THE FUTURE, - Solvay

Performance
improvement
34
Performance improvement > INNOVATIONS 09
209784 209805 209806
NEW EFFICIENT CROSS-FLOW FILTRATION
PROJECT
Two-in-one wash
THE PROJECT. A key phase in the
hydrogenation stage of the hydrogen peroxide
manufacturing process is the separation of the
catalyst from the reaction mixture.
The system currently in use, consisting of direct
fi ltration and then washing the fi lter cake with a
reverse fl ow, dates from the 50s and the many
improvements made over time have reached their
limits in terms of effi ciency. This system is not
feasible in the giant installations of the future
(beyond the current 330 Ktons). Effi ciency is lost
due to the mechanical wear of the catalyst, and
power consumption is much too high due to the
reverse fl ow.
In the new cross-fl ow system, through the use of
tangential forces the catalyst is washed
simultaneously with the fi ltration operation, and
then returned to the reactor.
This idea from the 90s has been developed only
recently. A pilot plant built in Povoa (Portugal) in
2008 has enabled us to test and optimize the
operating parameters for a larger installation. These
were then applied at Curitiba (Brazil) over an
11 month period in order to carefully study all the
hydrodynamic phenomena and defi ne the
parameters for a 160 Ktons/year unit.
This original process has shown its full savings
potential in terms of energy, materials (less catalyst
losses from wear), labour and maintenance.
It is also opening the way to even larger units
than the biggest ones built until now, i.e. above
400 Ktons/year.
SBU PEROXIDES/BELGIUM
> Jal Dadabhoy; Pedro Borges; Patrick Dhaese;
Massimo Fedeli; Cesar Muller; Gustavo Nakamura.
RECRUIT & REWARD
Looking for our future
colleagues
THE PROJECT. To continue the growth of
Solvay Biologicals BV in the Netherlands in a very
diffi cult employment market, the company needed
to fi nd creative and innovative ways to fi ll its
vacant positions.
To address the problem, we recognized and made
use of the fact that by far the best ambassadors
Solvay has are its own employees.
We introduced a pioneering scheme whereby we
asked our employees to actively introduce us to
possible new colleagues. If they introduced a
candidate who successfully fi lled an open
vacancy, they would receive a EUR 1 500 reward.
This strategy could easily be replicated at other
Solvay sites.
PHARMACEUTICALS SECTOR
> Françoise Jeuken; Marvin Beusekamp;
Hannelore Kornet; Judith Kruit; Anja Oudshoorn.
CLINICAL TRIAL SUPPLY: COMPUTER
SIMULATIONS REDUCE WASTE AND SAVE
MILLIONS
Stop over-production!
THE PROJECT. Until recently, to avoid
interruption of clinical trials due to depleted study
medication stocks, over-production of trial
supplies was normal. This represented not only
a waste of compound, but a waste of time in
production of the active pharmaceutical
ingredient, formulation, packaging, storage,
distribution and at the end of the study
reconciliation and destruction of unused
medication supplies, all of which had a signifi cant
impact on environment, budget and resources.
Now for each trial different computer simulations
are used to calculate the safe minimum amount
of compound required, integrating a level of
acceptable risk which reduces the overage
(excess) of compound produced for each study.
Proven advantages in terms of clinical trials
include shorter lead times, quicker
commencement of clinical trials, and increased
satisfaction at clinical trial sites.
PHARMACEUTICALS SECTOR
> Geurt-Paul Koning; Marina Romay;
Henk Teunissen; Ad Theeuwes; Philippa Tibbits;
Serge VandeWitte; Erik Vanleeuwen; Isabel White.