solvay_live243_p02a04 somEdito

Dossier SolvayInnovationTrophy2006
105017
68
FROM FLUORINATED BY-PRODUCTS THERMAL
TREATMENT TO ANHYDROUS HF RECOVERY:
THE WAY TO SWITCH FROM DISPOSAL COST TO PROFIT
TURNING AN EXPENSE
INTO A PROFIT
Traditionally, manufacturing units that
produce fluorinated specialties are equipped
for the thermal treatment of by-products.
This operation is generally followed by water
washing of the off-gases. The solution
that emerges from this process is then
neutralised, precipitated and the solid
substratum is buried. The demand for increased
capacity of the Spinetta plant (Italy),
and greater cost cutting called for the design
of a new thermal treatment section.
This new treatment hinged on two
technologies: high temperature burning
reactors and recovering AHF (anhydrous
hydrofluoric acid). The solution is a thermal
treatment reactor producing gaseous HF
followed by a sector allowing the recovery
of hydrofluoric acid, on anyhydrous form.
This new process generates significant profits
as it recovers the spent AHF directly in the
process, eliminating the costly process of
neutralizing and land-filling the waste. Full
capacity production was tested with good
results, but the full benefit will only be felt
when Spinetta (Italy) achieves the planned
increase in capacity. The operational costs
are offset by the savings made on the
neutralisation operations. Moreover, important
savings are made on the HF recovered during
the process as well as on the treatment and
maintenance operations. More importantly,
the reduction in solid waste by landfill usage
delivers significant environmental
improvements.
> Antonio Bertani; Paolo Ricci; Federica Rusconi.
> SBU SPECIALTY POLYMERS
101885
DAY-CARE CENTER ”SOLKIDS” IN HANOVER
CONCILIATE PROFESSIONAL
AND PRIVATE LIFE
More than 500 women are employed
on Solvay’s Hanover site, i.e. over
50% of the total number of employees, a
proportion that is higher than the average of the
other Solvay sites. Among these women are a
large number of highly qualified scientists or
marketing managers. More often than not,
German women take a career break to devote
three to six years to raising their family, even
though this means that it is difficult to maintain
their skills at the required level. One of the
reasons for this is the lack of government
subsidies for nurseries and day-care facilities for
children under the age of six. According to a
survey conducted in 2003, there is a strong
demand among mothers of young children for
nursery and day-care facilities. Management
decided to meet the demands of these women
and one of the buildings on the Hanover site has
been completely rebuilt and equipped to house
childcare facilities that comply fully with health
and safety standards. The day-care center opened
its doors in December 2004 with opening hours
from 7.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. and it has grown with
the children, as in 2006 a floor opened reserved
to “big kids” from the ages of three to six years.
At the end of the first business year the balance
sheet proved that the financial investment
was rewarded: to fill a position with a new
employee costs about EUR 25 000. During
the first year seven employees could return
to their job after only some months of maternity
leave and five employees returned from
home-office employment, i.e. cost saving due
to no need for new employment was higher
than the yearly operation cost of Solkids
which are EUR 170 000 per year.
Thus Solkids became a win-win institution for both:
• mothers, who want to continue to work.
They are very satisfied and motivated;
• Solvay, who is no longer losing its home-grown skills.
> Brigitte Borchers; Detley Hofmann; Cornelia Kuester;
Manuela Martin; Herbert Roehrle; Ulrike Sander;
Petra Schmidt-Graubner; Axel Tegge; Martin Varchmin;
Sven Zymelka.
> BSC GERMANY
Sustainable Development & citizenship