Chemical World - May 2012

INDUSTRY WATCH - Chemical World May 2012

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5May 2012 | Chemical World

EDITORIAL

EditorialAdvisory Board

Pothen Paul Former Chairman,

Aker Powergas Pvt Ltd

D P Misra Director, TCE Consulting Engineers Ltd and Former

Director General, ICC

P D SamudraExecutive Director (Sales) &

Member of the Board, Uhde India Pvt Ltd

Raising the competitive quotient

Manas R [email protected]

Welcome to the 8th Anniversary Edition of Chemical World! As we raise add

toast on this special occasion, it is time to thank our internal and external

stakeholders who have made this journey so meaningful! Amid this, it is

important to take note of the growing focus on the chemical sector in India.

While many challenges remain – ranging from price and availability of feedstock, regulatory

reforms (both domestic and global), infrastructure development, et al – to be surmounted, l

many of these have tremendous potential to lead the subcontinent into a golden era of

infinite opportunities.

In fact, the present phase could be an inflection point in the annals of Indian chemical

industry. As the global chemical industry gears up to double its size in the next 20 years

and international companies strengthen their position in India through local production/

sales offices, some of the key demand drivers for base as well as specialty chemicals are

being fuelled by the improving income distribution as well as growing breadth rowing breadth

and depth of the application areas in the country.

Despite this optimistic projection, the big question facing Indiia today is

regarding the way forward and in particular the competitiveness qquotient.

Hence, it will be prudent to strategise for the mid- and longg-term

scenario well in advance, given the steady rise of Indian economyy and

the multilateral implications thereof in the coming years. In order to

ensure outstanding product, price and delivery, the need of the hoour

is an integrated forward-looking chemical policy with the right mmix

of external regulation and professional self-regulation.

This unique edition delves deeper into the above and moree

such emerging avenues. Turn to Anniversary Special sectionn l

(with eight sub-sections and each representing a crucial facet of

the chemical industry) to discern what an array of experts has to

opine, not just on the latest trends and technologies but also on

the future prospects and pitfalls. Team Chemical World salutes the d

efforts extraordinaire of these achievers, which go far beyond the

call of duty.

We believe that you will benefit from exploring this special

edition as much as we enjoyed chronicling these highly informative

pieces of actionable knowledge and much more. Have a good readd

and do let us know your valuable feedback. Cheers!


CONTENTS

Note: ` stands for Indian rupee, $ stands for US dollar and £ stands for UK pound, unless mentioned otherwise

Highlights of Next EditionSpecial Focus: Engineering, Procurement & Construction

Insight & Outlook: Pollution Control

Guest Editorial

In Conversation With

R MukundanManaging Director, Tata Chemicals Ltd ..................................

K Jose Cyriac, IASSecretary (Chemicals & Petrochemicals),Government of India ................................................................a

Dr Joerg StrassburgerMD & Country Representative, LANXESS India Pvt Ltd .....

Vinayak PaiDirector – Operations, Aker Powergas Pvt Ltd ........................

Cover visual: Mahendra Varpe

Regular SectionsEditorial ........................................................................l 5News, Views & Analysis .............................................. 14Technology & Innovation............................................ 20Technology Transfer ....................................................r 22Event List ....................................................................t 94Book Review................................................................w 96Products ...................................................................... 98List of Products ........................................................ 113List of Advertisers .................................................... 115

Feedstock ..........................................................

Research & Development .................................

Safety, Health & Environment ............................

Human Resources ..............................................

Water Management ...........................................

Policies & Regulations .......................................

End-user Industries ............................................

Global Market ....................................................

30

28

38

44

52

60

66

74

84

CONTENTS

“As an industry, we need to prioritise our sensitivity towards sustainability”

“The government plans to increase R&D expenditure to 2% of GDP by the end of 12th Plan”

“The chemicals industry needs to be recognised as a growth driver for the Indian economy”

“India has the potential to become the location of choice for MNCs planning their investments in Asia”

10

24

11

12

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

Tips & TricksHandling colourless gas: Safety tips for transporting ethylene ..........................................................

Looking For A Specific Product?Searching and sourcing products were never so easy.

Just type CW (space) Product Nameand send it to 51818

eg. CW Pump and send it to 51818

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Business InsightsTechnologies

Opportunities

Chemical World | May 201210

GUEST EDITORIALR Mukundan

Over the years, the chemicals industry has evolved from

being a basic chemicals producing industry to one that

offers innovative solutions. With increased investments

in R&D, it is witnessing a significant growth in the

knowledge chemicals sector, including the field of specialty chemicals.

Approximately 13 per cent of total exports revenue is contributed by the

chemicals industry, with a growth of 10-12 per cent per annum.

The government is committed to the growth of this sector and has

introduced many initiatives to build world-class infrastructure for this

purpose. There has been the introduction of SEZs for the chemicals industry

in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, which will have common

effluent treatment facilities and single-window clearance for new projects.

As an industry, we need to prioritise our sensitivity towards sustainability.

While larger organisations have taken concrete steps in this direction by

making sustainability a part of their overall business strategy, SMEs too

need to consider environment as an important stakeholder and build their

business models based on aspects of sustainability. Consolidation of the

highly fragmented chemicals industry will bring in a focus on sustainability.

Policies and appropriate framework need to be introduced to aid players

from the unorganised sector to consolidate in the larger organised sector.

Government support in building specialised infrastructure for the

chemicals industry like chemical transportation corridors, dedicated chemicals

parks and clusters with the utility and waste management infrastructure will

play an important role, going forward. This will enable economies of scale and

linkages to markets & suppliers, bringing in overall cost-competitiveness for

the sector. Dedicated Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment

Regions (PCPIRs) were announced by the government recently. A speedy

execution process and uniform policy deployment across the states would be

critical differentiators for the sector to compete globally.

Together with encouraging policies and framework, developing

appropriate talent pool is another challenge, which all the stakeholders

including the government will have to focus upon. It is also important to

create a positive imagery for all the stakeholders to make it the most sought-

after sector.

Publications like Chemical World will play a prime role in creating the d

above favourable imagery for the industry and educate all stakeholders

on current happenings in the sector.

R MukundanManaging Director,

Tata Chemicals Ltd

As an industry, we need to prioritise

our sensitivity towards sustainability


GUEST EDITORIALDr Joerg Strassburger

In the backdrop of growth shifting from Western markets to the

Asia-Pacific region, and India witnessing a surge in consumer-driven

industries like construction, automotive, tyre, paints & coatings and

agrochemicals to name a few, the country has the potential to build

$ 80-100 billion worth specialty chemicals industry by 2020. Some of the

key global megatrends that will drive the growth of the specialty chemicals

industry are mobility, urbanisation and water availability. According to the

International Organisation of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, India was the

sixth-largest vehicle maker in 2011. When it comes to urbanisation, India

witnessed population growth rate of 17.64 per cent in the last decade.

