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elements34
Quarterly Science Newsletter Issue 1| 2011
Evonik Innovation Award 2010
„And the winner is…“
Health & Nutrition
A tablet instead of an injection
Designing with Polymers
PEEK conquers the medical technology market

02 Contents
06
20
30
elements34 Issue 1|2011
n e W s
04 Capacity expansion planned in isophorone chemistry
04 MoU on the construction of new production plants for
hydrogen peroxide and propylene oxide
05 Laurolactam capacity expansion successful
05 Korea: joint venture for the production of hydrogen peroxide
evonik innovation aWard 2010
06 „And the winner is...“
neW or improved proCesses Category
08 A new route to high-purity isobutene
neW produCts/neW system solutions Category
14 Bringing the power of meat back into feed: CreAMINO® for animal nutrition
n e W s
18 Energy efficiency with a flat design
18 Technology in 3D: PPA for three-dimensional interconnect devices
19 Evonik and AU Optronics conclude strategic partnership
19 Protecting high-quality surfaces
HealtH & nutrition
20 New technology platforms improve the bioavailability of active
ingredients in tablets: a tablet instead of an injection
n e W s
28 ROHACELL® successfully used in the rear-pressure bulkhead
prototype of Chinese passenger jets
28 Environmentally sound production of sodium cyanide in Russia:
Evonik grants licenses to EPC
29 Electrical scrap: the mother of invention
designing WitH polymers
30 Competition for titanium: PEEK conquers the medical technology market
n e W s
35 Lead-free—not just gasoline
35 Credits

Expansion and transition
A pill or an injection? Patients don’t always have a choice. A simple tablet form of
insulin, for example, would biodegrade in the gastrointestinal tract before it had
a chance to work. So insulin must be injected. Other active ingredients, such as fenofibrate
used to lower cholesterol, dissolve poorly and thus cannot reach the bloodstream
when prescribed as a pill. And the problem is expected to worsen in the
future: 95 percent of all active ingredients will have poor oral bioavailability—
either because of poor solubility characteristics or because they will be „biologicals“
based on proteins and peptides, which are destroyed when they reach the intestinal
tract in a pill form.
Evonik is well prepared for this challenge. Our Pharma Polymers Business Line,
which has a long experience in the formulation of tablets and controlled release
of active ingredients with our EUDRAGIT® product line, is currently bringing new
technologies to market which could spare many patients the dreaded injection.
These technologies are designed to permit oral ingestion of drugs which today would
need to be injected. They improve the solubility of active ingredients, increase
absorption in the bloodstream, and protect against enzymes and other degradation
agents. And with the acquisition of Boehringer Ingelheim’s Resomer® business, the
business line now has a complementary technology platform for parenteral formulations
of the kind used in injections, infusions, and long­lasting depots. You can
read more about our developments around pharmaceutical polymers on page 20.
Another highlight of this issue are the winners of our Innovation Award 2010—an
award we present to our researchers for outstanding developments in chemistry.
The HPPO process, a joint development by Evonik and Uhde, and an award winner
from 2004, demonstrates how truly exceptional these developments really are.
The process produces extremely low­cost and eco­friendly propylene oxide from
propylene and hydrogen peroxide. The idea: As the second largest manufacturers
of hydrogen peroxide in the world, we are creating a completely new market by
granting licenses for the HPPO process and supplying the hydrogen peroxide required
for it. And the idea has paid off completely. In addition to the Korean firm SKC,
which has been successfully producing an annual 100,000 metric tons of propylene
oxide for the last two years, the Indian chemical company Gujarat Alkalies and
Chemicals Limited is now planning to acquire a license, build a plant, and source the
hydrogen peroxide from us. We are also currently negotiating the licensing of
HPPO with a host of other companies.
HPPO and pharma polymers are typical of our entire portfolio. They target
widely differing markets that we are approaching in completely different ways.
But the result is the same: a sustainable expansion of our business activities—not
least because they serve the global megatrends of health and nutrition and resource
efficiency. Expansion is essential in our transition to a worldwide leading specialty
chemicals company. We’ve now completed the first step in that direction with
the sale of 51 percent of our shares in Evonik Steag GmbH, which bundles Evonik‘s
energy activities.
patrik Wohlhauser
Chairman of the Board
of Management of
Evonik Degussa GmbH
editorial 03
elements34 Issue 1|2011

04 neWs
Capacity expansion planned in isophorone chemistry
Evonik Industries intends to construct a new
production plant for isophorone and isophorone
diamine. A suitable site is being sought,
and economic and strategic market factors
play an important role in this decision. Production
is scheduled to start in 2013. The
Board of Management of Evonik Degussa
GmbH has now approved the plant project
plan.
“Isophorone chemistry is a core business
for Evonik. The market for isophorone and
its derivatives is growing steadily and proved
to be robust even during the economic crisis.
That’s why we want to sustainably strengthen
our market and technological leadership by
capacity expansion,” explained Dr. Klaus
Engel, Chairman of the Executive Board of
Evonik Industries.
In planning construction of a world-scale,
state-of-the-art plant, Evonik is responding
to increasing demand from its customers in a
large number of user industries. With this investment,
moreover, the company is creating
a framework for possible subsequent expansion
of its range in isophorone chemistry.
“We strive for meeting our customers‘
expectations and future needs best possible
Evonik´s isophorone plant in Herne (Germany)
MoU on the construction
of new production
plants for hydrogen
peroxide and propylene
oxide
Evonik Industries and the Indian chemical
company Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals
Limited (GACL) are driving forward plans for
a new multi-million project. At its heart is the
construction of a new hydrogen peroxide
production plant by Evonik and a propylene
oxide facility by GACL. The aim is to pro duce
propylene oxide using the environmentfriendly
HPPO (Hydrogen Peroxide to Propylene
Oxide) process developed jointly by
Evonik and Uhde, Dort mund (Germany).
Representatives of Evonik and GACL have
now signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) on the proposed project in Dahej in
the state of Gujurat (India). The project is
elements34 Issue 1|2011
regarding costs and geographic proximity,”
says Gerd Brand, head of the Crosslinkers
Business Line. “So we‘re particularly looking
at attractive investment climates in South-
East Asia and China and will take these into
consideration when taking the final decision
for the location of our new plant.” Evonik
currently has production sites in Herne and
Marl (Germany), Antwerp (Belgium), as well
as Mobile (Alabama, USA).
contingent upon the approval of the Executive
Board and Super visory Board of Evonik
Industries AG.
The Memorandum of Understanding is
expected to mark the start of a close and lasting
collaboration between Evonik and GACL,
which intends to acquire a license from
Evonik and Uhde to use the HPPO process to
produce propylene oxide. Evonik will produce
and supply the hydrogen peroxide required
for the planned new propylene plant at
an over-the-fence facility. Experts are predicting
a sharp rise in global demand for propylene
oxide in the coming years.
The model for this alliance in India is the
world’s first industrial-scale HPPO production
facility, which has capacity of 100,000
met ric tons p.a. This plant was started up in
2008 by the Korean company SKC in Ulsan
(Korea) and has operated continuously at maximum
capacity since it came into service.
„The new project in India is further evidence
that we are moving in the right direction
with our innovative, environment-friend-
Evonik is the only company in the world to
produce and market the entire isophorone
line, consisting of isophorone, isophorone
diamine, isophorone diisocyanate, and derivatives.
These products are used as an important
component in a wide range of applications,
for example, in the production of
industrial floorings, artificial leather, and
paints and coatings as well as in the growth
area of high performance composites.
ly HPPO technology. Our strategic objective
is to gain access to new markets for hydrogen
peroxide in addition to the conventional applications,“
according to Dr. Thomas Haeberle
of the Board of Management of Evonik
Degussa GmbH.
Traditionally, hydrogen peroxide has been
supplied to the paper and pulp industry.
Evonik is the world‘s second-largest producer
of this environment-friendly bleaching and
oxidation agent, with capacity of around
600,000 metric tons p.a. at production facilities
in Europe, North America, South Ameri
ca, New Zealand, Asia, South Africa and
Indonesia. The HPPO process developed
with Uhde is an innovative route for the production
of propylene oxide from hydrogen
peroxide.
This route has clear advantages compared
with the conventional production process for
propylene oxide. Investment in the HPPO process
is far lower, making it more eco nomical.
Moreover, the process is extremely environment-friendly:
High yields are achiev ed and

there are no significant amounts of byproducts
apart from water. „That decreas es the
environmental impact and at the same time
ensures economically sustain able production.
In other words, the process is an example of
practical resource efficiency,“ explains Van
den Bergh, who heads Evonik‘s Industrial
Laurolactam capacity
expansion successful
Evonik Industries has succeeded in implementing
the expansion of its laurolactam
capacity in Marl, as had been announced for
the fourth quarter in May 2010. Laurolactam
is the starting material for polyamide 12,
which the Group markets as a construction
material and as a powder: VESTAMID® and
VESTOSINT®, respectively.
To ease the supply situation of polyamide
12-based molding compounds Evonik will
further increase its laurolactam capacity as
has been announced in November. In so
doing, Evonik is strengthening its leading
global market position in polyamide 12 and,
as a reliable partner, is offering its customers
supply security, both now and in the future.
Beginning with butadiene, Evonik produces
laurolactam in a multi-step process and
Chemicals Business Unit. It therefore supports
GACL‘s aim of promoting green technology.
Evonik is the only single-source supplier
of HPPO process technology, the necessary
catalyst and the starting product, hydrogen
peroxide. Propylene oxide produced by this
Korea: joint venture for the production of hydrogen peroxide
Signing of a deal: Jang Suk Park (left), CEO of SKC,
Jan Van den Bergh (middle), head of the Industrial Chemicals
Business Unit, and Dr. Thomas Haeberle, Member of the
Board of Management of Evonik Degussa GmbH
One application for the laurinlactam-based polyamide
is gas pipelines used in urban distrib ution
networks with pressures of between 10 and 20 bar
then polymerizes and compounds it to yield
an extensive range of polyamide 12 products
precisely customized to the requirements of
processors and end users. Thanks to its properties,
VESTAMID® applications run the
gamut from sophisticated line systems for
neWs 05
process is used in the manufacture of polyurethane
foams, for example, for energy-
saving insulation of refrigerators and buildings.
In the automotive sector, foams are used
in seat cushioning, dashboards and bumpers
that reduce vehicle weight and thus cut fuel
consumption.
motor vehicles, through large-volume pipes
used in crude oil production, wire insulation
in the cable industry, and catheters in medical
technology, to precision injection-molded
parts such as pump impellers and control-
valve housings in machine and equipment
manufacture. VESTOSINT® is used to coat
metal parts and wire products such as dishwasher
racks.
The signing of a deal in Essen in November 2010 sees SKC, a Seoul,
Korea-based company, acquiring a 45-percent share in Evonik
Degussa Peroxide Korea Co., Ltd. (Ulsan), a subsidiary of Evonik
Degussa GmbH. Evonik Degussa Peroxide Korea is the largest
manufacturer of hydrogen peroxide in Korea, where it has been
operat ing since 2006.
“SKC’s acquisition of a stake in Evonik Degussa Peroxide Korea
will strengthen the good relations our two companies already have
and will position us optimally for future growth,” said Jan Van den
Bergh, head of the Industrial Chemicals Business Unit, at the contract’s
signing. “For our partner, SKC, this cooperation also means both a
high degree of supply security and greater independence from prevailing
market prices for their hydrogen peroxide needs.”
In 2008, SKC went on stream with the world’s first commer -
cial plant for HPPO-process propylene oxide. With a capacity of
100,000 metric tons annually, the plant has been consistently operating
at maximum capacity utilization since the day it was launched.
Evonik and Uhde, an engineering company, had previously jointly
developed the HPPO process and licensed it out to SKC. In this process,
a catalyst engineered by Evonik is used to make propylene
oxide from propylene and hydrogen peroxide. The process is particularly
efficient and en vironmentally friendly. No by-products other
than water are generated in any appreciable amount.
elements34 Issu e 1|2011

