Chemical World - June 2011

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Chemical World is a monthly magazine for the chemical process industry. Published by Network 18 Ltd., it delivers the latest trends and technologies, highly useful articles and case studies, business strategies, views & visions of industry leaders and information on process industry machinery. It covers national & international current affairs, upcoming projects, events and other significant developments in the chemical process industry.

Transcript of Chemical World - June 2011

Page 1: Chemical World - June 2011

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7June 2011 | Chemical World

EDITORIAL

A s the Indian economy continues to surge at close to nine per cent per annum, and considering the dismal status of infrastructure in the country at present,

it is not surprising to see the mega investments being planned towards it. Besides, the oil & gas sector has an ambitious target to achieve refining capacity of 302 MMTPA by 2017, as a part of ` 2.8-trillion investment for the 12th Plan period.

Likewise, massive investments are in the pipeline towards greenfield/brownfield LNG terminals for meeting the rising LNG needs of consumers in energy and fertiliser sectors. Also, the Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) policy, aimed at promoting integrated mega chemical clusters in the country, is expected to attract enormous investments.

All these developments indicate the huge growth potential for the Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) activities in India. It is important to note here the changing dynamics in this arena as there is a growing trend towards appointing EPC contractors who would take single point responsibility for the entire project and be responsible for project management on a day-to-day basis.

However, one of the key challenges facing the client today is ascertaining about the safety aspect of EPC contracting method. Some of the related issues include more complex and larger projects,

higher risk exposure, delay in the finalisation of contracts due to lengthy negotiations/budget issues, etc.

Given this scenario, the Lump Sum Turnkey mode of execution seems to be having an edge in terms of client preference, primarily because of transfer of almost all associated risks to the EPC contractor by virtue of assigning single point responsibility towards quality, price and timely delivery. Turn to ‘Sector Watch’ and ‘Market Scope’ to track some of the latest practices as well as future prospects in the EPC segment, with a special focus on India.

Now, let us look at the field of effluent treatment, where a significant shift has occurred in the recent times. Thanks to the advent of new technologies such as reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, membrane bioreactors, etc, effluent treatment is not only controlling water pollution but also helping to conserve the resources as well as energy. ‘Industry Update’ offers several insights as to how biotechnology can offer a cheaper and cleaner alternative to conventional effluent treatment processes that utilise chemicals.

On the makeover mode

Editor : Manas R BastiaAssistant Editor: Rakesh RaoSenior Features Writer: Prasenjit ChakrabortyFeatures Writer: Mahua RoyCorrespondent: Avani Jain (Ahmedabad)Copy Editor: Marcilin MadathilEdit Associate - Products: Paskaline SebastianAssistant Art Director: Varuna NaikChief Photographer: Mexy XavierPhotographer: Neha Mithbawkar, Joshua NavalkarDesign: Mahendra VarpeProduction: Vikas Bobhate, Pravin Koyande, Dnyaneshwar Goythale, Ravikumar Potdar, Ravi Salian, Sanjay Shelar, Lovey Fernandes, Pukha Dhawan, Varsha Nawathe, Akshata Rane, Abhay BorkarMarketing & Branding: Jagruti Shah, Ganesh MahaleCEO-Publishing: Sandeep KhoslaAssociate Vice President: Sudhanva JategaonkarSubscription: Sunil Nair, Distribution Head Email: [email protected], [email protected] Tel: 91-22-3003 4631/4633

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Printed by Mohan Gajria and published by Lakshmi Narasimhan on behalf of Infomedia 18 Limited and printed at Infomedia 18 Ltd, Plot no.3, Sector 7, off Sion-Panvel Road, Nerul, Navi Mumbai 400 706, and published at Infomedia 18 Ltd, ‘A’ Wing, Ruby House, J.K.Sawant Marg, Dadar (W), Mumbai - 400 028.Chemical World is registered with the Registrar of Newspapers of India under No. 14798/2005. Views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Infomedia 18 Limited. Infomedia 18 Limited reserves the right to use the information published herein in any manner whatsoever. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the information published in this edition, neither Infomedia 18 Ltd nor any of its employees accept any responsibility for any errors or omission. Further, Infomedia 18 Ltd does not take any responsibility for loss or damage incurred or suffered by any subscriber of this magazine as a result of his/her accepting any invitation/offer published in this edition. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

Editor: Manas R Bastia

Editorial Advisory Board

Pothen Paul Executive Chairman, Aker Powergas Pvt Ltd

D P Misra Director, TCE Consulting Engineers Ltd and Former Director General, ICC

P D Samudra Executive Director (Sales) & Member of the Board, Uhde India Ltd

Manas R [email protected]

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Chemical World | June 20118

CONTENTS

Highlights of Next Edition

LEADERS SPEAK “The chemical industry needs to set its house in order” 19...says Prasad Chandran, Chairman, BASF Companies in India, & Head - South Asia

ROUNDTABLE Effluent treatment systems: Imperative to make them more effective 22

FACILITY VISITIKA India: Aiding R&D, empowering innovation 26

SECTOR WATCHEPC sector: Redefining the industrial landscape 30

MARKET SCOPE Engineering and contracting: Ready for the global leap? 36Pothen Paul, Chairman and India Country Manager, Aker Powergas Pvt Ltd

INDUSTRY UPDATE Biotechnology in wastewater treatment: Green avenues for filtering effluents 39

QUALITY MONITOR Ambient air quality monitoring: Curbing unsafe atmospheric elements 42Samir Bhandarkar, Divisional Manager, Forbes Marshall, Pune

COATINGS CORNER Rising oil prices: A challenge for supply chain 47Dr Mosongo Moukwa, Vice President - Technology, Asian Paints Ltd

SAFETY ZONE Plant pre-commissioning: Getting set for the next level 50K N K Murthy, Consultant

TREND ANALYSIS Exhaust air purification: Blowing the winds of change 52Varun Gupta, Senior Sales Manager - EES, Durr India Pvt Ltd

CASE STUDY Efficient ERP: Saving resources with enterprise-wide collaboration 54Courtesy: SAP

Cover photo courtesy: Essar Projects (India) Ltd

REGUL AR SECTIONSEditorial ...................................................... 7National News ......................................... 10National News - Report .......................... 16World News............................................. 17Events Calendar ....................................... 60Product Update........................................ 66Product Index........................................... 71Advertisers’ List ....................................... 72

1919

2222

3030

Note: ` stands for Indian rupee, $ stands for US dollar and £ stands for UK pound, unless mentioned otherwise

Sector Watch : Logistics & Supply Chain Management

Industry Update : Petrochemicals

Details on page no. 27-28, 56-59, 60, 70

3939 4747

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NATIONAL NEWS

CSR EFFORTS

BASF launches major ‘Water Education’ project in MangaloreBASF in partnership with UN-HABITAT recently announced a new project to promote water education in Mangalore. The project aims to promote water education in schools and improve water quality monitoring in Mangalore. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) will implement the project over the next two years.

As a symbolic commitment to the project objectives, Prasad Chandran, Chairman, BASF Companies in India, and Head - South Asia; Dr Hartmut Unger, Head – BASF Social Foundation; Andre Dzikus, Chief – Water and Sanitation Section II, UN-HABITAT; and Pronab Dasgupta, Senior Advisor and Director, TERI, signed a statement of purpose.

In his address, Chandran said, “BASF is committed to conducting business sustainably. We are also committed to choosing social projects that will have a positive impact on the communities in which we operate.”

The ‘Water Education’ project will encompass 5,000 students from 25 schools in Mangalore. Provision of access to safe drinking water will be provided to students in these schools as well as communities in the vicinity of these schools. Out of the 25 schools, 8 will be equipped with ‘water laboratories’ to facilitate water quality monitoring and 2 will have ‘water classrooms’ to educate students on water cycle and water conservation methods. In addition, water quality testing kits will be provided to select schools for field analysis benefitting communities living around the schools.

Chemical Process Piping (CPP) recently announced the commissioning of its new Continuous Filament Winding (CFW) Plant, in Vadodara. The CFW plant will produce Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) pipes and sleeves from sizes 300-2600 mm diameter. The plant has the ability to manufacture cross-country piping for conveying potable water, sea water and wastewater. Initially, the company is aiming to target the Indian market and later, South East Asian markets. Rated capacity of the unit is 18,000 MT of GRP per year. CPP is estimated to cross ` 100 crore in year 2011-12 and achieve a turnover of ` 500 crore by 2015.

Vijay Rajpurohit, Managing Director, CPP, said, “We are looking forward to foray into the water industry. With rapid increase in population, there is scarcity of water on one hand and increased need for electricity on the other. These problems can be solved by implementing desalination projects and setting up power plants. In both cases, large amounts of GRP piping would be required.”

In fact, in Maharashtra itself, the state government has set up a high powered committee to make a feasibility report, which will enable the government to set up two desalination plants in Mumbai

to tackle the overdependence of the city on rain water. With the commissioning of these plants, CPP foresees a huge demand for GRP pipes that are low on maintenance, highly resistant to soil corrosion and sea water, do not need special linings on the exterior and are available at a competitive price.

INVESTMENT

IFFCO inks pact with IFC and EIB to raise ` 1,500 crore Fertiliser major IFFCO recently announced that it has signed a financing agreement with International Finance Corporation (IFC) and European Investment Bank (EIB) to raise debt of ` 1,500 crore for its joint venture phosphoric acid project in Jordan.

The co-operative IFFCO and Jordan Phosphates Mines Company (JPMC) had formed a joint venture Jordan India Fertiliser Company (JIFCO) in 2008 to set up phosphoric acid plant at an investment of $ 625 million. In the JV firm, IFFCO holds 52 per cent equity, while JPMC holds 48 per cent.

The annual capacity of plant is 4.75 lakh tonne. IFFCO will purchase a minimum 70 per cent of the production of phosphoric acid under a long-term agreement for domestic consumption, while JPMC will buy the balance.

The foundation stone for the project was laid in October 2009, and commercial production is expected to start by mid 2013. JPMC will supply the required quantity of rock phosphate under a long-term supply agreement. “This joint venture project will provide assured supply of phosphate fertilisers to Indian farmers for sustenance in food grains production,” said U S Awasthi, Managing Director, IFFCO.

FILAMENT WINDING

CPP announces commissioning of plant

L-R: Pronab Dasgupta, Andre Dzikus, Prasad Chandran and Dr Hartmut Unger

Vijay Rajpurohit addressing the audience

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NATIONAL NEWS

Coromandel International, among the leading manufacturers of phosphatic fertilisers in the country, has appointed Uhde India to design and construct a 65 tonne per hour urea grade NPK plant at the former’s fertiliser complex in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh. The plant,

which has a completion period of 20 months, will be built by Uhde India on Lump Sum Turnkey (LSTK) basis. The technology for the plant will be provided by Incro (Spain), whose proven state-of-the-art pipe reactor technology is at work in a number of plants in India, including plants executed by Uhde India for several leading fertiliser majors.

When completed, the complex will boost Coromandel International’s combined phosphatic fertiliser capacity to 3 MMTPA from its facilities

at Kakinada and Visakhapatnam, where Uhde India has also successfully implemented a NPK plant at Coromandel’s Visakhapatnam facility in the year 2000.

Coromandel International has been associated with Uhde India from the nineties for fertiliser projects as well as for low temperature cryogenic storage facilities at their Kakinada, Visakhapatnam and Chennai facilities. Uhde India has executed a number of projects for DAP-NPK fertiliser plants in India and abroad.

NEW FACILITY

RCF mulls over superphosphate unitRashtriya Chemicals & Fertilisers (RCF) may set up a single superphosphate (SSP) unit at a cost of ` 3 billion at its Thal plant, as per Gautam Sen, Director - Finance, RCF. “Demand for complex fertilisers is growing and it has better margins. Hence, we are considering a plant for SSP,” Sen said.

The state-run company also plans to expand urea manufacturing capacity at its Thal plant, Maharashtra, and at Talcher, Orissa, at a total investment of ` 120 billion. “Each of the expansion projects would raise our urea capacity by 1.15 million tonne per year,” said R G Rajan, Chairman and Managing Director, RCF. Both units are expected to start commercial production over a period of three to five years, he said adding state-run GAIL India and Coal India were joint venture partners for the Talcher expansion.

RCF expects sales to rise by 20-25 per cent to about ` 70 billion in FY12 on higher imports, said a company official. “Last year, our domestic production and sales did increase but the imports were lower. This year, we expect sales to grow on imported products,” added Rajan.

EPC PROJECT

Coromandel International appoints Uhde India to build NPK DAP plant

The textile chemicals business of Clariant Chemicals (India) Ltd showcased its eco-efficient Pad/Sizing-Ox denim processes, one of the groundbreaking innovations developed under Clariant’s Advanced Denim concept, at the Kingpins India Denim Show, New Delhi. The key talking point was Clariant’s focus on more colours, performance and sustainability that will help take denim to a new dimension altogether.

Clariant’s Advanced Denim concept sets a new benchmark in denim production that unites technological and ecological advances with new fashion effects. Effectively, Advanced Denim combines the advantages of unprecedented fashion flexibility with more sustainable, eco-efficient manufacture to create a win-win situation for producers and consumers alike, claimed the company.

The result of an ongoing development and innovation process, Clariant’s new sulfur dye-based concept combines the advantages of high performance with an ecological profile that complies fully with the latest environmental requirements. As per the company, the new Clariant specialty Diresul RDT Indicolor dyes enhance denim’s look and feel, add a vast range of new shades and wash-down effects, and create finishes

that leave indigo-based denims trailing behind. Denim-Ox, another Advanced Denim innovation, is a compact, versatile dyeing process that can be adapted to any equipment and mechanical conditions. In this process, the dye is fixed using oxidation/fixation and requires no previous washing. The process fixes the dye firmly and saves significant quantities of water.

P Rajasekaran, Head of Textile Chemicals Business of Clariant, India, explained, “Clariant India is committed to the denim segment and would like to have a more active role. The Kingpins Denim Show has been a platform for that objective.”

Peter Palm, Vice-Chairman & Managing Director - Clariant Chemicals (India) Ltd, explained, “Globally, Clariant has begun reaping the benefits of its continuous restructuring, undertaken since the past two years, and succeeded in building a solid platform for profitable growth. The primary focus in 2010 continued to be on ‘Project Clariant’, which was launched in 2008 with the aim of generating cash, reducing costs and streamlining processes to reduce complexities.” Clariant is now looking towards improving profitability across all its business units, as well as increasing value, he added.

INNOVATION

Clariant showcases new dimensions in textile processing

Peter Palm

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Chemical World | June 201114

NATIONAL NEWS

INSTITUTE RANKING

ICT ranked 4th in research standardsInstitute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai has been ranked fourth in the world by a recent survey on the research standards of engineering and technology institutes.

“Prof Jude Sommerfeld of Georgia Institute of Technology, USA has been publishing annual surveys on research standards of engineering and technology institutes in the world. His survey published this year shows that the ICT stands number one in India and number four in the world,” said Prof G D Yadav, Director and Vice Chancellor, ICT.

The institute has on its roll 537 full-time PhD students with full fellowships and 319 Masters students, which is a record. It also publishes more than three international peer reviewed papers per faculty, he said.

ICT’s impact per dollar spent has been the highest in the world. The institute has published papers in all leading journals in the world and has citations of more than 33,000 with very high h-index, Yadav said.

The 79-year-old institute, earlier called University Department of Chemical Technology, has produced many industrialists, academics, bureaucrats, Padma awardees, secretaries to Government Departments, directors of CSIR labs and over 500 first generation entrepreneurs.

Dr G D Yadav

Haldia Petrochemicals (HPL) is planning to invest about ` 4,000 crore in eight projects in West Bengal. “The change of guard in the state is allowing us to think about many new things. A fresh hope is there in terms of our dealing with the state, the new government wants to take actions quickly. We are planning to invest ` 4,000 crore in eight different projects over a period of three to three-and-a-half years once it gets started,” said Purnendu Chatterjee, Chairman and Vice-Chairman, HPL.

The projects include ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and maleic anhydride.

INVESTMENT

HPL to invest ` 4,000 crore in WB

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15June 2011 | Chemical World

NATIONAL NEWS

Persistent Systems Ltd (PSL) has signed an agreement to acquire Agilent Technologies’ software marketing and development business unit based in Grenoble, France. The acquisition is expected to be final by August 1, after which the unit will be called Persistent Systems, France.

Dr Anand Deshpande, Chairman and Managing Director, PSL, said the acquisition will contribute to Persistent’s thrust in the life sciences and healthcare markets and also give it a presence in Europe. The Agilent business is now focussed on supplying data acquisition and control software for scientific instruments to the life sciences, environmental, energy, applied research and other markets. Currently, PSL’s life sciences business contributes 10-12 per cent to its topline and was worth $ 20 million in FY 2011. The team here includes over 40 domain experts and more than 500 software professionals working on services supporting laboratory instrumentation, bioinformatics and chemical informatics projects for leading companies.

To leverage the life sciences business, Persistent plans to set up a Life Sciences Centre of Excellence in Grenoble to expand into the European market. While bringing in new solutions and services to these, the centre will also provide it a platform to leverage its corporate technology position in areas such as cloud, analytics, mobility and collaboration.

SOFTWARE BUSINESS

Persistent in pact with Agilent to buy its French software unit

Coromandel International has acquired 42.2 per cent stake in Sabero Organics at ` 160 per share. The acquisition is expected to help CIL to enhance its offerings on pesticides. This complements its strategy of evolving as a focussed agri input player with less dependence on subsidies from the government, rather than just a fertiliser company.

Coromandel International plans to expand its fertiliser manufacturing capacity in Andhra Pradesh at an investment of ` 350 crore. “We will complete the expansion in second quarter of this financial year. The plan is to raise capacity to 2.2 million tonne from 1.7 million tonne,” said Kapil Mehan, Managing Director, Coromandel International.

The company has earmarked ` 500 crore for its capital expansion plans. While majority of it will be used for Kakinada plant expansion, the rest will be for maintenance and strengthening of its existing operations. Secunderabad-based Coromandel is a leading producer of phosphatic fertilisers. The company has fertiliser manufacturing facilities in Visakhapatnam, Ennore and Ranipet besides Kakinada. The company also produces specialty nutrients and organic fertilisers, besides crop protection products.

FERTILISERS

Coromandel International acquires 42.2 per cent in Sabero Organics

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NATIONAL NEWS Report

Chemical World | June 201116

The company’s first manufacturing plant in Asia located at Dahej will produce stone wool insulation material having the potential to save energy and reduce CO2 emissions.

Rockwool inaugurates ‘green’ insulation material plant in Gujarat

Energy-efficient facility

Avani Jain

In a bid to cater to India’s growing needs of insulation material in the process industries, the Denmark-based Roxul Rockwool has opened a greenfield factory at Dahej, Gujarat, for the

production of stone wool insulation material, a natural material spun into wool from volcanic diabase rock. The new factory has the capacity to produce 30,000 tonne per annum of high-quality insulation material, which is biodegradable and can easily be used for land filling.