According to the ‘Water in India 2011’ report by India Infrastructure

Research, the total demand for water requirement is expected to increase

to about 813 billion cubic metre (bcm) by 2025. All these put pressure on

the existing resources and create demand for new innovative materials and

technologies that can provide a more sustainable solution for tomorrow.

Specialty chemicals, in fact, offer solutions for challenges posed by these

megatrends.

India holds a lot of promise for the chemicals industry but not

without some corrections that are imperative for its sustained growth. The

challenges lie in the areas of infrastructure, manpower and support from the

administration. The availability of continuous power supply and natural gas,

access to common sewage and effluent treatment plants from the sites, good

connectivity to major industrial clusters by highways, ports and airports are

some of the quintessential infrastructure requirements that the industry

currently needs to look at. On the raw materials front, higher cost and non-

availability of feedstock is often a handicap for scaling up operations. Since

there are few sustainable chemical parks in India, availability of land is scarce

for companies to set up plants.

The potential of the Indian chemicals industry can be leveraged if the

concerns are addressed. There is a projected increase of another 70 million

middle-class households propelling the end-user industries. The chemicals

industry needs to be recognised as a growth driver for the Indian economy

by the policy makers, and decision-makers. On that premise, it also needs to

draw the necessary support from the administration. This is where chemical

publications can play a pivotal role in projecting the good work being done

by different players in India, highlighting their issues and bringing forth the

innovative solutions that the industry recommends.

Dr Joerg StrassburgerManaging Director and Country

Representative, LANXESS India Pvt Ltd

The chemicals industry needs to be recognised

as a growth driver for the Indian economy


GUEST EDITORIALVinayak Pai

The chemicals industry in India is highly dynamic, and has

high potential to be one of the pillars of the nation’s growth

in the coming years. India has the potential to become the

location of choice for multinational chemical manufacturers

planning their investments in Asia. However, the downturn in the global

economic sentiments and lack of clear government policy are some of

the hurdles that need to be overcome.

Our biggest priority is for investments to take place in this sector.

The monetary policy of Reserve Bank of India to reduce the interest

rates, thereby making reasonably priced debts available to the industry,

will drive investments. Another imperative is to ensure that investments

are large enough to take advantage of economies of scale. India is also

a largely consumption-driven economy and if the domestic industry is

given adequate policy backing, the larger and world-scale manufacturing

facilities will become viable in India.

However, the chemicals industry has to follow basic guiding principles,

which will create a positive impression and strongly emphasise on safety

& environmental aspects while designing plants. It is also imperative to

invest in designing plants, which will deliver sustained quality products

over a longer period of time.

The other crucial point is to maximise the utilisation of the local capital

goods industry. Though the Indian capital goods industry has to mature

before it can become a partner of choice for the chemicals industry, there

should be a sustained dialogue between the chemicals and capital goods

industries to have a long-term plan for import substitution. This is precisely

where the industry associations like Process Plant & Machinery Association

of India (PPMAI) have to create an impact. It has to play the role of a

facilitator to bridge the gap between the two industries. Forums where both

the industries can get together and discuss openly the challenges each is

facing will go a long way in addressing this issue. Business publications like

Chemical World also have an important role to play in this regard.d

Chemical industry, capital goods sector, EPC companies, industry

associations and publications have a major role to play in driving the

economic growth of the country. Having been part of this industry

for the last 25 years, I am happy that things are moving in the right

direction, and sustained efforts will further enhance the chances of

Indian chemicals industry in being a world leader in the future.

Vinayak PaiDirector – Operations, Aker Powergas Pvt Ltd,

and Member, Board of Directors, Process Plant

& Machinery Association of India

India has the potential to become the location

of choice for MNCs planning their investments in Asia


NEWS, VIEWS & ANALYSIS

EPC PROJECT

Zuari Holdings selects UhdeIndia for NPK plant revampZuari Holdings has selected Uhde

India to render engineering services

for the capacity augmentation revamp

of their NPK-A plant in Goa. The

scope of the contract includes detailed

engineering, procurement, inspection

and expediting, project management

& planning, construction supervision

and commissioning assistance services.

The project is due for completion

in the second half of 2013. Zuari

Holdings (ZH), a company belonging

to the Adventz group, operates a

fertiliser unit consisting of ammonia,

urea & complex fertiliser plants

in Goa. ZH will deploy the Incro’s

pipe reactor technology for the slurry

granulation process, with which Uhde

India has been associated for a number

of projects involving leading fertiliser

majors in India and abroad.

In another development,

ThyssenKrupp Uhde and the

Mongolian Government reached an

agreement on coal-to-liquids plant

and heat recovery coke making

plant in Mongolia. ThyssenKrupp

Uhde and the representatives of the

Mongolian Government signed two

MoUs relating to the development,

engineering and construction of both

a coal-to-liquids plant and a heat

recovery coke making plant.

The demand for methanol in India is likely

to witness high growth in near future as

a result of booming end-user industries

especially pharmaceuticals, automotives,

paints & coatings, etc, according to experts.

“Methanol in India, which accounts for

around 2 per cent of the total Asian market,

has been witnessing a strong demand

from intermediate chemicals coupled with

pharmaceutical and fuel sector. After China,

India is currently the major methanol

market in Asia,” said Mohan Krishna,

Chemicals Analyst, GBI Research.

According to a new report, Methanol

Global Market to 2020, by GBI Research,

China and the Middle East will benefit

in the coming years from the burgeoning

methanol market, potentially gaining

gigantic revenue, thanks to the chemical’s

multiple uses. Krishna added, “Growth in

chemical intermediates is driving methanol

demand in China, which constitutes almost

90 per cent of the Asia’s production.

Automotive applications account for a

major part of the methanol demand in the

region. Similarly, availability of relatively

cheap feedstock and motivation from

Middle Eastern governments to branch out

their oil-based economies to downstream

derivative businesses and end-user sectors

are likely to drive methanol consumption

in the region.”

Global methanol demand is expected

to rise to 122.6 million tonne (MT) by

2020 from approximately 44.9 MT in

2010. A significant proportion of demand

for methanol stems from the Asia-Pacific

region, which accounted for 64 per cent of

global methanol demand during 2010 and

is expected to maintain this dominance in

the future.