06 evonik innovation aWard 2010
New or Improved Processes category:
A new route to high-purity isobutene
Dr. Christian Böing, Reiner Bukohl, Helmut Kamps,
Dr. Dietrich Maschmeyer, Peter Nothhaft, Dr. Udo Peters,
Dr. Dirk Röttger, Arnd Schade, Dr. Markus Winterberg
C4 Chemistry Business Line
Dr. Torsten Balduf, Dr. Wilfried Schmidt
Acrylic Monomers Business Line
Dr. Thomas Quandt
Catalysts Business Line
Walter Luh, Dr. Armin Rix, Dr. Horst-Werner Zanthoff
Process Technology & Engineering Service Unit
elements34 Issue 1|2011
New Products/New System Solutions category:
Bringing the power of meat back into feed:
CreAMINO® for animal nutrition
Dr. Ernst Krämer, Ricardo Gobbi, Dr. Andreas Lemme,
Dr. Michael Binder, Dr. Alfred Petri, Dr. Thomas Kaufmann
Health & Nutrition Business Unit

evonik innovation aWard 2010 07
Evonik Innovation Award 2010
tHe Winning entries in the 2010 Evonik Innovation Award
contest are CreAMINO®, a new feed additive, and a process for
making isobutene from MTBE. The sense of excitement among
the 200 or so guests was tangible when Patrik Wohlhauser, the
chairman of Evonik Degussa GmbH, drew the names of the winners
from the envelope at the ceremony held at last year’s Christmas
Colloquium in Essen on December 14. Six teams had made
the final nomination list and were still in the running to win the
Innovation Award—three each in both the categories New Products
and New Technologies. Every year, Evonik pays tribute to
exceptional development work in the chemicals field, offering
prize money of €30,000 for each award.
The winning entry in the New Products category was submitted
by a team from the Health & Nutrition Business Unit. Its
CreAMINO® is a new component for sustainable animal feed.
The winning submission in the New Technologies category
was from a team comprising members from the C4 Chemistry,
Acry l ic Monomers and Catalysts Business Lines and from the
Process Technology & Engineering Service Unit. This team was
quick to develop a new process for making isobutene from MTBE
(methyl tert­butyl ether) and then to translate it into large­scale
production in both Shanghai and Antwerp.
Patrik Wohlhauser
Wohlhauser thanked both teams for their excellent achievements,
stressing, however, that their victory in the contest by
no means equated to a defeat for the other nominees. “Even if
there is only room for one team from each category on the prizewinners’
podium, all six have contributed their winning ideas
and excellent work towards shaping Evonik’s success.”
Twenty teams submitted entries for this year’s competition—
eleven in the category New Products and nine in that for New
Technologies. In late October, the jury selected its six finalists
based on criteria such as commercial value, ecological merits,
and benefits to society. In a final session held on the day of the
award ceremony, a second jury comprising Mr. Wohlhauser, Dr.
Peter Nagler, the head of Innovation Management Chemicals &
Creavis, three heads of business units and three professors
sel ected the winners. The nominated teams had previously had
another opportunity to personally present and discuss their projects
to and with the jury and thus convince it of the virtues and
commercial potential of their particular development. “After all,”
says Wohlhauser, “a new development is only an innovation if it
is actually successful on the market. So the business aspects are
important, too, namely professional sales and marketing activities.”
777
elements34 Issu e 1|2011

08 neW or improved proCesses Category
A new route to high-purity isobutene
A joint first-place finish
Research can be extremely practical. Experts from four Evonik business and service units pooled
their expertise and within a short time developed a new process for producing high-purity iso -
bu tene on an industrial scale. Their work is an outstanding example of how high-tech simulation
and experimental knowledge, cost- and eco-efficiency, basic research, and practical application
can be ideally combined.
[ text Dr. Thomas Quandt, Dr. Dirk Röttger, Dr. Wilfried Schmidt, Dr. Markus Winterberg, Dr. Horst­Werner Zanthoff ]
Frequently, CHemiCal researCH takes place quite far from
the tough production environment—in laboratories, pilot plants,
and, increasingly, on the computer in online databases and
li braries. Thereby it is generally accepted that converting research
results into practice is a difficult and tedious process that
often fails halfway through.
Experts from four Evonik business and service units have
now again proven that it can also be a different experience. The
team, which comprises a variety of specialists, developed and
tested a new process for producing high­purity isobutene and
implemented it in two commercial­scale plants in Antwerp and
Shanghai in just a few years. The key to their success? Chemists,
process engineers, catalyst developers, plant engineers, and
mark eting experts combined their expertise, with research, development,
design, and product marketing occurring largely at
the same time. By meshing the individual steps tightly—from the
initial idea to the construction of the commercial­scale plants—
they were able to develop an economical and efficient production
process that not only supplies high­purity isobutene, but
also produces less waste and consumes less energy than conventional
processes.
In Marl and Antwerp, the C4 Chemistry Business Line operates
an integrated production network that obtains various chem­
elements34 Issue 1|2011
icals from C4 crack, including methyl tert­butyl ether, or MTBE.
MTBE, which is known to car drivers as an antiknock additive, is
the central component in the new process. Evonik manufac tures
over 500,000 metric tons of the substance each year, mak ing it
one of the company‘s highest­volume products.
The starting material for the C4 network is C4 crack, a hydrocarbon
fraction that occurs as a byproduct of ethylene and propylene.
Typically, it consists of 20 to 28 percent isobutene, 14 to
20 percent 1­butene, and other marketable C4 hydrocarbons,
such as butadiene, 2­butenes, isobutane and n­butane. Because
isobutene and 1­butene display nearly identical physical properties,
they cannot be separated through distillation or extraction.
Instead, chemists rely on a trick: They convert isobutene into an
ether that can be easily separated through distillation, owing to
the significantly higher boiling point of the other hydrocarbons.
If methanol is used in this conversion, MTBE is the resulting
ether. 333
The new process
for producing isobutene
in Antwerp has been
up and running since
October 2010

evonik innovation aWard 2010 09
elements34 Issu e 1|2011

10 neW or improved proCesses Category
High-purity isobutene adds higher value
Using methanol to convert isobutene to MTBE is an equilibrium
reaction and, therefore, can also run in the opposite direction.
This is where the team set to work: what kind of process could
recover the chemically bound isobutene from the MTBE? How
would the catalyst required for this process have to be designed?
How can the byproducts of the products be removed cleanly to
produce high­purity isobutene?
These were crucial considerations because isobutene is a high
value­added substance with a growing market. Among other
uses, it is a key raw material for methyl methacrylate, or MMA.
MMA, for its part, is a highly sought­after product used to make
such products as PLEXIGLAS® for highly advanced LED flatscreen
monitors, eco­friendly coatings, or even lightweight and therefore
fuel­saving plastic parts in automobile production. The
global market for MMA is growing by 5 percent per year. In Asia,
it is growing considerably faster. Isobutene is a starting material
for other chemical products such as butyl rubber (tires), adhesives,
and pharmaceutical products, too.
The key to success: the catalyst
MTBE conversion is a heterogeneously catalyzed reaction that
occurs, for best results, in the gas phase at high temperatures.
The experts spent much time designing the optimal heat supply
and gas flow in the reactor to ensure the highest possible
conversion rate. However, the key to the success of the process
is a custom­designed and highly selective catalyst. So the team
Figure 1
Typical composition of C4 crack, a C4-hydrocarbon mixture produced in
steam crackers. Because isobutene and 1-butene show nearly identical physical
properties, they cannot be separated through distillation or extraction
Component
Isobutane
Isobutene
1-Butene
1,3-Butadiene
n-Butane
trans-2-Butene
cis-2-Butene
elements34 Issue 1|2011
Boiling point
[°C]
-11.7
-6.9
-6.3
-4.6
-0.5
0.9
3.6
Chemical structure Content in C4 crack
[Mass-%]
1–3
20–28
14–20
40–45
4–8
4–6
2–5
also had to find a new catalyst for the new isobutene production
process, because conventional formulations were less selective
and produced too many byproducts. They also aged too
quickly.
In the search for this catalyst, Evonik profited from its wealth
of expertise in catalyst development and kinetic screening. The
screening process involved producing a large number of catalytically
active substances and then testing them in miniaturized
automated laboratory reactors operated in parallel. Within only
nine months, Evonik specialists screened 90 catalysts with various
substrates, promoter quantities, and preparation methods.
One thousand five hundred experiments were necessary to vary
the parameters, which included temperature, pressure, dwell
time, and MTBE composition. At the end of this high­throughput
screening, the team had a catalyst composed of different inorganic
oxides that splits the MTBE very selectively, is long­lived,
highly active, and generates few byproducts.
Reaching the target fast by applying simulations
However, experiments will get you only part of the way when
you are developing new processes. Simulation, in fact, monitors
and supports the entire development process of a new product—
from the idea, through the catalyst search and process synthesis,
to the design of commercial­scale plants. Simulations have a
variety of advantages. They uncover significant issues which require
additional laboratory work, e.g. whether the reaction can
be carried out under a pressure that considerably simplifies
downstream processing. For example, if a catalyst generates
byproducts that cause problems during separation, researchers
can use simulation calculations to take account of this early on
in process development.
Figure 2
Splitting MTBE into isobutene and methanol—equilibrium conversions in
the liquid and gas phases. Conversion in the gas phase at high temperatures
can shift the equilibrium further in the direction of isobutene and methanol
Liquid phase Gas phase
O
MeOH
MTBE
MTBE conversion [%]
Isobutene Methanol
100
80
60
40
20
0
50 100 150 200 250 300
+
Temperature [°C]

The simulation, on the other hand, is refined by new findings
from the experiments. Not least, advanced software is indispensible
for continuously reviewing the cost­effectiveness of new
processes and thereby minimizing the risk of investment errors.
This iterative process of simulation, experiment, and evaluation
also formed the framework of the development of the new
isobutene process. Permanent exchange between theory and
practice allowed the realization of a complex production process
resulting in isobutene with a purity of over 99.9 percent. The
high purity is crucial for success. Since only pure starting products
allow efficient and economical downstream processes, customers‘
raw materials standards are constantly rising.
For the process synthesis, experts from the Process Technology
& Engineering Service Unit first evaluated available substance
physical property data and used molecular simulation to
assess missing information. On the basis of the initial results
from the catalyst screening, they created several possible process
variations and simulated them on the computer. The results
of these calculations were then verified on the laboratory scale.
Iterative testing and evaluation ultimately yielded the optimal
process, which was tested in a pilot reactor.
To simplify subsequent scale­up, the engineers made this pilot
reactor a single tube with measurements similar to the reactor
pipes in the intended commercial plant. Test runs provided additional
key information to the process engineers about byproducts
and catalyst aging, which they then integrated back into the
simulation. Feedback is important because catalysts often change
their activity and selectivity—through the later addition of adhesives
and additives, for instance—when a process is
scaled up. Feedback also yielded information on the optimal temperature
and pressure range, and the steps required to
discharge byproducts. 333
Figure 3
Potential secondary reactions in the splitting of MTBE to isobutene and
methanol. The marked components are either specified within extremely
narrow limits in the isobutene product or they can enrich themselves in
the process loop, as well as the corresponding starting materials
2
2 MeOH
+ H 2 O
O
O
O
evonik innovation aWard 2010 11
High-throughput screening
In their quest for the optimal catalyst for splitting
MTBE, researchers conducted about 1,500 experiments
on 90 catalysts in miniaturized laboratory reactors
operated at the same time
OH
+ H 2O
+ MeOH
+ MeOH
=
Sharp specification
in isobutene product
=
Accumulation
in process loop
elements34 Issue 1|2011