While Europe is still the strongest region for Rockwool, sales and production activities are growing significantly in Asia, especially in India, every year. Through this facility, Rockwool aims to cater to the Indian market as well as export to Europe, Middle East and other parts of Asia.

Narendra Modi, Chief Minister, Gujarat, while inaugurating the new facility, said, “The world is recognising the efficiency and growth-oriented policy-making process of the Gujarat Government. Factors like transparent administration, vibrant economy, zero man-hour loss, best infrastructure, farsighted planning have paid off, and companies like Rockwool are welcome.”

Peter Hoedemaker, Chairman, Kaefer Isoliertechnik, with whom Rockwool has entered into a joint venture for the Dahej plant, observed, “There is huge demand for insulation materials in power plants, ships, refineries and chemical industries. In India, this demand is increasing at 20

per cent per annum. We have entered India at the right time.”

Material advantageEffective insulation practices are common in the building sector; however, the process industry has not yet adopted standardised and/or specified energy-efficiency requirements. If one was able to insulate hot processes with the same drive as new buildings, the benefits would be phenomenal. Thus, the usage of the insulation material becomes extremely important in the

chemical industry.Ian Russel, Business

Director UK & Export, Rockwool technical insulation, explained, “At every chemical facility, something is heated to either generate steam, or materials are blended through chemical reaction. These materials are mostly kept in tanks & boilers

and are sent for further processing in pipes. Thus, better the insulation on the pipes and boilers, less energy will be needed to transport the steam or hot chemicals around the factory. Moreover, the stone wool insulation material is non-combustible and fire resistant. It is designed for operating temperatures up to 650ºC, withstanding the heat of flames up to 1,177ºC without melting.”

On the cost front, Frank Jacobs, Managing Director, Rockwool Technical Insulation, said, “The durability of our product is much higher and the maintenance cost is minimum. The average lifespan of our product is between 25 to 50 years, but it depends on its usage.”

L-R: Eelco Van Heel, CEO, Rockwool Group; Peter Hoedemaker; Narendra Modi, CM, Gujarat and Freddy Svane, Danish Ambassador, inaugurating

the new facility at Dahej

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WORLD NEWS

17June 2011 | Chemical World

POLYSILICON BUSINESS

Wacker begins construction of polysilicon plant in the US

Wacker Chemie AG officially started c o n s t r u c t i o n work on a fully integrated polysilicon production site in the

US. In December 2010, the company announced the plans to start construction for its integrated production site with an annual capacity of 15,000 metric tonne. The new facility is scheduled for completion in late 2013 and represents WACKER’s intention to continue investment in the growing photovoltaic and solar energy industries. The plant will meet the increasing demand for hyperpure polycrystalline silicon used by industry in the manufacture of solar panels and photovoltaic devices. It will be WACKER’s first plant of its kind outside Europe. The cost of the project will be $ 1.5 billion and the plant will be spread over an area of 550 acre greenfield site.

Sir William Wakeham, former Vice Chancellor of Southampton University, UK, has been appointed as the President of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) in place of Desmond King. During his presidential address, he highlighted the impact that an increasingly diverse membership base will have on the future of IChemE. Sir William explained that as the location, industry sector and education background of the membership changes, the institution must evolve.

“IChemE is a global organisation with members in 120 countries. But those members are working in a wider range of sectors than ever before and not all of them have what might be called a ‘traditional chemical engineering’ background,” he said.

STRATEGIC ALLIANCE

BASF and INEOS sign joint venture contract for Styrolution BASF SE and INEOS Industries Holdings Ltd have recently signed a contract, which regulates the formation of the joint venture (JV) company, Styrolution. The establishment of the JV is subject to approval by the appropriate antitrust authorities. BASF and INEOS plan to combine their global business activities in styrene monomers (SM), polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), styrene-butadiene block copolymers (SBC) and other styrene-based copolymers (SAN, AMSAN, ASA, MABS) as well as copolymer blends into the new JV, Styrolution. The business with expandable polystyrene is not part of the transaction. BASF and INEOS will retain their respective businesses. It is a 50:50 JV by BASF and INEOS. BASF will receive cash consideration following the completion of the transaction.

Dr Martin Brudermüller, Vice Chairman, Board of Executive Directors, BASF SE and responsible for the plastics segment, said, “The signing of the joint venture contract is an important milestone. With the signing, we have built a strong foundation to establish Syrolution, the leading global company for styrenics, before the end of the year, subject to regulatory approval. Styrolution will deliver better service, a fast and secure supply as well as excellent product quality to its customers around the globe.”

APPOINTMENT

Sir William is the new President of IChemE

TransGas Development Systems, LLC, has begun construction of America’s largest coal-to-gasoline complex, the Adams Fork Energy plant in Mingo County, West Virginia. The plant will convert regional coal into 18,000 barrels per day of premium grade, ultra clean gasoline. The facility was permitted by the State of West Virginia, and is based on Uhde’s PRENFLO PDQ gasification technology provided by Uhde Corporation of America, which belongs to the ThyssenKrupp Group. Uhde Corporation of America is business partner of Uhde, which is one

of the world’s leading companies in coal gasification.

Due to the current energy market situation, Uhde sees a significant increase in the demand for coal-based, alternative energy projects. Gasification offers a number of upstream and downstream advantages in an environment of record oil & gas prices and dwindling energy reserves worldwide. Coal gasification plants provide higher efficiency, and particularly lower emissions than conventional coal conversion plants, and allow the utilisation of low-grade feedstocks for a variety of products.

TECHNOLOGY

New Malvern video highlights versatility of Parsum in-line particle probe The UK-based Malvern Instruments has launched a new 3-minute video highlighting the versatility of the Parsum IPP 70 (In-line Particle Probe) which is now available on its website. Designed to continuously measure the size, size distribution and velocity of granular particles, directly in the process, the Parsum IPP is a valuable tool for process development and automated production. It has applications in many sectors including food, chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

EPC CONTRACT

TransGas begins construction of coal-to-gasoline complex

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WORLD NEWS

Chemical World | June 201118

BUSINESS DELEGATION

Belgium offers attractive business opportunities for Indian chemical companiesThe Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai recently announced the ‘Flanders, Belgium Invest Roadshow 2011’ – a tailor-made opportunity for Indian companies in Flanders, Belgium. The roadshow comprised a high-level Belgian delegation headed by Jean-Joel Schittecatte, Consul-general, Belgium in Mumbai. It shared valuable insights on opportunities in Flanders, Belgium, and showcased it as an ideal and attractive destination for Indian companies to invest. Flanders, already rated as India’s 3rd most preferred trade partner in the European Union (EU) and top-destination for Indian FDI, has a lot more to offer to Indian exporters and investors.

The Belgian officials shared information on setting up companies, visa formalities, market trends, fiscal incentives, financial assistance, etc for Indian companies looking to expand into Europe or expand existing European operations.

The strong sectors in the Flanders economy include chemicals and plastics, automotive, life sciences, logistics and food. Flanders offers companies one of the most highly developed chemical clusters in the world. In sector terms, the chemical industry is a major player, generating more than 20 per cent of total Belgian exports and 17 per cent of European exports of chemical products. The region of Flanders is home to the lion’s share of the chemical industry with about 1,500 companies. The industry accounts for 1,60,000 direct and indirect jobs and an annual turnover amounting to around Euro 33 billion.

Agilent Technologies Inc has introduced Cary 60 UV-Vis, which uses xenon flash lamp technology, with improved performance, ease-of-use and sample handling. Supporting a multitude of applications, the new UV-Vis is designed to improve workflow in a wide variety of settings, including chemical, industrial, and pharmaceutical/biotech laboratories.

With its unique, proven design, Cary 60 UV-Vis provides a robust solution at the lowest cost of ownership of any instrument of its kind – the lamp typically lasts 10 years. High-quality fibre-optics capabilities allow for remote sampling of everything from bulk solutions to

cold biological samples. This minimises sample handling, eliminates the need for expensive cuvettes and increases the speed of analysis without compromising data quality. “Cary 60 UV-Vis builds on more than 60 years of optical design excellence from the Cary brand and is backed by Agilent’s commitment to quality and support,” said Phil Binns, VP - Spectroscopy Division, Agilent.

RESIN BUSINESS

LANXESS showcases novel resins at IWEX As part of Sustainabilitylive! 2011, LANXESS presented ion exchange resins from its proven Lewatit range at the recently held Industrial Water Expo (IWEX) in Birmingham, the UK. The mixed event Sustainabilitylive!, which takes place every four years, combines the UK’s five leading environmental exhibitions: BEX (Brownfield Expo), ET (Environmental Technology), NEMEX (National Energy Management Exhibition), SB (Sustainable Business) and IWEX.

LAB EQUIPMENT

Agilent Technologies introduces Cary 60 UV-Vis

Tom Vermeulen, Trade and Investment Commissioner of

Flanders (seated extreme right) and Jean-Joel Schittecatte (standing extreme left) are flanked by other dignitaries

PERFORMANCE CHEMICALS

Rhodia launches new solutions Aroma Performance Enterprise, part of the Rhodia consumer chemical cluster, has introduced two new solutions: Ethyl DiFluoroAcetate (DFAE) for agrochemical & pharmaceutical markets and new LiTFSI (Lithium salt) applications for electronics. Rhodia Aroma Performance offers one of the world’s largest and strongest portfolios in fluoroaliphatics and diphenol intermediates, two product lines based on core integrated technologies and a high number of patented processes.

POLYMER CHEMISTRY

Elevance Renewable Sciences and Royal DSM to collaborate for bio-based materialsElevance Renewable Sciences Inc and Royal DSM NV have signed a letter of intent for a collaboration to evaluate Elevance’s unique monomers for production of specialty bio-based high performance thermoplastic materials, for DSM’s engineering plastics portfolio. Commenting on the development, Roelof Westerbeek, President, DSM Engineering Plastics, said, “Partnering with Elevance enables DSM to further broaden our portfolio of products that provide improved performance over existing polymer solutions.” Elevance will provide natural monomers produced from plant oils along with its proprietary metathesis technology to enable the production of various polymers.

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“The chemical industry needs to set its house in order”

…believes Prasad Chandran, Chairman, BASF Companies in India, & Head - South Asia. He is a member of the Task Force on Chemicals set up by the Government of India. Chandran is also actively involved with the National Action Plan on Climate Change through TERI. He holds a Masters in Chemistry as well as Business Administration from the US, the UK and Japan. Reflecting his passion for chemistry and sustainability, he informs Mahua Roy about the responsible image of BASF and the green route to be adopted by the chemical industry in India.

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Pioneering innovations at BASF BASF has a long history of many significant innovations. Our research innovations play an important role in improving the quality of life as well as environmental and resource conservation. A few examples of chemical innovations from BASF include engineering plastics for lightweight cars, insulation systems and concrete admixtures for energy-efficient housing, biodegradable packaging materials and environment-friendly paint ingredients.

On the competitive product pipelineThe innovative chemistry of BASF is the driving force for many industries and provides an important impetus for new products, technologies and processes. Our approach helps us to find answers to global challenges such as climate change, resource conservation, health & nutrition and housing & mobility. This is our contribution towards a better future for the present as well as coming generations. As we like to say, we do not just create chemicals, we create chemistry.

In 2010, BASF had more than 9,600 employees dedicated to R&D worldwide and around 1,900 collaborative partnerships with universities, institutes, start-up companies and industry partners. During the same year, we invested nearly Euro 1.5 billion in R&D projects. In India, BASF has two R&D Centres – in Mumbai and Mangalore, working in close collaboration with BASF’s Global Technology Platform.

Emphasis on sustainability in today’s worldSustainability is an important pre-requisite for business success in today’s world. Companies that conduct business sustainably and act responsibly will be more successful than their competitors in the long run.

At BASF, economic considerations do not take priority over environment, health and safety (EHS) issues. Sustainable development enables to enhance our existing business, create new business opportunities and minimise risks. BASF has been included in the world’s most important sustainability index, the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, for the tenth year in succession.

On negative image of the chemical industryMany chemical manufacturing processes create waste products that can be harmful to the environment and human health when not properly handled. If chemical companies do not follow safe manufacturing and effluent discharge methods, they can cause significant risks to human life and environment. Industrial accidents and environmental pollution related to the chemical industry is a major reason for the negative image of the chemical industry.

Another reason for the negative image, is lack of awareness. The chemical industry is an intermediate industry; most of its products do not come in the form of end-products for consumers. That is why innovations in the chemical industry go unnoticed,

since consumers are not aware of what goes into the making of the final product.

Strategies to portray the industry in a positive lightA change in perception cannot be brought immediately. It has to be gradual. First and foremost, the chemical industry needs to set its house in order. Only then it can focus on changing its image. Safe manufacturing practices in line with international safety guidelines have to be adopted at chemical manufacturing sites. Chemical companies need to respect the ecology and society within which they function. Some initiatives that can change the negative perception include:

Adoption of stringent EHS norms and make it part of the business plan

Discharge of effluents responsibly after treatment

Have effective disaster management plans in place

Involve local communities and society through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes

Conduct regular surveys to assess public opinion about the chemical industry

Industry self-regulation to ensure that best practices are followed by every company, big or small

Education to create awareness about the role of chemistry

Highlight innovations by chemical companies and how they have aided other industries to come up with innovative products. For eg, Bt Cotton (which has led to a double digit increase in cotton production) and low-cost water purifiers from Tata were made possible by the chemical industry

Future outlook for the chemical industry The Indian chemical industry is the 12th largest in the world and 3rd largest in Asia, in terms of volume. It

Sustainability is an important pre-requisite for business success in today’s world. Companies that conduct business sustainably and act responsibly will be more successful than their competitors in the long run. Chemical companies need to respect the ecology and society within which they function.

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accounts for about 17.6 per cent of the output of India’s manufacturing sector and about 3 per cent of the GDP. The industry output is estimated at $ 35 billion, with a total investment of approximately $ 60 billion. India’s current per capita consumption of chemicals is just 1/10th of the world’s average, indicating the tremendous scope for the industry’s growth in the country.

BASF’s mantra for sustainable growthFor BASF, sustainable development means combining economic success with environmental and social responsibility. A company’s commitment to sustainability can only make a difference when all its people have fully integrated this way of thinking as part of their daily responsibilities

At BASF we take sustainability aspects into account in the

development of our business strategies. At all our sites in India, we use various systems to monitor EHS standards in line with BASF’s global standards. With sustainable products & services, we have created competitive advantages for both BASF and our customers. To ensure sustainable development, BASF is committed to partnering with the society, in which we operate through various CSR projects that benefit the local communities.

Also, the Eco-Efficiency Analysis developed by BASF, is an internal tool to consider the two major dimensions of sustainability: environment and cost. This analysis considers the entire lifecycle of a product ‘from cradle to grave’, ie starting from the extraction of the raw material from the earth, production, usage behaviour of the final consumers, through recycling or other various possibilities for reuse and disposal. Since 1996,

the Eco-Efficiency Analysis has been helping BASF and its customers to identify areas of potential economic or environmental improvement for products and processes.

Business opportunities in IndiaBASF is continuously scanning and monitoring the business environment for opportunities in India. It is aiming to grow both organically and through possible acquisitions in this market. In 2010, BASF India Ltd completed the acquisition of Ciba India Ltd. This was after the global acquisition of Ciba Holding AG by BASF SE. With this acquisition, BASF in India has been able to expand its portfolio in the specialty chemicals segment with product offerings ranging from paper chemicals, UV stabilisers, antioxidants, to coating effects and care chemicals.

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Imperative to make them more effectiveEffluent treatment systems

The present regulatory norms are more than adequate for the current and, for that matter, the future discharges. The problem is the lack of compliance on the part of the industry and its attitude towards waste management & sustainable development. Moreover,

the mixed effluent does not have an individual identity, which adds to the problem. The Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) can offer limited treatment as the mix of all effluents from different industries make the task more difficult.

It has been observed that segregation of effluents is often helpful in the treatment process. SMEs need to treat effluents, created at their end, to the maximum extent possible, and for this, better facilities should be provided by industrial bodies and the government. Hence, it will require a joint effort.

Once the correct attitude is adopted, the implementation of suitable technology will follow. If a level-playing field is provided and the focus is directed towards zero tolerance and implementation of norms, without compromise, throughout the industry, then the effluent-related risks can be abated to a large extent.

The golden rule should be maximum treatment of all waste generated by individual industry through the use of latest technologies, irrespective of size as environment protection matters for one and all. The next level of treatment can be done in CETPs. In addition, certain types of products should not be manufactured unless the waste treatment methods are clearly in place and demonstrated. The other areas of improvement should revolve around process optimisation and sustainable development by way of recycling and reuse of by-products by undertaking innovative methods.

Ravi Kapoor, Managing Director, Heubach Colurs

Environmental and health risks due to variety of effluents generated from chemical industries have become a matter of concern in the country. The attitude of the industry towards waste management is being questioned and SMEs are seen as the major culprit. It seems that even the existing regulatory norms and the effluent treatment plants (ETPs) are not adequate enough to deal with the massive discharges and need to be revisited. In conversation with some industry experts, Avani Jain finds out why the improvisation of ETPs is imperative and how it can be achieved.

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Within the chemical industry, dyes and organic chemicals pose high health and environmental risks, as compared to the other segments, more so, because the problems are still not properly mitigated in a systemic organised framework, like in the petrochemical sector. The industry needs to redefine its regulatory framework in sync with the latest international standards and must also take into account the fact that the lion’s share of the pollution caused by chemical sectors come from the low resource-based, fragmented, traditional SMEs, who on their own are incapable of conforming to the set standards.

In view of the above, the collective responsibility action solution promoted by CETP is ideal for issues like cost optimisation and gaining access to premier technology bases, both globally and domestically. However, CETP does not warranty zero costs for the SMEs and the abatement costs have to be borne initially until the benefits of pollution mitigation flows in. Within each CETP, the members can adopt a tradable emission permit scheme for effective effluent abatement. In a liberalised market framework, government subsidies should be extended to protect the labour-intensive, resource-constrained SMEs under CETP, to meet their compliance needs. Moreover,

the industry, at large, should also invest in cost-effective, efficient and environment-friendly production technologies & implement product recycling practices.

Government assistance in technology development and MSME training, through targeted subventions can be helpful. In addition, India has recently launched the National Clean Energy Fund towards reducing its carbon footprint. Moreover, India has a host of environment control acts and is a signatory to international conventions like the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants; the Chemical Weapons Convention; the Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances; the Kyoto Protocol on Global Warming; and the Basel Convention on Trans-boundary Movement of Hazardous Waste. But the grey area is monitoring and enforcement. Cases of non-compliance should be dealt with strictly in a time-bound manner.

India needs to gear up its domestic production machinery to meet the global standards and a supportive domestic regulatory framework can become the right catalyst in propelling the future growth of the chemical industry.

