elements 47, issue 2 | 2014 · 2017-09-29 · elements47 issue 2|2014 edi tori al 3 learning while...

NUTRITION

Wellness diet for shrimpDesIgNINg wITh POlymeRs

Flexible evolutioncaTalysIs

Pole position for catalysis

elements47Quarterly Science Newsletter Issue 2|2014

elements47 Issue 2|2014

2 cONTeNTs

14

24

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cOveR PIcTURe

Shrimp bred on a shrimp farm

News

4 Evonik starts Medical Devices Project House in the USA 4 New ambient curing silicone resins 5 Opening for enlarged service laboratory in Shanghai 5 Plant expansion for precipitated silica in Thailand

NUTRITION

6 Wellness diet for shrimp

DesIgNINg wITh POlymeRs

14 Flexible evolution

News

20 CE mark for spinal implants 20 Adhesion without adhesion promoters 21 Sporty soles with Daicel-Evonik 21 New self-healing plastics developed

ReseaRch & DevelOPmeNT

22 R&D at Evonik: facts and figures 2013

caTalysIs

24 Pole position for catalysis

ReacTOR TechNOlOgy

30 More insight into bubble columns

News

36 Fuel saving with efficient, high-performance hydraulic oil 36 Strategic partnership with the University of Tokyo 37 PLEXIGLAS® creates ambient light in cars

evONIk OPeN INNOvaTION cONfeReNce 2014

38 Innovation needs entrepreneurship

News

43 German scholarship recipient meeting 2014

43 Credits


3eDITORIal

LearningWhile the Japanese work on a seeing-eye robot that could replace guide dogs, the South Koreans are busy pressing ahead with a 5G network that would allow users to download an 800-MB video from the net in just seconds. What sets both nations apart is an enthusiasm for technology that seems somewhat foreign to us in Germany, even with our advanced engi-neering and the reputation that comes with “Made in Germany.” And this offers opportunities: Valuable impetus for innovation can come about if we are prepared to learn from each other and to combine approaches from different cultures.

It is for this reason that we have now agreed on a strategic partnership with the University of Tokyo, which enjoys an excellent reputation around the world. It means we can in the future work closely together on selected topics and play a part in training and promoting the next generation of scientific talent in Japan.

The same reason was behind the launch of our new Medical Devices Project House in the USA, where we will develop new system solutions for medical technology. A lot of strategic thought also went into choosing this site—with 40 percent, the USA holds an exceptional share of the global market for medical technology.

The project house concept also works well outside of Germany, as the example of Taiwan shows: Here, our Light & Electronics Project House, which is based at the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Hsinchu, conducts research into panel lighting, display components and functional coatings for electronics just a stone’s throw away from the major manu-facturers of the electronics industry. We can already report some initial successes: The project house has provided potential customers with their first prototypes of newly developed optoelectronic appli cations.

The new project house in the USA and the strategic partnership with the University of Tokyo give you an idea of our international research activities that support our growth strategy. We already manufacture right where our customers and markets are based: Evonik generates 76 percent of its sales outside of Germany and is active in more than 100 countries. Our plans for the future include being very close to the customer with our research, learning more about local needs and characteristics and focusing more on orientating our activities to them. And, of course, using the different ways of thinking and working to create something new and good together.

Dr. Peter NaglerChief Innovation Officer Evonik Industries AG


4 News

Evonik starts Medical Devices Project House in the USA In spring, Evonik Industries launched the Medical Devices Project House. The elev-enth project house of Evonik has its main campus in Birmingham (Alabama, USA), along with a branch in Hanau (Germany). The center of attention is the development of new system solutions for medical tech-nology and the expansion of the competen-cies in the areas of biomaterials and poly-mers. Above all, it will address applications in implantology.

Dr. Peter Nagler, Chief Innovation Officer at Evonik, says:“In the new Medical Devices Project House, we are pooling and expanding the interdisciplinary competencies of Evonik in the area of medical technology and bio-

material research. By locating it in the USA, we are continuing to internationalize our R&D activities.”

With innovative products Evonik wants to open up new growth opportunities on the medical technology market. The global med-ical technology market with a volume of €300 billion is posting annual growth rates of six percent. At 40 percent, the USA ac -counts for a major proportion of this world market and U.S. companies hold leading posi-tions, above all in the area of implantology. Additional important markets for medical devices include Europe and Japan. Evonik is already a provider of targeted specialty appli-cations in the area of medical technology.

Examples are VESTAKEEP® PEEK and RESO-MER® PLA, biocompatible synthetics for implant materials, and VESTAMID® Care, a polyamide molding compound that is used, among other things, as catheter material. Addi tional products for medical technology applications include PMMA and methacrylate copolymers, which Evonik supplies under the brand name DEGACRYL®. They are used as a high-quality raw material for bone cement and dental applications.

The work areas addressed by the Medical Devices Project House are closely focused on current and future customer needs in the area of medical technology. “Innovative solutions in medical technology, such as functional bio-materials, are excellently suited for meeting the demand for ever-more compatible and safer medical products and for implementing new therapeutic concepts,” explains Dr. Rosa-rio Lizio, who heads the Medical Devices Project House. “Our location in Birmingham places our research at the center of the highly attractive U.S. market with great proxi mity to our customers. At the same time, we ben-efit from the expertise of the Health Care Busi ness Line of Evonik, which manages the site in Birmingham.” Among other products, the Health Care Business Line manufactures poly mers for medical devices and offers a broad service spectrum, ranging from active ingredients to intelligent drug delivery sys-tems.

New ambient curing silicone resins With SILIKOPHEN® AC 900 and SILIKOPHEN® AC 1000 Evonik Industries designed new resins for high temperature applications.They are particularly suitable for industrial objects, muffler coatings and oven coatings. Due to their ambient temperature curing capabil-ities, a feature highly coveted by manufacturers, these resins permit energy-saving coating application of large objects which would oth-erwise prove difficult in a more traditional oven-cure.

Formulations with SILIKOPHEN® AC 900 and SILIKOPHEN® AC 1000 provide excellent long-term heat resistance as well as early chemical resistance after application. SILIKOPHEN® AC 900 is very flexible during heating and cool down. It is also highly compatible with organic resins and shows excellent wetting properties with a wide range of pigments and fillers. SILIKOPHEN® AC 1000, on the other hand, provides excellent color stability.

Having a very low content of volatile organic compounds, both products are environmentally friendly and provide multifaceted, resource-efficient corrosion protection in high temperature applica-tions.

The Medical Devices Project House focuses on developing new system solutions for medical technology

The new binders are suited to formulations for coating large objects in high-temperature applications


5News

Opening for enlarged service laboratory in Shanghai In Shanghai Evonik recently enlarged its tech-nical service laboratory for pharmaceutical polymers from 130 to 750 square meters in response to the dynamic growth of the Chi-nese pharmaceutical market. “The expansion was based on our excellent reputation in the region as a provider of controlled drug release solutions and the strategic decision to add to our research and development activities in Asia,” said Axel Bergt, Vice President Health Care Asia Pacific of Evonik, during the open-ing ceremony.

The expanded laboratory serves both as a technical service laboratory and as center of excellence for contract development of oral drug delivery systems. The free services offered to customers who use EUDRAGIT® products include training, for example on the handling of pharmaceutical polymers. With the help of Evonik experts, customers can also simulate the actual manufacturing pro-cess in the service laboratory and see how coating, tableting or granulation works.

Furthermore Evonik also offers paid for-mulation services for pharmaceutical com-panies, in which scientists develop drug

delivery systems on the basis of an active substance and a spe cified release profile. On request, they can also supply all data required for product approval and provide support with the approval process.

Laboratory head Henry Han used the opportunity of the enlarge ment to further

Plant expansion for precipitated silica in Thailand

Evonik Industries has opened its expanded production for precipitated silica in Rayong (Thailand). With this investment the com-pany increased its capacity for precipitated silica for the automotive industry, food and animal feed industry as well as the paints and coatings industry.

Used in the tire and rubber industry, the combination of silica with silanes enables tire manufacturers to produce tires of much lower rolling resistance, thus reducing the overall fuel consumption by up to eight percent com-pared to traditional tires.

The expanded production plant for precipitated silica in Thailand

Numerous represen tatives of pharma - ceu tical firms attended the opening ceremony for the laboratory expansion

“With this expansion, we are strengthening our operations in Thailand,” explained Dr. Florian Kirschner, Managing Director and Country Head Thailand. “This allows us to respond more quickly to changes in market demand and supply high quality products to our customers.”

The silica production, now a joint venture between Evonik Industries and Oriental Siam Company, was founded in 1990. Evonik came on board as majority shareholder taking charge of operating this Map Ta Phut site in 1999. The latest expansion, using Evonik’s

im prove the technical equipment of the lab-oratory, both for analytical services and drug product manufacturing. “We are now able to simulate the first scale-up step in our labora-tory,” explains Han. “This simplifies the sub-sequent transfer of the production process to the customer.”

Representatives of around thirty pharma-ceutical companies in China were present at the opening ceremony to find out more about the new services available at Xinzhuang Industry Park.

modern technology, comprised enhance-ments of the production process to ensure highest levels of safety, productivity, and quality of the overall production.

Evonik is one of the leading manufactur-ers of silica. In addition to precipitated silica, Evonik also produces AEROSIL® fumed silica and silica-based matting agents under the ACEMATT® brand. Overall, Evonik has a global capacity of around 500,000 metric tons per annum for precipitated, fumed silica, and matt ing agents.


6 NUTRITION

Evonik has now found a means of improving shrimp farming: Thanks to a new methionine source, the animals are utilizing their feed more efficiently than before. This also con-serves natural resources. The picture was taken at a typical shrimp farm on the island of Hainan in southern China


7NUTRITION

Over the last few years it has proved possible to considerably reduce the proportion of fishmeal in salmon feed, with positive consequences for natural fish stocks and the environment. With its product MetAMINO®, which is the amino acid DL-methionine, Evonik has made an important contribution to this development. Met-Met, the dipeptide of DL-methionine, now allows the concept of fishmeal and protein reduction to be carried over to shrimp feed—a new development in which Evonik has brought to bear its knowledge of animal nutrition as well as its chemical expertise.

[ text Dr. Christoph Kobler ]

amINO acIDs aRe soluble in water. But this seem-ingly unremarkable fact has far-reaching con-sequences. This property has so far made it difficult to use innovative nutrition concepts—plant protein sources, supplemented by free amino acids such as DL-methionine or similar products—for shrimp farm-ing in aquaculture anywhere in the world. This is be-cause shrimp eat slowly. They wait at the bottom of the water for the feed pellets, which they then grasp in their mandibles, biting off small pieces. A shrimp nibbles at a two millimeter pellet for a good half hour. This is a very long time for water-soluble feed com-ponents like DL-methionine, minerals and vitamins which will leach out of the pellet without entering the digestive organ of the crustacean.

Here, a further obstacle hinders the animal’s optimal utilization of the added methionine as an highly efficient building block for protein synthesis. Free amino acids are normally resorbed relatively quickly in the digestive tract. However, the other amino acids from feed ingredients such as soybean meal or fishmeal are often not exactly available at the same time.

The reason lies in the primitive digestive system of shrimp. They have no stomach containing hydro-chloric acid, which strongly supports digestion by denaturing proteins, breaking them down into short-chain protein components and amino acids. Instead, in their hepatopancreas—a kind of evolutionary pre-decessor of pancreas and liver in a single organ— shrimp produce enzymes that break down the pro-teins into short-chain peptides and free amino acids, which is a time-consuming process. The result is that

Wellness diet for shrimp

supplemental amino acids such as DL-methionine are not perfectly synchronized with those arising through digestion of the protein sources in the feed; the two are not simultaneously available. This means that the animal cannot grow optimally.

An excess of free amino acids cannot normally be stored by the organism. In aquatic animals, part of the excess is excreted through the gills or urine, or simply used as an energy source. After the amino group is cleaved off a carbohydrate remains, which is decomposed to water and carbon dioxide with release of energy. The amino group is released to the water in the form of ammonia and constitutes an additional nitrogen load in the water on top of the normal excreta.

333

Amino acid spectrum has to be tailored to the individual needs of each species

This is the fate of all amino acids in all organisms when the amino acid spectrum of the feed is not pre-cisely tailored to individual requirements, whether as a result of an excess of added amino acid or a de ficit in the natural feed. If one amino acid is miss-ing, the animal is unable to use all the other amino acids for its own protein synthesis and thus for growth. Many animal feeds lack primarily methi-onine or lysine, which are often the first limiting amino acids (fig. 1).


8 NUTRITION

The result is administration of an excess of pro-tein-rich feed; the animals eat more than is necessary. One kilo of shrimp, for example, requires 1.6 kilo-grams of feed. And this contains fishmeal and fish oil because these offer an excellent combination of pro-teins and fats for crustaceans as well as fish. This means that farmed fish and crustaceans are fed fishmeal and fish oil—obtained from fish caught from the sea.