12 neW or improved proCesses Category
To ensure safe scale-up and obtain
important infor mation on the activity
of the catalyst, the range of byproducts,
and aging behavior, the catalyst was
tested in pilot reactors
333 Because the purity of the isobutene was a central requirement
of the customer, developers focused particular attention
on the byproducts: What quantities of what byproducts does the
process generate? What currently unknown impurities could
form? How does the catalyst react to the impurities? Are byproducts
enriched, for example, in the separation columns of the return
circuit, or do they actually disturb the entire process? Very
difficult separation steps were piloted and optimized in individual
columns in the lab.
The energy balance has to fit
Today, new processes hardly have a chance in the chemical industry
if they cannot promise resource and energy efficiency.
Sophisticated energy integration was therefore a high priority
to the engineers who designed the commercial isobutene production
plants. Normally, hot and cold material streams are connected
to minimize overall consumption of cooling water and
steam. If consumption of cooling water and steam is reduced,
energy costs and energy­related carbon dioxide emissions are
also reduced. Engineers also intervened in the process—for
example, by increasing the pressure level in the columns and
reactors—to maximize internal heat exchange.
elements34 Issue 1|2011
The new isobutene process is energy­saving from beginning to
end: for instance, the process consumes only half as much superheated
steam as a comparable process without energy recoils,
or like competing processes that produce isobutene by other
chemical processes. The savings amount to several million euros
per year. For example, Evonik invested about 10 percent of the
total cost of building the commercial plants in energy integration—an
investment that will pay off in only a few years, given
the inexorable rise in energy costs.
Two plants on two continents
completed in one year
One special and unprecedented challenge for everyone involved
was developing the process for two completely different plants
on two continents: in the C4 integrated production network in
Antwerp for production of isobutene, and in Shanghai, where
Evonik operates an MMA production network that produces not
only methyl methacrylate and polymethyl methacrylate, a
granulate widely used as PLEXIGLAS®, but also a number of
specialty monomers for the Asian market that are used in adhesives,
in contact lenses, and in various products of the paper
and rubber industries as well as in wastewater treatment. Unlike

in Antwerp, only part of the MTBE required in Shanghai is produced
in­house. The rest is purchased. So efforts were made
early on to ensure that the new process can work safely and
efficiently with MTBE of widely differing quality.
The new isobutene production plant in Antwerp has been in
operation since October 2010, and Evonik has produced methyl
methacrylate and its derivatives from isobutene in Shanghai
already since September 2009. Both plants are operating efficiently
and successfully, and the catalyst is showing a longer
lifespan than originally predicted. The purity of the isobutene
produced in the plants fully meets the high standards of the customers.
In Antwerp, plant utilization is greater than the production
volume for isobutene originally planned, and in Shanghai,
the MMA production network is even exceeding design capacity.
Second-generation catalyst already
under development
Despite this success, the chemists at Evonik are already thinking
a step further. Their current project is a second­generation catalyst
that converts the MTBE with even higher selectivity and at
lower temperatures. Also, in the future, the isobutene will be
refined to new derivatives with high added value right at Evonik.
The integrated methacrylate production
network in Shanghai, where
the raw material isobutene has been
produced from MTBE based on the
new process since September 2009
evonik innovation aWard 2010 13
tHe autHors
dr. thomas quandt
Catalysts Business Line
+49 2365 49-86078
thomas.quandt@evonik.com
dr. dirk röttger
C4 Chemistry Business Line
+32 3 560-3974
dirk.röttger@evonik.com
dr. Wilfried schmidt
Acrylic Monomers Business Line
+86 21 6119-2650
wilfried.schmidt@evonik.com
dr. markus Winterberg
C4 Chemistry Business Line
+49 2365 49-19814
markus.winterberg@evonik.com
dr. Horst-Werner Zanthoff
Process Technology & Engineering
Service Unit
+49 2365 49-19322
horst-werner.zanthoff@evonik.com
The development team received the Evonik Innovation Award
2010 last December. „Besides the core team many other colleagues
took part in the development of the process and its successful
realization in Shanghai and Antwerp. At this point, we
would like to express our sincere thanks,” says Dr. Markus Winterberg
from the C4 Chemistry Business Line. In retrospect, development
of the new isobutene process was a model project for
optimally integrating research, plant design, and marketing. The
project proved that pooling expertise from completely different
business units can solve complex tasks in a way that saves time
and money. And not least, it proves how a broadly diversified
specialty chemicals company that does it all, from basic chemistry
to the design of commercial­scale plants, can exploit its strengths
in the best sense. 777
elements34 Issue 1|2011

14 neW produCts/neW system solutions Category
Bringing the power of meat back into feed:
CreAMINO® for animal nutrition
Thanks to the feed additive CreAMINO®, animals will be fed even more sustainably and
efficiently in the future. For its achievement, the team from the Health & Nutrition Business Unit
was awarded the Evonik Innovation Award 2010 in the New Products category.
[ text Dr. Ernst Krämer, Ricardo Gobbi, Dr. Andreas Lemme ]
elements34 Issue 1|2011
Based on various forecasts, the world population is set to grow another 2.3 billion
by the year 2050. Meat, fish and milk products are high­quality sources of
protein for human nutrition, and so it is no surprise that increasing income also
increases the demand for meat. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
estimates that worldwide meat consumption, which is currently 38 kilograms per
capita and year, will increase to 52 kilograms in the year 2050. According to the
FAO, consumption of poultry meat alone will rise 60 percent to more than 140 million
metric tons in 20 years. But in creased meat production may also leave its mark
on the en vironment, given the limited cultivation areas for production of animal
feed. Expansion of meat production rapidly conflicts with desirable environmental
and social conditions—such as preserving forests and supplying the world popu ­
la tion with plant­based foods.
Innovative feeding concepts help solve these problems by enabling the animals to
optimally utilize the feed for growth and muscle development. Thanks to these innovations,
the same amount of feed can provide balanced nutrition for more animals.
333
Evonik’s Health & Nutrition Business Unit has made important contribution in

evonik innovation aWard 2010 15
The earth will have nine billion inhabitants in 2050,
and all will need to be fed. This means that the
demand for milk, eggs, and meat, but also for grains,
fruits and vegetables, will rise. The cultivation of
crops for human nutrition on the one hand, and for
farm animals such as poultry, pigs and cows on
the other, compete directly with each another. But
arable land is limited. Worldwide, there are currently
about 1.5 billion hec tares of available cropland, a
certain portion of which is lost to erosion and housing
developments each year. This explains the intense
interest in new and enhanced feeding concepts that
allow more animals to be fed a balanced diet with the
same amount of food. CreAMINO® is this type of
building block for sustain able animal nutrition
elements34 Issue 1|2011

16 neW produCts/neW system solutions Category
333
this area for many years. With the feed additive CreAMINO®,
a team from the business unit, together with its partner AlzChem
Trostberg GmbH, has developed another product that will
further improve the efficiency of poultry nutrition.
The development was inspired by new EU regulations in
the wake of the BSE crisis that prohibit the feeding of farm
animals with byproducts from meat production. By nature,
however, chicken are omnivores, and their bodies rely on animal­derived
substances for optimal development. The problem
with purely vegetarian feed is in supplying creatine—a substance
that plays an important role in the energy meta bolism
not only of animals but of humans, and is not present in a pure ly
vegetarian diet.
Creatine—suitable for animal nutrition?
Creatine and its activated form creatine phosphate is required
primarily for muscle contraction, but is also necessary for brain
and nerve functions. Creatine phosphate supplies the phosphoryl
group necessary to convert the adenosine diphosphate (ADP)
generated in the contraction into energy­rich adenosine triphosphate
(ATP). Creatine phosphate acts as an energy reservoir,
because the cells regulate the concentration of the ATP within
narrow limits: ATP depots are sufficient for only a few seconds
to satisfy a high short term energy demand. With creatine phosphate,
however, this reservoir can be quickly restored
Ambitious athletes know creatine for its positive impact on
performance and energy recovery. In 2003, AlzChem, headquartered
in Trostberg (Germany), a leading producer of creatine
for human use asked the animal nutritionists at Evonik whether
creatine might also be suitable for animal feed. At the same time
customers from the feed industry complained about drops in
feed efficiency caused by the ban of meat processing byproducts
and asked for help. It was a logical consequence to conduct feeding
studies in order to address the „creatine question.“ And the
results were quite encouraging: it turned out that creatine can
The creatine/creatine phosphate system
Creatine phosphate (PCr) supplies the phosphoryl group required to
convert adenosine diphosphate (ADP) into energy-rich adenosine
triphosphate (ATP), thus serving as an energy reservoir. The creatine
(Cr) generated in the separation of the phosphoryl group is converted
back into creatine phosphate by the mitochondrial creatine kinase
elements34 Issue 1|2011
Mitochondrium Cytosol
ATP
ADP
CK
ATP
ADP
improve the efficiency of animal feed utilization by several percentage
points. On the other hand, creatine proved to be too
expensive for use as a feed additive for poultry.
Logical steps to reduce costs included simplifying production
of the creatine by, for example, reducing the number of purification
steps. But subsequent tests with the less pure product no
longer showed the effectiveness observed in prior tests. Also,
the powdered creatine was insufficiently stable at the relatively
high temperatures required for pelleting compound feed. The
project had hit a critical phase, and a new approach needed to
be identified.
Creatine precursor GAA:
same performance, better economics
So the project team returned to the scientific literature and carefully
studied the animal physiology and metabolism to see if they
could find alternatives to creatine. Their work uncovered guanidino
acetic acid (GAA), a precursor in the biosynthesis of creatine,
and a natural substance produced by the body itself.
Creatine can be ingested with food or generated by the body.
Biosynthesis begins with the two amino acids glycine and L­arginine
as starting substances. In mammals, primarily in the kidneys,
the guanidino group of the L­arginine is split off by the
enzyme amidino transferase, and transferred to glycine. This is
what forms the guanidino acetic acid. In this process, the L­arginine
is converted into L­ornithine. In the next step, the GAA
is converted—in mammals, predominantly in the liver—into creatine
in the presence of a transmethylase, with S­Adenosyl methionine
serving as the methyl group donor.
In animal studies, GAA shows the same advantages as creatine.
It is converted extremely efficiently. In Evonik‘s own pilot
plant for compound feed production, the project team was able
to demonstrate that GAA is also more heat­resistant than creatine,
and is therefore well­suited for the processing conditions
in industrial compound feed production. AlzChem succeeded in
Mitochondrial creatine kinase (sMtCK, uMtCK)
Cytosolic creatine kinase (MM-CK, BB-CK, MB-CK)
Cytosolic ATPases (transporter, pumps, enzymes)
Oxidative phosphorylation Glycolysis
Cytosolic ATP/ADP ratio Cytosolic ATP consumption
Cr
PCr
CK
CK
ATPase
CK CK
ATP
ADP
CK
ATP
ATPase
ADP