Dr Rajeev Singh, Director General, Indian Chamber of Commerce

Discharges from industries pollute land, sea, rivers and other water resources and have resulted into destruction of marine livestock, agricultural produce, etc. Whenever the issue of water pollution is raised, the governments issue notices or penalties on the errant industries. Giving an undertaking, bank guarantee or paying the fine to the government finally settles the issue, but the real problem remains unsolved. The case is different outside India. In European countries, only those products are manufactured that are economically feasible and curb pollution, as they are conscious about the safety, environment & health of their people, and hence import those products (that are prone to result in high levels of pollution) from other countries. However, in India neither the industry nor the government is striving to resolve this issue proactively. In genuine cases, where the implementation of all the control measures is not that easy for certain industries, the government needs to play a supporting role. It should form an advisory committee of technical experts from reputed institutions like IIT and ICT to study material balance, water balance, waste balance, etc, generated during the chemical process, and monitor the process to verify the effectiveness of control measures.

The purpose should not be restricted only to monitoring the process, collecting samples of effluents and taking disciplinary action or serving closure notices, but also give importance to understanding the problem and recommending proper solutions to overcome them. On another front, industries should also realise their responsibilities and any chemical manufacturing facility, whether small- or large-scale, must implement effluent treatment measures in totality, not limited only to primary treatment. For small-scale industries, government should provide adequate subsidies and raw materials required for effluent treatment. The industries should strictly implement all the required measures for effluent treatment, failing which they should be liable for disciplinary actions. The government needs to encourage effluent treatment processes, such as, zero discharge effluent with total recycling of wastewater; recovery of solvents from waste; recovery of solids from waste; generation of energy/bio-gas from waste; and development/use of innovative equipment & processes in ETP.

Omkar P Herlekar, Whole Time Director, Omkar Speciality Chemicals Ltd

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The qualitative norms given for treating effluent in No-Objection Certificate (NOC) by Pollution Control Board (PCB) are adequate, but some parameters need to be stringent. Certain norms should be project-specific and based on

mode of discharge whether it is, to deep sea, to CETP or to natural creeks, etc. Thus, they should be rationally reviewed looking at its ultimate effect on environment, may it be in long term.

For example, value of Chemical Oxygen demand (COD) is one of the stringent norms (particularly for marine discharge). Refractory COD and COD contributed by chloride/sulphates (inorganics) are to be viewed differently and rationally when compared to COD contributed by biodegradable organic matter. The latter should be strictly regulated. When it comes to industries, they should also adopt the most suitable and well-proven advanced technologies with precise process

control devices. The industry should take steps to treat the waste through effective means like water recycling and ensure close monitoring of process, quality and inventory control.

To minimise the impact of effluent discharge on the environment, the first and foremost requirement is to control pollution at source. It is the prime responsibility of industry to control effluent at generation stage, as it is the most technically feasible and economically viable solution. It can be observed that micro & small-scale industries have their own constraints and limitations. CETP is the practical remedy, provided it is developed with right approach since conceptual phase. It can offer solutions, but there are challenges also.

Irrespective of the scale of industry, ETP is being viewed as cost centre and not as a profit centre. One should understand and accept that better recovery of material and less waste always pay better. Also many-a-time, the top authorities are not aware of what is happening at the floor of ETP as it is highly ignored area. Thus, a lot needs to be done in this area.

K R Desai, CEO, Narmada Clean Tech Ltd

The effluent discharge is in three forms - solid, liquid and gaseous. PCB should consider each separately and set the guidelines like the height of the chimney or the ways to separate the three effluents so that they do not mix

with each other. Basically, it is the responsibility of the government to keep a check on this. If the authorities, ie PCB become strict and formulate stringent norms and confer immediate punishments on the guilty, then the industry will have no other option but to

follow the rules. When it comes to industries, then it depends on how the issue is looked upon. They are by far taking good steps in this regard but as one can see, there are always exceptions. They have set up CETPs for effluent treatment and are doing their best. Moreover, cost and availability of technology & resources is a big deciding factor. If the government provides subsidies on the cost of machinery and raw material to be used in the ETPs, then the industries would not mind setting up ETPs. Thus, all this boils down to the efficiency of the concerned authorities.

Kirit C Mehta, Past President, Chemical and Alkali Merchants’ Association

The existing norms are more than adequate to take care of the massive effluent discharge from the chemical industries. There are various acts in this area like the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution)

Act 1974, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, and acts related to solid waste

management, among others. The industry on its part should voluntarily come forward and realise its responsibilities towards environment by adopting zero discharge policy. Often it is seen that the large-scale industries have their separate ETPs, but the problem is with the small-scale industries where there is lack of funds and resources to establish the ETPs. Thus, some steps should be taken toward this end.

Dr Y R Singh, Executive Director, Alkali Manufacturers’ Association of India

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FACILITY VISIT

Mahua Roy

IKA has been an established name in laboratory, analytical and process equipment market worldwide. The parent company was founded in Germany in 1910 as a

supplier for pharmacies and hospitals. In 1942, during the Second World War, the company left bombed-out Cologne for Staufen in Breisgau. It soon became one of the leading companies for laboratory technology as well as dispersing, stirring and kneading machines.

The Indian journey IKA started out in India as a liaison office with few people. “Since we sold only through channel partners, we concentrated more on facilitating sales, co-ordination, order processing and expediting of deliveries. In 2008, the business

had grown and in order to serve this vast market, it was decided to set up a manufacturing base here. Now, assembling is carried out through this facility for catering to the demands of the global market, with 70 per cent of the products being exported,” says Suren Dixit, Managing Director, IKA India. Due to its extensive expertise and

FACILITY VISIT

IKA India

IKA, a 100-year old German organisation, which has been operating in India since 10 years, established its first assembling unit in the country in 2009. The Bengaluru facility is one of IKA’s six assembling units in the world, and is equipped with a global R&D, marketing and application centre.

Aiding R&D, empowering innovationAiding R&D, empowering innovation

The assembly line Testing of electronic contact thermometer ETS-D5

Lab equipmentMagnetic stirrer

Overhead stirrer Homogeniser Bomb calorimeter Hot-plate Heating bath Disperser

Shaker Rotary evaporator Laboratory

reactors

Process equipmentProcess pilot

Labour pilot Magic Lab

Product portfolio

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FACILITY VISIT

experience, the company’s presence is felt in the pharmaceutical, chemical, petrochemical & food industries as well as CSIR labs and various educational institutes.

The facility landscapeThe Bengaluru facility is equipped with state-of-the-art manufacturing machinery and follows stringent standards. “We simply model the standards of our German facility to the smallest detail. Our sourcing is entirely centralised with global vendors, who supply to IKA units worldwide, thus enabling us to maintain the same quality standards,” asserts Dixit. The facility spans around 35,000 square feet and is still undergoing expansion.

Assembling of the flagship products of IKA, ie magnetic stirrers, overhead stirrers and homogenisers, is undertaken at this facility, along with other products. The entire process is streamlined with high process efficiency and expertise.

Each and every step is in line with German standard operating procedures. The total employee strength in this facility is now up to 80 and is expected to reach 100 by December 2011.

Application laboratoryTo enhance its engagement with customer processes and to customise solutions, IKA India has developed an application laboratory at this facility. The customers can undertake various studies regarding the suitability, efficacy, efficiency, tests and trials of the products being offered to them. IKA is also increasing its training programmes to channel partners, customers as well as developing a robust after-sales support team.

The company is now beginning to market process equipment in India. “We foresee a huge market for these products in India. We aim to make the transition from R&D to pilot to production, much smoother,” says

Dixit. As a result of this foresight, the company plans expansion of this unit to set up an application laboratory for process equipment as well.

R&D activitiesThe force behind being one of the most reputable names in the industry is the vigorous R&D backbone. The Bengaluru centre is equipped with excellent facilities for research and innovation. It is one of the hubs, which undertakes various projects aimed for global launches. “Our R&D centre today employs 10 scientists and we plan to take the figure to 25, as India has a rich pool of scientific talent. The mechanical, electrical, electronic and computer science engineers in the R&D lab are working on global projects. In the long run, we aim to attain the goal of bringing all benefits of global knowledge to India, by designing customised products for domestic markets,” explains Dixit.

Extensive R&D efforts are required in this sector. The R&D breakthrough of IKA resulted in the development of its magnetic stirrer, which utilises 25 per cent less energy. Dixit opines that similar coherent efforts are the need of the hour for gaining an edge even in the coming years. “We aim to provide smaller, smarter, faster and more elegant products in the future,” he concludes.

(Photo by: Shrikanth S Y)

The engineers in our R&D lab are working on global projects. In the long run, we aim to attain the goal of bringing all benefits of global knowledge to India, by designing customised products for domestic markets, thus providing smaller, smarter, faster and more elegant products in the future.

Suren DixitManaging Director

Orbital shaker Packaging in progress

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Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) is relatively a new concept in India, which is picking up pace. Huge investments in chemical, petrochemical, oil & gas sectors in the country have made the prospects brighter for EPC companies. However, Indian EPC sector is still at a nascent stage and it needs to adopt modern practices to track progress of all projects to ensure timely completion within the budgeted cost.

Courtesy: Essar Projects (India) Ltd

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Prasenjit Chakraborty

EPC sector in India is making a steady progress across industries since the last few years. There is a high demand

worldwide for new and refurbished infrastructure of all kinds – roads, bridges, mass transit systems, water treatment facilities, power, chemical, petrochemical plants, healthcare facilities – the list is virtually endless. Against the backdrop of increasing focus on India as the manufacturing hub of Asia, the construction activities in different sectors have accelerated. This has fuelled the growth of EPC as a whole.

Growth propellersThe emphasis on infrastructure development is one of the major growth drivers for the EPC sector. “Infrastructure has to be spruced up at all levels across India to support the burgeoning economy, which is projected to grow consistently at 9 per cent per annum in the 12th Plan period (2012-17). To meet the growing demand, the Indian companies – from both public and private sector – are seeking EPC firms having the expertise to deliver complex mega projects, which are being envisaged for oil & gas, power, steel, pipelines, marine, offshore, civil & building sectors in India,” points out Ravindran Kayarat, CEO – Hydrocarbon, Essar Projects (India) Ltd (EPL).

A closer look says that it is a win-win situation for both the companies (clients of EPC) and the EPC contractor, since they get to concentrate on their core business strengths. The client needs to build a quality asset at a competitive cost within schedule, while effectively transferring major risk factors. The EPC contractor’s role in such a case is to take up single point responsibility to deliver a project utilising the excellent project management skills, dedicated vendor base, and the ability to engineer & visualise the project as per client requirements. “We have delivered projects worth $ 15 billion across key segments

like oil & gas, power, steel, pipelines, marine, offshore, civil & building. EPL brings an unparalleled advantage of providing an owner’s perspective to the client as the EPC sector in India gathers momentum,” says Kayarat.

As infrastructure segment is making rapid strides, this is bound to fuel the growth of EPC sector. “The government proposed an investment worth ` 20,56,150 crore in infrastructure during the 11th Plan. During the period 2011-2012, the aim has been to attain sustainable growth of 9 per cent, with emphasis on growth and quality of life. But it is also clear that infrastructure inadequacies will act as a constraint in achieving this growth. To overcome this challenge, the government is also emphasising on the PPP model,” says Sanjeev Nakhasi, Corporate Vice President - Operations, Synefra E&C Ltd.

Besides the infrastructure aspect, there are few important leverage points for which companies are roping in EPC contractors. Today, customers’ mindsets have changed. They do not want to be responsible for project management on a day-to-day basis and prefer to appoint an EPC contractor, who takes single point responsibility for the entire project. While elaborating on this scenario, Nakhasi explains, “This helps the client to save time for project execution, and system integration has also become easier. There is one contractor who can be contacted for all issues involving the project, and the client needs to maintain only a skeletal staff for project monitoring. This trend has also led to the emergence of SMEs in EPC sector, thus leading to entrepreneurial and employment opportunities.”

Despite the growing demand for EPC activities, the question remains as to whether EPC contracting is a complete safe method or not. There are many issues associated with EPC as well. Higher risk exposures and global competition are driving owners & EPC contractors to dwell upon alternative ways to mitigate & control risks. EPC projects today are getting more complex and realisation of larger projects are getting uncertain; at the same time projects are being broken up into phases for cost benefits. Timing of project awards is becoming more unpredictable than ever and it is reflected in delay in the finalisation of contracts by way of lengthy negotiations/budget issues. Service providers are on the frontline of cuts, but opinions differ on the impact.

Taking everything into consideration EPC Lump Sum Turnkey (LSTK) mode of execution appears to be the most preferred method. “The EPC LSTK method of project delivery still remains the preferred choice, since it generates substantial benefit for project owners,

What India offers for EPC sector

Creating infrastructure for all sectors is a priorityPCPIR policy aims at promoting huge investments in the chemicals sector in the country and making it a prominent hub for both domestic and international players Oil & gas sector in India is poised for tremendous growth with major expansions planned in refineries (302 MMTPA by 2017)

Hydrocarbon sector with its major expansion plans in refineries, fertilisers, LNG terminals, etc, will provide ample scope for EPC companies in the years to come. The huge growth plans in various industries will have a cascading effect on associated EPC sector for the next three years.

Ravindran Kayarat CEO – Hydrocarbon, Essar Projects (India) Ltd

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largely due to transfer of all associated risks to EPC contractor vide assignment of single point responsibility towards quality, price and timely delivery,” says Sathiamoorthy G, Managing Director, Tecnimont ICB (TICB) Pvt Ltd.

Refining & petrochemical projectsIn India, the oil & gas sector is a lucrative one for EPC, as it is poised for tremendous growth, with major expansions planned in refineries (302 MMTPA by 2017) as a part of ̀ 2.8 trillion investment for the 12th Plan period. The progressive steps like price deregulation in petroleum products should ensure that the oil & gas majors are on track for the expansion of projects. “After introduction of nutrient-based subsidy for fertiliser industry, there is now incentive for the dormant companies to finally carry on with the planned investments. With obvious advantages of the single point responsibility EPC LSTK contracts, the clients trust only those EPC contractors with experience of having effectively delivered complex mega projects,” asserts Kayarat.

Huge investments are also being planned to establish/expand LNG terminals by public and private sector

companies for catering to LNG demand by consumers in power and fertiliser sectors. The Petroleum, Chemicals & Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) policy, aimed at promoting huge investments in the chemicals sector in the country and making it a prominent hub for both domestic & international players, is expected to attract investments to the tune of ` 2-3 trillion to each notified PCPIR. The PCPIRs approved by the Centre are brownfield Bharuch (Gujarat), Visakhapatnam (AP), Haldia (West Bengal) and greenfield Paradeep (Orissa). The one proposed at Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu is in advanced stages of approvals while the Mangalore (Karnataka) project is under the planning stage.

There are few projects either completed or soon to be completed through EPC method in the country. Take the example of Gujarat’s Vadinar Refinery – a 20-MMTPA project, out of which 14 MMTPA has already been completed by Essar Projects (India). IOCL Paradip Refinery (15 MMTPA-LSTK package A-ongoing-within Paradip PCPIR) is also an ongoing project for Essar Projects (India). “We bring an owner’s perspective into all projects we deliver. This results in cost-effective solutions, in-house expertise in hydrocarbon sector;

faster mobilisation of equipment and manpower,” claims Kayarat.

Similarly, TICB (an integral part of Maire Tecnimont Group) is a 52-year old company and among the few engineering & construction companies in India that have the capability and experience to supply plants to petrochemicals/chemical/oil & gas sectors on EPC LSTK basis. “Our strength can be attributed to strong orientation to technology, engineering and advanced skills in vendor development, project management and control to deliver complex projects,” claims Sathiamoorthy.

The issuesThe construction industry has been expanding rapidly over the last few decades. Along with this, the nature of main contracts has also dramatically changed. Contracts are of increasingly complex types – EPC, turnkey, BOOT, PPP, etc. With the opening of different sectors to privatisation and international investment & competition, projects (even in private sector) in areas like roads & bridges, complete townships, SEZs, airports, power plants, industrial plants, etc, are expected to increase manifolds.

To cater to all these sectors, companies should possess high level of skillsets. It is implied that these companies should have an in-house capacity to undertake projects and also deal with eventualities. Project delivery calls for multiple skillsets and involves high risk, owing to the size & complexity of certain projects. “In EPC projects, estimating the cost and tendering requires efficient skillsets to ensure that we do not run into a financial loss in executing a project, and at the same time, stay competitive in winning contracts,” points out Nakhasi.

Project management is critical in executing complex projects. The contractor must have the knowledge of using modern programming tools integrated to track progress of all projects to ensure timely completion within budgeted costs. Site management

In EPC projects, estimating the cost and tendering requires efficient skillsets to ensure that we do not run into a financial loss in executing a project. The availability of vast pool of personnel with specialised technical knowledge makes India one of the best manpower providers in the international market.

Sanjeev NakhasiCorporate Vice President - Operations, Synefra E&C Ltd

Each EPC company will have to develop its own strategy for optimal profitability and success. Leadership in use of information technology will be most important in winning future EPC LSTK work, and knowledge management systems may become a mandatory EPC offering in the near future.

Sathiamoorthy G Managing Director, Tecnimont ICB (TICB) Pvt Ltd

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Chemical World | June 201134

is another critical factor. Having skilled and experienced manpower is also another factor that is considered while selecting a contractor.

According to Sathiamoorthy, the main risks for contract implementation in India are those associated with vendor deliveries, interface management and external issues such as taxation procedures, state and central level legalities, etc. “Besides, we cannot ignore the infrastructure constraint, which puts a strain on the logistics planning and extent of supervision,” he says. Another aspect worth mentioning is the availability (or may be lack) of qualified vendors and their commitment on cost of supplies/services & deliveries. This remains a major challenge for the EPC contractors triggered by the volatile market conditions. Furthermore, lack of availability of skilled/unskilled labourers is also heavily impacting the construction schedule.

Where India stands?In India, the concept of EPC is at a nascent stage. The owner is not yet

convinced that vendors can procure high value material on their own. This is mainly because the owner does not rely on the competencies of vendor, the quality control techniques, the capital expense involved, etc. “Actually giving the entire project to an EPC company has distinct advantages. EPC gives the owner single point responsibility and other advantages,” asserts Nakhasi. It is important for the EPC sector to disseminate information about the advantages of EPC contracting. And at the same time, EPC companies need to equip themselves to meet any difficult situation while executing a project.

Jean Beaudoin, Executive Vice-President, Chemicals and Petroleum, SNC-Lavalin, strongly feels that India has world-class expertise and the cost of engineering, procurement and construction services is comparatively low. “In an increasingly global market, it is only a matter of time before companies start to focus on India for high-quality, low-cost technical and professional services,” he says.

Scaling new heightsWith the advent of technological expertise, strategic alliance and world-class standards, the EPC sector is increasingly adapting to faster and efficient methods. Indian EPC majors are not restricting themselves to national shores but are also looking across the borders. India has a definite edge over other countries due to low cost, fast execution and availability of resources. “The availability of vast pool of personnel with specialised technical knowledge makes India one of the best manpower providers in the international market. This trend is expected to substantially increase over the next few years,” observes Nakhasi.