Critics of aquaculture point to the large quantities of fishmeal from natural stocks that are used for fish feed, and to overfertilization of waters, and complain that this method is not sustainable. But closer exami-nation reveals a more differentiated picture. Aqua-culture technology is developing rapidly: The prob-lems that existed 15 years ago have now been widely resolved. Amino acids are making an essential con-tribution to more sustainable aquaculture.

And this is an urgent necessity in view of the surg-ing global population, which, according to the latest estimates, will be about ten billion by the middle of the century. The demand for food grows along with the population. Fish is already one of the most im-portant protein sources in human nutrition world-wide, next to poultry and pork. Fish is affordable and healthy and provides high-quality protein. So demand for fish can be expected to increase even further in the future. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO, the annual fish consumption per head at the turn of the millen-nium was 16 kilograms, as opposed to 15 kg of poultry and just 12 kg of pork; by 2012 this had increased to more than 19 kg of fish.

A total of about 157 million metric tons of fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and other aquatic animals were caught, or produced by aquaculture, in the year 2012 (fig. 2). It is aquaculture that has made this large figure possible, because the quantity of fish caught has stagnated at about 92 million metric tons per year since the mid-1980s. In the year 2000, only 31 percent of the total fish, crustaceans, shellfish, and aquatic plants consumed originated from aquaculture; in 2012

the figure was 46 percent, and this is expected to rise to 50 percent in 2014. The global market for aquacul-ture is therefore growing at about six percent annu-ally, faster than all other important segments of ani-mal farming.

This increases the demand for fishmeal. In the year 2000, 35 percent of all fishmeal produced worldwide was used in aquaculture; in 2012 the figure rose to

333

Disproportionately high growth of aquaculture

Figure 1

The Liebig Barrel illustrates what happens with a shortage of an essen-tial amino acid, in this case methi-onine: If methionine is lacking, the animal cannot use all the other amino acids for its own protein synthesis and growth. The problem can be efficiently resolved only if methionine is selectively added to the feed (left). The addition of more plant protein (right) is also possible but does not solve the problem efficiently. All amino acids are increased. This does not improve their utilization but will have negative impact on economy as dietary protein is expensive and will also be negative for the environ-ment

73 percent. This has driven up prices: The price of fishmeal has more than tripled since the start of the millennium. Aquaculture operators therefore have a three-fold incentive for rethinking the feeding con-cept: It is necessary to rear healthy fish for healthy nutrition of the growing global population while keeping costs under control and, most importantly, improving sustainability to protect the environment and gain wide acceptance for aquaculture.

One possibility here is to meet part of the protein requirements through plants such as oilseed rape or soybean, but this approach has limitations. The prob-lem is that fishmeal has a high content (about 65 per-cent) of crude protein, which is crucially important for building up muscle mass. Soybean, by contrast, has about 48 percent and oilseed rape only 38 percent. Nor is the amino acid profile of the plants suitable for the purpose, usually containing too little lysine, methionine, or threonine. This shortcoming means that fish can utilize plant proteins only in part. The amino acid that is first limiting for growth in fish and crustaceans depends on the species.

The solution for greater sustainability is to replace a large proportion of fishmeal with plant protein sources and add essential amino acids like methi-onine, lysine, and threonine. Evonik, with its

333

= efficient

SupplementingDL-methionine

Vegetable basedaqua diet

= inefficient

Increasing protein intake


9NUTRITION

Production volume and value of the global market for aquaculture in the year 2011

Figure 3

Shrimp and prawns4.4 million metric tons (9%)20.3 billion US$ (18%)

Tilapias4.0 million metric tons (8%)6.7 billion US$ (6%)

Catfishes and pangasius3.4 million metric tons (7%)5.4 billion US$ (5%)

Salmons and trouts2.7 million metric tons (6%)15.0 billion US$ (13%)

Miscellaneous finfishes7.6 million metric tons (16%)22.0 billion US$ (20%)

Miscellaneous crustaceans1.5 million metric tons (3%)7.9 billion US$ (7%)

2011 global total 47.5 million metric tons

Carps and cyprinids24.0 million metric tons (51%)34.6 billion US$ (31%)

160

Aquaculture is becoming increasingly important because demand for fish and crustaceans can no longer be met by wild catch alone

Aquaculture Wild capture fisheries

Million metric tons

Figure 2

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

2000 31% aquaculture 69% wild capture fisheries



1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

92 million metric tons (averaged 1990–2010)

180


10 NUTRITION

many decades of experience in the healthy and sustainable nutrition of poultry and pigs, recognized the problems but also the opportunities associated with aquaculture early on. Developing aquaculture so as to achieve higher sustainability would open up a huge market. In 2011 about 42 million metric tons of fish and six million metric tons of crustaceans, of a total value of about US$ 112 billion, were produced by aquaculture (fig. 3). And these enormous quanti-ties of fish must be fed. In 2008 around 29 million metric tons of compound fish and crustacean feed for aquaculture were produced industrially; in 2015 the figure will rise to about 50 million metric tons.

Since 2005, therefore, Evonik has been intensively engaged in aquaculture, in collaboration with higher education institutions and leading global salmon pro-duc ers in Norway. The focus is directed on the animal: What does it need in each phase of growth, and how can its nutrition be provided as sustainably as possible?

It was clear, however, that the costs of fish feed could not be allowed to rise significantly. In the face of the growing global population, fish must remain affordable for only this way are people in many regions able to afford high-quality protein.

Innumerable feeding studies followed to deter-mine the optimal salmon feed that covers the various

needs of the animal in all stages of growth. The resulting balanced diet for salmon substitutes large quantities of fishmeal with soybean, wheat, and gluten and compensates for the shortfall of essential amino acids in the feed by the addition of methionine, lysine, and threonine. Like all higher organisms, salmon are unable to produce these vitally important protein building blocks themselves and must ingest them with feed.

The results are highly impressive: In 2008 the pro-portion of fishmeal mixed into salmon feed was about 40 percent; today, the average fishmeal content is no higher than 13 to 15 percent (fig. 4).

As a result of the new feed concept, salmon now have a feed conversion ratio (FCR) of 1.2, which cor-responds to a weight increase of one kilogram for every 1.2 kilograms of feed. This value also illustrates the importance of fish in the feeding of the world population in the future: the FCR is 1.7 for poultry, 5.9 for pigs, and as high as 8.7 for cows. Fish can be fed considerably more efficiently because they are cold-blooded, their body temperature approximating to that of their environment. They therefore need to expend almost no energy on maintaining their body temperature, and also require less energy for loco-motion in water.

With its investigations, Evonik has contributed in a major way to the success of novel, innovative salmon diets and, following a number of feed studies, has succeeded in carrying over its results to carp, pangasius, and tilapia. And it has reaped rewards for

Fish must be affordable for the growing global population

Innumerable feeding studies helped to determine the optimal salmon feed that covers the various nutritional needs of the salmon in all stages of growth

333


11NUTRITION

this pioneering work: Evonik is the global market leader in DL-methionine for aqua feeds, a business with considerable potential. Salmon, trout, carp, pan-gasius, and tilapia make up about 80 percent of the global aquaculture fish market.

Part of the reason for its success is that Evonik readily shares its fish nutrition expertise with cus-tomers. The business model includes comprehensive services such as feed analysis, software tools for cal-culation of amino acid recommendations, and the reliability of a trustworthy supplier. Moreover, Evonik is the only producer in a position to supply the amino acids in a defined particle size and par ticle-size dis-tribution. This ensures that the amino acids can be incorporated uniformly into the pellets and extru-dates so that each fish or shrimp obtains the right amount of amino acid.

Encouraged by this success, six years ago Evonik turned its attention to the shrimp feed market. The task here was much trickier than for salmon, which eat the feed very fast and have a stomach and gastric hydrochloric acid so that the leaching of water-soluble amino acids from the feed is not relevant. Further, the supplemented amino acids and those originating from the feed protein sources are available simulta-ne ously.

In shrimp, by contrast, the art lies in bringing DL-methionine in adequate quantity and at the right time into the organism of the animal to ensure opti-mal protein synthesis and therefore the best possible growth. 333

5.9 million metric tons of crustaceans were sold by farmers worldwide in 2011. China is the largest producer

There are basically three solutions available for changing the water solubility and bioavailability of methionine: covering the amino acid with a suitable coating, embedding it in a matrix, and chemical deri-vatization. In Evonik’s aquaculture project all three options were intensively investigated, but it became clear after some time that coating and matrix embed-ding did not provide a product sufficiently robust to withstand the harsh mechanical and physical con-ditions of feed pelleting and extrusion process.

35 methionine derivatives synthesized and tested

More than 35 different chemical derivatives of methionine fulfilling the prescribed basic conditions—reasonable production costs, low water solubility, stable during feed processing, and high bioavailabil-ity through a retard function—were then selected for further investigation. The organic synthetic chemists of the Methionine Business Line in Evonik’s Health & Nutrition Business Unit synthesized them all and, in a large number of in vitro studies using enzymes isolated from hepatopancreas of pacific white shrimp and black tiger shrimp, tested their effectiveness as a methionine source for shrimp.

And hit the bull’s eye. The solution, now patent pro tected, turned out to be Met-Met, the

Figure 4

Supplementing salmon feed with amino acids has reduced the fishmeal content in the feed from about 40 percent in the year 2008 to the current 15 percent

Amino acids < 1%35%

25%

40%

69%

15%

15%

Other

fish oil

fishmeal

Traditional diet

Modern diet


12 NUTRITION

dipeptide of DL-methionine, which Evonik will market as AQUAVI® Met-Met worldwide (fig. 5). Met-Met is significantly less water-soluble than the free amino acid. Further, the enzymes of the shrimp can cleave the peptide at the right time for the animal to utilize the free amino acid perfectly for protein syn-thesis.

In feed trials conducted jointly with scientists at Texas A&M University in the U.S., Evonik has shown that in Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) Met-Met works better than DL-methionine by a fac-tor of 1.8. With just 0.56 kilogram of Met-Met per 1,000 kilograms of shrimp feed, the same growth can be achieved as by using one kilogram of DL-methi-onine. A single Met-Met molecule is thus as effective as 3.6 molecules of DL-methionine.

A quirk of nature worked in the team’s favor here. Almost all living organisms can convert D-methionine to L-methionine via the α-keto acid intermediate. In two enzyme-catalyzed steps, the D-methionine enan-tiomer is selectively deaminated by the D-amino acid oxidase to the α-keto acid and transaminated by the L-transaminase to the corresponding L-enantiomer, subsequently. The only exceptions are humans, the higher primates, and certain small mammals like guinea pigs and bats. Both methionine and Met-Met can therefore be used as the racemates in animal nutrition.

In the case of Met-Met, this means that it is present in the form of four chemically different compounds known as diastereoisomers. The shrimp enzymes can

cleave all of the diastereoisomers, but at different rates. As a result, free methionine is released over a fairly long period, while the shrimp digests the remain- ing feed. It is therefore available for protein synthesis in the organism at the same time as the other amino acids from the protein components of the feed.

Evonik had to develop a completely new synthesis for Met-Met production. Peptide synthesis normally involves organic solvents and protective-group chem-istry. While this is nothing out of the ordinary for the organic chemist, it is time-consuming and therefore far too expensive for a market where feed accounts for 80 percent of total production costs.

Evonik found a more elegant solution: The Met-Met process uses hydantoin that is also used as pre-cur sor in the production of DL-methionine. Hydantoin is converted into the cyclic dipeptide of Met-Met and then selectively ring-opened to give the dipeptide. This works in aqueous solution and gives a high-purity product without any protective-group chemistry that is usually required for peptide syn thesis.

Dipeptide production: solution in water without protective groups

Shrimp farm in China. Feed accounts for up to 80 percent of total production costs for crustaceans

Figure 5

Met-Met is the dipeptide of DL-methionine, which Evonik will market in the future under the name AQUAVI® Met-Met

DL-methionine molecule 1 DL-methionine molecule 2

333

S

NH3

O

NH

O O

S


13NUTRITION

Important contribution to sustainability of shrimp farming

Dr. christoph kobler is responsible for Aquaculture Product Management in the Methionine Business Line. He studied chemistry at the University of Stuttgart (Germany), where he obtained his doctoral degree. In 2005 Kobler joined the former Degussa AG as a laboratory manager in research and in 2008 he started working as project manager for Met-Met product develop-ment. He was appointed Director Product Management Aqua culture in 2010 and is globally respon sible for amino acids and new products in the aquaculture market segment. phone +49 6181 [email protected]

Evonik has now scaled up the patented process to the industrial scale and will set up the first plant for Met-Met production in Antwerp (Belgium), with pro-duction expected to begin in 2015.