establishing a suitable synthesis process for the production of
GAA that works with less expensive raw materials and runs
more efficiently than the production of creatine. Since the GAA
comes out of the production process as a fine powder, a granulation
process was developed in a joint effort based on the
experience of Evonik‘s application engineers resulting in a free
flowing product with optimized processing characteristics. The
product can be used without need to modify the process in compound
animal feed production.
EU approval: meeting high standards
for effectiveness and safety
With CreAMINO®, Evonik’s animal nutritionists are not just
adding one more product to an existing product class of animal
feed additives: Neither creatine nor GAA were authorized
additives for animal feed. The standards for authorization in
animal nutrition are sometimes higher than in such areas as pharmaceuticals,
because animals are a part of the food chain which
consumers cannot completely overlook. This explains why it
took CreAMINO® about four years to get approved by the EFSA
(European Food Safety Authority), the responsible authority in
the EU. In addition to safety studies—including tests on overdosing—numerous
studies on effectiveness and environmental
aspects were also required. The EFSA granted approval for all
27 Member States at the end of 2009. Since then, CreAMINO®
has also been approved in Chile and Brazil, and is currently
undergoing authorization in the United States.
Customers had to wait for approval before beginning their
own trials, but several experiments, which take the customer‘s
entire value­added chain into account, were completed last year.
By just adding as little as 600 g CreAMINO® to one metric ton of
pure vegetable feed the nutritional gap of creatine can be closed.
Given these highly promising results, the project team estimates
the market potential for CreAMINO® to be €180 million in the
initially targeted market segments following the launch phase. trition. 777
Another hurdle cleared
by the feed experts
at Evonik was transforming
the fine-
powdered and sticky
GAA into a granular
product with excellent
rheology (below)
evonik innovation aWard 2010 17
The new product has also impressed an international commission
of experts convened by the German Agricultural Society
(DLG), which honored Evonik for Cre AMINO® at EuroTier 2010
in Hannover, the most important European trade fair for animal
nutrition and management.
A unique product for the long term
AlzChem produces CreAMINO® exclusively for Evonik. With
CreAMINO®, Evonik has opened up an entirely new product
class for animal nutrition. There are currently no comparable
competing products available to the market. Creatine and
GAA are naturally occurring substances, and consequently,
cannot be directly protected by patents. But Evonik and Alz­
Chem hold patents for the use of GAA and creatine in animal
nutrition.
In principle, CreAMINO® can also be used as a feed additive
for other animals such as pigs or even fish. But these applications
require additional studies on the effectiveness of CreAMINO®
with statistically significant effects for these kinds of animals,
as well as separate approval procedures. For this reason, each
individual case will have to be assessed to determine whether it
is worth the expenditure.
CreAMINO® not only increases the efficiency of nutrient
utilization in animal nutrition but also reduces the environ ­
mental impact, thereby contributing to more sustainable animal
feed. Just as Evonik has shown in life cycle assessments, feed
amino acids have a positive life cycle assessment when used as
an animal feed additive, compared to other feed components
such as soybean meal and rapeseed meal. It can be assumed that
the results for CreAMINO® will be no different from amino acids:
The project team estimates that each kilogram of CreAMINO®
will be able to save up to 26 kilograms of corn, 12 kilograms of
soybean meal, and 5 kilograms of vegetable oil. In every respect,
therefore, CreAMINO® is a byword for sustain able animal nu­
tHe autHors
dr. ernst krämer
Health & Nutrition Business Unit
+49 6181 59-2723
ernst.kraemer@evonik.com
ricardo gobbi
Health & Nutrition Business Unit
+49 6181 59-4761
ricardo.gobbi@evonik.com
dr. andreas lemme
Health & Nutrition Business Unit
+49 6181 59-4254
andreas.lemme@evonik.com
elements34 Issue 1|2011

18 neWs
Energy efficiency with
a flat design
Televisions are becoming ever flatter and
more energy-saving. PLEXIGLAS® POQ66
was specially developed for these applications.
The specialty product from Evonik
shows particularly high light transmission
combined with a low refractive index, making
it the ideal material for manufacturing light
guides. This makes it especially suitable for
LCD televisions that have an edge-lit backlight
unit. With this, LEDs feed light into a
light guide plate via the edges. This provides
uniform backlighting of the display. The
plate is the central element of the backlight
unit, and means that televisions can be made
flatter and more attractive. At the same time,
they save electricity because they use LEDs
instead of cold-cathode tubes, and require
fewer light sources than for direct backlighting.
What’s more, with light guide plates
made of PLEXIGLAS® POQ66, no light is lost
by absorption or diffusion.
“Light guide plates for this application can
only be made from PMMA, because of the
required material properties,” says Dr.
Alexan der Laschitsch, Manager of the Optically
Functional Materials Segment, Business
Development at Acrylic Polymers. “Only this
highly transparent material enables the manufacture
of edge-lit LED backlight units,
which are much more energy-efficient than
elements34 Issue 1|2011
Structure of a backlight unit for LCD displays
Brightness
Enhancement
Film (BEF)
the previous technology.” This is mainly due
to the material’s high transmission. Its optimal
light refraction also provides high light transmission.
“PLEXIGLAS® has the lowest refractive
index (1.49) of all commercially avail able
transparent plastics. The Fresnel reflection
upon entry into the light guide plate is only
3.8 percent,” states Laschitsch.
The material also has to remain transparent
in the long term so as not to distort color
rendition. Some plastics turn yellow over the
years and the picture suffers in consequence.
Diffuser Light guide
(PLExIGLAS®)
Housing with
LED light sources
Reflector
As a neutral-colored material, PMMA has no
negative influence on colors, and therefore
provides durably natural rendition.
Evonik is also testing future demands to
be met by light guide plates made from
PLEXIGLAS® molding compounds. “We are
currently testing new structures that are to
improve light output,” Laschitsch explains.
“More light is required from the backlight
unit especially for the new 3D televisions,
which are also to save even more energy, if
possible.”
Technology in 3D: PPA for three-dimensional interconnect devices
VESTAMID® HTplus was precisely customized
for laser direct structuring, a process for
manufacturing three-dimensional circuit boards,
which are used for such applications as mobile
phone antennas and computers
LCD-Panel
In VESTAMID® HTplus, Evonik Industries is
offering a new-generation PPA that is customized
precisely to the requirements of the
laser direct structuring (LDS) process. With
its outstanding heat resistance, the product is
particularly suitable for use in lead-free soldering
processes.
VESTAMID® HTplus, which is reinforced
with glass fibers and mineral fillers, is available
as 50 percent bio-based PA10T, which
has a particularly wide processing window
and an extremely low water uptake, and as
PA6T/X, which possesses a higher thermal
resistance. Both grades exhibit excellent
chem ical resistance. Their good process ability
and excellent thermo-mechanical properties
make it possible to manufacture highquality
components.
Laser direct structuring stands for freedom
of design, miniaturization, and precision
of electronic components. This technol-
ogy allows to generate metallic conducting
structures directly on the surface of threedimensional
plastic substrates. Many applications
already make use of this process, for
exam ple, cell phone antennae and computers,
medical devices, and automotive electronics.
Manu facturing by means of injection
molding ensures the greatest possible freedom
of design.
On the surface of the plastic part, an infrared
laser beam produces a preliminary
structure—as a microscopic rough surface—
that corresponds to the subsequent layout of
the conducting paths and also provides
chemical-physical activation in this area. This
activation is made possible by means of a
spec ial additive in the plastic. In the subsequent
metallization step, conducting paths
are selectively generated that are firmly
anchored to the surface.

Evonik and AU Optronics conclude strategic partnership
Evonik Industries and AU Optronics Corp.
(AUO) have agreed to take their successful
business relationship to the next level of cooperation.
Since 2008, the companies have
been working together in the Evonik Forhouse
Optical Polymers (EFOP) joint venture
that includes the operation of a plant which
produces acrylic polymers for the TFT-LCD
industry. Today, they continue to pool their
comprehensive expertise, focusing intensely
on the growing solar, lighting, and other
green energy markets. The non-exclusive
agreement will focus mainly on research and
development, production planning, and
manufacturing. There are additional points of
cooperation in such areas as PMMA re -
cycl ing. Moreover, the EFOP joint venture is
planning to double its PMMA capacity to
about 85 kilotons.
In tandem, the two are definitely a dream
team: Evonik, a system solutions and mate -
r ial supplier with a long-term strategy involving
resource efficiency and globalization of
technologies, and AUO, a globally active
Protecting high-quality surfaces
Surfaces made of TROGAMID® TCR microcrystalline polyamide films
(Transparent, Chemical Resistant) are built tough. They stand up to
sunlight, heat, and shock, not to mention cosmetics such as suntan
lotion and other chemicals. Whether transparent or printed, they also
have a luxurious look. Evonik Industries supplies the films in thicknesses
ranging from 50 µm to 750 µm for decorating and protecting
high-quality surfaces.
Durable products such as cars, lavishly decorated panels, con soles,
and operational controls have to retain their appearance over the
entire useful life of the vehicle. Touching these surfaces often ex poses
them to the detrimental effects of sweat, skin oil, and cosmetics. But
even cleaning agents can damage them. Frequent temperature swings,
components innovator and pacesetter in the
design, development, and production of thin
film transistor liquid crystal display panels
(TFT-LCD). AUO generated NT$356 billion
(US$11.2 billion) in sales revenue in 2009 and
now houses a staff of more than 42,000 employees,
with global operations in Taiwan,
The chemical resistance of Evonik´s
microcrystalline polyamide films
is far superior to that of other transparent
plastics—particularly with
regard to suntan lotion and other
cosmetics
neWs 19
Mainland China, Japan, Singapore, South
Korea, the U.S., and Europe. The partnership
agreement between Evonik and AUO will enhance
the companies’ abilities to advance into
new, challenging and fast-growing business
segments, in line with sustainable and re liable
product and process development.
Successful partnership: EFOP, the
joint venture between Evonik and
AUO, produces PMMA molding compounds
for light-guide panels, which
are built into flat screens. Because the
market for flat screens is growing
strongly, so is the demand for PMMA.
Today, on average 2 to 2.5 kilograms
of PMMA, the material the light guide
panels are made of, goes into every
edge-lit LED TV. There is currently no
other material which is an economically
viable substitute for PMMA in
this application. And the demand for
PMMA will continue to increase in
three to four years, driven by futureoriented
technologies, such as solar
engineering, in which Evonik and
AUO plan to collaborate closely in
the future
such as when a vehicle stands under the scorching sun after a cool
night, take their toll, too. All of these conditions increase the likelihood
of stress cracking and clouding on the surface, which prompt
customer complaints and are damaging to a company’s image.
Transparent TROGAMID® TCR films offer a remedy. Manufactured
from colorless microcrystalline polyamide, and with far greater
chemical resistance than other transparent plastics, these films are
particularly resistant to suntan lotions and cosmetics. In accordance
with VW test specifications, a study comparing the effects of hand
and suntan lotions was conducted and confirmed these properties.
In the test, the microcrystalline polyamide films were in contact with
the lotions at a temperature of 80°C for 24 hours. A material passes
the test when treatment does not change it noticeably and its scratch
resistance remains the same as before. Only the 50 µm specialty
polyamide film passed the test in all points. Styrene acrylonitrile
(SAN), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and polycarbonate (PC)
were tested for comparison.
Crystal-clear and colorless, the microcrystalline polyamide films
give designers maximum freedom in surface design and cause no
color shift on back-printed designs. Resistant to weather and UV light,
these top layers are non-abrasive and impart an attractive relief
effect. Their scratch resistance is similar to that of uncoated films
complying with the industry standard.
This brings us to the color version: Evonik has developed printing
inks and a process for in-mold laminating TROGAMID® TCR films in
conjunction with Pröll KG (Weissenburg, Germany), a producer of
industrial screen printing inks, and tool manufacturer Niebling Junior
(Penzberg, Germany).
elements34 Issue 1|2011