While China will lead the methanol

market in the immediate future,

consumption is also rising in India.

“According to GBI, we are expecting a

healthy growth in Indian methanol market.

But as the marketshare was relatively

low when compared to China, methanol

demand in India will play a significant part

but not very critical in the Asia-Pacific

region context,” commented Krishna.

Rakesh Rao

Sumitomo Chemical, Singapore, one of the leading players in the Indian polymethyl

methacrylate (PMMA) market, has aligned with J P Plaschem Ltd to further

consolidate its position in the country. The collaboration will provide a significant

value-addition to the business of Sumipex PMMA, the acrylic resin from Sumitomo.

Being the international marketing and sourcing division of J P Group, J P Plaschem

represents reputed multinationals for promoting, marketing and distribution of various

engineering polymers and sheets in India, Middle East, Russia, Europe etc.

MARKET FORECAST

Methanol demand in India to pick up

POLYMERS

Sumitomo Chemical ties up with J P Plaschem for PMMA

ECO-FRIENDLY MANUFACTURING

OMNOVA India achieves ISO 14001:2004 certificationOMNOVA India Pvt Ltd, manufacturer and

supplier of synthetic rubbers and latices, has

achieved ISO 14001:2004 certification from

SGS UK Systems and Services Certification.

The certification is applicable till February

22, 2015. It outlines that company production

facility in Valia, Gujarat, has implemented

and maintained an environmental protection

management system. “Environment is a key

performance focus of OMNOVA Solutions.

Obtaining ISO 14001-2004 certification for

our Valia plant is a great achievement and

the result of our efforts to share the same

worldwide corporate vision on environmental

management,” stated Olivier Faussadier, Vice

President & General Manager, OMNOVA

Performance Chemicals - Europe, Middle

East, Africa and India.

He added, “By improving and monitoring

our environmental performance, we demonstrate

altogether: our corporate responsibility to

attain a safe and healthy workplace, our

contribution to safeguard the environment, and

our commitment to customer satisfaction.” Olivier Faussadier



Tata Chemicals Ltd (TCL) has retained

the highly recognised Responsible

Care® certification from April 2012 to

March 2015, thus becoming one of the

first Indian companies

to retain the Responsible

Care® certification for the

second time in a row. This

certification is given after a

comprehensive assessment

by the overseas assessors

and permits TCL to use

the Responsible Care®

logo until March 2015

and places the company in

the list of the Indian Chemical Council’s

(ICC) accreditation for manufacturing and

distribution operations in India.

Responsible Care®, which started

in Canada in 1984 is a global voluntary

initiative, is practised today by high

performance chemical companies in 53

countries worldwide. This calls on companies

to demonstrate their commitments to

improve all aspects of performance,

which relate to protection of health,

safety and environment. R Mukundan,

Managing Director,

TCL, commented, “Tata

Chemicals is committed

to highest standards of

corporate citizenship and we

continuously strive to achieve

the highest performance

standards in the areas of

sustainability, safety, service

and quality. The Responsible

Care® certification for the

second time in a row is a prized testimony

of our efforts towards these values.”

The International Council of

Chemical Associations has established a

framework for chemical manufacturing

companies to adopt global Responsible

Care® core principles.

Mahua Roy

In order to meet the growing demand

for corrosion-free valves, pipes and

pipe fittings manufactured

in advanced engineering

plastics, ie fluoropolymers

& thermoplastic, UNP

Polyvalves has set up another

manufacturing facility in

Vadodara, Gujarat. Urmil

Shah, Director, UNP

Polyvalves (India) Pvt Ltd,

said, “We already have two plants in

Makarpura GIDC and this would be

the third plant, which will be operational

within next three months. With this, we

aim to increase our production capacity.

Further, keeping in mind

the space constraints, the

manufacturing facility would

be divided into three floors, ie

ground plus two floors.”

The company has been

providing solutions to almost

every leading chemical and

petrochemical giant in India

and is also exporting to other countries. It

has a wide product range in valves.

Avani Jain

SUSTAINABILIT Y

Tata Chemicals retains Responsible Care® certification

VALVE BUSINESS

UNP Polyvalves’ new unit to be operational soon

WATER TREATMENT CHEMICALS

LANXESS showcases latest water treatment solutions at AquatechLANXESS showcased Lewatit andt

Lewabrane product range at the

recently held Aquatech India 2012

in New Delhi. These products, which

are meant for water and wastewater

treatment, are used in applications

such as removal of fluoride & trace

impurities; softening of water using

ion exchange resins; ultra pure water

purification; organic scavenging;

removal of precious metals from

wastewater; etc. “Aquatech offers us

a good platform for demonstrating

our expertise as a single-source

supplier of ion exchange resins and

RO membrane technology for this

market,” said Jean-Marc Vesselle,

Head - Ion Exchange Resins Business

Unit, LANXESS AG.

ExxonMobil Lubricants Pvt Ltd

showcased its comprehensive line

of high-performance turbine oils

and next generation of Mobil

SHC-branded synthetic industrial

lubricants at the 2012 POWER-GEN

India & Central Asia Exhibition

and Conference held in New Delhi.

“ExxonMobil’s family of premium

oils and maintenance solutions enable

successful companies within the

energy sector to boost their

productivity, reduce their energy

consumption and increase profitability,”

said Rupinder Paintal, General

Manager - Industrial, ExxonMobil

Lubricants & Specialties Company.

ExxonMobil lubricants are expertly

formulated to help reduce maintenance

costs, extend oil drain intervals and

deliver exceptional protection for key

components, even under the extreme

weather and load conditions common

in many power-generating applications.

LUBRICANTS

ExxonMobil exhibits lubricant portfolio at POWER-GEN

R Mukundan

Urmil Shah

To meet the growing demand for haircare solutions that address individual haircare

challenges, the XIAMETER brand from Dow Corning has expanded its range of

silicone-based, performance-enhancing haircare materials with the introduction of

XIAMETER PMX-1502 fluid. “Young or old, and anywhere in the world, consumers

equate healthy-looking hair with general well-being. The challenge we are trying to

address is meeting the increasing individual needs based on specific hair type, condition

and desired style,” said Kevin Murphy, Global Market Manager, XIAMETER brand.