Evonik is thus also entering the attractive feed mar-ket for shrimp and crustaceans, which has enjoyed two-digit growth rates over the last ten years and is expected to show dynamic growth into the future. According to Evonik’s estimates, shrimp and crustacean production by aquaculture will amount to about seven million metric tons in the year 2015, with sales of about US$ 35 billion. The largest customers for AQUAVI® Met-Met are located mainly in Asia, in Thailand and China in particular, but also in South and Central America and Mexico. Most of them pro-duce mixed feeds for fish and crustaceans, and so are already purchasing amino acids from Evonik. As with its other products, Evonik offers with AQUAVI® Met-Met the usual comprehensive technical consulting and other innovative services.

Everyone benefits from AQUAVI® Met-Met: shrimp farmers, Evonik, our environment, and, not least, the shrimp. After all, AQUAVI® Met-Met can reduce the consumption of fishmeal and other expen-sive and scarce protein sources for shrimp farming in aquaculture, thus making an important contribu-tion to sustainability. It also reduces water pollution because optimal methionine provision improves feed utilization and reduces animal excretion. With opti-mally balanced nutrition the shrimp remain healthier and their resistance improves; environmental load is

Efficient growth thanks to AQUAVI® Met-Met. It usually takes three months for the larvae to develop into adult shrimp

reduced, and the lower fishmeal requirements con-serve wild fish stocks and reduce feed costs.

Even before construction of the new Met-Met plant has begun, Evonik’s animal nutrition experts are already thinking ahead to the next step: supple-menting fish feed not only with methionine, lysine, and threonine, but also isoleucine, arginine, histidine, or valine. While these are often required only in very small quantities, this would be a step closer toward providing a feed with an optimal balanced amino acid spectrum. It would allow for further reduction of the proportion of fishmeal and other crude protein sour-ces in fish feed, to the benefit of the environment, the animals, and ultimately humankind. 777


14 DesIgNINg wITh POlymeRs

Plasticizers lend desirable flexibility and functionality to many everyday products. Experts from the Advanced Intermediates Business Unit have now launched a non-phthalate PVC plasticizer that provides high product quality and safety.

[ text Dr. Hinnerk Gordon Becker, Dr. Michael Graß, Dr. Harald Häger ]

PlasTIcs, PaINTs, cOaTINgs, natural and vulcan-ized rubber, sealing compounds, and textiles—many everyday products contain plasticizers. Besides making materials flexible, supple, and elastic during use or processing, plasticizers also improve material durability and stability, and, as a result, are indispens-able formulation constituents.

Plasticizers are particularly important in the plastics industry. The reason why common polymers like PVC, polyester, and polyamide are flexible and elastic at room temperature is because chemicals have been added that lower the glass transition tem-perature of the polymer. The glass transition tem-perature describes the point at which a substance changes over from a viscoelastic state to a glassy and brittle state. The more plasticizers a plastic formu-lation contains, the lower the glass transition tem-perature will be.

Elasticity from a molecular lubricant

Plasticizers act as molecular lubricants: their mole-cules deposit between polymer chains, transforming the original, rigid structure and its tightly packed molecules into a movable configuration. Because plasticizers alter the properties of a polymer, the amount used—which, depending on requirements, can be as much as 150 percent by weight with respect to the polymer—can be varied as a way of fine-tuning mater ial properties.

It then comes as no surprise that plasticizers are among the most widely sold specialty chemicals. Roughly one million metric tons of plasticizers are consumed in the EU each year; global consumption is estimated at six to seven million metric tons per year (fig. 1). These figures will continue to rise as manufacturers benefit from a worldwide boom in

plastics, with sales volumes growing steadily by five to six percent annually. Experts anticipate similarly high growth over the coming years, not only for clas-sic polymers, but also for conductive polymers and bioplastics—materials, in other words, that are very often used in elastic and flexible applications.

In order to meet market demands, plasticizers have to possess a range of properties extending beyond their primary function as molecular lubricants. In addition to being resistant to light, temperature, and water, plasticizers also need to be odorless, color less, virtually non-flammable, largely non-volatile, and completely toxicologically safe. High molecular weight phthalates—esters of phthalic acid with at least nine carbon atoms in each ester chain—meet these crite ria particularly well. Besides exhibiting excep-tional efficiency as plasticizers, phthalates are also cost-effective to manufacture and can be used in a wide variety of applications.

Phthalates are primarily used for softening PVC, which helps to explain why these materials are so common: global demand for PVC has been growing continuously for years, and roughly 90 percent of all plasticizers consumed throughout the world are used for manufacturing soft PVC. Phthalate molecules interact with polymer chains, causing the latter to glide against each other and making PVC—which is actually very brittle—soft and elastic.

This is the mechanism of action for diisononyl phthalate (DINP) and di(2-propylhexyl) phthalate (DPHP), two of the most important members of the phthalate family. DINP leads the market in terms of the amounts sold within the EU, and Evonik, which produces roughly 220,000 metric tons of DINP each year under the trade name VESTINOL® 9, has played an active role in the development of plasticizers for many years now.

Flexible evolution

333


15DesIgNINg wITh POlymeRs

Figure 1

Worldwide demand for soft PVC, and consequently for plasticizers, will continue to rise in the years to come

Soft-PVC Plasticizer

Rafting showcases the strengths of plastics containing Evonik plasticizers

2010

[1,000 kt/a]

+3%

12

16

2020 2010

[kt/a]

+3%

6,000

2020

8,200



Small differences with a big impact

Nevertheless phthalates have been a recurring politi-cal and consumer protection concern. Scientific stud-ies involving animal testing have produced evidence that low molecular weight phthalates may cause can-cer and be harmful to fertility at high concentrations. This has only been found to be the case for a few types of phthalates, however, and even small chemical vari-ations lead to differences in material behavior.

DINP is one of the best studied industrial chemi-cals in the world. Regulatory bodies and manufactur-ers alike are constantly expanding our existing understanding of exposure and product safety, incor-porating this knowledge into the current state of the art in order to guarantee the highest possible degree of safety for customers and end consumers. In 2006 the European Commission came to the conclusion that DINP does not pose any risk to consumers or to the environment. This assessment was confirmed again in January 2014.

Manufacturers of plasticizers are paying increas-ing attention to the issues of volatility and migration, taking a cautious approach on the one hand, while meeting market needs and demands on the other. The debate about the safety of some phthalates has, after all, heightened sensitivity about these chemicals. Demand for non-phthalate plasticizers is growing.

Increased awareness of phthalates has motivated Evonik to consider alternatives as well. Working with experts from Process Engineering and from the Catalysts Business Line, a team from the Advanced Intermediates Business Unit found a solution based on well-established DINP: ELATUR® CH, which is produced when DINP undergoes ring hydrogenation (CH stands for cyclohexyl dicarboxylate), i.e., when the planar benzene ring of the phthalate is chemically

hydrogenated to the folded shape of a cyclohexane ring (fig. 2).

Converting DINP to ELATUR®

In order to develop the hydrogenation process, the team bundled its expertise in plasticizer development with experience in catalyst research and process engineering. The experts worked together to design a large-scale reactor for converting diisononyl phthal-ate to 1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester—i.e., for turning the aromatic ester into a cyclo-aliphatic compound—in the presence of a highly selec-tive heterogeneous catalyst.

As is the case with all catalytic reactions, product yield is a critical factor in the success and cost-effec-tiveness of the process. From the very beginning of the project, the yield of hydrogenated product was found to be very high, with residual phthalate lying well below 100 ppm. Although this value already re-pre sents an extraordinarily good yield, the ELATUR® team is currently working to increase conversion rates still further.

ELATUR® CH has been on the market since June of 2013, and Evonik has started up a new production facility at the Marl Chemical Park (Germany) with an annual capacity of 40,000 metric tons. Initial appli-cations have already shown that ELATUR® CH is suit-able for any PVC formulation intended for thermo-plastic processing or for processing as plastisols. The latter involves blending the polymer with plasticizers and other additives, applying this mixture, and then heating it. At temperatures of over 100 °C, the poly-mer begins to dissolve in the plasticizer and forms a gel. PVC plastisols are typically used for flooring, films, textile coatings, and wallpaper; when foamed they can also be processed as artificial leather.

Figure 2

A small change with a big impact: hydrogen-ating its aromatic ring converts VESTINOL® 9 (diisononyl phthalate, DINP) to non-phthalate ELATUR® CH

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

O

Catalytic hydrogenation



ELATUR® CH exhibits technical properties that have proven to add value in many applications. In plasti-sols, for instance, the new plasticizer lowers viscos-ity, enhances UV stability (as it no longer contains an aromatic ring), improves low-temperature flex-ibility, and reduces migration within the PVC matrix (fig. 3). At the same time, the efficiency of the plas-ticizer is comparable to that of DINP. While its gell-ing properties, however, are somehow inferior than those of VESTINOL® 9, this drawback can be offset through the addition of other plasticizers known as fast fusing plasticizers (e.g. VESTINOL® INB).

ELATUR® CH also meets almost all of the tech-nical demands of thermoplastic processing applica-tions, a procedure in which a powder mixture of PVC, plasticizer, and possibly other additives (a so-called dryblend) is melted and brought into the de-sired shape while still hot (fig. 4). Thermoplastic pro-cessing holds one additional advantage: the polymer and plasticizer are blended mechanically to produce a homogeneous mixture (so called dryblend), mak-ing it easy for customers to adapt their formulations. Switching from DINP to its non-phthalate counter-part, in other words, does not require significant equipment modifications; users only need to in-crease processing temperatures slightly.

ELATUR® CH is a response to current market trends, as more and more users are looking for alter-native non-phthalate plasticizers. Customers also ex-pect customized formulations for their materials that optimize elasticity and extend product life. While the plasticizers market had long been dominated by a “one-size-fits-all” mentality, plasticizers are now becoming increasingly specialized for particular applications. In the future, Evonik customers will have an even broader array of options to choose from when looking for the ideal solution for their individual requirements.

Preparing films from plastisols in a Mathis oven

333

Lab assistant Katrin Braas blending and deaerating a plastisol

Figure 3

ELATUR® CH performs well in PVC plastisols, where it reduces viscosity and improves plasticol maturing and shelf life, making plastisols easier to process. Due to its high level of permanence in the PVC matrix, ELATUR® CH minimizes migration into ridgid PVC. Other characteristics of soft PVC products made with ELATUR® CH include outstanding flexibility at low tem-peratures and good UV resistance

VESTINOL® 9 ELATUR® CH

Efficiency

1

2

3

4

5

Gelation

Viscosity

Ageing behavior

Thermal stability

Opacity

Compatibility

Water stability

aPPlIcaTION TechNOlOgy



The search for the perfect formulation

Every researcher knows that working in an appealing environ-ment fosters creativity and motivation. The plasticizer devel-opers at Evonik have no complaints in that regard: at Marl Chemical Park a 500 square meters modern laboratory is solely dedicated for product development and application technology of plasticizers. Scientists here synthesize new substances, ana-lyze their chemical and physical properties, and optimize formu-lations for PVC plastisols and dryblends.

Plasticizer experts are particularly concerned with any important questions affecting practical applications: How vola-tile is the plasticizer? How firm or elastic is the end product? And how stable is it when exposed to the elements? The cus-tomer is the focus of every new development: Evonik works closely in what it refers to as its strategic customer partner-ships—relationships with multiple European PVC processors—subjecting the plasticizers it develops to an exhaustive battery of tests under realistic conditions. This allows Evonik and its partners to test new or optimized product samples, and to modify and optimize formulations with direct feedback.

The modern laboratory can accommodate 75 to 80 percent of all relevant plasticizer application tests right on site. This is also where basic conditions for product manufacturing are defined. Short-path evaporators, for instance, allow developers to radically reduce thermal “stress” when processing raw materials or purifying the end product. Short-path evaporators are also ideal for biological raw materials that need to be highly pure and colorless.

In formulations consisting of PVC, plasticizer, and other compo-nents, users are especially concerned with the gelling be havior, as this property determines the processing characteristics of the plastic. Plasticizers play a key role here. Ideally, products will gel quickly at low temperatures, as this translates to low energy costs and high product throughput. Characteristic features of the corresponding gelling curves are an abrupt rise in formula-tion viscosity as the temperature increases.

The use of weather simulators enables the development team to intensively subject sample materials to water vapor, rain, thawing, and UV radiation as a way of testing soft PVCs stability and aging—important concerns for films, roofing materials, etc.