India as a country has tremendous growth potential in the infrastructure segment mainly in development of roads and bridges, among others. The scope for the public and private sector is also increasing as the demand is huge and the complexity of projects is increasing. EPC sector is envisaged to play a huge role in the infrastructure story of India.

Kayarat is quite optimistic about hydrocarbon sector in India. “Hydrocarbon sector with its major expansion plans in refineries, fertilisers, LNG terminals, etc, will provide ample scope for EPC companies in the years to come,” he says. Besides hydrocarbon, power, ports and road sectors will provide tremendous scope for EPC to grow. “The huge growth plans in the above sectors will have a cascading effect on associated EPC sector for the next three years,” opines Kayarat.

It is all about the survival of the fittest. Looking at the ongoing activities, the future of EPC sector is expected to be bright, yet challenging. “Each EPC company will have to develop its own strategy for optimal profitability and success. Leadership in use of information technology will be most important in winning future EPC LSTK work, and knowledge management systems may become a mandatory EPC offering in the near future,” concludes Sathiamoorthy.

India has world-class expertise and the cost of engineering, procurement and construction services is comparatively low. In an increasingly global market, it is only a matter of time before companies start to focus on India for high-quality, low-cost technical and professional services.

Jean BeaudoinExecutive Vice-President, Chemicals and Petroleum, SNC-Lavalin

Aerial view of Essar’s Vadinar refinery (Gujarat)

Courtesy: Essar Projects (India) Ltd

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MARKET SCOPE

Pothen Paul

A fairly longstanding problem of the manufacturing sector in India has been its inability to be a contributor of consequence to the country’s

service sector-driven growth story of recent years. Because of this, its participation in the GDP too has stagnated at a paltry 16 per cent, prompting the Finance Minister to propose a set of measures in the Union Budget 2011 for gradually improving the sector’s contribution to 25 per cent. A much better performing manufacturing sector is a crucial prerequisite for the generation of employment opportunities, especially for blue collar workers, and for faster growth of exports & consequently better foreign trade balance.

Infrastructure projects Fortunately in case of the infrastructure sector, the decades of neglect, which made power cuts and transportation bottlenecks a way of life and imposed serious constraints on the manufacturing sector, is currently being tackled on a priority basis at an annual expenditure equivalent to 8 per cent of the GDP. A budget allocation of ` 2.14 trillion, an increase of 23 per cent over the previous year, is acting as a

facilitator towards this end. In addition, a steady increase of financial participation by the private sector via PPP schemes, etc, which has expanded to 35 per cent plus of the annual infrastructure spend, is also a positive development.

An analysis of the project loans of $ 53.5 billion sanctioned by banks and overseas lenders in 2010 shows that power projects bagged close to 50 per cent of it, followed by the telecom and road & transportation sectors with 21 per cent and 14 per cent respectively. However, the collective share of industry sector including oil & gas and petrochemical projects was just a paltry 16 per cent. This is not a true reflection of the weightages of sector-wise investments, because many of these projects are internally funded, to a large extent, by their promoters. However, the good news is today, power and transportation infrastructure projects are in the limelight.

Investment scenarioIt is an undisputed fact that for a country of India’s dimensions and location in the centre of the Asia and Middle East growth regions, the per capita production, consumption and exports of chemicals, petrochemicals and products derived from them remain modest. It is also true that India is yet to attract significant investments from key global players in domestic manufacturing

Ready for the global leap?Ready for the global leap?Engineering and contracting

With the growing focus on the development of infrastructure in India, engineering and contracting sector can look at cashing in on the emerging opportunities, besides making inroads into the global market. And to pave the successful path, it needs to eliminate the roadblocks on its way.

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MARKET SCOPE

capabilities for high-end polymers and specialty products. Fortunately, it is likely that ongoing investments in the much-needed power generation and infrastructure facilities including the setting up of Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Regions (PCPIRs), together with demand generation by the fast growing auto, white goods and FMCG sectors might change the picture.

On the oil & gas front, both coal-bed methane and shale gas seem to be ready to chip in to alter the energy basket quite considerably, with the former alone generating as much as 40 million cubic metre of gas per day in the coming years.

The engineering and contracting sectorThe developments on the infrastructure and other fronts raise the question as to whether the engineering and contracting (E&C) companies, ie, companies that undertake engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) of projects, are capable of coping with growth of demand and issues of increasing project size & complexity? To find the answer, let us look at how the needs of the customer sector have evolved during the past decade and the way E&C companies have responded.

The customer sector mainly consists of: Public sector companies such as IOC and ONGC Large private sector entities such as Reliance

and Essar Mid-size private sector companies whose project costs

tend to be less than Rs 300 crore Indian arms of multinational/overseas companies Overseas companies, new to India

The strengths and limitations of these organisations tend to define the extent of their participation in the implementation of projects, and hence their expectations from the E&C fraternity. For instance, constrained by procedures and systems, which are unsuitable for efficient implementation of projects, public sector companies have adopted the EPC route for award of contracts for complete projects or project packages to E&C companies through tendering processes. This in turn is facilitated by another E&C company functioning as Project Management Consultant (PMC), whose responsibilities include the preparation of Front End Engineering Design (FEED), which becomes the technical basis of tenders, and after the award of contract, the overseeing of EPC contractor’s performance.

Large private sector customers, desirous of leveraging on their strong procurement muscle, tend to adopt a modified lump sum EPCM service contract format, which enables them and the chosen E&C companies to complement each other and function for all practical purposes as project execution partners. It goes without

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saying that strong relationships founded on mutual respect and trust are needed to make it work. Mid-size private sector customers and multinational/overseas companies generally opt for undiluted EPCM service contracts.

In a large market such as that in India, having a variety of project implementation formats, is not a wrong procedure. In fact, it has helped to segment the field and let E&C players choose the space in which they wish to operate. There are a wide variety of contract formats in use elsewhere too. For instance, in the US and Canada, the preference is for reimbursable EPCM contracts; in Europe it is for lump sum EPCM; and in Middle East & Central Asia for EPC contracts.

Preparing for a global roleThough Indian E&C companies have the benefits of large domestic and active regional markets, their participation in overseas projects has been minimal at best. This is despite the fact that a number of our companies are well-established in the detail engineering outsourcing space. So as it stands, the nearby Middle East and South East Asia regions, where preference is for EPC contracts, are dominated by the Koreans. All the same, it is believed that as India becomes a stronger economy and its brand equity improves, it will become a lot easier to enter into these markets, provided Indian E&C companies fortify themselves in the following areas:

Indian companies will need to create requisite EPC execution capabilities such as for project cost estimation; project cost control; cash flow management; global sourcing; risk analysis & management; Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) issues in design; and execution, change control, claims & contract management

Since EPC contracts can entail significantly higher financial

risks, strengthening of company financials is essential

Assemble teams of project managers capable of functioning as CEOs of EPC projects and give them operational authority & freedom

Since overseas EPC experience is not easy to come by and project references are a must for prequalification, companies should form project specific joint ventures with partners having the right connections and complementary strengths. It also facilitates the sharing of risks

Invest in integrated project execution tools and build related competencies.

At a national level, the above issues will need to be supplemented by the following:

Augmenting skilled manpower: The project sector is suffering from

huge shortages of trained blue collar workforce and competent engineers. In recognition of this issue, the Finance Minister has allocated ` 500 crore for a national skill development initiative. There is an urgent need for the industry to chip in. In this context, Aker Powergas has recently concluded an MoU with a leading technical institute for providing industry orientation to its students.

Strengthening capital goods sector: Complementary strengths of a vibrant capital goods sector are a must for E&C companies to establish strong positions in the domestic market and elsewhere. Unfortunately, during the

post-liberalisation era, progress has been slow, leading to a steady increase of imports. The recent award of $ 8.3 billion contract by Reliance Power to Shanghai Electric is a case in point. Something needs to be done and an industry-government initiative for establishing well-equipped coastal manufacturing clusters might be a good way to reinvigorate the capital goods sector.

With a large domestic market; proximity to the growing Middle East and South East Asia regions; a capacity to generate 3,80,000 engineers per year; and a young rural population having potential to constitute blue collar workforce, India is well-placed to become a global player in the project execution space within a decade.

Pothen Paul is the Chairman and India Country Manager of Aker Powergas Pvt Ltd. He has over 40 years of experience in organisational

management, project management, construction management and plant design. For details, contact Anita Paul on email: [email protected]

Public sector companies have adopted the EPC route for award

of contracts for complete projects or project packages to E&C companies through

tendering processes.

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INDUSTRY UPDATE

Biotechnology in wastewater treatment

Mahua Roy

A drastic change has emerged in the field of effluent treatment in the last few decades. With a more responsible outlook harboured

by companies, social activists, government policies and aware citizens, water treatment and reuse is being given prime importance. “Effluent treatment is not only crucial for controlling water pollution but is also a good source of energy recovery. Recycling of treated water is a value-added factor and reduces the abstraction of subsoil water. In last few years, many new technologies like reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, membrane bioreactors, etc

have been developed to treat complex/hazardous effluents. These help to conserve the resources as well as energy,” says Vijay Singla, President - Drugs, IOL Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

Biotechnology offers a cheaper and cleaner alternative to conventional effluent treatment processes that utilise chemicals. Most of the effluent treatment plants now have one or more unit operations that involve bio-based treatment. One such example is the membrane bioreactor (MBR) that combines the advantage of membrane and biological treatment into one unit operation. “This technology has a distinct advantage of treating a large volume of effluent with a small footprint that is ideal for

Biotechnology boom is here to stay. After impacting almost every section of society and promising a better life, it is now being harnessed for effluent treatment. More and more companies are realising its importance and shifting to biological treatment. The most recent technology, membrane bioreactor, is here to commit a cleaner, greener environment, paving the way for optimised water management.

Reverse osmosis UltrafiltrationCourtesy: Ion Exchange

GREENEFFLUENTS

avenues for filtering

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INDUSTRY UPDATE

most industries where availability of space is becoming a major constraint. Treatment of waste products from industries such as food processing, chemical, manufacturing, textiles, brewing and distilling can benefit from biological effluent treatment processes suited to individual waste streams,” says Dr Hari Reddy, Director – R&D, Asia-Pacific, NLC Nalco.

Biotechnological breakthroughA scientifically effective combination of traditional activated sludge treatment process and membrane filtration process is the MBR. Typically what happens is, the effluent from the industrial area enters the wastewater treatment facility and passes through the usual preliminary primary treatment processes. The most important step that makes use of biotechnology follows next. Reactors using immobilised enzymes, micro-organisms, animal or plant cells and those applying new methodologies such as genetic manipulation or cell fusion are typical bioreactors. These systems are the emerging technologies, currently developed for a variety of advanced wastewater treatment processes.

The dissolved BOD (sugars, starches, carbohydrates, etc) present in the wastewater is then consumed by the microbes in the aeration basin, and subsequently converted into additional micro-organisms, or gets attached to the biological floc. These microbes are much larger than the small perforations in the membranes. Pumps are attached to

the membranes, which pull a slight vacuum that pulls water from the tank through the perforations in the membranes, leaving the micro-organisms behind in the tank, thus leading to effluent treatment.

“Membrane filtration processes are an effective technology, which allows proper wastewater treatment with a low area footprint and further hygienisation is possible, if needed. This is also one of the most innovative techniques developed in the last decade. Using MBR, one can apply much higher sludge densities compared to the

conventional activate sludge process, allowing faster treatment of the waste streams and retention of bacteria & other pathogens. Further, removal of xenobiotics and salts can be performed with high pressure nanofiltration/reverse osmosis,” says Bart De Gusseme, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Laboratory for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Ghent University, Belgium.

Why one should adopt it?The first advantage of exploiting this technology is its compact nature, as the clarifier (where the separation of the sludge from the treated effluent occurs traditionally by gravity) is replaced by membrane filtration, which can be implemented directly in the aerated biological reactor. In addition to this, the concentration of effluent to be treated is also enhanced as it can be operated with sludge concentration up to 20 or 25 gm TS (total solids)/L, unlike the conventional technology, which is limited to 5 gm/L. Also, unlike the conventional technology, the MBR plants can be operated with a broader range of operational conditions such as sludge concentration & age, organic load, etc, and are more robust to load variations.

The global MBR market is rising at a CAGR of 13.2 per cent and is expected to reach $ 627 million by 2015, currently estimated at $ 337 million in 2010, as per a research report by BCC Research, the US. This is primarily driven by stringent

Recycling of treated water is a value-added factor and reduces the abstraction of subsoil water. In last few years, many new technologies like reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, membrane bioreactors, etc have been developed to treat complex/hazardous effluents. These help to conserve the resources as well as energy.

Vijay Singla President - Drugs, IOL Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd

Studies are on worldwide, where scientists are investigating the relevance of combining the technology of the MBR process with other wastewater treatment or sludge conditioning technologies such as anaerobic digestion, ozonation or other sludge disintegration device (for reduction of sludge production), fixed growth media, etc.

Dr Hari Reddy Director – R&D, Asia-Pacific, NLC Nalco

Unlike the conventional technology, the MBR

plants can be operated with a broader range of

operational conditions such as sludge concentration & age, organic load, etc, and

are more robust to load variations.

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INDUSTRY UPDATE

regulations, rising water scarcity, enhanced emphasis on water reuse and recycling for freshwater conservation. Additionally, promising applications such as groundwater remediation, treatment of chlorinated solvents in wastewater and landfill leachate treatment will also contribute to the market growth.

“Most industries understand the importance of effluent treatment programmes and so will try to access the best available technology & implement them. Also, newer environmentally-benign chemistries for effluent treatment have started developing and will continue to develop due to the need for greener chemistry and sustainable environment. In the light of this, biological treatment systems are being considered as one of the most cost-effective and efficient unit operations in

effluent treatment plant,” opines Dr Reddy.

Further researchUsing MBR for the application towards wastewater treatment has proven that this emerging technology has developed a niche in the effluent treatment sector. “Studies are on worldwide, where scientists are investigating the relevance of combining the technology of the MBR process with other wastewater treatment or sludge conditioning

technologies such as anaerobic digestion, ozonation or other sludge disintegration device (for reduction of sludge production), fixed growth media, etc,” says Dr Reddy.

Also, there is a need to undertake studies to optimise the cost of operation of these systems, as they prove to be a bottleneck, resisting the incorporation of this technology. “As the awareness about the importance and the benefits of using sophisticated methods improve among the end-users, the maturity level to accept and actually use them will further strengthen in India. However, the main deterrent towards the fast adoption of these methods is the cost. Yet, strict regulation and execution of laws & rules/regulations by the government and continuous efforts towards building the awareness in the industry will have positive effects,” notes Singla.

Currently, most universities have taken note of this and are directing their research efforts towards achieving the same. “Biotech industries and universities should join their forces to further develop our knowledge about biotechnological processes such as anaerobic digestion and to lower the investment & operational costs of the biological treatment steps. One remarkable example is the oxygen-limited autotrophic nitrification/denitrification (OLAND) process, which makes complete removal of nitrogen possible in one reactor and is 60 per cent more energy-efficient than the two-step nitrification-denitrification process,” concludes De Gusseme.

What MBR technology offers?

Advantages Disadvantages

��� Effluent is very low in BOD (less than 5 mg/L), turbidity and suspended solids & is fairly easy to operate. Also, the capital cost is usually less than for comparable treatment trains

��� There may be cleaning solutions that require special handling, treatment and disposal activities. These cleaning solutions may be classified as hazardous waste depending on local and state regulations

��� Simple filtering action of the membranes creates a physical disinfection barrier, which significantly reduces the disinfection requirements

��� Most of the chemical and energy costs in an MBR facility are directly attributable to reducing or preventing membrane fouling

��� Treatment process allows for a smaller footprint as there are neither secondary clarifiers nor tertiary filters. It also eliminates the need for a tertiary backwash surge tank, a backwash water storage tank, and for the treatment of the backwash water

��� Membrane modules need to be replaced somewhere between five and ten years. The membranes dry out due to the flexible polymers leaching out, closing/plugging of the pores, and membranes becoming somewhat hard or brittle.

��� If reuse is a major water quality goal, the MBR process is a major consideration. This process produces a consistent, high water quality discharge. When followed by a disinfection process, it allows for a wide range of water reuse. When Reverse Osmosis (RO) water quality is required, the MBR process is an excellent option for preparing the water for RO treatment

��� MBR technology is stated as an option of replacing the secondary clarifier. The electrical cost for running it is significantly less than that for filtrate pumps, chemical feed pumps, compressors, etc, of the MBR system. However, the MBR system produces a significantly higher quality effluent that most clarifiers can never achieve

Source: Wrights Training Consultants

Using MBR, one can apply much higher sludge densities compared to the conventional activate sludge process, allowing faster treatment of the waste streams and retention of bacteria & other pathogens. Further, removal of xenobiotics and salts can be performed with high pressure nanofiltration/reverse osmosis.

Bart De Gusseme Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Belgium

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QUALITY MONITOR

Chemical World | June 201142

Samir Bhandarkar

T he pollution levels are rising across India, which is evident from the fact that the country was listed fifth among the poisonous gas emitting nations in the

world. As a result, the revised National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for twelve pollutants were notified in 2009 by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). Pollutants include gases like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, ammonia and particulate matters below 10 micron and below 2.5 micron size. As per revised norms, residential and industrial areas have the same standards.

The revised NAAQS provides a legal framework for the control of air pollution and protection of public health, which has provision for any citizen to approach the court for better air quality. In India, these norms are governed

by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and implemented by the State Pollution Control Board. Given below are some of the pollutants and their effects on health & environment.

Carbon monoxideCarbon monoxide is a highly toxic and flammable gas, which is a major product of the incomplete combustion of carbon and carbon-containing compounds. Environmental tobacco smoke in dwellings, offices, vehicles and restaurants can raise the average carbon monoxide concentrations as well.

High degree of exposure to carbon monoxide can reduce the amount of oxygen supplied to the brain, to the point that the person becomes unconscious and can suffer brain damage from shortness of oxygen. Carbon monoxide may contribute to the greenhouse effect and global warming.

Ambient air quality monitoring

Curbing unsafe atmospheric elements

Air pollutants emanating from various sources get absorbed into the atmosphere, thereby changing its composition and affecting the health of the population as well as the environment. The sources of air pollutants include vehicles, industries, domestic and natural causes. However, considering the growing hazards on account of air pollutants, various norms have come up related to monitoring and maintaining ambient air quality standards. Read on…

Table 1: National ambient quality standards (annual) for industrial, residential, rural and other areas

Pollutant Concentration in ambient air (annual) Pollutant Concentration in

ambient air (annual)Sulfur dioxide 50 µg/m3 Nitrogen dioxide 40 µg/m3

Particulate matter less than 10 micron size 60 µg/m3 Particulate matter less than 2.5 micron size

40 µg/m3

Ozone 100 µg/m3 Lead 0.5 µg/m3

Carbon monoxide 2 mg/m3 Ammonia 100 µg/m3

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QUALITY MONITOR

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Sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfideSulfur dioxide (SO2) is an acid tasting, colourless, pungent smelling and toxic gas. Its major sources include heat and power generation facilities that use poor quality oil or coal containing sulfur. Sulfur dioxide is one of the major precursors of acid rain, which accelerates corrosion of buildings and monuments as well as acidifies soils, lakes and streams. Furthermore, it leads to reduced visibility.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a highly toxic and corrosive gas with a bad smell. It is a product of biogenous digestion and can be found in refineries, blast furnaces, pulp & paper industry, gasworks, coking, wastewater treatment and biogas plants.

