BASF Joins
Ellen MacArthur
Foundation Initiatives
for Circular Economy
BASF announced its membership of two
Ellen MacArthur Foundation programs,
to further advance its existing circular
economy solutions.
Founded in 2010, the Ellen MacArthur
Foundation works with businesses, government and academia to build a framework for an economy that is restorative
and regenerative by design. The transition
from a linear to a more circular economy
can bring significant changes in business
models and provide additional value
across industries and to society. The aim
is to develop an attractive and viable alternative to today’s linear “take, make,
dispose” model. The chemical industry
plays a pivotal role in this transition due
to its innovation power.
“Circular economy is much more than
waste management. It requires substan-
tial changes in terms of behavior and
technology use. Circular economy think-
ing cannot be restricted to a company’s
own operations. It needs to run across
the value chain to embrace and provide
value to customers and suppliers,” said
Dirk Voeste, vice president Sustainability
Strategy at BASF. “A smart circular econ-
omy concept has to be integrated within
product development, production pro-
cesses, use and re-use systems right from
the beginning.”
BASF joined the Foundation’s “Circular
Economy 100” program to drive not
only the concept within its own opera-
tions, but also the realization of circular
economy together with other innovators
and organizations. The engagement in the
multi-stakeholder platform provides addi-
tional opportunities to learn and collabo-
rate with partners along the value chain.
BASF has also become a member in the
Foundation’s “New Plastics Economy”
initiative that brings together key stakeholders to rethink and redesign the future
of plastics, starting with packaging. Here,
BASF will work closely with the initiative’s participants to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy for
plastics, while ensuring that benefits such
as food protection are upheld.
BASF & UC Berkeley
Extend Research
Collaboration
Many scientific discoveries and patent
applications have resulted from more
than 25 research projects underway since
West Coast universities and BASF established the California Research Alliance
(CARA) by BASF in 2014. This multidisciplinary collaboration headed by the
College of Chemistry at the University
of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)
conducts research on new inorganic and
other advanced materials, biosciences
and their applications.
Over the last three years, BASF experts and researchers from UC Berkeley,
Stanford University, UC Davis, UC Santa
Barbara, UC San Francisco and UC Los
Angeles, have worked together on multiple research projects to make new materials, advance the functionality and
performance of materials and develop
methods and tools for tailoring the interaction between chemicals and biological systems.
One recent advancement was achieved
by a joint team active in the field of catalysis. The researchers developed a synthesis of binary intermetallic nanoparticles
from a combination of noble and base
metals, which have the potential to be
used in catalysis applications.
Following the successful tests at UC
Berkeley, the synthesis of the nanoparticles and their potential application in catalysis is being further evaluated in BASF
laboratories in Ludwigshafen, Germany.
Huber’s Fire Retardant
Additives Business Expands
Capacity
The Fire Retardant Additives (FRA)
business unit, part of the Huber
Engineered Materials division of J.M.
Huber Corporation, announced a 20
percent capacity increase at its manufac-
turing plant in Bauxite, Arkansas. The
capacity increase supports the trans-
fer of Huber’s proprietary technology
for production of its fine precipitated
Martinal LEO alumina trihydrate prod-
ucts obtained from the 2016 acquisition
of the Martinswerk facility in Bergheim,
Germany. The expansion will also
support the ongoing growth of existing
product lines at Bauxite, which includes
both Hydral 710 and Hydral PGA fine
precipitated hydrates.
Production trials for the Martinal
LEO products at Bauxite have been
completed and commercial availability
is planned for third quarter 2017. In addition to the Martinal LEO grades, the
Bauxite plant will continue production
of its existing portfolio of Hydral precipitated hydrate products.
Elevance Forms Licensing
Agreement with Chemtura
Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc. has
announced a licensing agreement with
Chemtura, a global, specialty chemicals
company, for Elevance Aria WTP technology and market development.
Chemtura will have global rights to
develop, derivatize, manufacture, use and
sell products incorporating the Elevance
Aria WTP technology in lubricant applications. Elevance has retained rights outside lubricant applications.
Elevance Aria WTP technology combines the benefits of two key synthetic
base stock technologies – synthetic esters and PAOs – into a single high-performing molecule providing advanced
lubricating properties including lower
friction and improved wear, along with
reduced foaming and better additive solvency characteristics.
Elevance uses a collaborative business model to commercialize and bring
its novel and high-performing, bio-based chemicals to market. By partnering with industry leaders in specific
market segments or distinct technologies, Elevance leverages complementary
assets, capabilities and market access,
and provides its partners the opportunity to accelerate growth.
Chemtura is a developer, manufacturer and provider of additives and
base stocks to lubricant formulators
globally, including Synton high viscosity PAOs and Hatco synthetic esters.
Chemtura is constantly searching for
novel technologies internally and externally that can push the performance
boundaries for transportation and industrial lubricant applications. CW