Most of all, specialists work to develop new plasticizers and formulations. A good plasticizer always represents the ideal balance between volatility and molecule size—it must be small enough to settle easily between polymer chains, yet large enough to remain permanently anchored to the matrix. At the same time, it also needs to homogenize with the polymer quick-ly and completely, making gelling curves a key component of the search for new formulations. These curves provide informa-tion on the plasticization process—in other words, they indicate how quickly the plasticizer and polymer bond to form stable material. Experts use non-phthalate ELATUR® CH and/or VESTINOL® 9 (DINP) as a benchmark. One current project in the application laboratory concerns in-house development of extremely efficient fast fusing plasticizers that exhibit little vola-tility and enable manufacturers to develop PVC formulations with highly reduced processing times.

1

100,000

10,000

1,000

100

10

0

The properties of all of the new plasticizer formulations must com-pare well to those of VESTINOL® 9 universal plasticizer. Gelling curves represent an important tool to determine this: the steeper the rise in the curve, the faster the polymer and plasticizer gel and fuse to form a stable material. Fast fusing plasticizers significantly improve the gelling properties of ELATUR® CH

VESTINOL® 9 ELATUR® CH ELATUR® CH/Fast fuser 2:1 ELATUR® CH/Fast fuser 1:1 ELATUR® CH/Fast fuser 1:2

Viscosity [Pa*s]

Temperature [°C]

20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180



333 For Evonik experts, one thing is certain: the search for alternative plasticizers will continue. The general longterm trend to move away from petro-leum-based and toward bio-based raw materials is an important landmark pointing the way to the future. In keeping with this trend, Evonik is preparing to launch a bio-based ELATUR® plasticizer with com-ponents derived from renewable resources. Other interesting products include molecules known as hy-brids, which are created through a combination of renewable and petrochemical raw materials. It will not be long before these approaches yield technically outstanding plasticizers based on renewable resour-ces—the products of sustainable chemistry uniting ecology and safety while offering considerable ben-efit for customers and the market. 777

From top to bottom: Technician Andre Huber discharging the blending vessel for preparing a dryblend.Extruding a soft PVC sheet.Preparing the calendar

Dr. michael graß is group leader for application engineering in the Advanced Intermediates Business Unit. After studying chemistry and earning his doctor-ate in organic chemistry at the University of Karlsruhe (TH), he began his career in 1996 as a trainee at the former GAF-Hüls-Chemie. He completed a short stint in marketing for plasticizers at the former Hüls AG before moving to the newly established research department of Oxeno Olefinchemie GmbH. Based on his work in application engineering, he later joined the Advanced Intermediates Business Unit, where he initially worked as laboratory manager and became group leader in 2008. phone +49 2365 49-5368, [email protected]

Dr. harald häger works as head of research for the Performance Intermediates Business Line. He studied chemistry at Philipps University in Marburg and received his doctorate there. Following a postdoctoral position in Dublin, he began his career in 1998 as group leader in basic polymer development for polyesters at the former Creanova Spezialchemie GmbH. He subse-quently held several positions in process and product development for polymers, including a multi-year collaboration in the Polymers Project House. In 2012 Häger assumed his current role in the Advanced Inter-mediates Business Unit. phone +49 2365 49-4029, [email protected]

Dr. hinnerk gordon Becker is product manager for Oxo Specialties in the Advanced Intermediates Busi ness Unit. He studied chemistry and chemical engineering at the Technical University of Clausthal, where he received his doctorate in polymer chemistry. In 2002, he began his career at the former Degussa as group leader for technology development in the Coatings & Additives unit. In 2008 he moved to Oxeno to work as laboratory manager for application engineering. Becker has marketed oxo products at Advanced Inter-mediates since 2011—first, for technical customer service, and since 2012, as product manager.phone +49 2365 [email protected]

Dryblend time

1

2

3

4

5

Efficiency

Cold flex

Compatibility

Migration HIPS

Migration PVC

Weight loss

Mechanical properties

Figure 4

PVC dryblends with ELATUR® CH are extraordinarily well suited for thermoplastic processing. ELATUR® CH is highly compatible with PVC, resulting in transparent products with low color values, especially for PVC films

VESTINOL® 9 ELATUR® CH


20 News

CE mark for spinal implants Two new LorX® cervical spinal implants have been approved for Europe with immediate effect. Both implants from the company Tria Spine (Turkey) rely on the high-performance polymer VESTAKEEP® PEEK from Evonik Industries. The specialty chemicals company sup-

ported Tria Spine in getting the CE mark, both with comprehensive studies into biocompatibility as well as technical documentation.

The Expandable PLIF Peek Cage has a unique design which allows for better stability between vertebrae. The teeth structure helps secure placement of the cage and prevents migration. The Cervical Peek Cage has two small blades that make the implant more secure and enable it to be better fixed in place. It is available in a variety of sizes so that the original spacing between the vertebrae can be restored.

“In cooperation with Evonik, we made it possible to replace tita-nium with the radiolucent and biocompatible PEEK,” says Ibrahim Ozgur Bektas, International Sales Director of Tria Spine. “We have chosen VESTAKEEP® PEEK because it is known for its excellent mechanical properties but also its superior biocompatibility and bio-stability. With this material we can meet the expectations of our inno-vative implant design.”

Marc Knebel, Director of VESTAKEEP® Medical, adds: “Our PEEK has already received the CE certificate and the FDA 510 (K) approval in a broad range of applications, including spinal implants, suture anchors, and cranial implants.”

The excellent sterilization resistance and good combination of stiffness and ductility of VESTAKEEP® PEEK mean that it meets the high requirements of the medical industry. VESTAKEEP® PEEK pro-vides a modulus of elasticity similar to that of bone.LorX® Cervical PEEK Cage with blade system

Adhesion without adhesion promotersEvonik Industries has developed innovative polymers for optimized production of multi- layered catheters under the the new product line VESTAMID® Care ME-B. These polymers enable direct adhesion with modified fluori-nated ethylene-propylene copolymers (EFEP) from Daikin America Inc. A key advantage of this technology is the simplified production process, which means that direct adhesion of the two polymers can be achieved using co-extrusion.

“The coordinated modifications made to both materials make the production process simple and efficient because no adhesion pro-moter needs to be used,” explains Christiane Röhnke, Business Manager for Medical Devices at Evonik. “This means strong adhe-sion can be achieved, and we save on produc-tion costs.”

The coextrusion process for Evonik’s modified polyether block amide (PEBA) VESTAMID® Care ME-B and Daikin’s modi-fied fluorinated ethylene-propylene copo-lymer (EFEP) NEOFLON™ RP-5000 involves chemically bonding the materials at the boundary layer. This enables robust multi-layer systems with strong adhesion between individual material components to be produced without the surfaces first hav-

ing to be pre-treated or additives having to be used.

The combination of modified PEBA and EFEP molding compounds is of particular interest for the production of catheters and tubes.

“Original equipment manufacturers now have the ability to combine the excellent properties of PEBA and EFEP through a streamlined manufacturing process that is easier and more reliable than traditional methods,” says John Felton, Market Devel-opment Manager at Daikin.

The two materials PEBA and EFEP are bonded safely and reliably without the use of adhesion promoters


21News

New self-healing plastics developedResearchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Evonik Industries have developed a novel polymer network that heals itself at relatively low temperatures. The healing process is very quick and can be repeated as often as necessary.

With applications ranging from scratches in vehicle finishes or cracks in polymer prod-ucts, self-healing materials can repair them-selves by restoring their original molecular structure after they have been damaged. Scientists at KIT and at Evonik Industries have developed a chemical curing reaction that allows material to heal well within a short period of time upon gentle heating. The researchers have now published the results of their work in the journal Advanced Materials.

To synthesize self-healing materials, the Karlsruhe research group led by Christopher Barner-Kowollik exploited the potential of reversible chemical reactions to link function-alized fibers or small molecules into a net-work. If damaged, these switchable net-works, as they are called, break down into their starting components and then reassem-ble. The advantage in this approach is that the self-healing mechanism can be triggered any number of times in the presence of conditions

they had been prior to that,” says Barner-Kowollik.

Self-healing properties can be incorporat-ed into a broad spectrum of known plastics. In addition to self-healing, however, the start-ing material also acquires one further bene-ficial property: flowability increases at ele-vated temperatures, making the resulting substance well suited to molding processes. One application of this is the production of parts from fiber-reinforced plastics for use in the automotive and aviation industries.

The consortium that developed the new curing reaction is composed of chemical manu facturer Evonik Industries and various academic partners, including the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research in Dresden (Ger many) and the Australian National Uni-versity in Canberra.

Kim K. Oehlenschlaeger, Jan O. Mueller, Josef Brandt, Stefan Hilf, Albena Lederer, Manfred Wilhelm, Robert Graf, Michele L. Coote, Friedrich G. Schmidt, and Christopher Barner-Kowollik: Adaptable Hetero Diels-Alder Networks for Fast Self-Healing under Mild Conditions. Advanced Materials, 2014. DOI:10.1002/adma.201306258.

such as heat, light, or the addition of chemi-cals. “Our method uses absolutely no cata-lysts or any additives of any kind,” says Professor Barner-Kowollik. As the chair of Preparative Macromolecular Chemistry at KIT, Barner-Kowollik studies the synthesis of macromolecular chemical compounds.

Working for roughly four years, the research group he leads has developed a novel polymer network in collaboration with the Composites Project House operated by Creavis, the strategic innovation unit at Evonik. This network exhibits excellent heal-ing properties after just a few minutes at rel-atively low temperatures between 50°C and 120°C. Reducing the amount of time required and optimizing the external conditions under which healing proceeds are among the key challenges faced by researchers studying self-healing materials. One success of the healing cycle that they developed, the KIT researchers feel, is the large number of inter-molecular bonds that quickly close back up upon cooling. In addition, mechanical studies such as tensile and strength tests confirm that the original properties of the material can be completely restored. “We were able to demonstrate that bonds in the test objects were even stronger after the first healing than

Sporty soles with Daicel-EvonikDaicel-Evonik supplied sports shoe manufacturer New Balance with shoe sole materials.

Based on strong sales figures and positive feedback from Japan, New Balance decided to use R-COMPO® in a number of its footwear models for professional athletes that are marketed worldwide. Several athletes wore shoes manufactured with R-COMPO® during the 2012 Olympic Games in London, for instance. For its last winter collec-tion, New Balance brought out two new models of sports shoes featuring this special sole.

The plastic-to-rubber method patented by Daicel-Evonik was instrumental in the development of the R-COMPO® sole. In a single process, without an addi-tional adhesion promoter, plastic is bonded with rubber so firmly that attempts to destroy the bond are more like-ly to tear the plastic than the binding site. The use of low-density nylon sheets also reduces the weight of the shoe while retaining all of the performance features ath-letes require.

Mitsuru Nakaya, Assistant General Manager of Sales at Daicel-Evonik, assumes that the good collaborative relationship with established sports shoe brands will also be sustained in the future. “Going forward, we will con-tinue to provide comprehensive technical advice and sup-

port to our customers and further increase their trust in us,” Nakaya said.

Daicel-Evonik Co., Ltd, a joint venture of Evonik and Daicel Corporation, one of Japan’s largest chemical com-panies, has been responsible for the sales business of the Performance Polymers Business Unit in Japan since 1970.

The plastic-to-rubber method patented by Daicel-Evonik was instrumental in the development of the R-COMPO® sole


22 ReseaRch & DevelOPmeNT

Evonik is pursuing an ambitious growth strategy: The com-pany aims to generate sales of around €18 billion and an adjusted EBITDA of over €3 billion by 2018—with strong organic growth, efficiency improvements and growth investments designed to increase turnover. Sustainable innovations that contribute to improved quality of life and the careful use of resources will support this growth course. The basis for this is efficient research and development.

R&D at Evonik: facts and figures 2013

394 million € was the Group’s total expenditure for R&D in 2013

3.1percent is the current R&D ratio

2,600 employees from a wide variety of fields work in R&D at Evonik. This kind of interdisciplinary cooperation is a key driver of innovation, which now takes place primarily at the interface of disciplines

35sites make up the global R&D network

23million € was Evonik's total investment in its research center in Shanghai (China), which contains 50 laboratories on an area of 14,000 square meters


23ReseaRch & DevelOPmeNT

26,000patents and patent applications comprise Evonik's current inventory

260 new patents were filed by Evonik in 2013—one invention per working day—which means the company is highly efficient at converting its research expenditures into patents. This is confirmed by the Patent Asset Index API, which classified Evonik as a leader in this regard in the summer of 20137�technology scouts gather information on

Evonik’s behalf around the globe: in China, Japan, India, South America, North America, SEAANZ (Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand) and Europe. Their work helps the Group to identify business opportunities early on, track down attractive technologies, and find potential cooperation partners

million € went toward building laboratory capacities and pilot plants in 2013—including such projects as the new Innovation Center in Essen for applications in the cosmetics industry

50young technology companies were reviewed and assessed by Evonik Venture Capital in 2013 to determine whether the respective technology matched the Group strategy. This work also gave Evonik excellent insight into the technology landscape worldwide

3502.5million US$ was Evonik Venture Capital’s investment in the American company FRX Polymers, Inc. The startup has special expertise in eco-friendly polymer-based flame retardants—a future-oriented tech-nology that fits especially well into Evonik’s strategy

3 selected specialty funds that invest in forward-looking green tech and clean tech are included in the portfolio of Evonik’s Venture Capital unit, which was started in 2012: the Emerald Cleantech Fund III, which focuses on Europe and North America, the North American Pangaea Ventures Fund III, and the German High-Tech Gründerfonds II


24 caTalysIs

To the chemical industry, oxidation processes are as important as air is to breathing. The GOcat Competence Center bundles expertise on oxidation catalysis and processes for all six chemical business units in the Group. The central goal of the GOcat team is perfectly coordinated catalysts, reactor and process concepts.