The effects observed include reduction in pulmonary volume, breathing resistance or shortness of breath and symptoms such as wheezing, chest tightness, etc. It also leads to headache and nausea.

H2S destroys haemoglobin and paralyses intracellular respiration.

In contact with humidity at mucus membranes, it converts to alkaline sulfides causing heavy irritations in the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. H2S is a neurotoxic and its bad smell is unbearable. The lower limit of detection by humans may be as low as 2 ppb. Because of its acidity, H2S is a corrosive gas. It damages switch panels and other electronic devices in the plant.

Nitrogen oxidesThe nitric oxide (NO) molecule is quite reactive and unstable. In ambient air, it reacts with oxygen to form the toxic nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Human activity has drastically increased the production of nitric oxide in combustion chambers, for instances car engines and power plants. The phase-in of new NO2 threshold values will make the nitrogen oxides a subject of major public interest.

Nitric oxide has a multitude of effects on human beings; it primarily

impacts lungs and other organs, such as spleen and liver. In the blood, it leads to the creation of meta-haemoglobin, which cannot transport oxygen. Nitric oxide in the air may later convert into nitric acid in acid rain. Furthermore, both NO and NO2 contribute to a reduction in the ozone layer.

Particulate matter (PM10/PM2.5)PM10 and PM2.5 do not fall under the category single compound but the mass concentration of all particles smaller than 10µm (PM10) or 2.5µm (PM2.5) in diameter, suspended in the ambient air. These are found especially in areas with high traffic-related pollution; the threshold values for this type of pollutant are frequently exceeded, which makes them a major pollutant.

A number of studies have shown short-term cardiovascular effects related to PM, a direct relation between the

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Chemical World | June 201144

number of heart attacks and the PM-concentration has been proven.

Long-term effects comprise the toxicity of the particles itself, their potential to carry and hold toxic compounds in the respiratory system and irritation of the immune system due to their continuance, deep in the lungs.

Monitoring hotspotRight from transboundary atmospheric pollution to exchanging information on atmospheric pollutants, or from limiting polluting emission to protecting forests against atmospheric pollution, legislative and scientific studies recommend that pollutants be measured at the place where they occur – so-called toxic hotspot monitoring. Hotspot can be referred to as the location where emissions from specific sources may expose individuals and population groups to elevated risks of adverse health effects – including, but not limited to cancer – and contribute to the cumulative health risks of emissions from other sources in the area. Hotspot sources are vehicular exhaust, major industrial emissions, major events, etc, and are

typically found in densely populated areas.

To keep a tab on air quality, online monitoring of notified pollutants at each hotspot location is a must. These online monitoring stations give the environment department real-time data on several gases and pollutants at each site.

At present, apart from the cities, several major polluting industries in India like power, cement, steel, oil & gas, fertiliser, chemical, pharmaceutical, etc are being asked to continuously monitor their pollutants by using Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) and submit daily, monthly and annual reports on specified pollutant criteria to the authority.

As per the MoEF/CPCB guidelines, all ambient gas analysers including

particulate matter shall confirm with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) automated reference or equivalent method designation as required by the specification for individual equipment. For particulate as per the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), approved measurement methods are Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance (TOEM) and beta attenuation. However, for stationary monitoring (ie at fixed location) of particulates, nephelometry is a measurement technique that is equally accurate, compact in size and needs less maintenance. Also, it does not require any radioactive source. In view of the above, MoEF/PCBs should consider the suitability of nephelometry type particulate monitors for stationary monitoring of particulates PM10, PM2.5.

Nowadays, specialised high technology instrumentation for online ambient air quality monitoring – which is out-of-the-box, plug and play – is available. This is a comprehensive solution for continuous monitoring of O3, CO, SO2, NOx, H2S, NH3, VOC (BTEX) and particulate matter (PM10/PM2.5) in ambient air along with meteorological parameters like wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, relative humidity, temperature, barometric pressure, etc.

The road aheadGeneral impression with any CAAQMS is that these are expensive and need extensive service support from the supplier. However, it needs to be kept in mind that monitoring of air quality cannot be overlooked due to the various health and environmental implications it holds for the benefit of society at large.

Samir Bhandarkar is the Divisional Manager of Forbes Marshall, Pune. Email: [email protected]

The revised NAAQS provides a legal

framework for the control of air pollution

and protection of public health.

Monitoring

Modelling

Mapping

Hold

Legalframework

Measures/

improvem

ent plan

Target reached?

Figure 1: Air modelling system

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COATINGS CORNER

A challenge for supply chain

Rising oil prices

Dr Mosongo Moukwa

Independent studies indicate that global oil production is peaking currently and will soon begin to decline, until all recoverable oil is depleted within several decades. Various

factors contribute to the ‘peak oil’ crisis. First, the demand for oil is outstripping its supply. Since early 2005, oil production had remained on a plateau, while demand continued to rise. This gap has driven oil prices up.

Last year, the cost of a barrel of Brent crude, the most important benchmark, climbed by 17 per cent. Global oil demand grew by 3.4 per cent, about twice the average rate of increase recorded in the previous decade. Today, it is priced at over $ 110 per barrel, compared to $ 15 per barrel 10 years ago. China and the big emerging economies continue to make the critical contribution to oil demand. Total Asian consumption grew by an annual 5.9 per cent in February; in China the rise was 9.6 per cent.

Second, as depletion progresses, production costs grow exponentially. The remaining oil is of lower quality and must be extracted from deeper

parts of the earth, often in deep water and ultra deep water off-shore sites. There is great uncertainty about the amount of oil that will ultimately be produced, given the technological, cost and environmental challenges.

Peak oilPeak oil is the simplest label for the problem of energy resource depletion, or more specifically, the peak in global oil production. Oil is a finite, non-renewable resource, one that has powered phenomenal economic growth over the last century-and-a-half.

The rate of oil ‘production’, meaning extraction and refining (currently about 86 million barrels/day), has grown over the last century. Once about half of the original reserves get utilised, oil production will most likely stop growing and begin a terminal decline, hence ‘peak’. Peak oil means not ‘running out of oil’, but ‘running out of cheap oil’. The late King Hubbert, a geologist, pioneered the ‘Peak Oil Theory’. He believed that production will peak somewhere between 2000 and 2010. Others suggested that production may top out a few decades after that. For societies that

The continuous rise in the price of oil raises the question of what the end of cheap oil means, not only for the industry, but for the society at large. The present level of energy consumption, production and industrial growth is not sustainable because the oil resources are finite and diminishing. With uncertainty about the oil production, demand and the prices, challenges abound at the global level.

Page 46: Chemical World - June 2011

Chemical World | June 201148

COATINGS CORNER

leveraged on ever-increasing amounts of cheap oil, the consequences may be dire.

James Howard Kunstler, one of his disciples, predicts that declining oil production is near and likely to result in the end of industrialised society. In his book, The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century, he has mentioned that alternative energy sources will never meet our needs and that we are in for a ‘rough ride through unchartered territory’. Prophets have been warning for decades about the terrible things coming, but Kunstler joins a fresh group of people whose numbers seem to increase as quickly as the price of gas.

Raw materials for the paints and coatings industryCrude oil and natural gas are the starting points for nearly all chemicals used in the manufacture of paints and coatings (Figure 1). The chemical industry uses natural gas not only as inputs for fuel and power, but also as a raw material for feedstocks. It is estimated that every $ 1/million Btu increase in the cost of natural gas adds $ 3.7 billion in costs to the chemical industry. Over 96 per cent of all manufactured goods directly depend on chemical industry and several industries rely upon chemistry; this has broader economical implications.

Energy-intensive sectors such as chemicals bear the brunt of the impact of higher oil & gas prices. It is estimated that over 70 per cent of feedstocks for basic chemicals are derived from natural gas. Skyrocketing crude oil price affects the price of naphtha and aromatics (benzene, xylene, toluene, turpentine). The cost on oil derivative, like Mineral Turpentine Oil (MTO), a main input used in decorative paints, has gone up tremendously over the years.

Propylene and ethylene are two materials made from processing crude oil and natural gas. Ethylene is the chemical industry’s most important ‘building block’. It is used in the

production of most key plastic resins and petrochemical intermediates, including polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene and ethylene glycol. The other two major building blocks are propylene and benzene. Natural gas and oil account for the bulk of ethylene’s production costs, so its price tends to follow energy prices rather closely. Ethylene prices impact vinyl acetate, while propylene and natural gas impact acrylics.

The impact of the continuous rise in oil prices is already felt by the industry. The rising fuel and energy costs have severely impacted the coatings manufacturers and consumers. Since raw materials for paint formulation are derived directly from crude oil, the increase in crude oil prices has led to a decline in margins for the coating manufacturers. Resin manufacturers, after absorbing some of the price rises, pass on the remaining to the coating manufacturers. The end-user industry is a highly price-sensitive one, and this has left the coating manufacturers in a fix. If the existing trends in raw material prices continue, some of the players may get displaced or disappear altogether; particularly small coating manufacturers whose profitability get eroded.

Ultimately, the consequences of a peak and permanent decline in oil production could be even more prolonged and severely impact the industry & many others than those suffered on account of the past oil supply shocks. Because the decline would be neither temporary nor reversible, the effects would continue until alternative transportation technologies to displace oil become available in sufficient quantities at comparable costs. Furthermore, because oil production could decline even more each year following a peak, the amount that would have to be replaced by alternatives could also increase year by year.

Alternative energy resourcesWhen oil dries up, Kunstler predicts that society will collapse. He does not see this eventuality as a distant phenomenon. His predictions all presuppose that the world cannot be saved by alternative energy sources. He dismisses alternative energy as a ‘mirage’ and belief in it as ‘a holdover from the techno miracle cavalcade of the 20th century’. He does not see any hope in the form of natural gas, solar and wind power; coal, hydroelectric power, biotechnology or nuclear power.

BA

PENTA

VAM

TDI

DEG

Styrene

PG

MMA

MA

PA

IPA

Min.Spirits

TOL/Xylene

Olefins-Ethylene-Propylene-Butadiene

Aromatics-Benzene-Toluene-Xylenes

Methane

Ethane

Propane

Butanes

Naphtha

Natural gas

Crude oil

Figure 1: Petrochemical chart with the important ingredients used in the paints and coatings industry

Page 47: Chemical World - June 2011

49June 2011 | Chemical World

COATINGS CORNER

He discounts natural gas as a long-term solution, and with good reasons, for it suffers from most of the same reserve problems as oil, compounded by problems of getting it from the field to the user. He undervalues it as a ‘bridge’ supply, a form of energy that might be used to make the transition to the next source. And the scarcity of bridge power is crucial to many of his assumptions about whether there will be enough energy to build the next generation of sources.

Coal is already used to produce about half of the electricity worldwide, and though most agree that it is in good supply, Kunstler has his own reservations about the numbers. The environmental cost of burning coal is also, as Kunstler notes, extreme. Beyond coal’s contribution to global warming and more local forms of air pollution, it is hard to dismiss the large-scale levelling of landscape. As for synthesising oil from coal or for that matter, extracting it from shale and tar sands, it can happen; but the high cost and limited returns on the energy investment are not likely to allow anything like the enormous economic expansion of the last century. Given the likely outcome of continued global warming, one should not be overly encouraging of coal conversion. Neither does this mean that the slow moving work on clean coal will never bear fruit.

Renewable energy sources are not compatible with systems and scales used by current fossil fuels. Therefore, they will not be able to take the place of oil & gas in running those highly complex systems. The systems themselves would need to go. The wish to keep running the same systems at gigantic scales using renewables is at the heart of our illusions, according to Kunstler.

Towards sustainabilityThe chemical industry has been trying to anticipate the future and address the issue of sustainability. For example,

great progress has taken place in biotechnology over the past 20 to 30 years that has offered a set of powerful tools for developing and optimising the efficiency of bio-processes & the specific characteristics of byproducts. The increase in efficiency and specificity achieved with biotechnology has great potential for moving the industry along the path to sustainability. Increased efficiency allows for greater use of renewable resources without depleting them.

Because development and widespread adoption of technologies to displace oil will take time and effort, an imminent peak and sharp decline in oil production could have severe consequences. Some of the technologies such as ethanol, biodiesel, biomass-/gas-to-liquid, coal gas-to-liquid, and hydrogen currently supply only a fraction (less than one per cent) of the annual consumption of petroleum products. These technologies, even under optimistic scenarios, could displace only the equivalent of about two to three per cent of annual consumption of a country like the US by around 2015. If the decline in oil production exceeds the ability of alternative technologies to displace oil, energy consumption would be constricted, and as consumers competed for increasingly scarce oil resources, oil prices would sharply increase.

ConclusionThe tapestry of destruction described by doomsayers assumes a race of much more limited flexibility and creativity than history shows humanity

to be. They could be right, of course, and given the behaviour of world populace in the past hundred years, there may be a perverse satisfaction in agreeing with their assessments of the world’s capabilities and its future. But more likely, people will muddle through as they almost always have, flourishing here, waning there, and surprising themselves, perhaps undeservedly. It seems more realistic to assume that, as the price of oil continues to rise, instead of focussing sharply on oil technology, the society will try a number of other options at once, looking with its usual expediency for an easy solution that does not kill the people, at least for the moment.

Dr Mosongo Moukwa is Vice President (Technology), Asian Paints Ltd, Mumbai. He was Vice President (Global Technology), Reichhold,

North Carolina. He holds a PhD from the Universite de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada and an MBA from Case Western University, Cleveland, Ohio. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, the Commercial Development and Management Association and the Licensing Executive Society.Email: [email protected]

Page 48: Chemical World - June 2011

SAFETY ZONE

Chemical World | June 201150

K N K Murthy

I n chemical process plants, pre-commissioning is synonymous with the most sought-after transition from the project to operational phase. It is the stage when success rate

of the combined efforts of all stakeholders that encompass licensors, project and operational group get duly evaluated. Major or even small untoward incidences here and there during this activity can jeopardise production schedule some time or the other, thus leading to costly and time-consuming rework/retrofitting. In addition, there have been cases of serious accidents resulting in loss of lives (in large numbers)/injuries/fires/explosions/mishaps. Hence, it is pertinent to consider the safety concerns during the pre-commissioning stage and ways to address these issues, thereby facilitating the goal of achieving the targeted production with desired quality at the specified time schedule.

For wider coverage and applicability, the following popular terminologies are also supplemented along with the conventional ‘commissioning’ of a ‘more or less’ completed project installation. This will be desirable considering the benefits that can be ascertained by more cross-sections of the company’s employees and disciplines:

Trial/guarantee runs in presence of licensor representatives

Partial operation/temporary commissioning of just few of the completed units/sections of the main plant, common utilities, etc, to establish reliability/integrity besides enhancing the confidence level of working personnel

Commissioning of the expanded facilities that have been hooked up to the main and existing unit

Re-commissioning of the main plant after minor/major modifications/additions/alterations, revamp, etc executed at the unit level

Restart of the existing unit after long shut-down/turnaround activities after major overhaul, cleaning, major mechanical/electrical/instrument repairs, catalyst changeover, structural repairs/reinforcement, statutory examinations/inspections/testing, etc

Given below are the steps (in sequence) to be adopted in the pre-commissioning safety strategy:

Evolution of a ‘Pre-commissioning Safety Clearance Policy’: It includes study of drawings, joint plant rounds and signing of joint protocol by management authorised agencies/disciplines/category/level as deemed fit in any of the job categories mentioned above.

Establishment of a system: This comprises the methodology of conducting the inspections, training of authorised personnel, evaluating their competency level, certifying and notifying their names.

Plant pre-commissioning

Getting set for the next levelPre-commissioning is a vital phase when it comes to chemical process plants as it will ensure the success in the commissioning and operational stages. Like in every other phase, here too safety concerns loom large; and hence pursuing of best practices & preparing a checklist are mandatory. Check out a few guidelines on how to go about it.

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SAFETY ZONE

51June 2011 | Chemical World

Formulation of an indicative and user-friendly checklist: This is essential to facilitate uniformity in inspection besides paving the way for identifying most of the key elements contributing to commissioning safety. It is expected that with competent and multi-disciplinary level personnel working sincerely, the expectations as reflected through the checklist is fully complied before the protocol is signed.

Worksheet formatA model format on the pre-commissioning inspection is shown in Figure 1. A purely indicative listing of relevant check points includes the following:

Identification/marking/barricading of the area/facility covered under the scope of pre-commissioning

Restoration of housekeeping with reference to:

(a) Removal of unused construction material, tools, tackles, debris, temporary sheds

(b) Levelling of roads, walkways, backfilling of dug-out portions, covering of manholes, trenches, etc

(c) Painting, whitewashing of buildings, colour coding, stamping of product name along with flow direction marking on pipelines

(d) Removal of temporary electrical appliances, tools, tackles, welding/gas cutting machines

(e) Fencing/guarding of moving parts

Availability of documents such as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs); updated flow sheets; Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

Testing/certification/commissioning of critical instruments (trips/alarms/visual indication bulbs)Commissioning of all utilities like process air, water, steam, nitrogen, wastewater treatment unit

Commissioning of effective communication system including emergency alarms/sirens Display of safety relevant caution boards/signs/symbols/ work instructions

Listing of blinds – removal of shut down blinds/insertion of start-up blinds

Commissioning of ‘hot condensate traps’ on steam lines to safeguard against water hammerProvision of appropriate access to valves including essential remote actuation facility as required

Control of entry/movement of automobiles in hazardous areas

Provision of electrical fixtures of appropriate design as per area classification Provision of emergency escape routes and marking Availability of/compliance to protective clothing and personal protective equipment

Availability in operability of fire protection appliances – hydrants/

mon i to r s / sp r ink l e r s /por tab le extinguishers, etc

Emergency first aid centre/ambulance facility, etc

Meeting the eventualitiesPre-commissioning time is highly critical for all concerned stakeholders in order to accomplish the assigned responsibility of putting the plant on stream as per the deadline. Besides, the nearby construction zones, if any, must be duly safeguarded and the people working protected against any consequential risk arising out of any probable but untoward incident from the commissioning zone. Accordingly, it is desirable that a duly designated and experienced engineer is drafted as overall co-ordinator, whose instructions are duly complied by all concerned.