20 HealtH & nutrition
New technology platforms improve the bioavailability of active ingredients in tablets
A tablet instead of an injection
“In the right place at the right time“ is the motto of Evonik’s innovative drug-delivery systems and
active ingredient formulations. Now, it also applies to poorly soluble active ingredients: Evonik‘s newly
developed melt extrusion technology platform significantly improves the bioavailability of these active
ingredients, thereby increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of oral forms of administration—tablets
and capsules. While melt extrusion cannot serve the new class of biopharmaceuticals (drugs of a biological
nature), another new development from Evonik can: the modular drug delivery system (MDD)
of the Pharma Polymers Business Line enables a change in the administration route for biopharmaceuticals
from the unpopular but often necessary injection to a tablet. With these new developments,
Evonik offers cutting-edge technologies for the therapy of many diseases.
[ text Dr. Rosario Lizio, Dr. Kathrin Nollenberger, Dr. Norbert Windhab, Dr. Firouz Asgarzadeh, Dr. Thomas Riermeier ]
elements34 Issue 1|2011

For over 50 years, functional polymers from Evonik‘s EUDRA­
GIT® family of products have controlled the release of active
ingredients from tablets and ensured that they are delivered to
the desired place in the gastro­intestinal tract based on either
time or pH value. But these functional polymers can do much
more than determine the time and place of drug delivery: as a
tablet coating, they mask the odor and taste of a drug—a key advantage
especially when it comes to the treatment of children—
and make sure the active ingredient reaches the target location
undamaged. Used in this way, the polymers shield the active ingredient
against moisture, for example, or stomach acid, and
transport it safely to the absorption point in the small or large
intestine.
The enteric coating of the tablet can protect not only the
active ingredient but the stomach itself. A good example is the
acetylsalicylic acid, that is taken long­term at low doses by those
with high blood pressure to prevent heart attack. Here, the
ultra­thin polymer coating protects the stomach against the
damaging effect of the acetylsalicylic acid.
Through the use of special polymers, active ingredients can
also be released uniformly over a longer period of time. These
retard formulations, as they are called, are always used when
the drug, such as a beta blocker, needs to work throughout the
entire day.
Scientists in the research centers of Evonik‘s Pharma
Polymers Business Line in Germany, India, China, Japan and the
United States are researching new polymers and developing for
their customers specific formulations with EUDRAGIT® polymers.
They are also working on completely new concepts that
further functionalize the polymers to meet the pharmaceutical
market’s growing demand for new functionalities.
Bioavailability determines the efficiency
of the active ingredient
The bioavailability of an active ingredient indicates how much
of it will be absorbed into the bloodstream following application
of a drug. It is a key performance indicator and therapeutic control
variable, and tells us, among other things, how efficient a
medicine is. Generally, the bioavailability of an active ingredient
is better the more soluble it is, and the better it is absorbed by
the cells of the target location (gastro­intestinal tract, mucous
membranes, skin, etc.). In these cases the absorption of the
active ingredient in the bloodstream is increased. The Biophar­
HealtH & nutrition 21
maceutical Classification System (BCS) divides ac tive ingredients
into four classes based on their solubility and permeability
(Fig. 1): if they are highly water­soluble and permeable—like the
beta blocker metoprolol, for example—they belong to Class I. If
an active ingredient shows poor sol ubility but is highly permeable,
it is grouped in BCS Class II. High solubility and poor 333
Figure 1
The Biopharmaceutical Classification System (BCS).
According to estimates, about 95 percent of all
future chemical entities will show poor bioavailability
Permeability
Solubility
II
I
IV III
Distribution of the development candidates in BCS classes
Class IV: 20%
Class III: 5%
Source: L. Benet, C.-Y. Wu et al 2006,
Bulletin technique Gattefosse 99; p. 9–16
Class I: 5%
Class II: 70%
elements34 Issue 1|2011

22 HealtH & nutrition
333
permeability mean BCS Class III. And BCS Class IV substances
have both poor solubility and poor per me ability. Of all medicines
found on the market today, 30 percent fall into BCS Class
II and 10 percent into BCS Class IV. This means that 40 percent
of the medicines currently offered have solubil ity problems. The
percentage is even higher among the new developments. The
reason for this is that the vast majority of active ingredients that
make it through the industry’s computer screening method and
into development are lipophilic because they interact particularly
well with the target location. But the more lipophilic a substance
is, the less soluble it is in the aqueous medium of the gastro­intestinal
tract.
One substance class that is gaining increasing importance is
biopharmaceuticals. Currently, they account for 16 percent of
pharmaceutical sales and 15–25 percent of new drugs intro duced
to the market each year in Germany. Biopharmaceut icals are
pharmaceuticals that are produced primarily in genet ically modified
bacteria, yeasts or mammal cells, such as proteins and nucleic
acids. Administration is largely parenteral, through injection in
a vein. When administered perorally—by mouth—they tend to be
digested in the gastro­intestinal tract, inactivated, and poorly
reabsorbed.
New modular formulation systems from Evonik enable development
of formulations that can be administered perorally, even
for small­ and medium­sized biopharmaceuticals. They transport
the active ingredient safely through the digestive tract and, at
the desired location, help carry it unharmed through the barrier
of the intestinal mucosa, where it is selectively released into the
bloodstream.
elements34 Issue 1|2011
Improved solubility through melt extrusion
The solubility and dissolution rate of solid active substances
depend on different physico­chemical parameters, and can be
improved with suitable galenic formulations. An enlarged surface,
for example, created by grinding particles to micrometer
and nanometer scale (micronization) increases the dissolution
rate. But some pharmaceuticals are harder to wet and therefore
show no improvement in their dissolution rates.
The crystalline form also influences solubility. For example,
an amorphic active ingredient generally dissolves better than a
crystalline active ingredient, but is rather unstable. It tends to
recrystallize because the crystalline form is its more thermodynamically
stable form. Some active ingredients can be dissolved
by transferring them into a cyclodextrin complex compound,
for example, and others by adding emulsifiers.
One innovative method adopted by scientists at Evonik can
be applied to a wide range of active ingredients. Through melt
extrusion—Evonik has decades of experience in it from plastics
processing—the scientists create solid solutions (dispersions) of
the active ingredient in EUDRAGIT® polymers (Fig. 2).
To produce the dispersion, a double screw extruder melts
the polymer components, the exipients and the active ingredient,
then mixes and homogenizes them. The homogeneous melt is
pressed under pressure by a jet nozzle, creating a solid solution
in the form of a string, pellet or film, which can then be processed
to tablets. After the melt solidifies, the molecular distribution
of the active ingredient is retained in the polymer matrix
as a solid solution or dispersion. The homogeneous solution is

Figure 2
Solid solutions can significantly improve
the solubility of an active
ingredient. With EUDRAGIT® as the
substrate, the active ingredient can
be dissolved in the polymers—in the
form of crystals (left) or amorphous
particles (middle) or a molecular
dispersion (right)
Source: Prof. Duncan Craig, University
of East Anglia (United Kingdom)
Figure 3
Bioavailability of felodipine, a drug
for treatment of high blood pressure.
In contrast to the melt-extruded
variant, the pure active pharma -
ceutical ingredient cannot be
detected in the plasma
● Extrudate with EUDRAGIT® E
● Pure active ingredient
Measurement unit: µm
stabilized by hydrogen bonds, which prevent recrystalization.
As soon as the polymer is dissolved in the gastro­intestinal tract,
it releases the active ingredient in molecular form (Fig. 3). The
active ingredient molecules can be directly hydrated and reabsorbed
without having to apply crystalline energy, as when
a crystalline active ingredient is dissolved.
The melt extrusion can also be used with temperature­sensitive
active ingredients, since the temperature can be greatly
reduced, if necessary, by modifying the formulation. Moreover,
the time that the active ingredient is exposed to the temperatures
is extremely short, owing to the modular temperature
buildup of the extruder. In numerous partnerships and feasibility
studies with customers, the Pharma Polymers Business Line has
shown that melt extrusion is a real and extremely versatile platform
technology.
Finding the right formula by computer
Evonik is developing new ways of improving solubility through
melt extrusion in academic and commercial partnerships wherever
possible, and according to market needs. The company
develops polymer formulations custom­tailored to the active ingredient
and the desired release profile. Which polymer might
work with which active ingredient is first tested on the com ­
p uter using the MemFis TM system, a tool that calculates such
variables as the solubility parameters of the active ingredient,
and compares them with the known solubility parameters of
scores of polymers—relying, as it does so, on the wealth of experience
of Evonik experts.
10
5
0
0
5 10
10
5
0
0
Mean plasma concentrations of felodipine [ng/l]
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
●
●
●
●
●
+ 5
+2
+ 3
+ 6
+ 7
+ 1
+
4
5 10
HealtH & nutrition 23
●
●
0
● ● ●●
● ● ● ● ● ● ●
● ●
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Time [h]
MemFis
333
TM makes it possible to reduce the number of experimental
assays, since it identifies polymer/active ingredient
mixtures with the greatest likelihood of good miscibility and
stability. Developed by Evonik, MemFisTM warns whenever a
system might be unstable, when an active ingredient is insoluble
in the polymer and would quickly recrystallize.
This systematic forecasting model can be used for the rapid
screening of different polymers, saving time, money and also
active ingredients, which are often available only in limited
quantities. For customers, this preliminary work is highly valuable,
because it enables more purposeful planning and precludes
long­drawn­out experimental testing. If formulation proposals
are found, the release profile of the formulations are deter mined
experimentally in standardized Pharmacopoeia­compliant invitro
tests using buffer solutions and HPLC measurements, and
then optimized if needed.
Evonik also uses the results of these experiments to continually
develop the technology of solubility improvement through
melt extrusion, relying on selective international partnerships
with universities. In the United Kingdom, two doctoral candidates
are currently researching ways of better predicting the
stability of dispersions, and how it affects the release of active
ingredients.
Melt extrusion is also an FDA­approved process for manufacturing
dosage forms, and many pharmaceutical companies
already possess expertise in this area. Protease inhibitors, which
are used as anti­virus active ingredients in AIDS therapies, are
transferred in tablet form using melt extrusion with great
therapeutic success.
100
50
0
0
50 100
elements34 Issue 1|2011