[ text Dr. Holger Wiederhold, Dr. Dorit Wolf, Dr. Horst-Werner Zanthoff ]

Pole position for catalysis

The vasT majORITy of living things could not survive without oxygen. All kinds of enzymes keep material and en-ergy cycles going by oxidizing biological molecules. Oxygen is also an essential ele-ment to the chemical industry. Globally, oxidation processes are the most important value-added reactions in the sector. It is oxygen that gives many chemicals and ma-terials their desired functionalities (fig. 1).

Whether chemical or natural, a cata-lytic reaction must always consume as little energy as possible and run with high selec-tivity and maximum yield. At the same time, there is an art to controlling the oxi-dative process in such a way that the reac-tion stops at exactly the desired end prod-uct.

Evonik has worked with this technol-ogy for many decades. Each year, the Group manufactures about 600,000 metric tons of products using oxidation steps, includ-ing feed additives such as the amino acid methionine, polymers such as PLEXIGLAS®, and superabsorbents for hygiene products (fig. 2). The Group produces over one mil-lion metric tons of materials, oxidants and catalysts for various markets and applica-tions, for countless customers and indus-tries. In other words, know-how and expe-rience in catalysts and processes are dis-


25caTalysIs

333

Figure 1

About 600 million metric tons of chemicals per year are produced through oxidation reactions. Important organic intermediate and specialty oxidation products account for about one third of these (source: ICIS, CEH)

tributed across all six chemical business units of the Group. So what would make more sense than combining and coordi-nating these forces?

A competence center for everyone Since 2012, the Group has concentrated its R&D for oxidation systems in the GO-cat (Green Oxidation Catalysis) Compe-tence Center, and combined the specific knowledge of the business units under the management of the Process Technology & Engineering department, supported by the strategic research unit Creavis. A key difference between GOcat and Evonik’s project houses is that it does not have a fixed term. Also, the Center uses the com-pany’s existing infrastructure. The core team, which is currently made up of eleven people, bundles the expertise at the individual sites with the involvement of the business units—for example, gas-phase catalysis from the Marl site, exper-tise in liquid-phase reactions from Hanau, and upscaling expertise goes where the business units operate their plants.

Another unique feature is that plant developers and reaction engineers are always involved. The most active

Oxidation processes are as vital to the chemical industry as oxygen is to human life

Product

Therephtalic acid

Ethylene oxide

1,2-Dichloroethane

Formaldehyde

Propylene oxide

Phenol

Cyclohexanone

Acrylonitrile

Acrylic acid

Vinyl acetate

Adipic acid

Phthalic anhydride

Maleic anhydride

Acetaldehyde

Acetic acid

MAA/MMA

Epichlorohydrin

World capacity 2012 [Mio. t/a]

5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0 45.0 50.0

Source: ICIS, CEH

0.0


26 caTalysIs

catalyst in the world is of little use if the mass and heat transfer in the process is not controlled, reaction heat is not dis-sipated as quickly as possible, and the nec-essary temperatures and pressures are not achieved in commercial-scale plants.

As an internal network, GOcat has a variety of objectives. One of these is to optimize existing catalyst systems and plants through partnerships involving multiple business units. Every gain in yield boosts the cost-effectiveness of a process, reduces the quantity of byproducts, and increases product purity. But the GOcat teams are also searching for new catalysts and the reactors and processes to exploit them. After all, even when chemical cata-lytic processes have been used worldwide on the commercial scale for decades, their development is far from finished.

Just like nature itself, the industry works with a great variety of oxidation catalysts. GOcat sounds out the potential of various types—from single-site struc-tures with defined properties distributed homogeneously in the reaction phase, or heterogeneously isolated and embedded in a crystalline solid body matrix, through supported metal oxide layers and oxide clusters just a few atom layers thick, all the way to complex amorphous and

semi-crystalline multi-metal mixed-oxide catalysts.

The Competence Center is currently building on five individual platforms, three of which are developing new cata-lytic materials and two aiming at method-ologic advances of the catalytic processes (fig. 3). Bismuth-Molybdenum is one material platform seeing success. Within a very short period of time, it has devel-oped its own catalyst based on the active elements bismuth and molyb denum. In a form tailored to certain reactions, the cat-alyst displays higher selectivity and activ-ity than the products currently available on the open market (fig. 4). The new cat-alyst is already being used on the technical scale to oxidize propene to acrolein, a starting material for such products as the feed additive methionine. Tests are under-way to determine its suitability for other reactions, such as the oxidation of isobu-tene, a starting material for methyl meth-acrylate, which is used to make PLEXI-GLAS®. The catalyst also dehydrates bu-tene to butadiene, which is required for the production of synthetic rubber for use in automobile tires and in the production of polyamides.

333

New laboratory infrastructure at GOcat in Marl

Chemistry, physics and reactor technology hand in hand Now more than ever, time is a critical fac-tor in research and development. This is why GOcat has promoted the automation of laboratory facilities and process steps. A total of five high-throughput plants are operating in two newly constructed labo-ratories at the Marl site. This high-through-put technology allows automated and par-allelized experiments, which increase the search speed and enables experiments in a wide range of parameters within an accept-able period of time. This is an important point when there are a variety of candi-dates and reaction parameters to compare based on their performance and effects.

An optimal catalyst must do more than work actively and selectively. It is just as important that it allows rapid scale-up, that enough of it can be produced fast and economically, and that it can stand up to heavy-duty production environments. But how well a catalyst works in commercial practice is determined not only by its com-position but its preparation method and additives. Together, these factors deter-mine mechanical stability, lifespan and re-action behavior under the required pres-sures and temperatures.


27caTalysIs

Figure 3

GOcat bundles know-how on material and method platforms

Oxidation catalyses take place in both the gas phase and in liquids. This gives rise to completely different issues during devel-opment. The critical factor in gas-phase reactions is optimal heat removal, because the heat transfer in gas is relatively poor. In liquid phases, on the other hand, the starting materials often form a multi-phase reaction mixture and, for this reason, there is greater emphasis on phase- transfer procedures to control the processes. For upscaling, the teams have several pro-cess-adapted reactors, in which they test physico-chemical and hydrodynamic in-fluences on reactor performance. These include, for example, traditional tube-type reactors with lateral sampling points for preparing concentration profiles and equip ment for continuously operating liq-uid-phase processes.

Electrocatalysis instead of nitric acid For GOcat, rarely considered disciplines in classical catalysis are also a fascinating field. These include electrochemistry, which is a focus of one of the methods platforms. In electrochemical catalytic processes, oxidations take place via mod-ified energy states. Their potential

Figure 2

Oxidation processes play an important role in all of Evonik’s business units

Bi-Mo mixed metal oxides Polyoxo metalatesMetal-cluster catalysts

Mat

eria

l

Electro-chemical catalystsReaction engineering for exo-/endothermic

reactions

Tech

nolo

gy

Consumer Health & Nutrition Resource Efficiency Specialty Materials

Health & Nutrition Coatings & Additives Performance Polymers

Consumer Specialties Inorganic Materials Advanced Intermediates

Acryl acid (for superabsorbents) Oxidation catalysts H2O2

Acrolein (for methionine)

Methacrylic acid (for MMA)Trimethyl adipic acid

333

Isobutene oxidation to MMA

M2+ a M3+

b Bi x Mo y O z

Oxidative dehydrogenation of n-butene

Propene oxidation to acrolein

cat. O2

–H2O

cat. O2

–H2O

cat. O2

–H2O

Bi-Mo-catalyst

Figure 4

Within a very short period of time, the Bismuth-Molybdenum material platform has developed a new catalyst that can be used for several Evonik-relevant reactions

O

O


28 caTalysIs

can be used to produce exceptionally complex molecules. Starting materials that can scarcely be tackled thermodynami-cally by conventional catalysts can also be used. Electrochemical catalytic reactions are also an attractive alternative for the production of high-quality specialty prod-ucts. Last but not least, electrocatalytic processes accumulate inexpensive green power, which is increasingly fed into the German grid, and can use it in a value-en-hancing way.

A GOcat team has explored the poten-tial of electrochemistry, using synthesis of trimethyl adipic acid (TMAS) as an ex-ample (fig. 5). TMAS is a key raw material for the Coatings & Additives Business Unit and is currently obtained at Evonik through oxidation with nitric acid. A new synthetic route will increase product selectivities and prevent the release of nitric oxides and sour residues as unwanted side effects of the use of nitric acid.

In 2013, GOcat prepared a feasibility study that proved that TMAS can be pro-duced electrochemically. The process, for wich a patent has now been filed, is still a long way from commercial use. But the developers gained important knowledge. The preliminary work and experiments identified the key to further refining the

process and increasing yields even more—for example, by using surface-activated substances that improve material ex-change, improved nickel catalysts with an enlarged surface area, and modified elec-trolytes. TMAS synthesis is also an excel-lent blueprint for transferring the acquired know-how to other processes in the fu-ture. Substituting conventional oxidation processes with electrocatalysis has a num-ber of advantages: it reduces consumption of resources, prevents exhaust air and wastewater, and obviates the need for ox-idizing agents such as nitric acid.

GOcat concentrates not only on Group- internal activities but is also the focal point for partnerships with universities and

research institutes. In this regard, Evonik is taking advantage of the fact that exter-nal researchers frequently approach cer-tain issues differently: they are often ac-knowledged specialists in a specific cata-lyst system and have profound knowledge of the methodology and expertise in ques-tions of detail. External German partners include the Universities of Stuttgart and Erlangen, and the Leibniz Institute for Ca-talysis in Rostock. But there are also highly promising relationships with Asian uni-versities such as Dalian University in China and the University of Tokyo in Japan.

The University of Cardiff is a relatively new partner. GOcat collaborates with the British scientists on the catalytic oxidation

333

Figure 5

A GOcat team explored the potential of electrochemistry on the example of synthesis of trimethyl adipinic acid (TMAS), a key raw material for the Coatings & Additives Business Unit. Electrocatalytic processes are run without oxidizing agents such as nitric acid and chlorine, and do not generate exhaust air or wastewater

OH

COOH

COOH

COOHCOOH

+ H2O, e-

– H2


29caTalysIs

tions,” which have the potential to revo-lutionize the entire market.

Second, GOcat stands for a new inten-sity in cooperation: the center draws its lifeblood from internal and external part-nerships, and from close cooperation across the business units and scientific dis-ciplines. Experience shows that a holistic approach to the value-added chain for cat-alytic processes can yield optimal solu-tions that benefit both the Group and its customers, and meet the requirements of future-proof chemistry. 777

Dr. horst-werner Zanthoff heads GOcat. Zanthoff studied chem-istry at Ruhr University Bochum, where he obtained his doctorate and, following research stays at the Compiègne University of Technology and the Institut de Recherche sur la Catalyse (CNRS) in Lyon (France) qualified as a university lecturer in the field of technical chemistry. In 2000, he started his industrial career at Evonik in the Reaction Technology department of the Process Technology & Engineering Service Unit. In 2004, following a stint in the Catalysis Project House, he worked in Process Engineering, where he was responsible for high-throughput screening. Zanthoff has also held a teaching position at Ruhr University in Bochum since 1999.phone +49 2365 49-19322, [email protected]

Dr. Dorit wolf heads the Allyl Oxidation cluster in the new GOcat Competence Center. Wolf studied chemistry at the University of Leipzig and received her doctorate there. She qualified as a university lecturer at Ruhr University Bochum and was granted authority to teach technical chemistry. In 1997, she accepted a position as director of the Reaction Technology Working Group at the Institute for Applied Chemistry Berlin-Adlershof. She moved to the Catalysis Project House at Evonik in 2001. Since 2013, she has headed the Fixed-Bed Catalysts department in the Catalysts Business Line of the Inorganic Materials Business Unit. phone +49 6181 59-8746, [email protected]

Dr. holger wiederhold heads the Liquid-phase Oxidation Cluster in the GOcat Competence Center. After studying chemistry at the Technical University of Darmstadt and receiving his doctorate in tech-nical chemistry, he started his career in 2006 in Process Technology at the former Degussa, where he headed various projects for the development of catalytic processes. He moved to the Advanced Inter-mediates Business Unit when GOcat opened and works for the center from there. phone +49 6181 59-5423, [email protected]

of low-molecular linear alcanes. Cur-rently, there are almost no technical solu-tions for profitably using these saturated hydrocarbons from crude oil and natural gas. They are often used only as propel-lants or simply incinerated. The partner-ship with Cardiff seeks to replace C3 and C4 alcanes with hydrogen peroxide. To this end, new catalysts based on gold and iron play the critical role. Previous experi-ments show that the process functions in principle, but the selectivities for com-mercial use are still too low.