K N K Murthy has been in the fertilisers and petrochemicals industry for 38 years and retired as Senior Manager (Safety) from Indian Petrochemicals

Corporation Ltd, Vadodara. Currently, he works as a Safety Consultant and is attached to Mahatma Gandhi Labour Institute (MGLI), Ahmedabad. He has done pioneering works in various aspects like hazard identification, safety audits/inspections/surveys, training, emergency preparedness planning, quality/environment standards (ISO), etc. He can be contacted on [email protected]

(a) Area(s) visited----------------------------- (b) Date(s)/timing/duration--------------------------------

(c) Authorised inspecting personnel

Name Signature

(i) ----------------------------------- -----------------------------------

(ii) ----------------------------------- -----------------------------------

(iii) ----------------------------------- -----------------------------------

Figure 1: A model format of the pre-commissioning inspection

Sl No

Check point

Ok/ Not ok

Recommendations (In case of not ok

indication)

Action by

Due date

Status of compliance after

the due date

Remarks and directive by

the unit head123

Page 50: Chemical World - June 2011

Chemical World | June 201152

Varun Gupta

Industrial production processes will inevitably lead to the creation waste products. Some of this waste is discharged from the production facility in the form of process exhaust air. To

protect the environment, legislation requires industries to install end-of-pipe abatement system in production facilities to remove these waste products and/or exhaust gases. The Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) directive is meanwhile implemented throughout the European Union, and outside the EU too, there is a stronger focus on environmental issues.

Before a company invests in complex and costly pollution control equipment, an exact analysis should be conducted. Often harmful substances can be eliminated or minimised by using other materials and/or by reusing them for other purposes. But if the installation of abatement systems is necessary, there are numerous possibilities which are, in turn, dependent on the production process.

Exhaust air treatmentPollution control requirements of the chemical, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industry are complex. Only experienced and certified suppliers should be considered for a system partner, as most industry internal processes have to meet high safety standards. Compliance with emission limit requires customer-specific solutions, because the composition of the exhaust air is usually not homogeneous, and often even explosive,

corrosive or of varying concentrations. Needless to say, it is vital that the buyer and system partner be in close contact to find a solution.

Exhaust air treatment processThe adsorption process is used for concentrating the pollution content in the air. Here, activated carbon and zeolites are typically used. The pollutant must be adsorbable and must be in a gas or steam phase. Often oxidation systems (catalytic or thermal) or systems for condensation and solvent recovery are used to treat the concentrated pollutant air stream. In all cases, where large volumes of exhaust air with a low pollutant concentration have to be treated, adsorption systems such as the KPR rotary concentrator can be applied to save costs, because they reduce the exhaust air volume to a fraction of its original volume. The smaller the volume to be treated, the lower the capital investment and operating costs for the abatement system.

Catalytic air purification: It is characterised by flameless oxidation of the pollutants contained in the exhaust air at temperatures between 300°C and 500°C. After the exhaust air has been heated up, the pollutants are oxidised by the catalyst to CO2 and H2O. The process can only be applied to certain pollutants and to exhaust air containing no dust. The solution for catalytic exhaust air purification, recuperative catalytic oxidiser (KAR), is a unit that is ideal for small to medium pollutant concentrations, for exhaust air with low oxygen content and for the reduction of nitrogen oxides using the principle of selective

Blowing the winds of change

Exhaust air purification

In the light of rising precautionary measures for curbing environmental pollution, especially air pollution, high quality and process reliability have always been prime requirements for exhaust air purification. To be able to offer such pollution control equipment at competitive prices, a global approach with a higher local content is absolutely essential. Bright prospects for a healthy atmosphere

Courtesy: Dürr India Pvt Ltd

TREND ANALYSIS

Page 51: Chemical World - June 2011

53June 2011 | Chemical World

TREND ANALYSIS

catalytic reduction (SCR). Due to the low oxidation temperature, KAR units are especially energy-efficient.

Thermal oxidation: In this process, the hydrocarbons contained in the solvent react and combine with oxygen and are transformed into wet steam and carbon dioxide. The thermal oxidiser units are used to treat highly caloric, explosive exhaust air or air containing organic liquids. By cooling down hot flue gases, energy can be regained as steam, water, thermal oil or air. Waste heat boilers or gas-gas heat exchangers are used as flue gas coolers. An absorption process is applied for washing flue gas containing halogens and sulphur. It consists of a quench for flue gas cooling and an absorption tower for removal of, for example, HCl, Cl2, HBr, Br2 und SOx. For exhaust air with high nitrogen content, it is often necessary to integrate an additional NOx removal stage in the system concept.

Regenerative thermal oxidation (RTO) oxidisers are preferably used for the treatment of exhaust air, with a pollutant concentration of less than 25 per cent of the lower explosion level (LEL). This process has a significant energy saving potential, as autothermal operation is already possible at a pollutant concentration of less than 1.5 g/Nm³. In this case, the system can operate without any additional fuel and without pilot flames. For smaller exhaust air volumes, a ‘LeanLine’ concept based on the thermal oxidation has been developed. This variant is a compact unit, catalytic thermal oxidiser (CTO) that is delivered in a 40 foot container, and has a small footprint at minimum capital investment and operating costs.

Recuperative thermal oxidisers (TAR) are applied for the treatment of exhaust air containing combustible organic and inorganic pollutants that are oxidised at combustion temperatures between 700°C and 800°C. The thermal energy contained

in the clean air after combustion is usually used for pre-heating untreated exhaust air further downstream. The remaining thermal energy can be used to generate saturated steam, high-temperature water, hot water or hot air for heating thermal oil.

Reaching the goalExhaust air purification will become more and more necessary, with pollution guidelines the world over, becoming stringent. Companies are required to comply with specific standards to limit the emission of pollutants. The adoption of appropriate pollution control technologies will enable these companies to achieve this goal effectively.

Varun Gupta is the Senior Sales Manager - Environmental & Energy Systems at Dürr India Pvt Ltd. He started his career as Sales Engineer in Thermax

Ltd, Pune, and served there for eight years. Email: [email protected]

Page 52: Chemical World - June 2011

CASE STUDY

Chemical World | June 201154

T he Indian fertiliser industry faces several major challenges, including high demand for crop-specific products, unpredictable rainfall, dependence on

expensive imported raw materials, and strict government policies. To achieve operational excellence in this complex environment, RCF decided to tighten its operations.

Specifically, it needed to implement an integrated & scalable IT application to enhance collaboration and information sharing across the

entire enterprise. After an unsuccessful attempt at developing a customised Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) application, the company started looking for a packaged solution. It wanted a solution that would meet its specific requirements, need limited customisations, and be quick to deploy.

After evaluating a number of options, RCF chose the SAP ERP application.

Powering up with SAP softwareRCF carried out the implementation after assembling a team of 35 in-house personnel and 20 consultants from its implementation partner, Siemens Information Systems Ltd. With strong support from senior executives and regular interaction between end-users and the IT department, the team completed the project on time and within the stipulated budget. It took just 10 months for the fertiliser manufacturer to roll out the SAP ERP application across all its offices and production facilities.

Transforming the organisationToday, all RCF facilities operate with a single set of business processes, an integrated information base, and accurate visibility into business operations. Uniform material codes enable

Efficient ERP

Saving resources with enterprise-wide

collaborationRashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd (RCF), one of India’s leading producers of fertilisers, operates through a network of distributors and regional sales offices. In order to support its growing and complex business operations spanning 20 states, the company replaced its existing legacy software with a single integrated application that provides greater operational control across the enterprise.

Implementation of SAP ERP application at RCFKey challenges

Replace non-integrated legacy software with an integrated solution

Enhance collaboration and information sharing across manufacturing plants and sales offices

Support growing business requirements with improved and consistent process maturity

Improve ability to meet government product subsidy policy demands

Factors for selecting SAPProven track record in fertiliser industry

Best fit for company’s business requirements Large installed customer base in India Support for growing business requirements

Page 53: Chemical World - June 2011

CASE STUDY

55June 2011 | Chemical World

accurate visibility into inventory levels across plant locations.

Tighter integration of material management with finance has eliminated invoicing errors. Similarly, enhanced visibility into inventory movements helps eliminate excess stocking at sales offices while reducing stock-out situations. Today, stock reconciliation across sales locations can be done at the click of a button at any time as compared to the time-consuming manual reconciliation exercise that used to be performed once a year.

The finance function has significantly reduced the time and effort involved in consolidation of accounts across its various units by centralising the entire process using the SAP ERP Financials solution. As a result, the annual book closing time has been reduced from 60 days to 15 days, while the monthly book closure takes 10-12 days instead of 20-25.

Across sales and distribution, better visibility into receivables, combined with automated credit control checks and alerts, have helped RCF reduce overall days’ sales outstanding as well as overdue receivables. Regional offices can now analyse material delivery patterns & payment terms and provide detailed account statements to their dealers at any given point.

Such improvements are enabling RCF to save both time and money. For example, by centralising its payroll operations, the company has significantly improved productivity: activities that once required the attention of 20-25 people are now handled by only 2-4. Moreover, the software can be used to execute retrospective wage revision for the entire workforce to adhere to Indian legal framework.

Looking aheadRCF won several awards for its successful deployment of SAP ERP

for process improvement across the company. Today, the company is setting its sights on further improvements. For example, in addition to planning for an upgrade of its existing SAP ERP application, RCF is also considering implementing SAP BusinessObjects governance, risk, and compliance solutions, the SAP NetWeaver Portal component, employee self-service functionality, and SAP Interactive Forms software by Adobe.

“The challenge of embracing real-time process integration of a complex business entity formed the core of this user-driven SAP ERP adoption. Alignment of IT with business objectives is leading RCF to new heights of excellence,” concluded Narendra Kumar Verma, Chief Engineer – IT, RCF.

Courtesy: SAP AG

For details, contact Chaya Arora on email: [email protected]

Page 54: Chemical World - June 2011

Rudrapur23-26 September 2011Gandhi Park

Ahmedabad14-17 October 2011Gujarat Univesity Exhibition hall

Pune18-21 November 2011Auto Cluster Exhibition Centre

Chennai8-11 December 2011Chennai Trade Centre

Indore6-9 January 2012Poddar Plaza, MG Road

Aurangabad17-20 February 2012Garware Stadium

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Atlas Copco (India) LtdProducts: Air assembly tools, Electrical assembly tools, Fixtured applications,Grinders, Drills, Percussive tools, Hoist and trolleys, Air motors, Airline accessories, PRO, Compressors, Generators, Process gas compressors & TurboexpandersW: www.atlascopco.comPatici pating in: Rudrapur, Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai, Indore, Aurangabad

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UPDATE 1

Page 55: Chemical World - June 2011

Maruti Suzuki, vendors may invest up to `18,000cr in Gujarat

Maruti Suzuki India, along with vendors, could in-

vest up to `18,000 crore in Gujarat as it looks to produce about 20 lakh units in the long run in the state.

The company’s top exec-utives, including Chairman R C Bhargava and MD Shinzo Nakanishi, met CM Narendra Modi to expedite setting up of its manufacturing foothold in the state. “First phase of production would be of ca-pacity of 1 million cars, which would take approximately 5 years to install. At current cost, that would entail an in-vestment of `6,000 crore,” said Bhargava. In the second phase, he said if the market continues to grow, “we would do another million cars with corresponding investments”. Along with that, we would get all the vendors, suppliers to come here and their invest-ments would also be of the order of about `6,000 crore,” Bhargava added.

–Courtesy: Economic Times

German Group Freudenberg, a supplier of non-wovens,

fi lters, lubricants and specialist in seals and vibration control technology, said availability of good infrastructure in Gujarat led it to set up a new plant in the state.

“Two factors - availability of round the clock power and logistics location near the National Highway No 8 - led us to set up a new plant here,” Klaus Peter Meier, President and CEO of Freudenberg Household Products, said after the inauguration of the unit at Adas village.

The plant is a JV Freudenberg Household and Gala Brush, a leading manufacturer of all types of brushes, brooms, wipers, squeegees and mops in India. – Courtesy : PTI

German fi rm Freudenberg opens new plant in Gujarat

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Page 56: Chemical World - June 2011

Ford Motor Company will invest nearly Rs 325 crore

in expanding its diesel engine production capacity by over 30% in India within next 1 year.Post the completion of expansion programme in mid-2012, the engine plant’s production capacity will increase from 2.5 lakh units to 3.3 lakh units per year. Ford India President and MD Michael Boneham said: “This investment reinforces the importance of our Chennai plant and Ford’s continued expansion in India”.

This expansion will allow Ford to provide technologically advanced and fuel-effi cient engines to the customers in India and in markets around the world. This expansion will support the company’s plan to introduce 8 new global Ford vehicles in India by 2015, he added.

With this investment, Ford’s total investment in India has crossed over $1 billion. Ford will soon start manufacturing and exporting 1.6 TiVCT, 1.4 HC and Duratorq engines from the country.

Courtesy : PTI

Ford to invest `325cr to hike engine production at Chennai

Ennore port to have iron ore terminal soon

A dedicated iron ore terminal at Ennore Port

in Chennai is set to go on stream. “Permanent iron ore terminal at Ennore Port for 6 mtpa throughput is ready and expected to be operational immediately after lifting of ban on export by Karnataka state,” Mr V.P. Mehta, General Manager, MMTC, said in a presentation. State-run trading fi rm MMTC owns 26 per cent stake in the special purpose vehicle building the iron ore terminal while Sical Logistics has majority stake in the venture. –Courtesy: The Hindu Business Line

MechmatrixProducts: Clamping products, Drilling tapping, Machine accessories, Machine tools, Metal tools, Cutting tools, Tool presetting, Tool storage systems, Toolholding workholding, Metal working fl uidesW: www.mechmatrix.inPatici pating in: Pune, Indore

Meghna Infotech Pvt LtdProducts: CAD drafting services, 3D modelling services & rendering services, Digitisation services, File format conversion, Printing & Plotting, Data entry & document services & reverse engineeringW: www.meghnainfotech.comPatici pating in: Ahmedabad

Mgmt Tools & Hardware Pvt LtdProducts: Valves and fi ttings, Tool boxes, Fire knock out, Material Handling and Storage, Ducting pipe, Vibro motors, Rubber products, Pumps and seals, Lifting tools, Safety shoes, Safty equipments, Transmission product, Air comppressor, Composite hoseW: www.mgmttools.inPatici pating in: Ahmedabad, Pune

Multitech Sales & ServicesProducts: Air Compressors, Air dryer, Vacuum pumps, Moisture separators, Heat exchangers, Pressure vessels, Air & gas fi ltersW: www.multitechsales.comPatici pating in: Rudrapur

Neutron Power ToolsProducts: Drill, Sanders / polisher, Router, Grinder, Blowers / cutter, Flexible shaft machine, Circular saw, Cut off machine, PlanerW: www.neutronpowertools.comPatici pating in: Rudrapur, Indore

Pepperl+Fuchs(India) Pvt LtdProducts: Factory & Process automation, Proximity switches, Industrial vi-sion, Sensors, Rotary encoders, Positioning systems, Identifi cation systems, Logic control units, Barriers, Signal conditioners, Remote I/O systemsW: www.pepperl-fuchs.inPatici pating in: Rudrapur, Aurangabad

Saimona Air-Mech Pvt LtdProducts: Air compressors & spare partsW: www.saimona.comPatici pating in: Rudrapur, Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai, Indore, Aurangabad

Samruddhi IndustriesProducts: Precision measuring instrumets, NDT equipment, Surface roughness meter, Portable hardness tester, Rubber hardness tester, Digital coating thickness gaugeW: www.samsonicndt.comPatici pating in: Ahmedabad

Samyak Instrumentation Pvt LtdProducts: 3-Axis-position controller card, Remote display unit, Stream selector unit, Stream selector unit, Converter, Process indicator controller, Flow indicator totalizer, Batch controller, Weight indicator, Conveyor / belt weighingW: www.samyak.co.inPatici pating in: Ahmedabad

Shalin Material Handling Pvt LtdProducts: Steel wire rope, Material handling equipment - Pallet truck, Stacker, Scissor lift, Drum lifter, Jib crane, Overhead crane, EOT & liftingW: www.shalinmhpl.comPatici pating in: Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai, Indore

Page 57: Chemical World - June 2011

GAIL’s plan to produce natural gas-based power gets nod

GAIL India, the country’s biggest gas marketer,

has received its board’s approval for a foray into natural gas-based power generation. It will set up its fi rst power plant at Uran in Maharashtra with an investment of around `800 crore. The plant will have a 250-megawatt (Mw) capacity. We are in the process of signing a power purchase agreement with the state power department. Gradually, power projects of similar capacity would also be set up at Vijaipur in Madhya Pradesh, Auraiya in Uttar Pradesh and Gandhar in Gujarat. GAIL India already has land and manpower, among other infrastructures, at these locations, which also have the company’s LPG plants and gas pipeline. The four plants would require 2.5 million standard cubic metres of gas a day. –Courtesy: PTI

Sharad Industrial Products P LtdProducts: Bearings, Chains, Belts, Pulleys, Oil Seals, Hydraulic Seals, Bearing Pullers, Induction Heaters, Bearing Fitting Kit, Maintenance Tools, Grease, Monitoring equipmentW: www.sippl.co.inPatici pating in: Ahmedabad

Shende Sales CorporationProducts: Oil seal, O rings, Hydraulic & pneumatic seals, Diaphargms and expansion bellows, Rubber moulded & extended products, Anti-vibration machinery, Sealing related productsW: www.shendesales.comPatici pating in: Pune, Aurangabad

Six D Marketing Solutions Pvt LtdProducts: 3D scanner, Laser tracker, 3D portable arm, HDS laser scanner, QC inspection & RE softwareW: www.sixdindia.comPatici pating in: Rudrapur, Ahmedabad

Synco Industries LtdProducts: Shot blasting machines, Metal spray guns, Abrasive media, Abrasive recovery system, Air pollution control equipment, Dry ice blasting, Paint spray equip-ment, Dehumidifi cation systems, Plasma spray coating servicesW: www.syncometalfi nishing.comPatici pating in: Rudrapur, Pune

Talsania Engineering WorksProducts: Compressors & allied equipment, Air-Compressing & air-separationW: www.realaircompressorindia.comPatici pating in: Ahmedabad

Trident Pneumatics Pvt LtdProducts: Compressed air dryers, Heatless air dryers, Condensate sensing drain valve, Drain valve-timer type, Cleansweep microfi lters, Large desiccant dryers, Absorption air dryers – heated, Custom solutions, Railroad productsW: www.tridentpneumatics.comPatici pating in: Ahmedabad, Pune

United IndustriesProducts: Calibration services; electrical, dimension, temperature, pressureW: www.mallargroup.comPatici pating in: Chennai

Welding Technologies IndiaProducts: Welding wires, Stud welding machines, Welding equipment & robots, Copper coated wires, Welding electrodes, Special purpose welding electrodes / wire, Submerged arc welding machine, Orbital TIG welding machines, Cutting productsW: www.weldingequipment.co.inPatici pating in: Pune, Aurangabad

Yashwant IndustriesProducts: Hydraulic press brakes, Hydraulic shearing machine, Hydraulic deep draw press, Power shearing, Sheet bending machine, Bailing press machine, Fala cutter machine, Hydraulic stamping machineW: www.yashwantind.comPatici pating in: Ahmedabad

The Indore Development Authority (IDA) has invited

investments for its fi ve mega projects including a Sports Complex and Medicity worth `2,000 crore under public-private-partnership (PPP) to develop infrastructure in the city.

