First Prize: BASF Antwerp
Second Prize: Janssen Pharmaceutica (Geel)
Third Prize: REALCO (Louvain-la-Neuve)
Technological improvements allowing a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to the equivalent of 800,000 tons of CO² per year.
In 2006, BASF Antwerp succeeded in reducing its emissions of greenhouse gases by 23%. This reduction is, above all, the result of the successful establishment of a new BASF manufactured catalyst to produce nitric acid. The emissions of nitrous oxide (N²O), a gas 310 times more destructive CO², could thus be reduced by 44% or more without any loss in production or quality.
The catalyst was developed by a team in Antwerp in collaboration with the catalysts department of BASF. It was tested in nitric acid facilities on the Antwerp site. In 2006, after years of research and encouraging test results, the catalyst was introduced into two existing nitric acid facilities. New third and fourth facilities are planned for 2007. In the meantime, this new technology, which transforms N²O into nitrogen and oxygen, has been recognised by the European Union as "Best Available Technology". BASF nitric acid facilities are now the standard regarding emissions of nitrous oxide.
In the short term, BASF Antwerp will be able to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases by the equivalent of approximately 800,000 tons of CO² per year, which, in itself, moves Flanders 11% toward its 2012 Kyoto goals. For managing director Wouter De Geest, this goal is in itself in line with the sustainable business strategy of the BASF group and responds to the group’s goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 10%, compared to 2002 levels.
"Sustainable business is one of the cornerstones of the BASF strategy for 2015. This project, along with receiving the 2007 Responsible Care Prize, shows the combined will of the chemical industry, and of BASF in particular, to take initiatives of its own volition, without being legally required, to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases. This example confirms the chemical industry credo of desiring to bring solutions to environmental problems and to follow through with innovative processes and technological developments."
Information: Jan Van Doorslaer, External Communication Manager, BASF Antwerpen NV, tel: 03 561 2151, mobile: 0476 40 39 02, jan.van-doorslaer@basf.com.
Establishment of the environmental management programme «Healthy Planet 2010», which expresses a genuine long-term vision of sustainable development by the company.
The chemical production unit of Janssen Pharmaceutica, in Geel, is responsible for the production of active ingredients in Janssen pharmaceuticals. This is the largest production site in the global chemical production network of Johnson & Johnson, the parent company of Janssen Pharmaceutica.
In launching "Healthy Planet 2010", this Geel-based pharmaceutical company set forth an ambitious, new environmental programme that is in the spirit of the "Next Generation Goalkeepers" programme, which expired in 2005. This recognition of the environment is a long-term strategic decision. Sustainable paper and packaging products, decreasing energy consumption of company vehicles and reinforcing the ecological behaviour of employees are part of the programme. Rational use of energy and water as well as reductions in waste and CO² emissions constitute the guiding principles.
The energy goal targets a 7% reduction from 1990 levels in total CO² emissions generated by all energy vectors on the site (electricity, natural gas, fuel). "Thanks to the right balance between technical considerations and policy and followed by costs, we can confirm that the 2006 mid-term objective has been reached and that the 2010 full-term objective will also be reached without any additional cost compared to the basic scenario," says Stefaan Gijssels, Janssen Pharmaceutica spokesperson. "By setting up profitable, energy-efficient projects and a general policy of vigilant exploitation, we were able to save money that could then be used to finance part of the cost overruns linked to purchasing renewable energy."
Information: Stefaan Gijssels, Vice President of Public Affairs, JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICA NV, tel: 014 60 21 73, mobile: 0473 71 04 25, sgijssels@janbe.jnj.com.
Innovative products from formulations combining enzymes and renewable raw materials.
REALCO is a SME active in environmental biotechnology. For 30 years, its research on enzymes has allowed it to develop, produce and market enzyme products used in cleaning and treating waste water. It has succeeded in demonstrating enzymes’ exceptional qualities as powerful cleaning agents and purifiers. Enzymes accelerate and improve purification, are not aggressive and have a positive impact on the environment.
In its ongoing search for innovative products along with its environmental commitment, REALCO has succeeded in combining enzymes with renewable raw materials in its formulations. These plant-derived active substances do not exhaust the planet’s natural resources. In fact, the use of them is in keeping with sustainable development.
But combining enzymes and renewable raw materials is not just the result of a simple combination of two active principles. For Gordon Blackman, the managing director of REALCO, it is a matter of creating a true synergy within a formulation. "There are several benefits from this new combination: the use of renewable resources, better enzyme stability, increased performance, sustainable means of production, optimum biodegradability. And the environmental advantages impact the product’s life cycle, from its production to its use to its disposal into the environment.”
REALCO has registered a patent for this innovation. Products that benefit from this innovation have applications in both professional and private use. In developing these new formulations, REALCO proves that it is on the cutting edge of biotechnology, translating into innovation its commitment to the environment, user safety and safeguarding human health.
Information: Katia Hansen, Marketing & Communications Manager REALCO SA, tel: 010 45 30 00, mobile: 0486 89 35 16, k.hansen@realco.be.