First integrated solutions yield successAfter two years of GOcat, the results show that catalytic oxidations continue to hold great potential for innovation. The key to success is integrated solutions for which materials and design, process conditions and reactors are precisely coordinated to each other. This is the only way catalytic processes can play out their full potential. At the same time, improved processes with higher yields mean more than just profitability. As a rule, they also mean a significant increase in the efficient use of resources and energy. This is particularly true when conventional processes can be replaced by catalytic processes. Not least, more efficient oxidation processes con-tribute to sustainability and climate pro-tection by reducing CO2 emissions.

GOcat has started a total of 34 projects since it was established. Of these, approx-imately half focus on new catalyst materi-als and the other half focus on process de-velopment. As a result, the Competence Center has laid a crucial foundation in two respects. First, it is opening up more effi-cient production routes for key chemical products—and possibly also “dream reac-

Left: GOcat has several reactors for up-scaling catalytic processes—here, a continuously operating loop reactor for epoxidations

High-throughput plants enable automated and parallelized experiments with catalyst candidates (right)Far right: a classical tube reactor


30 ReacTOR TechNOlOgy

More insight into bubble columnsBubble columns are among the most important types of reactors in the chemical industry. But despite their significance, processes in multi-phase systems have been poorly understood, and reliable models for designing and optimizing plants have been lacking. In the Multi-Phase project, Evonik is working with external partners on fundamental know-how for efficient and cost-effective multi-phase reactors.

[ text Dr. Marc Becker, Prof. Dr. Robert Franke, Dr. Ingo Hamann]


31ReacTOR TechNOlOgy

BUBBle cOlUmNs aRe pretty simple—at least at first glance. Two phases are brought into contact with each other in cylin-drical reactors. Quite often, one phase is a gas, which is dispersed into a liquid. The contact between the two phases is so intense that they also react together chemically, usually with the aid of a catalyst. Because they are designed without moving mechan-ical parts, bubble column reactors have a simple construction that can safely handle aggressive media, even at high pressures and temperatures. This is why these multi-phase reactors are among the most important reactor types in process engineering. It is estimated that about 50 million metric tons of substances and chemicals are produced in bubble columns per year world-wide.

Take a second glance at these reactors, and the picture changes dramatically. Even though bubble columns are widely used, little is known about the impulse-driven, thermal and mass transfer processes that happen between the phases during the actual reaction. Usually complex piloting projects or analogies drawn from existing processes were the only way of designing and scaling up plants.

Bubble columns are also an important type of equipment for Evonik: more than one third of Group sales are linked to this type of reactor. Two particularly important applications for Evonik are the production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and aldehydes. The Group produces the oxidizing agent H2O2 at twelve sites worldwide. At the beginning of the year, the Active Oxygen Business Line commenced operation of its largest plant to date for H2O2 in Jilin (China) in which all three process steps—hydrogenation, oxidation and extraction—take place in bubble columns. The Performance Intermediates Business Line uses bubble columns primarily for hydroformylations, which convert olefins into aliphatic aldehydes, which are used to produce plas-ticizers, surfactant raw materials, and other specialty chemicals.

Models for industrial systems are lacking

The processes of multi-phase systems have been studied, simu-lated and described already in the past. But the models and con-cepts currently available are insufficient for chemical practice. There are a number of reasons for this. First, a lot of the litera-ture is based on water-air systems, because they are non-toxic, easy to handle, and their properties are known. However, as a blueprint of reality in the chemical industry, they are of limited use only. Commercial chemistry uses organic solvents more than any other, and most of the reactions are performed under pres-sure and/or at higher temperatures. In addition, the gas compo-sition changes along the length of the column, because the gas takes part in the reaction itself. 333

More insight into bubble columns

Evonik’s largest bubble column reactors, such as a smaller example from the Indonesian plant shown here, are used for the production of H2O2



Optimised design of bubble columns and improved plant construction

† Reduction of CO2 emissions

Figure 1

The structure of the Multi-Phase project

Modules for measurement of aqueous and industrial multi-phase fluid systems Bubble size, gas hold-up, gas and liquid velocity, concentration

Lab scale moduleBubble size distributionmass transfer coefficient

concentration profiles

Pilot scale moduleGas dispersion

residence time distributionconcentration profiles

Industrial scale moduleGas hold-up

residence time distributionconcentration profiles

DNS moduleDirect numerical simulation

CFD moduleOpen foam Euler-Euler simulation

Process moduleOpen CFD compartment models

Figure 2

Hydrodynamic processes of various material systems, including cumene/nitrogen and acetone/nitrogen, were studied as part of the Multi-Phase project. As the graph shows, the physical properties of the multi-phase system have a major impact on important design parameters such as gas holdup(Each pipe has a diameter of 0.16m)

Water

Acetone

Cumene

Gas holdup [%]

20

15

10

5

Superficial gas velocity [m/s]

0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.080.000



Second, real bubble columns normally contain intermediate trays, heat exchangers, or packing. These internals change the physical conditions and, therefore, the mass and energy trans-fer. Backmixing, dilution, dead zones and turbulence also play a big role for selective reactions, but that role has yet to be quan-tified hydrodynamically.

Not least, there is almost no literature on the design of indus-trially practical equipment. This is why construction and upscal-ing usually involve a high number of laboratory experiments. Certain components—for gas input or the internals in the reac-tor, for example—must be changed when a reactor is scaled up. How to do that is still based on practical tests.

Multi-Phase project to close knowledge gaps

How much simpler, more economical and resource-efficient it would be if there were tools and models that could analyze, describe and predict the processes in bubble columns. With this goal in mind, the Advanced Intermediates Business Unit and the Process Technology & Engineering Service Unit, together with partners from universities and medium-sized companies, have initiated the “Increasing Energy Efficiency and Reducing Green-house-Gas Emissions through Multi-Scale Modeling of Multi-Phase Reactors” project (“Multi-Phase” for short), which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The project has three objectives: 1) to develop suitable measuring techniques for bubble column reactors, 2) to study relevant ma-terial systems in an industrial test reactor, and 3) to develop new, broadly applicable models for multi-phase reactions (fig. 1).

Internal and external experts in reaction kinetics, fluid me-chanics and simulation have been working on these issues now for the past three years. For them, the challenge is identifying and understanding bubble reactor phenomena, which span a large scale-range. The relevant reaction and transport processes

occur on different scales of time and space—ranging from reac-tions at the molecular level, through turbulence around the gas bubbles and boundary movement, to large-scale flow processes. This places heavy demands not only on the measuring technol-ogy but also on the development of practical simulations for the planning and design of plants.

Measuring methods successfully adapted

As of 2013, a total of about ten different measuring methods have been tested, adapted and successfully used in a pilot reactor. The engineers chose mainly non-invasive methods for refining and adjusting the measuring techniques. Working with the Helm-holtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, they were able, for the first time, to adapt gamma-ray tomography to a technical reactor and measure the gas content of a bubble column non-invasively. For the invasive methods they tested, the most important factor was the compatibility with organic media, high pressures and tem-peratures. The use of Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) from In-telligent Laser Applications allowed engineers to visualize liquid velocity fields just as they could determine the size and distri-bution of gas bubbles. A Bruker FTIR spectrometer for measur-ing concentrations allows to measure the residence time distri-butions.

Measuring technology requires a real reactor to supply valid data. So the planning and construction of a pilot reactor were important milestones of the Multi-Phase project. To this end, Evonik constructed a four-meter bubble column at the Marl site. By early 2014, engineers had tested a variety of organic solvent/gas systems, such as cumene/nitrogen and acetone/nitrogen—whose properties come close to actual systems—and recorded and measured their hydrodynamic properties (fig. 2). The inno-vation was that the reactor allowed the testing of an organic multi-phase reaction under high pressure (up to 40 bar) and 333

The size and distribution of gas bubbles can be measured in bubble columns using an endoscopic laser camera system

333



elevated temperatures of up to 80° C. Evaluation of the data from the measuring phase is still ongoing and will be concluded by the end of this year. There are already indications, however, that a lot of the data from the literature does not correspond to what is actually happening in the pilot reactor.

Pilot reactor used for an actual process

From the beginning, an important aspect of the design of the pi-lot reactor was that it is not specifically tailored to the experi-mental part of the project but also transferable to an actual, tech-nical-scale material system belonging to the Group after the test phase is finished. For this reason, the reactor was largely financed by the Performance Intermediates Business Line, which has used it for hydroformylations since May 2014, and is now generating additional data with an actual reaction system for the project. The new measuring technology allows for the first time, to moni-tor the system over an extended period of time and thereby gain a better understanding of the reactions taking place inside of the reactor. After that, the equipment will be used to test new pro-cesses for the production of plasticizer alcohols and specialty chemicals, using a variety of catalysts at different pressures and temperatures.

The tests at the pilot reactor are providing the basis for the development of new models that describe the processes and in-teractions in bubble columns far better than anything currently available. They will result in a simulation tool, that allows engi-neers to plan and design reactors, shorten their development cycle, define the most economical operational mode from the outset, and save energy and emissions during operation. This work is now in full swing.

The experts are taking a two-stage approach to the model-ing: first, they are working on “shortcut” models for a rough esti-mation of the most important parameters of a bubble column.

This set of simple models will enable engineers to determine such factors as the size and dimensions of the reactor and heat exchangers, the quantity of gas, and the number of trays required. Shortcut models can be transferred to almost any multi-phase reaction by using the specific measuring and substance data. They reduce experimental efforts and make it possible to evalu-ate the reactor and the investment required at a very early stage in the planning and design process. They are also suitable for optimizing existing processes.

In addition to developing shortcut models, engineers are refining and adapting computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simu-lations. CFD is an established method to describe flow processes based on various complex model equations. CFD simulations have been carried out since as early as the 1990s—but with the phases as a continuum. Older models, therefore, describe only the macroscopic structure of the flow. Only in the last few years have researchers and developers turned their focus to micro-scopic processes on individual bubbles to record material and energy transport to the phase boundaries, which are decisive for the yield and efficiency of the reaction. CFD simulations are quite detailed and require a computing time of several weeks. This makes it all the more important to validate these complex flow models through experiments as part of Multi-Phase, and to adapt them to organic material systems.

External partners provided key input

A project as ambitious as Multi-Phase relies on the efficient interaction of cross-disciplinary knowledge. This is why the contributions of partners from universities and industry were so important. The medium-sized companies involved in the project, for instance, adjusted and refined measuring methods to make them practical for use in the pilot reactor. The team led by Prof. Michael Schlüter of the Technical University of

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Hamburg-Harburg contributed its expertise to the measuring and visualizing of microturbulences, which are key to under-stand the local mass transfers. Ruhr University Bochum, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and the Center of Smart In-terfaces at the Technical University of Darmstadt also provided vital input to the modeling.

Multi-Phase is filling knowledge gaps on a number of levels and in a variety of disciplines. The testing of various measuring methods has proven their potential for adaptation to an actual organic reaction system. The tests in the pilot reactor have de-livered key knowledge about actual reaction systems and pro-cess conditions. The models are closing the gap between exper-iments and simulation, and in the future, will allow the processes in a bubble column to be calculated in an acceptable period of time and reactors to be planned reliably. Following the closing of the project in April 2015, open-source software will be avail-able for the community to use and further refine.