The IDA has planned an Investors’ Conference on June 24-25 by inviting 100 big real estate players for all fi ve projects. This comprises a Sports Complex, Medicity, Inter-state Bus Terminal, Transport logistics, and Convention Centre, Mr Vijay Marathe, IDA Assistant Architect Planner, said.

The total cost of all the projects, likely to begin after bidding by August-September, would be around `2,000 crore, Mr Marathe said. –Courtesy: PTI

Indore plans `2,000-cr PPP projects

Vijay Enterprises Pvt LtdProducts: Powder coating, Rebar coating, Pipe coating, UV curable powder coatingW: www.vijay-powdercoat.comPatici pating in: Rudrapur, Ahmedabad, Indore, Aurangabad

Page 58: Chemical World - June 2011

Chemical World | June 201160

EVENTS CALENDAR

National

IORS 2011Symposium and international exhibition for oil & gas industry; September 08-09, 2011; at Taj Lands End, Mumbai

For details contact:Oil Asia Publications Pvt Ltd530, Laxmi Plaza5th Floor, Laxmi Industrial EstateNew Link Road, Andheri (West)Mumbai 400 053Tel: 022-4050 4900, Fax: 022-2636 7676Email: [email protected]

Automation 2011 International exhibition & conference dedicated to process automation, instrumentation & controls, factory automation, robotics, power plant automation, drives automation, bus & wireless technology, building automation, hydraulics and pneumatics; September 20-23, 2011; at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai

For details contact:IED Communications Ltd64 Mahendra ChambersD N Road, Mumbai 400 001Tel: 022-2207 9567, Fax: 022-2207 4516Email: [email protected]

Informex IndiaForum focussed specifically on the Indian specialty chemicals industry; September 22-23, 2011; at Holiday Inn, Mumbai

For details contact:UBM India Pvt LtdSagar Tech Plaza A, 615-617 Andheri Kurla Road, Saki NakaAndheri (E), Mumbai 400 072Tel: 022-4046 1466

Fax: 022-4046 1477 Email: [email protected]

Analytica-Anacon 2011International trade fair and conference for analytical instrumentation, laboratory technology and services; October 12-14, 2011; in Mumbai

For details contact:ImagAm Messesee 2, 81829 Munich, GermanyTel: +49 (0) 89 949 22 121Fax: +49 (0) 89 949 22 350Email: [email protected]

India Chem Gujarat 2011The event will focus on specialty chemicals, fine chemicals, agrochemicals, colorants, dyes & dye intermediates with special stress on environment and green technology; October 13-15, 2011; at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar

For details contact:FICCI Mumbai 33/B, Krisnamai BuildingPochakanwala Road, Worli, Mumbai 400 030Tel: 022-2496 8000, 2496 6633/39 Fax: 022-2496 6631/32Email: [email protected]

IPVS 2011Industrial trade fair for pumps, valves and systems; November 11-13, 2011; at the Gujarat University Hall, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

For details contact:Orbitz Exhibitions Pvt Ltd101, Navyug Industrial EstateSewri (W), Mumbai 400 015Tel: 022-2410 2801/02, Fax: 022-2410 2805Email: [email protected]

Enviro Tech India 2011Expo on environment-friendly technologies and systems including solar panels, hybrid solutions, wastewater management, effluent treatment plants and solutions; November 14-27, 2011; at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

For details contact:ITPO (India Trade Promotion Organisation) Pragati MaidanNew Delhi 110 001Tel: 011-2337 1725, Fax: 011-2337 8464Email: [email protected]

CPhI INDIA 2011 International exhibition on pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates; December 01-03, 2011; at NSE Exhibition Complex, Mumbai

For details contact:CMP India (UBM India Pvt Ltd)Sagar Tech Plaza, A, 615-617, 6th FloorSakiNaka Junction, Andheri-Kurla RoadAndheri (E), Mumbai 400 072Tel: 022-6612 2600, Fax: 022-6612 2626Email: [email protected]

Hannover IndiaEvent showcasing process automation, material handling and renewable energy technologies; December 06-09, 2011; at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, Bengaluru

For details contact:Hannover Milano Fairs India Pvt Ltd603/604, Samarpan ComplexNew Link Road, ChakalaNext to Mirador HotelAndheri (E), Mumbai 400 099Tel: 022-4005 0681/82 Fax: 022-4005 0683 Email: [email protected]

PLASTINDIA 2012International plastics exhibition & conference; February 01-06, 2012; at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

For details contact:Plastindia Foundation 401, Landmark B, Suren RoadOff Andheri Kurla RoadAndheri (East), Mumbai 400 093Tel: 022-2683 2911-14 Fax: 022- 2684 5861Email: [email protected]

India’s premier industrial trade fair on products and technologies related to Machine Tools, Hydraulics & Pneumatics, Process Machinery & Equipment, Automation Instrumentation, Packaging & Auxiliaries, IT

Products, Electrical & Electronics, Material Handling and Safety Equipment.

For detailsInfomedia 18 Ltd

Ruby House, 1st Floor, J K Sawant Marg, Dadar (W), Mumbai 400 028. • Tel: +91 98195 52270 • Fax: +91 022-3003 4499 • Email: [email protected]

RUDRAPUR: Uttarakhand, Sept 23-26, 2011, Gandhi Park

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat, Nov 14-17, 2011, Gujarat University Exhibition Hall

CHENNAI : Tamil Nadu, Dec 8-11, 2011, Chennai Trade Centre

INDORE: Madhya Pradesh, Jan 6-9, 2012, Poddar Plaza, Nr Gandhi Hall

AURANGABAD: Maharashtra, Feb 17-20, 2012, Garware Stadium

PUNE: Maharashtra, Nov 18-21, 2011, Auto Cluster Exhibition Centre

Page 59: Chemical World - June 2011
Page 60: Chemical World - June 2011

Chemical World | June 201162

EVENTS CALENDAR

InternationalDye+Chem Bangladesh 2011Exhibition focussing on all kinds of dyes and fine & specialty chemicals; July 20-23, 2011, at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre, Dhaka, Bangladesh

For details contact:CEMS BangladeshHouse # 119, Unit- A3Road-1, Banani Block-FDhaka 1213, BangladeshTel: +880 2 8812713 Fax: +880 2 9894573

ChemInnovationsEvent focussing on chemical apparatus & plant installation, process technology, maintenance & QC; September 13-15, 2011; at George R Brown Convention Centre, Houston, USA For details contact:The TradeFair Group Inc11000 Richmond, SuiteHouston, The USTel: +1-214-3585359Fax: +1-(832)-2421971Email: [email protected]

CO2 Expo 2011Exhibition dedicated to the climate and greenhouse emissions; September 14-16, 2011; at Fiera di Roma, Rome, Italy

For details contact:Artenergy Publishing srl Via Antonio Gramsci, 5720032 Cormano (MI), ItalyTel: +39 0266306866Fax: +39 0266305510Email: [email protected]

PEPP 2011A business forum dedicated to polyethylene & polypropylene (PEPP) products, technologies and market; September 20-22, 2011; at Swissôtel Zurich, Switzerland For details contact:Maack Business ServicesMoosacherstrasse 14CH-8804 Au/ZurichSwitzerlandTel: +41 1 781 30 40, Fax: +41 1 781 15 69Email: [email protected]

OIL & GAS LIBYA 2011International exhibition and conference on petroleum exploration, production, refining and petrochemicals; October 17-20, 2011, Tripoli International Fairground, Tripoli

For details contact:Dar AlarabTel: +218 21 333 9141, Fax: +218 21 333 9142Email: [email protected]

ChemMash-Pumps 2011A trade fair on chemical engineering and pumps; October 24-27, 2011; at Expocentre Krasnaya Presnya Fairgrounds, Moscow

For details contact:ZAO Expocentr1A Sokolnicheski ValMoscow 123100, RussiaTel: +7 (495) 255 37 23/33Fax: +7 (495) 205 80 55Email: [email protected]

INCHEM Tokyo 2011Trade fair showing latest developments in chemical engineering; November 16-18, 2011; at Tokyo International Exhibition Center, Japan

For details contact:Japan Management Association (JMA) 3-1-22, ShibakoenMinato-ku, Tokyo 105, JapanTel: +81 (0)3 3434 0093Fax: +81 (0)3 3434 8076Email: [email protected]

Saudi Petrochem 2011International exhibition for chemicals and chemical technology industry; November 21-24, 2011; at Riyadh International Exhibition Centre, Saudi Arabia

For details contact:Riyadh Exhibitions Co Ltd Olaya Road PostfachP O Box 56010SA - 11554 Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaTel: +966 1 454 1448Fax: +966 1 454 4846Email: [email protected]

CIA 2011An event focussing on latest progress on process control and automation in

chemicals, petroleum/energy etc; November 22-25, 2011; at Suntec, Singapore

For details contact:Singapore Exhibition Services Pte LtdNo. 1 Jalan Kilang Timor#09-02 Pacific Tech CentreSingapore 159303 Tel: +65 62336638 Tel: +65 62336633 Email: [email protected]

Chemspec Middle East 2011Exhibition for performance and fine chemicals; November 28-29, 2011; at Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE

For details contact:Dmg World Media (UK) LtdWestgate House120/130 Station RoadRedhill, Surrey RH1 1ETThe UK Tel: +44 (0)1737 855000Fax: +44 (0)1737 855475Email: [email protected]

Digital Plant 2011A plant lifecycle conference for the chemicals, power, oil & gas, offshore, and pharmaceuticals industries; December 05-07, 2011; at Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre, Houston, USA For details contact:Daratech Inc 255 Bent StreetCambridge, MA 02141The USTel: +1 (617) 354-2339Email: [email protected]

Chemical Process Plant and Machinery Middle East 2011Exhibition and seminar for the chemical, petrochemical, chemical process technology and corrosion control industries; December 07-08, 2011; at Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE

For details contact:International Expo-Consults LLC PO Box 50006, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 (4) 343 5777Fax: +971 (4) 343 6115Email: [email protected]

The information published in this section is as per the details furnished by the respective organiser. In any case, it does not represent the views of Chemical World

Page 61: Chemical World - June 2011
Page 62: Chemical World - June 2011

PRODUCT UPDATE

Chemical World | June 201166

Air-cooled compressor Elgi Equipments offers a unique range of air-cooled compressors for industries that demand oil-free air at their application point. These non-lubricated compressors offer the advantages of low energy consumption and low

running costs. The air-cooled design eliminates the need for water cooling systems, thereby saving industrial water costs. The two-stage air-cooled cooler has a 0.25 kW single phase motor driving a cooling fan. This eliminates the need for cooling towers, water circulation pumps and the associated piping, thus reducing the initial investment. This also reduces the installed power. The two-stage design increases the efficiency of compression because it facilitates inter cooling. It also reduces the load on the moving parts by reducing the compression ratio of any stage. These features result in the life of the compressor being enhanced. The motor of the compressor fits within a space of 1.74 square metre and the motor rests on the anti-vibration pads. A typical Elgi package consists of a motor, air end, air-cooled cooler, 500 litre air receiver with associated piping and control panel.

Elgi Equipments LtdCoimbatore - Tamil NaduTel: 0422-2589 326, Fax: 0422-2573 697Mob: 097900 39326Email: [email protected]

TOC analyserMeasureTest Corporation offers TOC analyser from Anatel of USA. This can be measured by both ways that is on-line and off-line. Off-line measurements (laboratory

methods) are typically used for high concentrations (>1 ppm). On-line measurements are typically used for sub-ppm (<1000ppb) detection and for quicker response than the lab methods. Most industries particularly pharmaceutical and semiconductor manufacturing now use on-line measurements due to the faster response which is required for the process control. The analysis provided by TOC analyser comes with a complete sample oxidation. Its complete regulatory compliance is USP <643>, <645>, and EP 2.2.44 and has a wide dynamic range of 1-1,000 ppb. There is no requirement of reagents or chemicals.

MeasureTest CorporationMumbai - MaharashtraTel: 022-2202 7982, Mob: 098690 12701Email: [email protected]

Fluid bed dryer Alpha Process Engineers offers fluid bed dryer. It is ideal for drying of granular powdery/crystalline product. Hot air at high velocity is passed through the bed of the material to be dried, which causes it to fluidise. When correct velocity of hot air current is maintained, the solid particles are suspended in the intense turbulence and are intermixed and are constantly exposed to the air current. The velocity and temperature of the drying air can be accurately set to give maximum heat transfer in minimum time. Heating of drying air can be done by steam or by electrical means. The containers are offered in stainless steel. They are offered in 25-500 kg batch capacity.

Alpha Process EngineersChennai - Tamil NaduTel: 044-2811 1351, Fax: 044-2811 2371Email: [email protected]

Water ring vacuum pump Vacunair Engineering offers vacuum pump equipped with an air ejector. The energy saving pump is operated at low periphery speed and offers vacuum pump with a specific power of 60 to 65 m3/hr per KW. Pump is available in a wide selection and the requirement ranges from 20 to 7000 m3/hr. It can vacuum up to 700 mm Hg and the pressure is up to 3.5 kg/cm2. The vacuum pumps with air ejector is having a capacity that ranges from 50 to 2000 m3/hr and it can vacuum up to 25 mm Hg. Lubrication is not required and it can handle air/gas/ with water comfortably. Standard pumps are also available with stuffing box type gland seal and mechanical seal. Vacuum pumps are available in CIFG-260, gun metal, phosphorus bronze, aluminium, bronze, SS-340, SS-316 and other alloy steel. Its application lies in industries such as chemical, pharmaceuticals, fertilisers, paper, coal mines, power, steel, refinery, dairy, plastic, food processing and textile industry.

Vacunair Engineering Co Pvt LtdAhmedabad - GujaratTel: 079-2291 0771-3Fax: 079-2291 0770Mob: 098240 36375Email: [email protected]

Page 63: Chemical World - June 2011

PRODUCT UPDATE

67June 2011 | Chemical World

Reactor liquid sampler Industrial EquipWash offers reactor liquid sampler for bulk drugs/Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API). The sampler is equipped with aseptic valves, controllers, piping and container for sample collection. The system requires vacuum line for sample extraction and nitrogen line for purging. The unit mounted on top of the reactor extracts liquid sample from reactor via dip pipe under vacuum or pressure of reactor. The sample is in fixed volume and cannot overflow the sample bottle.

All wetted parts are made of Stainless Steel (SS) 316 & elastomer chemical resistant Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM). The design is aseptic with no product contamination and the end connection can be triclamped or flanged. The system is equipped with a control panel. Its application lies in chemicals, pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals industries.

Industrial EquipWash IncMumbai - MaharashtraTel: 022-2679 7941, Fax: 022-2679 2936 Mob: 098692 31815Email: [email protected]

CentrifugeUnited Engineering Enterprises offers centrifuge for Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP). The centrifuge is of heavy duty and has 3 point pendulum suspension type. The main shaft is made of steel and is amply proportioned to withstand the heavy loads. The basket is designed in such a way that it can balance loads of up to 4 to 5 per cent during

centrifuging. The centrifuge is V-belt driven through Totally Enclosed Fan Closed (TEFC) motor. The centrifuge is fitted with heavy duty disc or horse shoe brakes. The material of construction is of Stainless Steel (SS) contact parts & Mild Steel (MS) non-contact parts. They are available in various models with basket diameters of 300 mm to 1950 mm and the basket height ranges from 200 mm to 700 mm and the batch capacities range from 50 to 600 kg.

United Engineering EnterprisesMumbai - MaharashtraTel: 022-2308 3990, Fax: 022-2308 9445Email: [email protected]

Page 64: Chemical World - June 2011

PRODUCT UPDATE

Chemical World | June 201168

Steam boiler Aero Thermo Systems offers fully automatic package steam boiler (IBR). It has capacity ranging from 100 kg/hr to 2000 kg/hr and its operating pressure is of 10 kg/cm2 g. Smoke tube & water tube version is also available. Coil is made from seamless ASTMA 106 GR-B pipes. This unit is equipped with highly efficient oil/gas burner. The air pre-heater arrangement gives high thermal efficiency 86±2% on NCV. It is easy and economical in operation. Its application lies in industries such as dyes, chemicals, textiles, fertiliser, petrochemicals, rubber, wood, pharmaceutical, metal finishing, oils, dairy and construction industry.

Aero Therm Systems Pvt LtdAhmedabad - GujaratTel: 079-2589 0158, 2589 5243Fax: 079-2583 4987 Mob: 098250 08720Email: [email protected]

HHO generator Ti Anode Fabricators offers HHO generator. It is equipped with unique titanium & metal electrodes, which are used for electrolysis process. It separates the water into its components of hydrogen & oxygen. It has minimum production

capacity of 0.1 to 7.5 Litre Per Minute (LPM) for the automobile engines, stationary engines and welding sets. HHO is added into the air intake and this helps in burning energy more effectively. The engine’s air intake injects HHO into the piston cylinders. The HHO is mixed into fuel in the combustion chamber to ignite. This results into saving up to 70 per cent fuel. HHO generator is a device, which produces HHO only on demand and for this storage tank is not required. HHO cleans the engine torque, thereby making the engine to run more smoothly. Through this one can save money wherein one spends on fuel and engine maintenance. Its application lies in industries such as chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

Ti Anode Fabricators Pvt LtdChennai - Tamil NaduTel: 044-2278 1148, Fax: 044-2278 1362Email: [email protected]

An invite that rewards as well...

Manas R BastiaEditor

Infomedia 18 Limited‘A’ Wing, Ruby House,J K Sawant Marg, Dadar (W)Mumbai 400 028India

T +91 22 3024 5000F +91 22 3003 4499E [email protected] www.infomedia18.in

D +91 22 3003 4669

enabling them in reaching out to their prospective buyers & sellers through better trade contacts and more business opportunities.

So get going and rush your articles, write-ups, etc…

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,

complimentary copy of that particular issue and an honorarium cheque.

Published by Infomedia 18 Ltd, ‘Chemical World’ is the leading monthly magazine exclusively meant for producers and user fraternities of the chemical process industry (CPI). Well supported by a national readership of over 80,000 and our strong network of 26 branch offi ces across India, this magazine reaches out to key decision makers among the Indian CPI. Moreover, it offers a broader platform facilitating effective interaction among several fraternities of these industries by

Dear Reader,

‘Chemical World’ solicits original, well-written, application-oriented, unpublished articles that refl ect your valuable experience and expertise in the chemical process industry.

You can send us Technical Articles, Case Studies and Product Write-ups. The length of the article should not exceed 3000 words, while that of a product write-up should not exceed 200 words.