24 HealtH & nutrition
Figure 4
The layers of the MDD system
Source: Glatt GmbH
Binder droplets
Powder
Starting germ
Figure 5
Device for measuring
the trans epithelial
electrical resistance
333 Solubility improvement through melt extrusion is not only
at tractive for the development of new pharmaceuticals but can
also benefit those that are already on the market. For example,
they offer new prospects for life cycle management through new,
optimized medical applications and the new patent protection
made possible by it. A new patent can be acquired when, for example,
the solubility improvement achieves bioequivalence—the
same bioavailability with far less of the active ingredient. This
is good for patients, and keeps down costs in the health system.
Biopharmaceuticals:
the modular drug-delivery system
Biopharmaceuticals (also called biologicals) are used in the treatment
of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatism and Crohn’s
disease, as well as cancer, kidney diseases and metabolic disorders.
Their importance is growing steadily. Administered in
simple tablet form, they would frequently degrade in the gastrointestinal
tract and be poorly reabsorbed. So most of the time,
they have to be injected—a form of therapy that not only costs
more than tablet intake but tends to be unpopular with patients.
The digestive system is designed to break down the biomolecules
from food into their component parts, and then transport
them over the cell barriers into the bloodstream. Unprotected
biologicals suffer the same fate—they are digested and thereby
rendered ineffective.
Here, Evonik scientists have set to work and developed innovative
formulation concepts that can now allow a change to peroral
administration for small­ to medium­sized biologicals. With
elements34 Issue 1|2011
Cell monolayer
Spraying Rolling Drying/solidifying Layer formation Pellet
Apical compartment
Basolateral compartment
Liquid bridge Solid bridge First layer “Onion” structure
Filter
312
Resistance indicator
various exipients, they have created a modular drug delivery
system (MDD) that they can use to quickly develop individual
formulations and improve the peroral bioavailability of biologicals.
Biologicals belong to differing substance classes, which is
why the initial challenge was to find a formulation that could be
applied to as many different classes of active ingredients as possible.
By combining different modules, different active ingredients
can be addressed. Evonik thus offers its customers the
opportunity to bring a variety of different medicines to the market
with one technology platform.
Small­ and medium­sized biologicals can be formulated as
microparticles or mini­pellets, in which each particle preserves
the module of the MDD system required for the active ingredient—each
individual particle, therefore, is a completely formulated
system. The dosing unit of the active ingredient is
spread over a large number of particles, that are assembled to a
capsule or tablet.
This multi­unit dosage form has considerable pharmacological
advantages over a monolithic system, including faster
stomach passage, better distribution on the surface of the intestine,
increased safety in use, and prevention of overdose due to
a damaged dosage form. The multi­particle dosage forms of
Evonik‘s Pharma Polymers Business Line are manufactured in
conventional production processes, and can also be used in GMPcompliant
production processes—a requirement for use in the
pharmaceutical industry.
Embedded in a 500 µm microparticle of the modular MDD
system, biologicals actually survive passage through the stomach

additional polymer platForm
Evonik acquires Resomer® activities
from Boehringer Ingelheim
Evonik and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co.
KG have signed a contract for the sale of Resomer® activities
to Evonik. According to the agreement, Evonik will
acquire the entire product range of standard and customer-specific
polymers for the production of medical
applications and pharmaceutical formulations. Resomer®
monomers are based on lactic and glycolic acids, and
are obtained from renewable raw materials through
fermentation. The polymers are completely biodegradable
in the body. Thus, the oral EUDRAGIT® polymer
platform of Evonik’s Pharma Polymers Business Line will
be expanded by an additional parenteral polymer platform,
and the Pharma market segment of the entire
company strategically strengthened.
The copolymers of the lactic and glycolic acids of the
Resomer® brand are used in such applications as peptidebased
extended-release medications for treating cancer,
because an outer enteric polymer coating protects them from
being attacked by the stomach acid. The particles continue to
migrate undamaged to the intestine, where the outer layer
selectively dissolves in the upper or lower intestinal segment,
as a reaction to the pH level and composition.
Released at the desired location, and now free from their exterior
coating, the particles are protected by yet another component
that prevents enzymatic digestion. Another module
imparts mucosal compatibility to allow them to overcome the
layer of mucous that covers the epithelial cells of the intestinal
wall like a barrier. Finally, the active ingredient is released into
the bloodstream, alone and unharmed, through the intestinal
wall. The ability of the formulation to facilitate the transport of
the active ingredient across the cell barrier is called a penetration
enhancing effect. This effect is supported by an additional
module that has a temporarily positive influence on the transport
of the active ingredient.
The pellet structure: modules in layers
The pellets consist of various layers that are produced in two
steps (Fig. 4). First, the core containing the active ingredient is
formed, for example, by extrusion. This core is then wrapped
in a coating made of several layers that contain a variety of components.
Spray coating is a standard process used to build the
EUDRAGIT® layers. To produce the particles, the components
are applied layer by layer in one process step.
For customers a particular advantage is not having to acquire
special equipment for the process. They can also work with
HealtH & nutrition 25
which ensure a therapeutic effect for up to six months.
The lactic acid polymers are also used in medical technology.
The advantage here is that these biodegradable
polymers dissolve quickly and gently in the body following
their utilization phase, and therefore preclude the
need for additional surgeries for removal purposes.
The polymers also allow the embedding of pharmaceutical
agents, such as growth factors or antiobiotics, that
have a positive effect on the healing process.
Biodegradable polymers are preferred in the pharmaceutical
industry for formulating innovative biotechnological
active ingredients. While growth is stagnant all
across the pharmaceutical market, it is significantly higher
in the market for biotechnological active ingredients.
With the new Resomer® polymer platform, Evonik’s
Pharma Polymers Business Line has entered the dynamic
growth market of biotechnological active ingredients.
extruders and fluid bed plants—two standard processes in the
pharmaceutical industry.
The practical test: in-vivo studies
The MDD system successfully completed two in­vivo studies
conducted in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies. One
peptide­based and one non­peptide­based active ingredient were
tested.
The first study used a peptide­based active ingredient that is
already on the market, and is administered both nasally and perorally.
With peroral administration, the active ingredient shows
an absolute bioavailability of below 0.1 percent (compared to
par enteral dosage). It was formulated with three of the four
Evonik modules: a gastro­intestinal targeting component, an
enzyme inhibiting component, and a penetration­improvement
component.
The transport of various pellet formulations was determined
in the cell culture on a layer of standardized intestinal cells (CaCo
2 cells) (Fig. 5). This single layer represents a barrier for the
active ingredient, and is marked by high trans epithelial electrical
resistance (TEER). As soon as the electrical resistance in
this model drops, it is likely that a penetration enhancing effect
is present (Fig. 6, p. 26). This effect is often correlated with the
intestinal barrier’s physiological resistance to the diffusion of
the active ingredient. Only in this condition can a sufficient
quantity of the active ingredient pass through the cell layer. The
measure ments showed that the active ingredient can diffuse
through the layer only if the pellet formulation contains a 333
elements34 Issue 1|2011

26 HealtH & nutrition
Figure 6
Comparison of the influence of the trans epithelial electrical resistance
(TEER) of a peptide-based active ingredient formulated, in one case, with
Evonik‘s MDD system, and in another, by a conventional method. With
the new system from Evonik, the TEER drops after only a short time—
a precondition for the active ingredient to pass through the cell layer
MDD system Conventional formulation (non-MDD)
TEER [Ohm x cm2 ]
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
● ●
●
●
●
●
333 penetration­improvement component. Naturally, this effect
must be revers ible or the tissue would be attacked.
An in­vivo study with pigs showed that, compared to the
trad itional tablet, the MDD system achieves seven times higher
relative bioavailability (Fig. 7). This is a significant increase,
because biologicals are extremely expensive active ingredients:
1 g generally costs over €1,000. As with the improvement in the
solubility of traditional active ingredients, the MDD system also
achieved a significantly higher bioavailability with fewer side
effects and greater cost efficiency in this case.
Evonik scientists, in collaboration with a customer, also
developed a modular system for peroral application for a nonpeptide­based
active ingredient that is traditionally admin ­
is tered subcutaneously. In addition to a targeting element,
an enzyme inhibiting element, and a reversible, non­toxic
penetration­improvement element, they used an anti­aggregation
element to improve bioavailability (Fig. 8). The latter was
elements34 Ausgabe 1|2011
●
●
●
●
●
●
● ●
–60 0 60 120 180
●
●
dr. rosario lizio
Head of Discovery and
Develop ment Pharma Polymers
+49 6151 18-4768
rosario.lizio@evonik.com
●
●
240
Time [min]
Figure 7
In-vivo study on a peptide-based active ingredient with pigs.
After two hours, the concentration of the active ingredient
in the plasma is nearly ten times greater with the MDD system
than with the traditional tablet
MDD system Traditional tablet
Plasma concentration [pg Peptide/ml]
250
200
150
100
●
●
50
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●
0 ●
●
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●
●
●
0 60 120 180 240 300 360 420 480
Time [min]
●●
●
●
●
necessary because the active ingredient interacts so strongly
with the polymer matrix that it cannot detach from it easily.
As part of an in­vivo study in mammals, a partner company
identified the biological impact in serum and calculated the
corresponding concentration of the active ingredient in the
blood. The module active ingredient system achieved a peroral
bioavailability of 15 percent, a value that was calculated from
comparison with subcutaneous administration, since the active
along is not reabsorbed perorally. It was also shown that, thanks
to the MDD system, the active ingredient has the ideal pharmacokinetic
profile.
Polymers, service, consultation—
all from a single source
●
●
This year, Evonik will market the MDD system, which the
Pharma Polymers Business Line has developed and tested on
dr. kathrin nollenberger
Formulation Development
Pharma Polymers
+49 6151 18-4292
kathrin.nollenberger@
evonik.com
dr. norbert Windhab
Head of Strategic Projects
Pharma Polymers
+49 6151 18-3571
norbert.windhab@evonik.com

Figure 8
Image from a scanning electron microscope of
an MDD particle with the various functional
modules: targeting module, penetration improvement
module (reversible, non-toxic), enzyme
inhibition module, anti-aggregation module
(from the outside inwards)
8.84 µm
10.62 µm
20.30 µm
18.09 µm
relevant active ingredients over the past five years—not as a
standard solution but as a system of specific components to create
custom­tailored solutions. Components and formulations
specially developed for a specific customer will be used and
licensed exclusively by that customer.
With the MDD system, melt extrusion technology, and its
many years of polymer and formulation experience, Evonik is
now able to offer an application that can be used to realize
effective and safe medicines for all classes of active ingredients.
In doing so, Evonik is consolidating its position as a solution
provider for the pharmaceutical industry that offers far more
than pharmaceutical exipients.
All polymers, process materials and manufacturing processes
for the multi­particle pharmaceutical forms are pharmaco logically
approved and the system is protected by patents.
Evonik supports its customers right up to market launch, and
offers GMP­compliant services in its own GMP laboratory. The
dr. Firouz asgarzadeh
Principles Scientist
Pharma Polymers
+1 732 981-5146
firouz.asgarzadeh@evonik.com
HealtH & nutrition 27
company also offers expertise in impact studies, and has already
voluntarily conducted clinical Phase 1 studies with its own
EUDRAGIT® polymers.
But this is just one part of the innovation strategy. In its „Proof
of Value“ projects, the Pharma Polymers Business Line is also
responding to completely new customer requests, swiftly
expanding the required expertise in cooperation with partners,
and determining costs, feasibility and business potential based
on prototypes. 777
dr. thomas riermeier
Head of Innovation
Management Pharma Polymers
+49 6151 18-3528
thomas.riermeier@evonik.com
elements34 Ausgabe 1|2011