Even after the Multi-Phase project has concluded, not all the questions about bubble columns will have been answered. But the findings will be extremely useful. In the future, Evonik will be able to decrease the number of experiments needed for the planning of new bubble-column reactors, and therefore reduce the development time. Project managers are confident that, be-cause of the newly acquired knowledge, existing plants can also be optimized in such areas as raw material and energy consump-tion. And because the models describe the interaction of a gas and a liquid in general—not just in bubble columns—the results can be transferred to other reactor designs and multi-phase pro-cesses, from microbiological fermentations to wastewater puri-fication plants. The Multi-Phase project could lead to a variety of improvements not only in the overall economic efficiency but specifically in the energy and resource efficiency of chemical production plants, and make a solid contribution to a sustainable chemistry. 777

Dr. marc Becker heads the Reaction Engineering Pilot Plant in the Process Technology & Engineering unit in Marl, and is group leader in the Multiphase Catalytic Processes area. After studying chemical engineering at the Technical University of Dortmund and earning his doctorate in technical chemistry, he started his career in the Process Technology & Engineering unit in 2008. There, he worked in the Computer Aided Process Engineering unit as a process engineer before becoming group leader in Reaction Engineering. He has also headed the test center there since 2011.phone +49 2365 49-6737, [email protected]

Prof. Dr. Robert franke is responsible for oxo research as Director of Innovation Management in the Advanced Intermediates Business Unit. He studied industrial chemistry and theoretical chemistry at the Ruhr University Bochum, where he earned his PhD in 1994 and subsequently worked as a scientific assistant. In 1998, he joined Evonik in the Computer-Aided Process Engineering department of Process Technol-ogy. After holding various positions, including a stint in Creavis’ Process Intensification Project House, he moved to his current position in early 2009. Franke earned his habilitation in the subject of theoretical chemistry in 2002, and since then has held a position as lecturer at the Ruhr University Bochum. He was appointed adjunct professor in 2011.phone +49 2365 49-2899, [email protected]

Dr. Ingo hamann is the Vice President of Production & Engineering in the Active Oxygen Business Line, where he is responsible for global process and technol-ogy development for the hydrogen peroxide process. After earning his Ph.D. in chemistry at the Technische Universität Braunschweig, Dr. Hamann began his career in 1990 at the REWO chemical plant in Steinau an der Straße (Germany) where he conducted surfactants research. He took up his current job in 2008 after holding various operational positions in Consumer Specialties production facilities in Spain and the US.phone +1 973 929 8377, [email protected]

A bubble column reactor is moved from the building at Process Engi n eering to the pilot plant of the Per for mance Intermediates Business Line


36 News

Fuel saving with effcient, high-performance hydraulic oilDYNAVIS® additive technology from Evonik Industries increases the efficiency of hydrau-lically operated construction machinery. Hydraulic fluids work best in a defined tem-perature range; cold conditions and increas-ing operating temperatures negatively affect

the performance of construction machinery, with many oils reaching their limits at around 90°C. In the worst-case scenario, the hydrau-lic circuit steering may fail.

DYNAVIS® technology gives hydraulic fluids a significantly wider range of operating

temperatures. This does not just improve the machinery uptime, it also reduces fuel con-sumption as well as CO2 emissions.

Trials carried out under normal operating conditions at construction vehicle operator Schrode Tief- und Straßenbau GmbH demon-strated—in addition to improved handling—a fuel saving of around ten percent in mixed mode excavation and of around 25 percent in stone milling. “Per year, that adds up to €6,000 per excavator. Finding this out means that using hydraulic fluid with the new tech-nology has been more than worth it,” explains Managing Director Rainer Schrode.

DYNAVIS® technology is making an impact on the market. “We are doing busi-ness with all major mineral oil groups,” says Dr. Oliver Eyrisch, who is responsible for global marketing of DYNAVIS®. The French oil multinational TOTAL, for instance, is cur-rently introducing the latest generation of high-performance hydraulic fluids containing oil additives from Evonik.

Strategic partnership with the University of TokyoEvonik Industries and the University of Tokyo plan to work together closely in selected fields in the future and have sealed a strategic partnership for this purpose. Prof. Dr. Noboru Harata, Director General of Division of University Corporate Relations, the University of Tokyo, Ulrich Sieler, Senior representative of the Evonik Group in Japan, and Dr. Peter Nagler, Chief Innovation Officer at Evonik, have now signed a corresponding contract at the launch of the scientific forum, Evonik Meets Science, in Tokyo. “We are very inter-ested in sharing knowledge and our research results with society. Collaborations with in-dustry are a great way to accomplish this,” emphasized Prof. Dr. Shigeo Kagami, General Manager of the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “We therefore welcome the partnership with Evonik as a leading spe-cialty chemicals company.”

The University of Tokyo is one of the most important universities in the world and enjoys an excellent reputation around the world. The university, which employs about 1,300 full professors, 900 associate professors and boasts 28,000 students, has produced numer-ous prime ministers and Nobel Prize winners.

“The strategic partnership with such an excel-lent university is an important step for us in expanding our research activities in Japan and in Asia,” said Sieler.

The University of Tokyo is now Evonik’s fourth strategic university partner. Such part-nerships already exist with the University of Minnesota in the USA, the renowned Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) in China, and with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, in the fall of 2013, Evonik signed a memorandum of understand-ing regarding a strategic partnership with the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), the leading major national research institution in Singapore. “These partnerships are an important tool for our international innovation strategy,” Nagler stated. “Networking worldwide with top institutions gives us access to scientific excel-lence and researchers with outstanding edu-cational backgrounds.”

Strategic partnerships with universities in all important regions of the world create a framework for Evonik for joint research proj-ects and a regular sharing of research trends

in science and industry. “Our customers also profit from this,” Nagler clarified. “By com-bining various technical concepts and com-petences with culturally diverse approaches, we can expect completely new ideas and con-cepts.” Furthermore, Evonik gets involved in lectures and offers a wide variety of intern-ships, and master and doctoral thesis topics to educate and support the next generation of scientists.

The expansion of innovation activities in eco nomically attractive regions supports Evo-nik’s growth strategy. The goal is to strength-en local customer competitiveness with tech-nological services as well as research and application techniques that fit local needs.

An example in Asia is the R&D center in Shanghai (China) which was expanded in 2013 for the third time. In total, Evonik invest-ed €23 million in the 14,000-square-meter building with 50 laboratories. Evonik’s Light & Electronics Project House is located in the renowned Industrial Technology Research Institute in Hsinchu (Taiwan), where research is carried out in the immediate vicinity of large production companies in the electronics industry. The most central topics here

Excavators save fuel with high- performance hydraulic fluids

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37News

PLEXIGLAS® offers a multitude of benefits for automotive construction. Added to the design options mentioned above, it offers convincing resistance to weathering and ag-ing, and can be produced in every imaginable color. Injection-molded non-transparent components have no need for painting or laminating, thereby reducing component costs by up to 40 percent. This makes the production of these components with mold-ed-in color from PLEXIGLAS® environmen-tally friendly and economical.

are panel lighting, display components, and functional coatings. The project house has already made samples of newly devel-oped opto-electronic applications available to potential customers for testing purposes. Furthermore, Creavis, the strategic innova-tion unit of Evonik, opened a biotechnologi-cal research laboratory in Shanghai in 2013.

Additionally, Evonik plans to further strength-en research in the NAFTA region, focusing on five Evonik sites. At the beginning of April, a project house was also launched here: This house will conduct research in the medical engineering field and is located in Birmingham (Alabama, USA), a site of the Health & Nutrition Business Unit.

PLEXIGLAS® creates ambient light in carsThese days, cars offer drivers all manner of assistance, from parking assist systems and bending lights to navigation systems, ESP and ABS, but self-driving cars that require no in-tervention from drivers are more of a distant dream. Renowned automobile companies are already working to make life even easier for drivers. This includes developer Frank M. Rinderknecht with his company Rinspeed. Supported by experts from the Automotive Industry Team from Evonik Industries, he presented his concept car, the XchangE, at the “Synthetic Materials in the Automotive Construction” congress of the Association of German Engineers.

PLEXIGLAS®, the Evonik product that is used in the XchangE, does not only produce a unique driving ambience, it also replaces some metal and glass structures in the vehi-cle, which leads to weight savings. This acryl-ic material (PMMA) offers designers huge creative scope in terms of forming, and makes it possible to integrate a number of different

functions. The lighting in the car headliner and the cross car beam are equipped with PLEXIGLAS® LED for edge lighting. This light-diffusing, transparent specialty product creates a pleasant atmosphere inside the vehicle thanks to its uniform light distribu -tion and excellent luminous efficiency. PLEXIGLAS® is also found in the XchangE in the interior trim and the center console panel.In addition, it is used in rear spoilers, as a cover for taillights and for optically ultra-pure headlight lenses.

Frank M. Rinderknecht (left) from the Rinspeed company with Rudolf Blass of Evonik's Automotive Industry Team

Entrance to the University of Tokyo (left)From left to right:Prof. Shigeo Kagami (Head of the Of fice for Innovation and Entrepre neurship of the University of Tokyo), Prof. Noboru Harata (Head of the Business Relations unit at the Univer sity of Tokyo), Dr. Peter Nagler (Chief Innovation Officer Evonik), Ulrich Sieler (Head of Evonik Japan)

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38 evONIk OPeN INNOvaTION cONfeReNce 2014

In spring Evonik held the third Open Innovation Conference. This time it centered on the intrapreneur, the corporate entrepreneur, who is considered an important catalyst of innovation.

“aNyThINg New Is bad. Curiosity is bad. Going out at night is bad” are the three rules painted on the wall of the cave by patriarch Grug. Yet, the world is chang-ing. Even the Stone Age family the Croods in the an-imation movie of the same name is forced to admit this in a frightening way when the cave over their heads is destroyed by an earthquake. Looking for somewhere else to live, the Croods embark on a com-pletely new life: colorful, dangerous, fascinating—and insightful.

Released in 2013, this movie outlines this trip and the conflict between the risk-averse Grug and his adventurous daughter Eep. The film aims to enter-tain and—in the best tradition of the U.S. Disney an-imation—moralize. That said, it also provides a nice blueprint for developments like those that can be found in companies today—in the conflict between

structuring and creativity, between everyday work and innovation. After all, in a changing business world (sic!), it is not enough to simply continue the existing models; something new is required. So it is no surprise that the trailer for The Croods was also shown at an Evonik event, the Open Innovation Con-ference.

On March 25 and 26, the Corporate Innovation Strategy & Management unit organized this internal innovation conference for the third time. Some 140 experts from the Group attended the event at Evo-nik’s Hanau site. The main topic at this year’s con-vention was the corporate entrepreneur as a driver of innovation. “To achieve our ambitious goals as an organization, we need to approach innovation from a fresh perspective time and again,” said Chief Inno-vation Officer Dr. Peter Nagler in his opening address.

Innovation needs entrepreneurship


39evONIk OPeN INNOvaTION cONfeReNce 2014

The fact that Evonik is already good at being “more innovative than many other companies” was not enough, he said. “We want to turn Evonik into one of the most innovative companies worldwide.” This would take time, and Evonik would need the commitment of each individual, he added. “After all, innovation cannot be simply delegated to the research and de-velopment units; it is up to everybody to do their bit.”

Ideation Jam encouraged an entrepreneurial mindset The three highest-ranking project teams from the Evonik Ideation Jam 2013-2014 were officially chosen at the beginning of the Evonik Open Innovation Con-ference. “The Ideation Jam is mostly about entrepre-neurial activity,” said Dr. Georg Oenbrink, who heads the Innovation Networks & Communications depart-ment in the Corporate Innovation Strategy & Man-agement unit. The Ideation Jam, a form of internal innovation crowdsourcing at Evonik, and the Inno-vation Conference are the result of his initiative, though he initiated the Ideation Jam in conjunction with the Health & Nutrition Business Unit. “We would like to have more entrepreneurs in the orga-nization,” continued Oenbrink.

A total of 360 employees were part of the Ideation Jam community. The topic was the search for new health care solutions for an aging population. The Ideation Jam comprised a multi-stage process extend-ing from the end of October 2013 to March 2014, with

the stages of idea generation, evaluation of ideas, and further development alternating with one another. The five most compelling projects were developed in greater depth and fleshed out between February and March by teams of employees advised by a coach from management level. The three winners of the Ideation Jam, selected by a four-person panel comprising man-agers from Evonik, are the Get well pleasantly, O2Heal, and SurgiHeal projects.

The Get well pleasantly team had an idea for a new dosage form that makes tablets easier to swallow. The O2Heal project team in turn aims to accelerate the healing of wounds through an improved supply of oxygen. And the SurgiHeal team hopes to simplify the treatment of broken bones with the aid of new materials.

The awards do not mark the end of the projects by any means. “We will follow up on all five projects, those of the three winners and those of the two run-ners-up,” promised Dr. Reiner Beste, head of the Health & Nutrition Business Unit at Evonik and a member of the judging panel at the Ideation Jam.

Innovation requires creative freedom

In order to continue to push their projects success-fully, the teams had to adopt an entrepreneurial mind-set and take an entrepreneurial approach, making the most of their potential. In his speech, management coach Sebastian Purps explained which requirements a company should create for this from a neuro- 333

Skills and behaviors that intrapreneurs should have and that were required at Evonik’s global Ideation Jam 2013-2014

Observable behavior• Passion & persistence• Self-confidence• Self-reliance• Opportunity-focused• Ability to complete tasks• Willing to work hard• Willing to take a risk• Creative in solving problems

Needed skills• Ability to plan• Communication skills• Marketing skills• Interpersonal skills• Basic management skills• Personal effectiveness• Team building skills• Leadership skills



biology perspective. Essentially, it is all about three things: connectivity, adaptability of the environ-ment, and mental pictures. “Connectivity can be creat ed through a genuinely open feedback culture in the company,” Purps claims. However, if employees feel left out of processes or the main atmosphere is one of seclusion, employees are less likely to develop.