PERSONAL CARE MARKET

Dow Corning offers solution for haircare needs



Agilent Technologies Inc recently launched

4100 Microwave Plasma-Atomic Emission

Spectrometer (MP-AES) and r 8800 ICP

Triple Quadrupole (ICP_QQQ) productse

in the Indian market. These products are

in the field of elemental analysis. The 4100

MP-AES instrument requires no external

cylinder or gas supplies, thus making it the

first-of-its-kind elemental analyser that runs

on air. Ideal for any elemental laboratory

analysis, especially remote sites and mobile

laboratory, MP-AES will cater to the

needs of industries like petrochemicals,

metals and mining etc. “We are launching

the product in the Indian market because

there is a need for such product,” said Dr P

Siva Kumar, Country Manager, India, Life

Sciences and Chemical Analysis, Agilent

Technologies India Pvt Ltd.

The other product, 8800 ICP-QQQ,

offers improved performance compared to

single quadrupole ICP-MS, like consistent

interference removal in reaction mode.

ICP-QQQ also addresses high-end

application requirements, with flexible

analysis capabilities unavailable on single

quadrupole machines. Dr Kumar said “The

4100 MP-AES will revolutionise the atomic

spectroscopy market and give customers an

alternative and more advanced technique.

The 8800 ICP-QQQ will extend theQ

boundaries in elemental analysis providing

customers maximum flexibility in a range

of novel reaction modes, delivering effective

and consistent interference removal for

problematic elements in difficult samples

and high-end research.”

Prasenjit Chakraborty

ANALY TICAL TECHNOLOGY

Agilent introduces two products in India RECOGNITION

Sustainable Biofuel Technology by Honeywell wins AwardEnvergent Technologies LLC, a

Honeywell company, has recently been

awarded a Sustainable Biofuels Award

for its contributions toward sustainable

biopower generation facilities. The

award was presented in the category

of Sustainable Biopower Generation

Facility at the World Biofuels Markets,

a leading event for the biofuels industry.

The Rapid Thermal Processing

(RTP) technology converts biomass

into a clean-burning, nearly carbon-

neutral liquid biofuel that can be

burned to generate heat or electricity,

or further upgraded to other fuels.

RTP technology works by rapidly

heating biomass at ambient pressure to

generate high yields of a liquid biofuel.

It has been used in a number of projects

worldwide using a variety of wood

biomass sources for the generation

of heat and power in regions such as

Europe, Asia and North America.

“As the demand for renewable fuels

increases, Envergent is committed to

innovation using sustainable resources

and bringing relevant technology to

the marketplace that will help reduce

our dependence on fossil fuels and

improve our environmental footprint,”

said Dave Cepla, Managing Director,

Envergent Technologies LLC.

Mahua Roy

Krones AG will showcase EvoGuard

range of valves, plus its Hydroclassic water c

treatment system, at ACHEMA 2012 –

one of the leading global exhibitions for

chemical engineering, environmental

protection and biotechnology - to be held

from June 18-22, at Frankfurt, Germany.

EvoGuard is a high-performance series of d

valves, manufactured in-house at Krones

AG, which has already been successfully

premiered in the beverage industry. It is

also an attractive option for the chemical,

pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

At the ACHEMA, Krones AG will be

exhibiting its entire series of valves: disk

valves and single-set valves for simple

shutoff of pipes, double-seal valves as an

affordable alternative for use in separating

hostile media, plus double-seat valves for

highly automated process sequences.

The Hydroclassic RO (Reverse Osmosis)O

water treatment system is a prefabricated

unit that utilises membrane technology on

the reverse osmosis principle. The aim now

is to persuade customers in the chemical

industry of the advantages offered by

Krones’ Hydroclassic.

PROCESS INNOVATION

Krones to focus on valve and water treatment technologies at ACHEMA

Dow Formulated Systems, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, has

launched DOW VORAFORCE TW series of epoxy systems for fabricating composite W

pressure vessels for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas

(LPG). In combination with the DOW eCURE modeling suite, the new systems help E

fabricators to optimise their processing so they can reduce energy consumption and

waste while speeding up cycle times.

The new systems enable the production of light-weight and durable composite

cylinders with improved impact resistance, dynamic fatigue and low-temperature

performance. Composite pressure vessels are also an attractive option powered by

natural gas. Composite pressure vessels help reduce the weight of the vehicle and fuel

tank, thereby reducing emissions and enabling better mileage. Adoption of vehicles

powered by natural gas fuel by commercial fleets is paving the way for the broader use

of these fuels in passenger vehicles as fuelling infrastructure is put in place in Europe,

Asia-Pacific, North America and Latin America.

EPOXY SYSTEMS

Dow Formulated launches VORAFORCE TW seriesW



E&P PROJECT

Aker Solutions to designworld’s largest Spar platformAker Solutions has been awarded a

Front-end Engineering and Design

(FEED) contract from Statoil to design

the world’s largest Spar platform for the

Aasta Hansteen field development in

the Norwegian Sea. With a total hull

length of 193 metre and a draught of

170 metre, the Aasta Hansteen Spar

platform will be the largest of its kind.

A Spar platform is a cylinder shaped

floating offshore installation.

The Belly-Spar concept is an

exclusive Aker Solutions design. The

‘belly’ refers to the increased diameter

on part of the circular shaped hull,

where the condensate storage tanks are

located. This gives the Aker Solutions’

Belly-Spar its characteristic shape. “The

Belly-Spar concept is a result of the

innovative spirit and culture among

our engineers, who have come up with

the right solutions for the challenging

conditions on the Aasta Hansteen

field,” informed Valborg Lundegaard,

Head - Engineering Business Area,

Aker Solutions.

The Munich-based Wacker Chemie

AG has officially inaugurated its new

hyperpure polysilicon production facilities

at its Nünchritz site in Germany. Overall,

WACKER has invested some Euro 900

million in the facilities.

Initial production began at the

facilities in fall last year, and the start-

up phase is now virtually complete. The

plant is expected to reach its full nominal

capacity of some 15,000 metric tonne per year within the next few weeks. All in all,

WACKER is ramping up its total capacity for polysilicon to around 52,000 metric

tonne by the end of 2012, making it one of the largest producers worldwide. With

the new polysilicon site currently under construction in Charleston (Tennessee,

USA), WACKER’s total annual production capacity will rise to around 70,000 metric

tonne by 2014, strengthening its position as a leading producer of high-quality

semiconductor- and solar-grade silicon.

