microalgae underscored as source of oleochemical raw materials

fits all’ solution but needs to be tailoredto each formulation to meet customerrequirements, and that the cost-benefitsituation varies from one marketsegment to another according toingredient content and detergent coststructure. It acknowledges thatsubstantial substitution of conventionalingredients with enzymes wouldrequire a ‘paradigm shift’ in thedetergent industry, which ‘will nothappen overnight’, but believes itstechnology offers substantial ecologicalbenefits while stabilizing manufacturingcosts for its customers. Obviously, thepotential adoption of ‘new enzyme’technologies such as ‘Dream’ hasimplications for surfactant use.Surfactant manufacturers need toassess any such changes in enzymecapabilities and consider how their ownproduct portfolio can best be utilized oradapted to interact with the newtechnology and provide optimalperformance in the final formulatedend-product.

Caroline Edser

RAWMATERIALS

Microalgae underscored as source ofoleochemical raw materials

Japan’s oleochemical industry coulduse microalgae in the production of oilsand fats to help remedy the country’slow self-sufficiency in the area,according to a study commissioned bythe Foundation Oil and Fat IndustryKaikan. Microalgae can produce about3 M tonnes/y of oils and fats ifcultivated on 5-14% of Japan’s unusedarable land. Botryococcus strains, inparticular, are 700 times moreproductive than corn and 20 timesmore productive than palm in terms ofoil production per unit area.

Japan Chemical Web, 19 Jun 2009, (Website:http://www.japanchemicalweb.jp)

BASF increases prices forethanolamines in Europe

With immediate effect, BASF isincreasing the sales prices forethanolamines (EOA) in Europe asfollows: +€50/t for monoethanolamine(MEOA); +€50/t for diethanolamine

(DEOA); and +€60/t for triethanol-amine (TEOA), subject to the terms ofcurrent supply agreements. MEOA,DEOA and TEOA are high-classintermediates used amongst others inthe manufacture of agrochemicalsand wood preservatives, surfactantsfor detergents and cleaning products,process chemicals for gas treatment,lubricants, cement additives, andactive pharmaceutical ingredients.BASF produces EOA at plants in itsVerbund sites in Ludwigshafen,Germany, and Antwerp, Belgium.

Press release from: BASF SE, D-67056 Ludwigshafen,Germany, tel: +49 (0) 621 600, website:http://www.basf.com (24 Jun 2009)

Analysis of the diethanolamine marketin China

Chinese capacity for ethanolaminesreached 147,000 tonne/y in 2008, splitbetween more than ten producers. Thelargest Chinese producer of ethanol-amines is Jiangsu Yinyan SpecialtyChemicals (100,000 tonne/y ofcapacity), ahead of Fushun BeifangChemical (30,000 tonne/y). Chineseconsumption of diethanolamine(DEOA) in 2008 totalled about 97,000tonnes, with 89.7% used in pesticideproduction (glyphosate) and 6.2% as araw material for surfactants. Use ofDEOA in the production of nonionicsurfactants or directly as a cleaningagent is forecast to increase to about7000 tonnes in 2013, with total DEOAdemand reaching 137,000 tonnes.Chinese imports of DEOA rose fromabout 61,000 tonnes ($80.51 M) in2006 to about 83,000 tonnes ($238.5M) in 2008, whereas exports areinsignificant.

China Chemical Reporter, 6 Jun 2009, 20 (16), 28-29

Green chemistry innovations reducedependence on fossil-based feedstocks

Green chemistry-based innovations inthe chemicals sector are continuouslygrowing worldwide due to theincreasing demand and limited supplyof petroleum and natural gas.Biomass is an attractive option tofossil-based feedstocks. The marketsmost likely to take advantage of thebio-based platform chemicals asfeedstocks include polymers,solvents, resins and surfactants/detergents. In the plastics sector,Braskem, Dow Chemical and Solvay

plan to churn out sugarcane ethanol-based ethylene. DuPont and Tate &Lyle have developed 1,3-propanediol(bio-PDO) based on renewableresources, namely, maize sugar, attheir plant in Loudon, TN, USA [Focuson Surfactants, Feb 2007]. PDO isused to produce a range of productsfrom polyesters to adhesives andpaints. In the personal care and liquiddetergent sectors it is used as ahumectant, emollient, stabilizer orfreezing-point depressant. In the UK,the development of biomass-basedchemicals has also increased. TheBioscience for Business KnowledgeTransfer Network (KTN), ChemistryInnovation KTN, Royal Society ofChemistry and IChemE haveestablished the From RenewablePlatform Chemicals to Value-AddedProducts (FROPTOP) special interestgroup for renewable chemicals toassist industrialists and policy-makersin identifying present capabilities,technology gaps and adoption barriersthat hinder growth in the chemicalsector. Biotechnology research is alsogrowing in the UK. Green Biologics isdeveloping fermentation methods toproduce both biofuels andbiochemicals. C-Tech Innovation isdeveloping enhanced processes forthe production of cosmetic estersfrom plant-based fatty acids.Worldwide sales of productsproduced via industrial biotechnologytotalled around $140 bn in 2007,accounting for 6% of chemical sales.Steen Riisgaard, Novozymes chiefexecutive, envisages a scenario inwhich fuels and other chemicals areproduced from biomass, includingagricultural waste. Novozymes has a47% share of the global market forindustrial enzymes and is close tocompleting development of abiological process for the productionof acrylic acid from starch.

TCE (formerly The Chemical Engineer), Jun 2009,(816), 38-39 & Economist, 6 Jun 2009, 391 (8634(Technology Quarterly)), 3-4

SURFACTANTSDow’s ECOSURF EH specialitysurfactants listed on CleanGredients

Dow Chemical’s new ECOSURF EHspeciality surfactant line [Focus onSurfactants, Apr 2009] has been

2 AUGUST 2009

F O C U S O N S U R F A C T A N T S