28 neWs
ROHACELL® successfully used in
the rear-pressure bulkhead prototype
of Chinese passenger jets
For the first time, a sandwich composite is
being used in the primary load-bearing structure
of a commercial aircraft built in China.
In the prototype of the first large Chinese airliner,
the C919, the stringers of the rear-pressure
bulkhead, also a prototype, are made
of ROHACELL®, a rigid foam based on PMI
(polymethacrylimide) from Evonik, to enhance
the stiffness and buckling properties
of the part. Fast delivery of a high-quality,
ready-to-use ROHACELL® shape from Evonik
has made it possible to manufacture the rearpressure
bulkhead prototype within five
months after the CAD design files were released.
The successful rollout of the prototype
in mid-October has further validated the
engineering design and manufacturing process,
which will ensure a smooth development
process for other composite parts for
the aircraft.
Evonik played the role of a strategic partner
during the design and development of the
prototype. The ROHACELL® material solution
not only helps realize the complicated
spherical structure, but ensures its functions.
Environmentally sound production
of sodium cyanide in Russia:
Evonik grants licenses to EPC
At the end of 2011, the Russian company Korund Cyan will commission,
in the Nizhny Novgorod province of the Russian Federation,
one of the most advanced facilities in the world for manufacturing
sodium cyanide. The plant will rely on CyPlus GmbH‘s innovative
CyPlus Cyanide Advanced Technology to produce the sodium cyanide.
It will also produce the precursor hydrogen cyanide by using a
technology from Evonik‘s Perfor mance Polymers Business Unit.
CyPlus GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Evonik Industries.
Performance Polymers and CyPlus have now granted licenses to
the engineering company, EPC Engineering Consulting GmbH, headquartered
in the Thuringian city of Rudolstadt. EPC will provide turnkey
production plant based on Evonik technologies. The foundation
elements34 Issue 1|2011
Because of its outstanding material properties—primarily
its excellent creep and shear
properties, even under prolonged dynamic
stress—ROHACELL® has proven to be an excellent
structural foam in fiber composite
The rear-pressure bulkhead prototype for the C919.
ROHACELL® is used for the stringers to enhance the
stiffness and buckling properties
The C919
components for the aviation industry. The
reduced weight saves fuel and also reduces
CO 2 emissions.
Because of the cooperation with the
design engineers, the advantages of the
structural foam were turned into an innovative
and economic solution. “We have a
local presence, and are part of our customer‘s
network—this is a key to the success,“ says
Hu Pei, Sales Director Film and Foams for the
High Performance Polymers Business Unit in
the Asia-Pacific Region. “ROHACELL® has
already been successfully used in the
winglet and flap vane of the ARJ21-700, the
Chinese-built regional passenger jet.”
The C919 prototype was unveiled officially
on November 16, 2010, at the Airshow
China 2010 in Zhuhai. The Commercial
Aircraft Corp of China (Comac) has announced
a launch order of up to 100, and
expects a demand for 2,000 C919 narrowbody
in the domestic and overseas markets.
Upon certification from regulators, the C919
is scheduled to enter commercial service in
2016.
stone of the plant was laid in late Sep tember 2010 in the presence of
Mr. Valery Shanzev, the governor of the Nizhny Nov gorod region.
In the first phase of its expansion, the plant will be able to produce
up to 40,000 metric tons of sodium cyanide annually.
Sodium cyanide is required for extracting gold from gold ore.
CyPlus developed its CyPlus Cyanide Advanced Technology (CyPlus
CAT) for the production of sodium cyanide especially for this application
in precious metal mining. CyPlus CAT meets the stringent
criteria of Responsible Care and the International Cyanide
Management Code, and is also considered to be an extremely safe
and reliable process. Added benefits include low investment and
operating costs.

In this process, the sodium cyanide is produced from hydrogen
cyanide, which is manufactured by Evonik‘s own technology based
on the Andrussow process. Evonik has more than 50 years‘ expe -
r ience in the production of hydrogen cyanide. Both production
processes mesh with each other to work with high overall energy
efficiency and enable a high yield from the raw material.
Evonik also supports EPC and Korund Cyan, a subsidiary of OOO
Korund, with its vast expertise in the production and safe handling
of cyanides. „This way, we enable our partner to produce to the highest
technical and safety standards,“ emphasized Gregor Hetzke, head
of the Performance Polymers Business Unit. „With the combination
of technology, consulting and training, we‘re helping ensure that the
plant operates both compatibly with the environment and profitably,“
added Frank Harenburg, managing director of CyPlus GmbH. A
specialist in the marketing of sodium and potassium cyanide, CyPlus
was the first company worldwide to be audited and certified to the
ISO 9001:2000 and 14001 management systems, as well as the
International Cyanide Management Code (ICMC).
The new Korund Cyan plant in Nizhny Novgorod will also be
certified to the International Cyanide Management Code. With this
Code, the gold mining industry voluntarily commits to ensuring extremely
high and uniform standards of safety and environmental protection
and quality worldwide in the use of cyanides in gold mining.
Electrical scrap: the mother of invention
Old cassette recorders, beat-up remote-control
cars, discarded computer keyboards, and
other electrical scrap lie in a multi-colored
mess on Evonik Industries workbenches in
the Wolfgang Industrial Park in Hanau.
Lately, right where young people are trained
for such professions as mechatronics engineering,
around 60 ten- to twelve-year-olds
have been working meticulously with
screwdrivers, pliers and other tools in four
recycling-science camps. Their task: to take
apart old electronic devices and reassemble
them into new, creative inventions.
But before the first screw was loosened,
the children were given extensive safety in-
Sodium cyanide is required for
extracting gold from gold ore
structions. Electricity from the wall socket
was taboo—but with batteries, cables and
alligator clips, the curious researchers could
easily test which motor or light among the
discarded devices could be brought back to
life. With energetic help from Jens Walther
and Jürgen Vormwald, both electrotechnical
instructors in Hanau, the children then combined
the electrical components to create
new inventions. The motor from a cassette recorder,
for example, became a funicular that
moved backwards and forwards. Funny boats
with electric drives ran through a water trough
and battery-operated brooms with feather
ornaments and lighting swept the room.
neWs 29
The kids at the Science Camps experienced
the fun of experimenting with electrical components.
They also found out that electrical
scrap contains genuine treasures, above all in
the form of re-usable metals.
The Science Camps were initiated by the
Rhine-Main Training Center of Evonik
Industries, in cooperation with HR management
at the Hanau-Wolfgang site and the
chemical industry associations of Hesse. “Our
goal is to cultivate in students an enthusiasm
for mathematics, information science, natural
sciences, and engineering at an early age, and
motivate them for training or study in these
disciplines,” says Klaus Lebherz, head of the
Rhine-Main Training Center. “Ultimately, we
would like to increase awareness of engineering
and the natural sciences as occupational
fields, and promote their advantages.“
On the heels of the successful pilot
camps in Hanau, there are plans to hold
disassembly-assembly camps at the Evonik
sites in Darmstadt and Worms in 2011. At
the same time, a new chemistry camp for
age group 13 to 15 is under development and
will be tested in Hanau. The camps are
sched uled to be offered in a loose series
beginn ing in 2012.
Anything but boring: The ten- to twelve-year-olds
at the Science Camps experienced the fun
of experimenting with electrical components
elements34 Issue 1|2011

30 designing WitH polymers
elements34 Issue 1|2011
Competition for titanium
PEEK conquers the medical
technology market
More and more surgical instruments, endoscopes, and above all, implants are
being produced from PEEK (polyetheretherketone). The high-performance
plastic that Evonik markets under the name VESTAKEEP® owes its success to its
mechanical properties, its X-ray transparency, and its biocompatibility.
[ text Marc Knebel ]

Spinal column implant:
The greater elasticity of
VESTAKEEP® compared
to that of titanium reduces
stress peaks at the
interface between bones
and the spinal implant
according to a study conducted by Frost & Sullivan, back
pain is one of the most common complaints in the USA—in 2005
alone, Americans visited doctors just under 20 million times because
of spinal column and spinal disk problems. Sometimes,
only surgical intervention can help to alleviate the pain: Every
year, more than 800,000 operations are performed on the spinal
column in the USA. Depending on the age and symptoms, common
methods of treatment include disk removal (diskectomy)
or removal of parts of spinal vertebrae (laminectomy), replacement
of vertebrae by implants and stabilization (non­fusion) or
stiffening (fusion) of the corresponding segment of the spinal
column with implants.
When it comes to manufacturing implants or medical instruments,
more and more manufacturers of medical products for
spinal surgery as well as for traumatology and orthopedics turn
to polyetheretherketone (PEEK). The material that Evonik markets
under the brandname VESTAKEEP® is biocompatible, inert
with respect to bodily fluids and can be easily formed to yield
individual implants. Compared to titanium, the classic implant
material, it offers the additional benefits of transparency to
X­rays and an elasticity similar to that of bone. Because of its
outstanding properties, PEEK has, in the meantime, become one
of the most important thermoplastic material substitutes for
titanium implants.
Since implants are supposed to last a lifetime, the materials
used for them must be both biostable and capable of withstanding
mechanical loads. For a long time, this was the exclusive
domain of titanium or cobalt­chromium. In the meantime, however,
more and more polyetheretherketone (PEEK) implants are
designing WitH polymers 31
being used, inasmuch as they can be machined more readily from
semi­finished blanks or be produced via injection molding, which
offers even greater design freedom.
Elastic and transparent to x-rays
Compared to titanium or other metal alloys, PEEK implants have
also numerous other benefits. For instance, metallic implants
encounter limitations when it comes to imaging methods that
physicians use during operations, when tracking the healing
process and when checking the results. Because of their density,
metals block X­rays and produce artifacts in a C­arm X­ray unit
and also during computer tomography (CT) as well as during
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These prevent observation
of the bone tissue behind the implant, making reliable image
evaluation difficult.
Because of its transparency to X­rays, VESTAKEEP®, on the
other hand, is invisible during CT and MRI scans and permits
bone growth and the healing process to be assessed readily.
In certain cases, however, it is desirable to see the implant, e.g.
to check the fit of the implant, and this is also possible with
modification of the resin.
An additional drawback of metals is the high modulus of
elasticity, which is considerably greater than that of bone material.
As a consequence, the implant absorbs most of the mechanical
load instead of the bone. This so­called stress shielding effect
can have wide­ranging consequences: Since bones need to
be exposed to mechanical stress in order to regenerate during
the healing process, on the one hand, and retain their long­
333
elements34 Issue 1|2011

32 designing WitH polymers
In contrast to the classic materials,
PEEK dental implants can be
injection molded, thus reducing
manufacturing costs
333 term strength, on the other, healing may be slowed and
the stress­shielded bone actually degenerate in the course of
years.
In contrast to metals, VESTAKEEP® has a lower modulus of
elasticity, or greater elasticity, on the order of that found in bone
material. This prevents the stress shielding effect, so that the
bone is not relieved completely of mechanical stress when in
contact with the implant and can thus retain its strength over
many years.
A resin for harsh environmental conditions
Both its X­ray transparency and its ability to prevent the stress
shielding effect have contributed to PEEK having become the
most significant thermoplastic alternative to metallic implant
materials in recent years. This relatively new high­performance
plastic has been on the market since only the beginning of the
1980s and is used primarily when components must withstand
harsh environmental conditions—for instance, high temperatures,
corrosion as the result of exposure to salts, solvents, acids
and other etching substances or extreme mechanical loads.
The reason for this is the aromatic, semi­crystalline nature
of the PEEK polymer. Because of its chemical structure and morphology,
it has exceptional resistance to wear, abrasion, hydrolysis,
corrosion and chemicals. Furthermore, PEEK is characterized
by high dimensional stability because of its low moisture
uptake, high rigidity in conjunction with low weight, high heat
deflection temperature, a continuous use temperature of 260°C
and its ability to be processed in many ways. Compared to other
resins, PEEK offers the best combination of inert behavior and
elements34 Issue 1|2011
heat deflection temperature. Important nonmedical fields of application
include semiconductor production, oil exploration,
motor vehicles and aviation, where it is increasingly displacing
aluminum, titanium or steel in aircraft.
In medical products PEEK is normally used because of its
benefits: It saves weight, provides greater design freedom and
the opportunity for increased function integration, and at the
same time may represent a more cost­effective alternative to
metals or other materials. In addition to surgical instruments and
endoscopes, where the good electrical insulating properties of
PEEK are beneficial, implants are a major field of application.
Typical applications include spinal column implants, orthopedic
implants, dental implants as well as surgical implements for
trauma surgery, where broken bones must be fixed in place or
bone fragments replaced.
Exzellent sterilizability
For medical applications of PEEK, important characteristics in
addition to the mechanical properties and X­ray transparency
include the exceptional sterilizability and biocompatibility. Many
other polymers encounter limitations when a combination of
washing—drying—chemical cleaning—steam sterilization is used
for hygienic cleaning.
This is not the case with PEEK: Even after long­term exposure
to hot steam, and ethylene oxide and gamma rays, this highperformance
plastic retains its original properties unchanged
and, as a consequence, can be sterilized without difficulty by
means of all common methods—an important prerequisite, for
instance, for use in multi­use surgical instruments. Since the

