solvay_live243_p02a04 somEdito

Dossier
102496
46
SolvayInnovationTrophy2006
SILANE: A COMPETITIVE ALTERNATIVE TO HIGH-
PRESSURE STEAM CROSSLINKING TECHNOLOGY
KNOW-HOW KEEPING
THE COMPETITION AT BAY
The cable market demands high levels
of productivity yet low energy and
investment costs. This project sets out to
study and produce new families of material
based on composite polymers to be used as
insulator and sheathing for electrical cables
(certain grades of which must resist fire,
without recourse to halogens, nitrogen
or phosphorus). But the main objective was
to achieve performances only made possible
by high-pressure steam drying reticulation
(vulcanization) technology: softness and
flexibility, elastic recover, resistance to fluids
and to temperature.
By studying the new polymer systems and
production technologies using the Sioplassilane
crosslinking technology, these
properties are now available for products
obtained from the classical thermoplastic
extrusion lines, with a string of side benefits :
low cost energy and maintenance, low
investment cost for the extrusion,
productivity multiplied by four, high degree
of flexibility of production and waste
reduction. The project, which got off the
ground in 2004, has already spawned a new
generation of products that are used in a
number of special applications and that are
quickly developing in terms of sales volumes.
For the time being, no other manufacturer
is selling these compounds, as our
technological know-how is the best barrier
to competition and an excellent way to gain
customers’ loyalty.
> Antonello Casale; Caterina Bocchia.
> SBU SPECIALTY POLYMERS
104040
DYDROGESTERONE NEW PROCESS
PURITY AND PERFORMANCE
INCREASED
Dydrogesterone is produced using
“proketal”, with “retroketal”
as an intermediary product. The new process,
which follows the same sequence,
has introduced additional “retroketal”
crystallisation stages, making it much more
pure. The yield of the last stage, during
which the “retroketal” is transformed
into dydrogesterone, has been substantially
improved. Designed by Solvay
Pharmaceuticals, the new unit, built
in cooperation with Jacobs Engineering,
was started up in two successive phases,
during the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2004.
It offers the following advantages:
• reduction in the costs of the materials
• the pooling on single line of the hygiene
and environmental aspects and compliance
with the GMP regulations.
To sum up, Solvay Pharmaceuticals is very
proud to present this new installation,
internally, but also to external clients, such
as pharmacists.
> Ron Henneman; Fons Jacobs;
Evert-Jan Jansen Schoonhoven.
> PHARMACEUTICALS SECTOR
104293
CHECKING THE LOW IODINE DIET
OF THE ELECTROLYSIS MEMBRANES
OZONE TO THE
MEMBRANES RESCUE
The Group’s electrolytic plants
are switching from mercury technology
to membrane technology. In some cases,
the brine that is electrolysed contains iodine
as an impurity, which accumulates on the
membranes and affects their efficiency.
This iodine needs to be eliminated in an
intermediary stage. The challenge consisted
of internally developing a method for
analysing the residual iodine, on the line,
as no commercial solution existed. The new
process that has been developed uses ozone
to quantitatively transform the iodine into
iodate, which is in turn analysed by
spectrophotometer: a continuous analyser
was developed for this method.
After validation, the new system will, first of
all, be installed in Rosignano (Italy). It may
then be transposed to the electrolytic plants
of the Group that run on salt containing
iodine as an impurity.
> Koen Vermeiren; Neil Breton;
Davide Mantione; Alessandra Pastacaldi.
> CC ANALYTICAL TECHNOLOGIES