Koch Membrane Systems Inc (KMS) will present its flagship products for the water

and wastewater market in the forthcoming ACE12, the American Water Works

Association’s Annual Conference & Exposition to be held from June 10-14, 2012,

at the Dallas Convention Center. KMS, known for its innovative membranes and

membrane filtration systems, will display the latest generations of the TARGA II Hollow

Fiber Ultrafiltration system and the PURON membrane bioreactor (MBR) system. N

The TARGA II HF system offers a cost-effective, safe, high-quality water solution F

for a variety of ultrafiltration applications, from drinking water to seawater pretreatment,

industrial water treatment, and tertiary wastewater treatment. The cornerstone of the

TARGA II HF system is intelligent process controls to handle variations in water quality

and flow with minimal operator intervention, reduced chemical use, and improved energy

efficiency. The PURON PSH1800 MBR module offers up to a 25 per cent capacity 0

increase from previous PURON generations, as well as a 10 per cent lower aerationN

requirement and a 10 per cent greater surface area than competitive products.

PHOTOVOLTAICS

WACKER’s polysilicon facilities at Nünchritz come on stream

WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY

KMS to display novel membrane filtration systems at ACE 12

UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, has

been selected to provide key technology to

produce propylene in China. Zhangjiagang

Yangzi River Petrochemical Co Ltd will

use Honeywell’s UOP C3 Oleflex process x

technology to convert propane to propylene.

The project is the ninth propylene project

Honeywell’s UOP has announced since

the beginning of 2011, helping meet the

growing demand globally.

“UOP’s combined Oleflex projects

will help increase propylene production

by nearly 5 million metric tonne globally

in the next three years,” said Pete

Piotrowski, Senior Vice President and

General Manager - Process Technology

and Equipment, Honeywell’s UOP.

The new unit, expected to start up

in 2014, will produce 6,00,000 metric

tonne of propylene annually at its facility

in Zhangjiagang City, Jiangsu Province,

China. Honeywell’s UOP will provide

the engineering design, technology

licensing, catalysts, adsorbents,

equipment, staff training and technical

service for the project.Eric Herman has

taken over as the

new Global Chief

Commercial Officer

(CCO) of Damco,

the logistics arm

of A P Moller-

Maersk Group that

provides innovative logistics solution for the

chemicals industry worldwide. He will take

overall responsibility for Damco’s global

commercial activities. Herman has 19 years

of experience and a strong execution record.

Commenting on the appointment, Rolf

Habben-Jansen, CEO, Damco, said, “I am

happy to have Herman on board. He will be

a strong addition to our commercial as well

as global leadership team.”

POLYMER TECHNOLOGY

Honeywell’s UOP selected to provide technology for propyleneproduction in China

APPOINTMENT

Eric Herman is the new Global CCO of Damco

Polysilicon deposition at the Nünchritz site

Eric Herman


TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

United Electric Controls (UEC) has

launched TX200H which is a HART-H

based smart pressure transmitter

designed for panel or direct process

mounting. The transmitter provides

simplified field adjustment while reliably

communicating asset management

data utilising the latest HART 7

specification. A flexible 10:1 turndown

allows users to range the transmitter as

application requirements change while

reducing inventory levels through model

reduction. Real-time diagnostics also

reduce maintenance costs by reporting

device health status and process

performance, alerting users to potential

problems to troubleshoot before

escalation occurs. Integrating TX200H

into most process systems is simple.

Since HART communication is

superimposed over the 4-20 mA signal,

TX200H can use existing wiring as anH

upgraded, drop-in replacement for a

standard analog 4-20 mA transmitter.

A user may easily communicate with

TX200H utilising a handheld deviceH

or a PC equipped with commercially

available software. UEC’s smart pressure

transmitters may be used to safely

monitor and control a variety of process

applications, but are ideally suited for

upstream oil & gas applications. ATEX/

CE compliance and cULus approval

assure that most worldwide hazardous

requirements are met.

HART-based pressure transmitter helps reduce maintenance cost

Fluid Components International (FCI)

has developed ST100 series thermal mass0

air/gas flow meter, which is available in

a remote mountable configuration that

is ideal for applications in hazardous

areas or hard-to-reach locations.

Remote mount flow meters are ideal for

equipment crowded plants or hazardous

factory areas where combustible or toxic

gases may be present near the transmitter’s electronics. The ST100’s remote mount 00

transmitter, with optional digital display, can be mounted up to 1000 feet (300 metre)

away from the flow sensor using interconnecting cable. Besides, it is user-friendly

and versatile, storing up to five unique calibration groups to accommodate broad flow

ranges as well as differing mixtures of the same gas and multiple gases, obtaining up to

1000:1 turndown. The optional, patent-pending SpectraCal Gas Equivalency calibrationy

method lets users select and switch between 10 common gases.

Setting a new industry benchmark for process and plant air/gas flow measurement

instrumentation, the ST100 series flow meter offers the most feature-rich and0

function-rich electronics available today. It offers better flow sensing performance

to deliver unsurpassed adaptability and value, meeting plant gas flow measurement

applications for today and tomorrow. The creation of the ST100 series air/gas flow 0

meter was facilitated by discussions with a wide range of instrument, process and

plant engineers, who wanted more comprehensive measurement information as well

as the flexibility to adapt to future plant and process control technology they might

deploy. The ST100 is the first thermal mass flow meter featuring a migration path0

to tomorrow.

It continuously measures, displays and transmits the industry’s most extensive

array of parameters. It is available with 4-20 mA analog, frequency/pulse, alarm

relays or digital bus communications such as HART, Fieldbus, Profibus or Modbus.

The ST100 flow meter adapts as necessary to a plant’s changing needs or desire0

for upgrades with a plug-in card replacement that can be changed out by plant

technicians in the field, taking ‘never obsolete’ to a whole new level. It features

a unique graphical, multivariable, backlit LCD display/readout that brings new

meaning to the term ‘process information’. It also provides the industry’s most

comprehensive information with continuous display of all process measurements &

alarm status, and the ability to interrogate for service diagnostics.

Measurements in hazardous areas made easy with FCI’s flow meter

Grabner Instruments, a subsidiary of AMETEK Inc, has

upgraded its portable vapour pressure tester, MINIVAP VPXpert.

After extensive testing, the company has released a new

method to test Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) up to 1000

kPa pressure. This method is included with all new analysers.

“The MINIVAP VPXpert is the best deal for customers. We are t

continually improving our analysers by adding new, thoroughly

tested methods and features, to give our customers a competitive

edge in terms of costs and ease of use,” claimed Dr Oliver Sauer,

Director, Marketing & Sales, Grabner Instruments.