The situation as regards adaptability is similar: “Well-defined tasks coupled with strict control are counterproductive in exhausting employees’ poten-tial.” Here, attention to detail is also important: Whether a supervisor requires his staff to deliver something or asks for their support in delivering it makes a big difference, Purps said.

As for the mental pictures: Our brains are flooded with up to twelve million stimuli per second. The brain is unable to process all this and therefore uses strong filters. “The stimuli that remain are decisive for what a person stores as mental pictures, in other words, as the model for the outside world,” said Purps. “Now, if a supervisor makes an employee feel like he is of no use for the company, his behaviour will reflect that.” This makes it impossible to develop employees’ potential.

Ideas can’t be forced

The speaker Prof. Vali Lalioti also underlined the im-portance of people for innovations: “To have innova-tion we need an orchestrated balance between the individual and the team, fast and slow thinking, an analytical and insightful approach, as well as internal and external expertise. To find this balance, rather than managing processes, projects or budgets we need to think of the three P´s of innovation: people, people, and people.”

Lalioti is a professor of leadership, design, and inno-vation at the Antwerp Business School in Belgium and runs a company that helps corporations make ideas happen. Though KPIs are important to business in-novation will be discernible through changes in the corporate culture. “From a company’s perspective, innovation means that employees dedicate themselves to valuable activities,” said Lalioti. “Ideas need space and a relaxed mind”—neither brainstorming nor team-work can force ideas.

What can be influenced does not need to be forecastTwo more speakers from the research side attended the innovation conference: Jochen Schmidt, a doc-toral student at the EBS European Business School, and Dr. Axel Roseno from Copenhagen Business School. Schmidt follows up on research topics relat-ing to corporate entrepreneurship. “While corporate entrepreneurship is gaining importance right now, some important questions are critical regarding cor-porate entrepreneurial success,” said Schmidt. Such as how can top managers facilitate entrepreneurial behavior among middle managers? Which different behaviors do middle managers apply in corporate entre preneurship? And which entrepreneurial behaviors by middle managers lead to business model innovation and successful projects?

According to Schmidt, recent research has found, that the corporate motto “only that which can be pre-dicted can be managed” does not maximize entrepre-neurial success. He argues, “what can be controlled and influenced does not need to be forecasted in de-tail.” Hence, top-managers who are willing to break new grounds should support their middle-managers and provide autonomy for alternative entrepreneur-ial approaches such as effectuation. Focusing on co-creation with partners and incorporating sur-prises from outside are specifically important. In a nutshell, “a mix of effectuation and classic corporate entrepreneurship advances business model innova-tion and is therefore a prerequisite for entrepreneur-ial success in large corporations,” said Schmidt.

Axel Roseno, an external lecturer at Copenhagen Business School and CEO of the Innovation Roundta-ble, shed light on the extent of large corporations’ capacity for innovation based on the results of a sur-vey. The Innovation Roundtable is an international network of practitioners responsible for innovation. Evonik is one of its 70 or so members.

“There are not many companies out there with the mature capability to create new business instead of only gradually improving their core business,” Roseno clarified at the outset. He has identified six factors constituting an obstacle to new business: con cen-trating on current markets, focusing on core business,

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a risk-averse corporate culture, a strong tenden cy to plan, closed company boundaries, and a narrowly de-fined outlook as regards market opportunities.

Encouraging entrepreneurship provides impetus for the culture of innovationIn five more speeches, speakers reported from prac-tical experience of how capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship can be combined. Dr. Michael Ko-rell and Joern Kiwitt from Evonik got the ball rolling. “The Coatings & Additives Business Unit started its Corporate Entrepreneur program three years ago,” explained Korell, who has since left the business unit to join Creavis, Evonik’s strategic innovation unit. In this program, all employees from the business unit can initially submit creative ideas that are close to their heart and that they intend to push with commit-ment and passion. An innovation boot camp will help the creators of ideas make these more specific: a two-day workshop with an external leader—without the participants being available by telephone.“Things will get really serious at the business unit’s annual Global Innovation Day,” said Korell. At this, the project teams must present their projects and the business unit’s entire innovation community— researchers, application technicians, staff from mar-keting and production, plus management—can act as

investors and symbolically invest money in their favorites. The winners—Kiwitt and Korell in the past two years—will then have one year to advance their project, also by finding backers in the business unit. “You have to be prepared to be thrown into the spot-light,” Kiwitt said. After a year, at least the draft of a business plan and a clear picture of the risks and re-wards then exist. “For the participants, it is a roller coaster ride, and so far we are unable to say how this approach ultimately leads to the creation of new busi-ness,” Korell freely admitted, “but in any case it has given our culture of innovation a boost.”

Dr. Matthias Messer also reported on such a boost. He is responsible for the group-wide idea manage-ment and part of the new business development team that has been in existence for the past six years at the Freudenberg Group, known among other things for the Vileda brand. This group is active in extremely different segments: seals, cleaning products, specialty chemicals, and bonded fabrics. To generate new ideas, the company awards the Freudenberg idea Trophy, an open competition to achieve startups out of new business ideas in defined areas, “i.e., in the areas in which we want to grow,” Messer spelled out. So far, the Trophy has given rise to two startups: the Scaffolene startup specializing in bioresorbable non-wovens and the company Purtex, which focuses on fabric finishing. 333

Which capabilities must a company have to create new business? Dr. Axel Roseno, an external lecturer at Copenhagen Business School and CEO of the Innovation Roundtable, has identified six factors for this

Source: Dr. Axel Roseno

Dual strategy• Develop a growth vision addressing megatrends• Translate vision into new growth platforms• Learn to assess new growth opportunities

Parallel organization• Give ventures freedom (forget)• Keep interface to core (borrow)• Stimulate intrapreneurship

Climate for entrepreneurship• Stimulate creativity and experiments• Embrace risk and celebrate failure• Nurture and reward business builders

Exploration and experimentation• Discover and envision opportunities• Prototype and iterate• Move new business into mainstream

Co-creation for venturing• Use partners to hedge• Be ready to adapt partner terms• Leverage start-ups and universities

New markets and ecosystems• Find new markets and unmet needs• Create new business models• Build or enter new ecosystems

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Bodo Kohlenbach reported on a completely dif-ferent challenge in the area of innovation for a com-pany. He is a partner at Pulsar Consulting and in this capacity advised Deutsche Telekom on its inside-out incubation. “This is about commercializing internal innovation projects and IP that cannot be imple-mented,” Kohlenbach explained. In Deutsche Tele-kom’s innovation matrix, these activities come some-where between the group’s own Hubraum business incubator and the T-Labs research institution. “The possible legal channels for implementing such in-side-out incubations are spin-offs, joint ventures or partnerships, as well as IP licensing and sales.” It is important not to underestimate the internal market-ing expense required to get such businesses off the ground, Kohlenbach warned.

Practical innovation training fuels entrepreneurshipDr. Heribert Watzke, former Assistant Vice President of Emerging & Novel Technologies at Nestlé, also talked about the high effort of advancing corporate entrepreneurship. In the last seven years, the food group has set up practical innovation training, the MicroMBA, to fuel intrapreneurship. Each year, the CTO nominates 25 participants for this at the proposal of the R&D units.

“Participation must be voluntary,” clarified Watzke. “If we find out that an employee has been obligated to participate, we send them back.” In the course of half a year, the participants receive three weeks of training to familiarize themselves with the basic methods and skills of an entrepreneur. “Eleven exter nal and eleven internal trainers supervise these courses,” said Watzke, illustrating the intensive training ratio. Afterwards, participants have 15 months for an innovation project, from selecting the team members to convincing potential internal busi-ness partners. “They have to do the work on top of their regular job and have no budget for this,” Watzke said.

Up to now, over 130 employees have been through the program, with 60 percent subsequently taking up positions outside research & development. “Twen-ty-seven innovation projects have been completed in

the future fields of nutrition, health and wellness, four business plans have already been implemented, and four more are about to be completed as R&D proj-ects,” said Watzke. “So far, not one business plan has been rejected as unrealistic.” Now, the MicroMBA will also be open to American and Asian R&D staff.

Stamina required

Contrasting with this structured approach at Nestlé, Dr. David Medina Tato outlined an extremely open approach to innovation at drug manufacturer Boeh-ringer Ingelheim. Medina Tato is part of the Business Model & Healthcare Innovation team that has been charged by executive management with finding inno-vations outside the company’s traditional areas of business. The team, which has been in existence for two-and-a-half years, comprises ten employees, with some rotating members being replaced every six months.

“We are experts in nothing, not even in innova-tion,” Medina Tato said with a twinkle in his eye, “and we have neither specific requirements nor templates for a business case.” When the team members find interesting technologies or business ideas in the fast-growing health care sector, they look within the group for partners whom they try to get interested in prototypes or the further development of ideas. The budget can come from these partners or from the group itself. A steering committee regularly requests updates on the team’s work and approves the launch of projects.

It is a method that requires stamina. The team now has over 20 projects on the go worldwide. “The first year, we could not chalk up a single success,” Medina Tato frankly admitted, “but when we managed to advance one project in year two, the perception of our work within the organization changed com-pletely.” The entrepreneurs suddenly counted for something in their own company. 777

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quent workshop that addressed the question, “What will characterize communication among high school students or families in 2025 and which role will specialty chemicals products play in this context?” The 85 schol-arship recipients discussed this and similar questions, to come up with an interactive din-ner table, an intelligent clock, and intelligent film. “I was impressed by the many creative and innovative ideas,” said Anne McCarthy, who is responsible for Employer Branding in the Service organization.

The company regularly invites the scholar-ship recipients to give them early insights into the working reality of a specialty chemicals company.

German scholarship recipient meeting 2014Evonik supports some 185 scholarship recip-ients at 13 universities as part of its German scholarship program. Once a year, Evonik in-vites all German scholarship recipients for an introduction to the company. This year’s meet-ing was held in Hanau in early March and also called on the creativity of the attendees.

Some 85 German scholarship recipients took part at the meeting. The attendees, who came armed with many questions, included future economists, engineers and natural sci-entists from all over Germany. Thomas Wessel, Executive Board Member and Chief Human Resource Officer of Evonik, provided a first-hand report on the employer claim “Exploring opportunities. Growing together.” “We spe-cifically promote the continuing education of our employees and career advancement with-in our own ranks,” he said. “This is guaran-teed by the systematic talent management we

have built at Evonik. It is essential to promote highly qualified employees and to support them in their career planning efforts.”

Dr. Felix Müller, Vice President European Research Policy, provided the students with an overview of research topics pursued by Evonik along with examples of innovative product developments. “We have to antici-pate which trends will be relevant twenty years from now, and which problems these so-called megatrends may be associated with. The challenge is to supply solutions, for example to help us respond to the megatrend of resource efficiency.”

In the session that followed, young pro-fessionals at Evonik described how they came to join the company. They also answered the German scholarship recipients’ questions on getting started in the profession. The young professionals then took part in the subse-

Credits scientific advisory BoardDr. Felix MüllerCorporate Innovation Strategy & Management [email protected]

editor in chiefDr. Karin Aßmann (responsible)[email protected] [email protected]

contributing editorSilke AmthauerChrista FriedlMichael Vogel

PhotosEvonik IndustriesKarsten BootmannDieter DeboDr. Bart HamersCarsten PaulStefan WildhirtFotolia:chandlervid85 (p. 27)Sandra Knopp (p. 25)Sergey Nivens (p. 38–42)Manuel Schäfer (p. 30)Shutterstock:Mati Nitibhon (cover, p.13)

Design Michael Stahl, Munich (Germany)

Printed bydruckservice duisburg medienfabrik GmbH & Co. KG(Germany)

Reproduction only with permission of the editorial office

Evonik Industries is a worldwide manufacturer of PMMA products sold under the PLEXIGLAS® trademark on the European, Asian, African, and Australian continents and under the ACRYLITE® trademark in the Americas

Some 85 German scholarship recipients met in Hanau

Publisherevonik Industries agCorporate Innovation Strategy & Management

Rellinghauser Straße 1–1145128 EssenGermany

Exploring opportunities. Growing together.

Want to see plants glow?Let’s make it work!As a global leader in specialty chemicals, we are looking for imaginative scientists who actively shape and enrich the world with their ideas. Sound like you? Then be a part of our international team. Learn more about the countless opportunities at: evonik.com/careers

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elements 47, issue 2 | 2014 · 2017-09-29 · elements47 issue 2|2014 edi tori al 3 learning while...

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