The articles should preferably reach us in soft copy (either E-mail or a CD). The text should be in MS Word format and images in 300 DPI resolution & JPG format.

The fi nal decision regarding the selection and publication of the articles shall rest solely with ‘Chemical World’. Authors whose articles are published will receive a

Page 65: Chemical World - June 2011

PRODUCT UPDATE

69June 2011 | Chemical World

Vacuum pumping unit Acmevac Sales offers vacuum pumping unit. This vacuum pumping unit consists of twin lobe pumps, the fore pump and rotary vane pump acts as backing pump. The fore pump picks up oil necessary for its lubrication from the backing pump. The exhaust from the fore-pump is connected to the suction side which gives

an added advantage of higher speed at a higher vacuum. These units are highly energy efficient and consume less power than the conventional single vacuum pumps. These pumping units are embedded with compact design and are mounted on the base frames. Applications include vacuum distillation, evaporative concentration, vacuum drying, vacuum coating, degassing, gas evacuation, sintering, brazing, metallurgy and heat-treatment.

Acmevac Sales Pvt LtdMumbai - MaharashtraTel: 022-2837 5837, Fax: 022-2836 4977Mob: 092233 88105Email: [email protected]

The information published in this section is as per the details furnished by the respective manufacturer/

distributor. In any case, it does not represent the views of Chemical World

Sliding bearing support/expansion plateRollon Bearings offers sliding bearing support/expansion bearing. Sliding bearing support/expansion bearings are used to eliminate the damage at pipe crossing, which is caused due to the lateral or linear movement of pipes. The linear movement

of pipes is ideally used between pipe and pipe supporting structures or at the pipe crossings. They also find usage as bearing supports for boilers, pressure vessels and air pre-heaters. These sliding support permits unrestricted movements, owing to the change in temperatures or during loading & unloading.

Rollon Bearings Pvt LtdBengaluru - KarnatakaTel: 080-2226 6928, Fax: 080-2225 0319Email: [email protected]

Page 66: Chemical World - June 2011

Chemical World | June 201170

PRODUCT INDEX Engineering Expo

Sl. No. Product Pg. No. Sl. No. Product Pg. No. Sl. No. Product Pg. No.

E1 3D modelling service & rendering service ...... 58E2 3D portable arm.................................... 59E3 3D scanner ............................................ 59E4 Abrasive media.................................59E5 Abrasive recovery system ....................... 59E6 Absorption air dryers – heated .............. 59E7 AC drive ................................................ 57E8 ACB ....................................................... 57E9 Actuator ................................................ 57E10 Air & gas filter....................................... 58E11 Air assembly tool................................... 56E12 Air compressor & spare part... 58, 59E13 Air dryer ................................................ 58E14 Air motor ............................... 56, 57E15 Air pollution control equipment ............ 59E16 Air screw driver ..................................... 56E17 Air-compressing & air-separation........... 59E18 Airline accessories.................................. 56E19 Angle grinder ........................................ 57E20 Anti-vibration machinery........................ 59E21 ARO fluid product ................................. 57E22 Auto tune PID controller........................ 57E23 Automated valve system........................ 57E24 Bailing press machine ......................59E25 Barriers .................................................. 58E26 Batch controller ..................................... 58E27 Bearing chacker ..................................... 56E28 Bearing fitting kit .................................. 59E29 Bearings & bearing puller ...................... 59E30 BIN washing machine............................ 56E31 Blower ................................................... 57E32 Blower/cutter ......................................... 58E33 Bus bar system ...................................... 57E34 Cabide blank.....................................56E35 CAD drafting service .............................. 58E36 Calibration service.................................. 59E37 Capacitor............................................... 57E38 Carbide tool .......................................... 56E39 CCD camera .......................................... 56E40 Chain..................................................... 59E41 Circular saw........................................... 58E42 Clamp metre ......................................... 56E43 Clamping product.................................. 58E44 Cleansweep microfilter........................... 59E45 CNC hydraulic press brake ..................... 57E46 CNC vertical machining centre............... 56E47 Composite hose..................................... 58E48 Compressed air...................................... 57E49 Compressed air dryer............................. 59E50 Condensate sensing drain valve ............. 59E51 Conductor bar ....................................... 57E52 Connector.............................................. 56E53 Contactor - relay.................................... 57E54 Control panel ........................................ 57E55 Controller card ...................................... 58E56 Conventional machine ........................... 56E57 Converter............................................... 58E58 Conveyor/belt weighing ......................... 58E59 Copper coated wire ............................... 59E60 Cordless tool ......................................... 57E61 Crane conductor bar ............................. 57E62 Crane electrification system ................... 57E63 Crane safety solution ............................. 56E64 Cut off machine ..............................57, 58E65 Cutting product..................................... 59E66 Cutting tool........................................... 58E67 Cylinder ................................................. 57E68 Data acquisition solution.................56E69 DC drive ................................................ 57E70 Dehumidification system........................ 59E71 Demolition hammer............................... 57E72 Detection system ................................... 56E73 Diaphragm and expansion bellow.......... 59E74 Digital coating thickness gauge ............. 58E75 Digital panel metre/process indicator ..... 57E76 Digital readout system........................... 56E77 Digitisation service ................................. 58E78 Dimension ............................................. 59E79 DIN rail mount/wall mount.................... 57E80 Dispensing robot ................................... 56E81 Down shop lead .................................... 57E82 Drain valve-timer type............................ 59E83 Drill ...........................................56, 57, 58E84 Drilling tapping ..................................... 58E85 Drum lifter............................................. 58E86 Dry ice blasting...................................... 59E87 Dual probe scavenging unit................... 58E88 Ducting pipe.......................................... 58E89 Electrical assembly tool ...................56E90 End mill................................................. 56E91 EOT & lifting.......................................... 58E92 Factory automation..........................58E93 Fala cutter machine ............................... 59E94 Fastner ............................................56, 57E95 Fibre optic ............................................. 56E96 File format conversion ........................... 58E97 Fire knock out ....................................... 58

E98 Fitting.................................................... 57E99 Fixtured application ............................... 56E100 Flexible shaft machine ........................... 58E101 Flow indicator totaliser .......................... 58E102 Fluid control system............................... 57E103 Gas over oil ......................................57E104 Geared high precision lathe................... 56E105 Generator .............................................. 56E106 Grease ................................................... 59E107 Grinders/grinding equipment .....56, 57, 58E108 Hand tool..........................................56E109 HART product........................................ 56E110 HDS laser scanner.................................. 59E111 Heat exchanger ..................................... 58E112 Heatless air dryer ................................... 59E113 Hoist and trolley .................................... 56E114 Horizontal press..................................... 57E115 Hydraulic & pneumatic seal ................... 59E116 Hydraulic angle cutting.......................... 57E117 Hydraulic deep draw press..................... 59E118 Hydraulic H-frame press......................... 57E119 Hydraulic iron worker ............................ 57E120 Hydraulic press brake............................. 59E121 Hydraulic seal ........................................ 59E122 Hydraulic shearing machine............ 57, 59E123 Hydraulic stamping machine.................. 59E124 Hydraulic stamping press....................... 57E125 Hytrel diaphragm................................... 57E126 Identification system........................58E127 Impact drill ............................................ 57E128 Indexable tool........................................ 56E129 Induction heater .................................... 59E130 Industrial computer ............................... 56E131 Industrial vision ..................................... 58E132 Infrared camera ..................................... 57E133 Isolator & convertor............................... 57E134 Jib crane ...........................................58E135 Jigs & fixture ......................................... 56E136 Large desiccant dryer.......................59E137 Laser beam delivery ............................... 56E138 Laser module......................................... 56E139 Laser system for industries..................... 56E140 Laser tracker .......................................... 59E141 Lifting/material handling........................ 57E142 Lifting tool............................................. 58E143 Limit switch ........................................... 57E144 Load cell amplifier/transmitter................ 58E145 Load measurement solution................... 56E146 Logic control unit .................................. 58E147 Machine tool & accessories .............58E148 Maintenance tool .................................. 59E149 Material handling and storage............... 58E150 Material handling equipment - pallet truck ...58E151 MCCB, MPCB......................................... 57E152 Measurement solution ........................... 56E153 Medical laser module ............................ 56E154 Metal spray gun .................................... 59E155 Metal tool ............................................. 58E156 Metal working fluid ............................... 58E157 Microturbine.......................................... 57E158 Microturbine system and recuperator .... 57E159 Milling machine..................................... 56E160 Mobile electrification system.................. 57E161 Modular head........................................ 56E162 Modular instrument............................... 56E163 Moisture separator ................................ 58E164 Monitoring equipment .......................... 59E165 Multimeter ............................................ 56E166 Nanotechnology ...............................56E167 NDT equipment ..................................... 58E168 Night vision system................................ 57E169 Nut & bolt............................................. 56E170 Nylon frame .......................................... 56E171 O rings ..............................................59E172 Oil seal .................................................. 59E173 Orbital TIG welding machine ................. 59E174 Oscillating tool ...................................... 57E175 Overhead crane ..................................... 58E176 Paint spray equipment.....................59E177 Panel mounting timer............................ 57E178 Percussive tool ....................................... 56E179 Photoelectric sensor............................... 58E180 Pick and place machine ......................... 56E181 Pin with ring ......................................... 56E182 Pipe ....................................................... 57E183 Pipe & joint system for advanced .............. logistics system...................................... 56E184 Pipe clamp............................................. 56E185 Pipe coating .......................................... 59E186 Planer .................................................... 58E187 Plasma spray coating service.................. 59E188 PLCs & HMI ........................................... 57E189 Pneumatic cutter ................................... 56E190 Polisher.................................................. 57E191 Portable compressor .............................. 56E192 Portable hardness tester ........................ 58E193 Positioning system ................................. 58

E194 Powder coating ..................................... 59E195 Power shearing...................................... 59E196 Precision machined component ............. 56E197 Precision measuring instrument ............. 58E198 Precision turned component .................. 56E199 Pressure vessel ....................................... 58E200 Printer interface ..................................... 58E201 Printing & plotting................................. 58E202 PRO ....................................................... 56E203 Process automation ............................... 58E204 Process gas compressor & turboexpander......56E205 Process indicator controller .................... 58E206 Proximity switch .................................... 58E207 Pulley..................................................... 59E208 Pump and seal....................................... 58E209 Push button........................................... 57E210 PXI/PCI/cPCI/PCIe card ............................ 56E211 QC inspection & RE software...........59E212 Quality air solution ................................ 56E213 Radial drilling machine ....................56E214 Railroad product.................................... 59E215 Rebar coating ........................................ 59E216 Remote display unit ............................... 58E217 Remote I/O system ................................ 58E218 Rental equipment & service ................... 56E219 Rotary encoder ...................................... 58E220 Rotary hammer...................................... 57E221 Router ................................................... 58E222 Rubber hardness tester .......................... 58E223 Rubber moulded & extended product.... 59E224 Rubber product ..................................... 58E225 Safety shoes & equipment...............58E226 Sander................................................... 57E227 Sander/polisher ...................................... 58E228 Sawing and cutting equipment ............. 57E229 Scissor lift .............................................. 58E230 Screw .................................................... 56E231 SDF........................................................ 57E232 Sealing related product ......................... 59E233 Sensor .................................... 57, 58E234 Sheet bending machine......................... 59E235 Sheet metal component ........................ 56E236 Shot blasting machine ........................... 59E237 Shrouded DSL bus bar system ............... 57E238 Sight glass ............................................. 57E239 Signal conditioner.................................. 58E240 Six channel totaliser............................... 58E241 SMPS..................................................... 57E242 Soft starter ............................................ 57E243 Soldering and desoldering equipment ... 56E244 Special purpose welding electrode/wire..... 59E245 Spring toggle......................................... 56E246 Stacker .................................................. 58E247 Stationary compressor ........................... 56E248 Steam trap ............................................ 57E249 Steel wire rope ...................................... 58E250 Stepper motor & driver.......................... 57E251 Stone cladding clamp............................ 56E252 Strainer.................................................. 57E253 Stream selector unit .............................. 58E254 Stud welding machine........................... 59E255 Submerged arc welding machine........... 59E256 Surface grinder ...................................... 56E257 Surface processing equipment ............... 57E258 Surface roughness meter ....................... 58E259 Temperature .....................................59E260 Temperature controller & indicator ........ 57E261 Tester .................................................... 56E262 Thermal imager ...............................56, 57E263 Thread bar............................................. 56E264 Tool box ................................................ 58E265 Tool presetting machine ........................ 58E266 Tool storage system............................... 58E267 Toolholding workholding....................... 58E268 Torque measurement............................. 56E269 Transmission product............................. 58E270 Transmitter ............................................ 57E271 Turning insert ........................................ 56E272 Tweezer................................................. 56E273 Ultrasonic cleaner.............................56E274 Ultrasonic inspection system.................. 56E275 UV curable powder coating................... 59E276 Vacuum pump..................................58E277 Valve and fitting..............................57, 58E278 Vibration analyser .................................. 56E279 Vibration isolation table......................... 56E280 Vibro - meter......................................... 56E281 Vibro motor .......................................... 58E282 Washer..............................................56E283 Wear and impact resistant tool ............. 56E284 Weight indicator.................................... 58E285 Weld-handy carriage.............................. 59E286 Welding electrode ................................. 59E287 Welding equipment, robot & wire......... 59

Page 67: Chemical World - June 2011

PRODUCT INDEX

71June 2011 | Chemical World

Sl. No. Product Pg. No. Sl. No. Product Pg. No. Sl. No. Product Pg. No.

BC - Back Cover, BIC - Back Inside Cover, FIC - Front Inside Cover

1 Acoustic hood .................................33

2 Actuated butterfly valve........................67

3 Air blower ............................................33

4 Air pollution control equipment ...........11

5 Air receiver tank ...................................11

6 Air-cooled compressor..........................66

7 Analytical instrumentation ....................BC

8 Automatic and contained discharge .....15

9 Automatic condensate transfer pump ..... FIC

10 Axial flow fan.......................................67

11 Bag filter..........................................43

12 Ball check valve ....................................21

13 Ball valve .........................................21,67

14 Ball valve-teflon lined .............................5

15 Bellow & dip-pipe...................................5

16 Bellow seal valve.................................. FIC

17 Blower............................................33, 53

18 Boiler....................................................69

19 Brake motor .........................................13

20 Burner ..................................................69

21 Bush.....................................................21

22 Butterfly valve.......................................21

23 Butterfly valve-teflon lined ......................5

24 Cable................................................13

25 Cake pressing .......................................15

26 Centrifugal air blower...........................67

27 Centrifuge ............................................67

28 Check valve-teflon lined..........................5

29 Chemical pump ....................................61

30 Chemical tank ......................................69

31 Chlorine valve .......................................67

32 COD analyser........................................37

33 Columns & chemistries .........................BC

34 Condenser ............................................11

35 Cone screw mixer .................................11

36 Conical screw dryer ................................3

37 Container .............................................69

38 Continuous or batch filtration ..............15

39 Crane duty motor.................................13

40 Custom moulding.................................69

41 Dairy equipment .............................11

42 Damper ................................................11

43 Diaphragm valve...................................21

44 Disc check valve................................... FIC

45 Drum & carboy.....................................69

46 Dual fuel burner ...................................67

47 Dust collector .......................................43

48 Electrical operating & discharge rod ...4

49 Empower..............................................BC

50 E-safe fibre glass ladder..........................4

51 Exhauster..............................................53

52 Exhibition - Engineering Expo..........27-28

53 FEP/PFA/PVDF lined..........................21

54 Filter press ............................................14

55 Fitting...................................................21

56 Flange motor........................................13

57 Float trap ............................................ FIC

58 Fluid .....................................................65

59 Fluid bed dryer ................................66,67

60 Flush bottom ball valve ........................67

61 Flush bottom plug valve .......................67

62 Flush bottom ram valve........................67

63 Foot mounting motor...........................13

64 Forged steel valve.................................67

65 FRP underground fuel tank...................69

66 Gas detector....................................37

67 Gasket ..................................................21

68 Gate globe & check valve-flanged end .....67

69 Gear .....................................................65

70 Gear box ..............................................65

71 Gear motor ..........................................65

72 Gear pump...........................................61

73 Geared & flexible coupling ...................65

74 GMP heat exchanger ..............................3

75 GMP reactor ...........................................3

76 Heat exchanger ...........................9, 11

77 HHO generator.....................................68

78 Hot air & water generator ....................69

79 Hot air generator..................................43

80 Hot water generator.......................43, 67

81 HPLC ....................................................BC

82 Hydrogenator/autoclave..........................3

83 IBR steam boiler........................43, 69

84 Indirect air heater .................................67

85 Industrial oven......................................67

86 Informatics ...........................................BC

87 Insulated box........................................69

88 Jacked ball valve .............................67

89 Lined valve & pipe fitting.................5

90 Material handling container ...........69

91 Mechanical vacuum booster .................53

92 Motor...................................................13

93 Multi-stage cake washing.....................15

94 Non-return valve ...............................5

95 Non-slam check valve-spring loaded.....67

96 Non-IBR steam boiler............................43

97 Online B2B marketplace............25, 71

98 Pallet................................................69

99 Pipe......................................................21

100 Plug valve .............................................21

101 Pneumatically actuated & gear

operated knife gate valve .....................67

102 Polypropylene filter plate ......................14

103 Polypropylene recess plate ....................14

104 PP-recess chamber type filter press .......14

105 PP-recess chamber type fully

automatic filter press............................14

106 Pressure and vacuum filtration .............15

107 Pressure reducing station..................... FIC

108 Process heat exchanger ..........................3

109 Process reactor .......................................3

110 PTFE ....................................................21

111 PTFE lined valves & pipe fitting...............5

112 Reactor ............................................11

113 Reactor liquid sampler ..........................67

114 Rod ......................................................21

115 Rotary vacuum dryer ..............................3

116 Rotocone dryer .......................................3

117 Sampling valve-teflon lined..............5

118 Sheet....................................................21

119 Silicon carbide heat exchanger ...............3

120 Sliding bearing support/expansion plate...69

121 Spherical paddle chopper dryer ..............3

122 Spiral cum helical gear box ..................65

123 Spray dryer project ...............................11

124 Steam boiler ............................ 67,68,69

125 Steam flow meter................................ FIC

126 Strainer-teflon lined................................5

127 Teflon lined valve & pipe fitting ......5

128 Thermic fluid heater ................ 43, 67, 69

129 TOC analyser ........................................66

130 Tray dryer .............................................67

131 Tri lobe root blower .............................53

132 Tube.....................................................21

133 Turnkey project.......................................3

134 Twin lobe root blower..........................53

135 UPLC ................................................BC

136 Vacuum or hot gas drying .............15

137 Vacuum pumping unit .........................69

138 Valve .........................................21, 55,67

139 Vertical non-IBR oil fired steam boiler ..............69

140 Wafer type check valve...................67

141 Water ring vacuum pump ....................66

142 Worm gear...........................................65

Page 68: Chemical World - June 2011

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