Since its market introduction in 2009, MINIVAP VPXpert

has rapidly become the best-selling vapour pressure analyser,

taking the lead in innovation from its predecessors, the MINIVAP

VPS and S VPSH. It is a fully configured ‘all-in’ analyser, ready for HH

testing gasoline (ASTM D6378, D5191), V/L ratio (ASTM

D5188), ASTM D6377 (crude oil) and ASTM D6897 (LPG

up to 1000 kPa). MINIVAP is claimed to be the world’s first P

automatic mini-vapour pressure tester that eliminated operator

bias and tiresome sample handling that, up to then, had been

associated with vapour pressure testing.

Grabner Instruments’ new vapour pressure tester gives competitive edge


TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

TECHNOLOGY OFFERED

Sodium hydrosulfite An Iranian company is willing to manufacture

sodium hydrosulfite using chemical

compounds. It is widely used as a stripping

agent in dyes and chemical industry.

Areas of application

Chemical industry

Forms of transfer

Technology licensing

Sodium sulfide An Iranian firm is willing to offer sodium

sulfide, which is used mainly in textile

industry, paper mill and curriery.


Leather industry, textiles, curriery

industries, paper mills, etc

Forms of transfer

Turnkey

Synthesis routes for organic chemicals

An Indian firm is offering consultancy

in design of synthesis routes for organic

chemicals.


Pharma industry, specialty chemicals,

plant protection chemicals, etc

Forms of transfer

Consultancy

Transformer oil unit

An Indian company is willing to offer

consultancy for making a transformer oil

unit with domestic coal from its wastes.


Transformers

Forms of transfer

Consultancy, technical services

Wasteless processing techniques

An Indian company is willing to offer

consultancy for waste-less processing

techniques for the chemical & packaging

industries.


Packaging industry, transformer

oil manufacturing industry, chlor alkali

projects

Forms of transfer

Consultancy, technical services

Share and Solicit TechnologyThe mission of Chemical World is to spread the technology culture. Here is an opportunity to be a part of this endeavour by sending your technology on offer or d

technology requirements. If you belong to any of these two categories, you are invited to furnish the techno-commercial details for publication. The write-up needs to beas per the format of this section with information about the particular technology offered or requested, its areas of application and forms of transfer.

Contact us: Chemical World,dd Infomedia 18 Ltd, ‘A’ Wing, Ruby House, J K Sawant Marg, Dadar (W), Mumbai 400 028 Tel: 022-3024 5000, 3003 4672, Fax: 022-3003 4499, Email: [email protected]

Small-scale environment-friendly chemical technologyAn Indian company is looking out

for an economically viable small-

scale environment-friendly chemical

technology useful in the textile sector as

well as in pharmaceutical sector.


Textile and pharmaceutical industry

Forms of transfer

Others

Solvent dyesAn Indian company has recently installed

a manufacturing capacity of 2,400 mtpa

and is looking to diversify its product range

by including various solvent dyes in its

product portfolio. The company is seeking

process consultancy for this project.


Plastics, petroleum, solvents, etc

Forms of transfer

Others

Sodium silicate and activated carbonA company from Thailand requires

technology for manufacturing sodium

silicate and activated carbon from rice

husk & rice husk ash.


Manufacturing and construction

industry

Forms of transfer

Others

Treatment of pollutants discharged during PTA productionA Chinese organisation is looking

for a recycling and pollution-free

treatment technology to tackle the

wastewater, exhaust gas, waste slag and

noises generated in PTA production,

thereby shifting from reduction of

pollutant discharge to zero-discharge.


Chemical industry

Forms of transfer

Consultancy, technical services, etc

Information courtesy: Dr Krishnan S Raghavan, In-Charge, Technology Transfer Services Group, United Nations - Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT), APCTT Building , C-2, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi 110 016, Tel: 011 - 2696 6509, Fax: 011 - 2685 6274, Email: [email protected], Website: www.apctt.org

For more information on technology offers and requests, please log on to www.technology4sme.net and register with your contact details. This is a free of cost platform provided by APCTT for facilitating interaction between buyers and seekers of technologies across the globe. After submitting technology offer or request to this website, you are requested to

wait for at least two weeks for receiving a response from a prospective buyer / seeker through this website, before contacting APCTT for further assistance.

TECHNOLOGY REQUESTED

As part of our endeavour to spread the technology culture, this section provides a means to promote and facilitate exchange of select technologies. We strive to bring together suppliers of such technologies with suitable users for negotiations and industrial collaboration.


IN CONVERSATION WITHK Jose Cyriac

Photo courtesy: Elite Plus Business Services

Where does India stand today amid mega consolidation in the global chemicals and

y gy g

petrochemicals industry? g

India has witnessed consolidation in certain areas of

petrochemicals (eg, Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd

with Reliance Industries Ltd). Indian companies are also

acquiring foreign companies or entering into joint ventures

to ensure continued availability of feedstock/raw material

resources. For instance, Tata Chemicals has acquired a

British company in the field of inorganic chemicals. Global

companies such as Mitsubishi, GE, DuPont, Dow Chemical,

Rhodia, Total etc have entered Indian market through 100-

per cent wholly-owned subsidiaries, joint ventures, etc. India

is also keeping pace with the global trends.

What do you foresee as the opportunities andchallenges for value creation in the Indian

y ppy pp

chemicals industry?gg

The main opportunities for the Indian industry include

the large and growing domestic market, with a young

population having increasingly high disposable income,

rising consumerism, educated and trained workforce, and

growing trade pacts with ASEAN countries, Korea, Japan,

etc. There is a boom in the construction, automobile and

telecommunication sectors, all of which provide opportunities

for high-end value-added products from chemicals

and petrochemicals sector. The challenges stem from

infrastructure constraints, availability of feedstock, high cost

of capital, increasing trade barriers, stringent environmental

regulations, etc.

Please elaborate on the draft NationalChemical Policy 2012. Will it have REACH-like provisions for India?

yy

The draft National Chemical Policy 2012 aims at facilitating

the growth and development of chemicals sector in India. The

policy comprehensively discusses the various issues involved

in a holistic manner, and accords high importance to R&D,

technology upgradation, safety & sustainability, pollution &

environmental aspects, effluent/waste disposal & treatment,

The government plans to increase R&D expenditure to 2% of GDP by the end of 12th Plan

…avers K Jose Cyriac, IAS, Secretary (Chemicals & Petrochemicals), Government of India. This assumes great significance at a time

when the Indian chemicals industry seems set for a big leap into the next orbit of value creation.

Manas R Bastia caught up with this seasoned bureaucrat – with splendid service record in several senior positions in the Government of Kerala and the Government of India – on an array of focus areas including the draft National Chemical Policy 2012; the government’s plans to augment capacity, R&D and skilled human resources; the progress of PCPIRs; among others. Excerpts of the conversation…


K Jose Cyriac

and green chemicals. The draft policy

is posted on the Department of

Chemicals & Petrochemicals (DCPC)

website at www.chemicals.nic.in.

