solvay_live243_p02a04 somEdito

Dossier SolvayInnovationTrophy2006
104190
22
PVC AND NATURAL FIBERS COMPOSITES:
A SYNERGISTIC MARRIAGE
THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
PVC is without a doubt the most widely used
plastic in the home. It is therefore only
logical that it should meet the expectations
of consumers, who are becoming increasingly
demanding when it comes to design
and aesthetic innovations.
Hence the idea of setting up a marriage
between PVC and natural fibre composites
to make the most of two worlds: the
properties of PVC (low maintenance, good
stability in humid conditions, very good
reaction to fire, flexibility in terms of shapes
and colours) can be harmoniously combined
with the characteristics of natural fibres
(pleasant appearance, feel and even odour
of the wood and other fibres, tried and tested
rigidity, good stability for external uses).
The innovation consisted of the development,
in partnership with the fibre suppliers
and the clients, of shaped interior and exterior
materials but also injection moulds and films.
These materials can be handled as easily
as PVC (without the need for any specific
equipment), can be worked like wood (they
can be sawn and nailed) and can be recycled
in the same application without losing their
properties. Furthermore, as they contain 20 to
60% of natural fibres (including wood waste)
they help preserve non-renewable resources.
These kinds of wood-like composites are
already used in the US and are starting to gain
a foothold on the European market, offering
a promising potential for commercial
development.
> Claudine Bloyaert; Jean-François Cart; Xavier Coudry;
Dirk Dompas; Saramas Duangport; Isabelle Georges-
Guerand; Pierre Lomenech; Jean-Louis Lorand;
Carmelo Ricci; Wuthilaohaphan Siriporn; Richard
Thommeret; Alain Wyart.
> SBU VINYLS
104761
TSBM IS A NEW METHOD FOR PRODUCING FUEL
SYSTEM WITH FULL INTEGRATION OF COMPONENT
A DECISIVE STEP
TOWARDS SUPREMACY
The PZEV (Partial Zero Emission Vehicle)
was imposed in 2005 in certain American
States. Inergy took up the gauntlet and
developed TSBM (Twin Sheet Blow Molding)
as an answer to the generalization of this
regulation. Quite an achievement, as it not
only offers advantages in terms of a
reduction in pollution (emissions and noise)
but also cuts costs. The manufacturing
process developed allows molding and blow
molding in one single step, along with the
simultaneous integration of all of the system
components. The TSBM is the fruit of an
intense partnership between R&D (pilot line
in NOH between 2003 and 2005),
the industrial departments, the development
centres of the clients and external suppliers.
After conducting various tests on the
prototype and validating the industrial
procedures, the tool will be transferred
to Rottenburg in 2007. Inergy is expecting
to sell up to 3.4 million units of its system in
2012 and will do so by increasing by half the
number of new markets, in particular in Asia
where its strategic clients are concentrated.
They are already showing strong interest:
in addition to the various aforementioned
reductions, the TSBM will allow them
to increase the useful fuel volume of their
vehicles, to more easily integrate the various
components into fuel systems with a reduced
number of connections and thus simplify
the assembly lines. The TSBM process is so
revolutionary that is paves the way for
the development of new components for
the fuel systems of the future, sounding
the knell of steel tanks.
> Bjorn Criel; Mireille Paulus; Philippe Bournonville;
Pascal Dehenau; Franck Dhaussy; Serge Dupont;
Daniel Hayot; Frédéric Jannot; Hervé Lemoine;
Richard Lesschaeve; Barbara Mabed;
Philippe Martin; Pierre-François Tardy.
> SBU INERGY
105040
VITALOA: LET’S FEEL BETTER!
NUTRITION: OPENING
NEW HORIZONS
In a sector where scientific rigueur is a key
success factor, Vitaloa aims at producing
and selling nutritional ingredients that are
beneficial to our health. The first target
segments are the intestinal transit, the
mineral balance and the weight control.
The project is developed in cooperation
between Lactalis, the leading cheese
company in Europe and the second largest in
the field of fresh dairy products, bringing its
knowledge of the food industry and market
access, and Solvay, contributing both with a
raw material and with its
pharmaceutical/health expertise.
Vitaloa is based on a particular disaccharide
resistant to gastro-enzymes of which Solvay
Pharmaceuticals is the leading producer
world-wide – the GalactoFructose or
lactulose (DUPHALAC ® ). Vitaloa can be a
launching pad for Solvay to develop in a new
and growing market. The scientific and
pharmaceutical foundations of Solvay,
combined with the experience of Lactalis
create a simple recipe meant to succeed.
> Pascal Ronfard; Baerbel Grams; Chantal Heroux;
Perrine Immer; Jean-Jacques Maugas; Marc Welz.
> NBD