Evonik has proven the biocompatibility of its
VESTAKEEP® polymers—primarily a result
of their high chemical resistance—in extensive
tests by an independent testing institute
polymer can also be colored easily, color coding of instruments
is also possible.
The finished medical product is the
critical factor for biocompatibility
Biocompatibility is the deciding factor when it comes to determining
the basic suitability of a material for use as an implant—
the material must be neither cytotoxic, mutagenic nor carcinogenic,
have no allergenic properties and must also be stable in
the biological environment. Verification of biocompatibility,
however, must always be conducted on the finished medical
prod uct, since the products biocompatibility can change as a
result of processing and combining with other materials.
The biocompatibility requirement of the finished medical
product depends on both the type of contact (skin, blood, fatty
tissue etc.) and the duration of contact. The biological assessment
of medical products thus depends on the intended use. DIN
EN ISO 10993 incorporates numerous international standards
regarding biocompatibility testing and governs selection of the
tests that are relevant for a particular application.
Nevertheless, certain material tests are meaningful, since
they provide important information about suitability in the final
end product. In addition to DIN EN ISO 10993, the US Pharmacopoeia
(USP) „General Chapter “ describes testing of plastics
for medical products and permits assignment, depending on
the application, to Classes I to VI, with the plastics in Class VI
having to satisfy the most stringent requirements. Here, too, the
basic principle is, of course, that the biocompatibility of the
final end product must be assured. 333
Table 1
Table 2
designing WitH polymers 33
Biocompatibility tests
VESTAKEEP® I
VESTAKEEP® M
USP Class VI
■ ■
Acute systemic toxicity
■ ■
Subcutaneous irritation
■ ■
Implantation test 7 days
■ ■
Cytotoxicity
■ ■
Sensitization
■ ■
Hemocompatibility
■
Implantation subcutaneous 90 days
■
Genotoxicity
■
Subchronic systemic toxicity
■
According to investigations by an independent testing
institute, VESTAKEEP® I molding compounds
satisfy numerous requirements for medical applications
United States Pharmacopoeia Testing:
„Biological Reactivity Testing In Vivo“ Class VI:
• Acute Systemic Toxicity Test:
4 various extraction media (70°C/24h)
• Irritation Test—Intracutaneous Injection Test:
4 various extraction media (70°C/24h)
• Implantation Test: In Vivo Implantation Test:
intramuscular, 7 days
Additional tests conducted with reference to
ISO 10993. These include investigation of toxicity,
sensitization, irritation, subchronic toxicity,
genotoxicity und implantation:
• Cytotoxicity as stipulated in ISO 10993-5
• Hemocompatibility as stipulated in ISO 10993-4
• Intracutaneous reactivity as stipulated in
ISO 10993-10
• Sensitization as stipulated in ISO 10993-10
• Acute systemic toxicity as stipulated in
ISO 10993-11
• Subchronic toxicity as stipulated in ISO 10993-11
• Genotoxicity (Ames Test); conducted as
stipulated in EN ISO 10993-3 and OECD
• Genotoxicity (Chromosomenaberrationstest);
conducted as stipulated in ISO 10993-3
• Genotoxicity (Mouse Lymphoma Test) as
stipulated in ISO 10993-3 OECD 476
• Implantation In Vivo Implantation intramuscular
12 weeks as stipulated in ISO 10993-6
elements34 Issue 1|2011

34 designing WitH polymers
With certified and validated work
processes, Evonik ensures the uniform
quality of its raw materials, production
processes, and PEEK polymers
Extensive biocompatibility tests passed
Evonik Industries has had the biocompatibility of VESTAKEEP®—
which is based primarily on the high chemical resistance—confirmed
in extensive investigations by an independent testing institute.
Depending on the type and duration of the bod ily contact,
two different PEEK variants are offered. The VESTAKEEP®
M variant is suitable for brief contact involving surgical instruments,
for instance. VESTAKEEP® I, in contrast, is suited for
extended contact such as that required in the case of implants
(Table1, p.33). The formulations of these polymers are targeted
to provide high biocompatibility and an „in vitro“ batch test for
cytotoxicity to DIN EN 10993­5 offers additional security. On the
basis of the investigations, VESTAKEEP® I molding compounds
satisfy numerous requirements for medical applications (Table2,
p. 33).
It can be seen that the VESTAKEEP® I polymers are inert with
respect to bodily fluids and have no adverse effects in the
standardized biocompatibility tests: They are not toxic, cause
elements34 Issue 1|2011
no reddening of the skin or edema and are not biologically
reactive. In intramuscular implantation tests, neither loss of
color, encapsulation, infections, bleeding nor necroses could be
observed. Investigations of hemocompatibility and subchronic
toxicity showed nothing unusual either. Specifications, production
and production­accompanying documentation were modified
to satisfy the demanding requirements of medical technology.
Consistent quality an important
prerequisite for medical devices
Medical products that are intended for long­term contact with
bodily tissue must satisfy especially stringent quality requirements
for registration in Europe or the USA. On the one hand,
manufacturers must prove that the materials are suitable for the
particular application and, on the other, document how they will
assure consistent quality.
For instance, when processed by means of extrusion or
injection molding, the different cooling rates have an effect on
the material properties of PEEK. Moreover, the duration and
temperature of any subsequent thermal processing have a direct
effect on the crystallinity of PEEK polymers and thus on their
mechanical properties. This means that the material properties
can be controlled, but also that errors during the production
process can affect the quality. As a resin supplier, Evonik guarantees
consistent quality of the materials used, the production
processes and the PEEK polymers via certified and validated
work procedures and a reliable quality assurance system.
This information, some of which is confidential, has been
provided to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA
in the form of a Device Master File. This simplifies registration
of a new implant by customers: If a medical product manufacturer
applies for registration in the USA, the FDA can research
all relevant information regarding the materials used in the
respective documentation.
Furthermore, Evonik offers application­related advice regard
ing production of the implants, which because of the small
numbers involved are usually machined from semi­finished
blanks and are produced via injection molding only in the case
of larger quantities. This service is based on extensive knowhow
regarding all processing techniques, a team specialized in
medical technology and outside medical consultants who ensure
that we are on the same page as the customer. What is behind
this is not only the thought of providing comprehensive service,
but also our own self­interest: Since life expectancy is rising
continually, the risk of spinal disorders is increasing as well—and
with it the prob ability of having to need an implant oneself. 777
marc knebel is responsible for
Sales & Marketing of VESTAKEEP®
Medical in Evonik’s High Performance
Polymers Business Line.
+49 2365 49-6783
marc.knebel@evonik.com

Lead-free—not just gasoline
Historically lead has been an indispensable
insulating material in the construction industry.
Now Evonik Industries AG, Bitufa Waterproofing
B.V., Wapenveld, and Ubbink bv,
Doesburg, of the Netherlands have brought
to marketability a novel product with impressive
advantages. Ubiflex, a 100 percent leadfree
product available in specialty stores,
offers an ecological and health-compatible
alternative for building insulation material.
“Ubiflex can be used universally for all traditional
lead applications,” says Roeland van
Delden, CEO of Bitufa.
Work on a formulation for an appropriate
bitumen modification was carried out jointly
with engineers from Evonik Industries. Ubifl
ex is based on bitumen sheeting, modified
with the Evonik product VESTOPLAST® and
combined with an expandable aluminum substrate.
Ubiflex is especially suitable as a replacement
for lead flashings, the classic roof
coverings for waterproof sealing that roofers
use for chimneys, dormer windows, and skylights
for example, but also on balcon ies and
solar collectors. The material can be cut,
molded, hammered, and bonded in the usual
way.
“The advantages of replacing lead, a toxic
heavy metal, are immense,” says Evonik’s
Marlies Vey, a technical service specialist.
Credits
publisher
Evonik Degussa GmbH
Innovation Management
Chemicals & Creavis
Rellinghauser Straße 1–11
45128 Essen
Germany
Ubiflex: flexible and
easy to handlew
scientific advisory Board
Dr. Norbert Finke
Evonik Degussa GmbH
Innovation Management
Chemicals & Creavis
norbert.finke@evonik.com
editor in Chief
Dr. Karin Aßmann
Evonik Services GmbH
Konzernredaktion
karin.assmann@evonik.com
Contribution editors
Dr. Angelika Fallert-Müller
Christa Friedl
Michael Vogel
The environmental impact during production
is significantly reduced, the health risk associated
with inhalation during processing is
zero, and the usual safety precautions are no
longer needed. Physical strain on the workers
is greatly reduced because the rolls are
70 percent lighter. In addition, sheets up to
12 meters long can be used, which saves time
and costs.
The material even tolerates slight damage,
as is caused by nails, for example, because
its elastic properties allow automatic selfsealing.
A valuable side-effect of the absence
of lead is that aluminum, zinc, and copper in
the rain-water drainage system are not
at tacked so that the structures are more
dur able.
design
Michael Stahl, Munich (Germany)
photos
Evonik Industries
Karsten Bootmann
Frank Preuß
Markus Schmidt
Stefan Wildhirt
L.-L. Grandadam—
Getty Images (p.14/15)
Tom Grill—Getty Images (p.18)
Idris Kolodziej (p.29)
Sebastian Kaulitzki—Fotolia (p.30)
printed by
Laupenmühlen Druck
GmbH & Co.KG
Bochum (Germany)
neWs 35
The laid material is resistant to corrosion, UV
exposure, strong temperature fluctu ations
between -30 and +90 degrees Celsius, and
heavy wind loads. Because of this durability
the manufacture offers a warranty of up to
25 years. Yet another advantage over traditional
lead flashings is that used mater ial is
easily separated and recycled by thermal processes.
Besides owners of buildings don’t
have to be frightened that Ubiflex is stolen
from their roof like lead is, because Ubiflex
doesn’t have any scrap value. Sales and
marketing activities for lead substitute Ubiflex
are carried out by the Ubbink Group, global
supplier of energy efficient, sustainable
systems and solutions for the building and
contractors industry.
Reproduction only with permission
of the editorial office
Evonik Industries is a worldwide
manufacturer of PMMA products sold
under the PLEXIGLAS® trademark
on the European, Asian, African, and
Australian continents and under the
ACRYLITE® trademark in the America
elements34 Issue 1|2011

Good thing
our ideas carry
no weight.
Wherever lightweight materials are needed to conserve energy, Evonik
surpasses conventional thinking with Rohacell®, an exceptional
innovation. This polymethacrylimide (PMI) rigid foam is used in aircraft
engineering where materials need to be not only strong but lightweight.
Rohacell® is one example of the many innovations that make Evonik,
formerly known as Degussa, the creative force in specialty chemicals.
We create groundbreaking solutions at our more than 35 research and
development sites worldwide, inspiring customers with our ideas in
such diverse markets as automotive, coatings, cosmetics, plastics and
pharmaceuticals. See for yourself: www.evonik.com