The policy is still at a draft stage

and any provision for a REACH-

like legislation will emerge after

deliberations with stakeholders.

What is the government’s action plan to tackle the

gg

growing menace of dumping p

in India? g g

In compliance to the WTO framework,

India has implemented anti-

dumping and safeguard regulations.

These regu la t ions p rov ide

protection to the domestic industry

within the international trade

norms. The government proactively

responds to issues raised by

the industry and provides protection

to domestic industry, wherever

justified. For instance, anti-dumping

duties were imposed on caustic

s o d a , p o l y v i n y l c h l o r i d e ,

polypropylene, phthalic anhydride

etc after due examination and

process of law. Decisions are taken on

a case-to-case basis; the government

does not have a general position

on this.

What are the government’s measures to neutralise

g

the mounting internal transaction costs as well as

g

input costs? The problem in power and energy is

not the cost, but availability. Cost of

finance has always been high in India,

but this is more than set off by other

input costs. Capital equipment costs

are also not higher than elsewhere.

Notwithstanding this , the

government has recognised

inadequate infrastructure as a major

constraint on rapid growth. It has,

therefore, emphasised the need for

massive expansion in investment in

infrastructure, based on a combination

of public and private investment, the

latter through various forms of Public-

Private Partnership (PPP). The total

investment in infrastructure, which

includes roads, railways, ports, airports,

electricity, telecommunications, oil and

gas pipelines and irrigation, is estimated

to have increased from 5.7 per cent of

GDP in the base year of the 11th Plan

to around 8 per cent in the last year

of the Plan. A large number of PPP

projects have taken off, and many of

them are currently operational in both

the Centre and States.

Further, the government has come

out with the Petroleum, Chemicals

and Petrochemical Investment Regions

(PCPIR) Policy, which aims at

promoting investment in chemicals and

petrochemicals sector through creation

of excellent infrastructure that would

provide a conducive and competent

environment for setting up businesses.

What is the latest policy status on making available India’s

p yp y

natural gas as feedstock for gg

chemicals industry? gg

The availability of natural gas is

shrinking and the government has

identified the following areas as

priority sectors: fertilisers, power, LPG

and City Gas Distribution (CGD).

However, the policy also visualises that

higher fractions (C2, C3 and C4) are

to be extracted from natural gas for

their use in value-added chemicals &

petrochemicals, before being deployed

for other sectors.

How is the government planning to encourage

g

diversification into bio-based p g gp g g

feedstock in India? Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is an

important bio-based feedstock used

by the chemicals industry. In India,

almost the entire ethanol is produced

from sugarcane molasses. Hence,

ethanol production in India is heavily

dependent on production of sugar and

sugarcane, which fluctuates due to

their cyclic nature. Ethanol is mainly

used as raw material for chemicals

industry, potable alcohol and also for

the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP)

Programme. Currently, the availability

of ethanol is limited in the country and

is insufficient to meet the requirement

of different sectors. The government,

under the Sugar Development Fund,

provides soft loans to sugar mills for

setting up ethanol projects to improve

their viability via value-addition to

their by-product, namely molasses.

How is the DCPC gearing up to facilitate significant investment

g g p

in capacity creation, higher g

R&D expenditure and skilled p y gg

human resources? p

The major players such as Reliance

Industries, Indian Oil Corporation,

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation,

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation,

Haldia Petrochemicals, Gail India Ltd

etc have invested in petrochemical

projects. These companies are also

expanding their capacities that are

likely to materialise during the 12th

(2012-17) and the 13th (2017-22)

Five-Year Plans. Such investments

will drive the downstream processing

investments.

The government plans to increase

the total expenditure in R&D to

2 per cent of GDP by the end of

12th Plan. This could consist of about

1 per cent in the public sector and

1 per cent in the corporate sector,

NATIONAL CHEMICAL POLICY 2012: BROAD

OBJECTIVES� Increase investments in the sector

through facilitating capacity additions and ensuring availability of necessary feedstock and quality infrastructure

� Increase the domestic demand and per capita consumption of chemicals

� Adoption of cluster approach and encourage development of ancillary industries around them

� Facilitate access to the latest technologies

� Promote research and development

� Promote human resourcedevelopment


K Jose Cyriac

including Public Sector Units (PSUs).

Further, my Department has framed

a Scheme for setting up Centres

of Excellence (COEs) in the field

of petrochemicals. Presently, two

COEs are being set up; by Central

Institute for Plastic Engineering and

Technology (CIPET), Chennai, and

National Chemical Laboratory (NCL),

Pune. The Department plans to set up

more COEs in the 12th Five-Year Plan.

The government plans to increase

the percentage of the workforce, which

has received formal skills through

vocational education and training from

12 per cent at present to 25 per cent

by the end of the 12th Plan. This would

mean that about 70 million more people

have to be imparted formal skills in

the next five years. For this, support

to the National Skill Development

Corporation (NSDC) would have to be

significantly enhanced and State Skill

Development Missions in all States

would have to be fully operational

and effective during the 12th Plan.

Similarly, Industrial Training Institutes

(ITIs) and Industrial Training Centres

(ITCs) need to be strengthened and

upgraded. PPPs in financing, service

delivery and provision of workspaces

and training of trainers need to be

promoted.

Further, CIPET, under the aegis

of the Department, is an accredited

premier national institution devoted

to Academic, Technology Support

& Research (ATR) activities for the

growth of plastics & allied industries

in the country. It offers a blend of

specialised academic programmes in the

field of polymer science & technology

and provides qualified human resources

to the industry. Every year, CIPET

trains about 10,000 students through

long-term programmes and about

20,000 trainees through short-term

programmes with hands-on experience

with the most modern sophisticated

facilities in design, CAD/CAM, tool

room, plastics processing and plastics

testing & quality control.

How do you rate the progress of PCPIRs so far?

yy

The PCPIR model is based on the rationale

that substantial investments by the

anchor tenant in the refinery and cracker

segments will lead to other investments in

the chemicals and petrochemicals sector

including downstream segments. While

some of the PCPIRs have been making

substantial progress, some others are

not. The Department has identified the

weaknesses and is working on a strategy

to overcome these.

