that provide resources to help create a more sustainable world,” said Sue Sloan, executive director, PPG Industries Foundation. “COSI’s focus on educating the public about today’s energy issues and the STEM-related careers in energy is of utmost importance to PPG, as we strive to create sustainable products and minimize our environmental footprint.”

Professor Pierre Jacobs,
KU Leuven receives Alwin
Mittasch Special Prize

Professor Dr. Pierre Jacobs, KU Leuven (Belgium), has received the BASF-DECHEMA Alwin Mittasch Special Prize for his research into materials and their use as process catalysts. The award, which comes with € 10,000 in prize money, was presented at the “Future Loves History – 100 Years of Ammonia Synthesis” scientific symposium at BASF in Ludwigshafen.

“Professor Jacobs has succeeded in a
special way in spanning the bridge be-
tween basic research and industrial ap-
plication,” said Professor Rainer Diercks,
president Petrochemicals BASF and
chairman of DECHEMA. Initially focus-
ing on zeolites and their use in catalysis,
Pierre Jacobs gradually expanded his
research activities to include other het-
erogeneous and homogeneous catalytic
processes. Many of his research insights
are now in industrial use. These include
synthesis of g -butyrolactone from maleic
acid anhydride, an important step in the
manufacture of anti-dementia drugs, and
side chain alkylation of alkyl-substituted
anthraquinones, an intermediate step in
industrial hydrogen peroxide production.
His research areas also include catalytic
processing of biomass.

DECHEMA confers the Alwin Mittasch Prize usually every three years. This year BASF sponsored a special prize to mark the 100th anniversary of the commissioning of the first ammonia plant in September 1913. “Without the enormous efforts of catalyst research, the Haber-Bosch process for ammonia production would never have been transferred to industrial scale and this world would be a different place,” Dr. Peter Schuhmacher, president Process Research and Chemical Engineering said. “For that reason, it was a matter of great importance to us to present the award to someone who is continuing Alwin Mittasch’s legacy.”

BehrPro Enhances Web Enabled Business Program BehrPro, the professional products and services group of Behr Process Corporation, strengthened its commitment to helping professionals grow sustainable businesses by announcing updates to its Web Enabled Business (WEB) service. WEB is a free program for prequalified professionals to create customized websites and expand their online presence. Registered BehrPro professionals now have access to new and enhanced features, including better search engine optimization (SEO), Google+ Local registration, paid search campaigns for Google AdWords and ready-to-customize direct mail templates to support offline marketing efforts. In addition, all websites created with the WEB program will be mobile compatible to ensure smart-phone and tablet visitors can access a visually appropriate version of the site.