Your message for the industry on the road ahead…

gg

Sectors such as automobile,

electronics, telecommunication, real

estate constructions, agriculture,

pharmaceuticals, textiles etc are driving

the demand for the chemicals and

petrochemicals sector. Herein lies a

great opportunity for Indian and foreign

investors alike to exploit the vast potential

that the country offers. Email: [email protected]


RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT Basic research: Building foundation for innovative solution ..... .......................................................... 38

Collaborative research: The way forward to create a win-win situation..... ............................................ 40

Roundtable: Can India evolve as the global hub for research?...... ............................................................. 42

WATER MANAGEMENT Wastewater treatment: Technologiiiieses tttt toooooo cococonsnssssn ererererere vevevv the precious drop .................................................... .......... ...... ... ............ 60

Optimising water usage: Innovative solutionss to bridge demand-supply gap..... ................... ............ ......................... 6262

Roundtablee: IsI recycled water a viable option foror p prorocessing?........................................................................... 6666464

POLICIES & REGULATIONS Duty ratatioionanalisation: TiTimeme f foror a pragmatiic c apapproach.... ............................... ...................................... 6666

National CChehemimicac l Policy: Timely implel mementntatatioion n key to accelerratatee ininduduststryry’s progress............................................... ... 6767Vipul Shah, Presidentent, C, CEO EO & C& hairman,

Dow Chemical Internatna ionional al PvtPv Lt Ltdd

Chemical clusters: Enhancing inddusstrtry ycompetitiveness.................................................................... ................. 668

Policy reforms: A booster dose for growth...... ..................... 70

Roundtable: Should India have REACH-like regulation?...... ................................................ 72

SAFETY, HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT Safe processing: Effective risk management for boosting investments ..... ................................................. 44KNK Murthy, Consultant

Product stewardship: A cradle-to-grave toolto reduce environmental impact of chemicals ...................... 48

Roundtable: Can green chemistry principlesbe effectively used in production processes?.......................... 50

HUMAN RESOURCES Chemical insstititututet s: N Nurtutuuririrrinngng ssss kkkikikikikkkkk llllllll-s-setett f f f for totomorrow’s iindndndnddususuu trtrtrryyy y y y neneneneneedededededs.s.s................................. ..................................... ....... ....... 52

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LNLNLNLNNNGGGGG G supppplylyly::: CCaCaCan US provide low-cost solution?..................... .... 343434

Roundtable: Is natural gas an ideal feedstock?...... ................. 3636363666

ANANNINIVEVERSRSARARRA YY Y SPSPSPECECIAIALL


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ANANNIVERSSARARYY SPPECCIAIALL


FEEDSTOCK Crude oil supply

Rakesh Rao

Easy availability of feedstock

is one of the most critical

things for the survival of

chemicals industry. It is

more important for a country like India,

which has to import nearly 70 per cent

of its crude oil (the main raw material for

feedstock in chemicals industry). After

the sharp dip post-slowdown, the prices

of oil have been moving north on the

global index. This has adversely affected

the Indian chemicals industry. Shushmul

Maheshwari, CEO, RNCOS E-Services

Pvt Ltd (a market research firm), says,

“Over the years, the rising crude oil

prices have significantly affected the

margins of chemical manufacturers as the

industry is highly dependent on energy,

and raw materials used in it are mainly

petroleum-based. In fact, the increase in

raw material costs is faster than the pace

at which chemical manufacturers can raise

prices. Thus, the situation is placing the

commodity chemical and petrochemical

pricing under severe pressure.”

If India has to emerge as one

of the leading trade partners in the

global chemicals industry, then it has

to ensure feedstock availability. Opines

Aashish Kasad, Partner & Tax Leader –

Chemicals Practice, Ernst & Young Pvt

Ltd, “Non-availability and higher costs

of raw materials are often discouraging

factors for chemical manufacturers to

scale up manufacturing operations. It

is imperative that feedstock and fuels

be available at international prices for

the Indian chemicals industry to be

more competitive. Therefore, there is a

need for zero import duty on naptha

and hydrocarbons such as ethane and

propane, which are the raw materials for

manufacturing a wide range of organic

chemicals. India should have a plan to

secure its feedstock from feedstock-rich

countries with competitive supplies.”

Diversify sourcing To a large extent, India is dependent

on Gulf countries for its crude oil

requirements. Current political turmoil in

Gulf countries and sanctions against Iran

are having adverse impact on the crude

supply to India. Some experts argue that

India should explore non-Gulf countries

to meet its crude oil requirement. But

there is a challenge. Traditionally, India has

been importing all its crude oil from Gulf

countries and hence, majority of refineries

were built to treat this crude. Hence, to

treat other types of crude, companies

will have to invest in new technology.

Maheshwari elaborates, “India should

continue to import crude oil from Gulf

countries instead of exploring the non-

Gulf countries, which have less proximity

to the Indian sub-continent. Also, by-and-

large Indian refineries are technically

designed to process Gulf crude.”

Another option for Indian chemical

manufacturers is setting up manufacturing

base in other countries (Gulf, Brazil, South

Africa, etc) where cost of feedstock is low

and end-user industries are growing.

The strategy to move closer to

feedstock is proven and many of the

global majors have adopted it. But, can

Indian companies emulate the success of

these global majors? Kumar Kandaswami,

Senior Director, Deloitte Touche

Tohmatsu India Pvt Ltd, answers, “A large

number of global majors have gone closer

to the feedstock. Therefore, this is quite a

proven strategy. That said, while setting

up such operations, it must be carefully

thought through. Some of the parameters

that will come into play are the scale,

ability to find customers for the increased

capacity; ability to manage logistics if the

customer profile does not change; the

portfolio of products that are sought to be

manufactured; pipeline of future products;

and ability to manage new manufacturing

environments. Therefore, the choice to

move close to the feedstock would be

driven by one or more of these factors.

This may not always be the answer for a

relatively small-sized company, operating

a small portfolio of products, with a small,

captive customer base.”

Majority of Indian chemical manufacturers are dependent on naphtha, the prices of which have soared in the last few years. While alternatives (gas, coal-to-liquid, bio-based raw materials, etc) are being explored, the industry will have to put in place a comprehensive policy for feedstock sourcing to be globally competitive.

Diversifying resources to hedge against rising cost


Crude oil supply

Is alternative feedstock theanswer?Rising crude oil prices have forced

chemical manufacturers to look at other

alternatives. And gas tops this table.

“Certainly, chemical companies have

already started using gas as feedstock

in India. Conventionally, naphtha-

based crackers provide feedstock to the

industry, but nowadays, due to high

naphtha prices, they are being substituted

by new gas-based crackers,” points out

Maheshwari.

However, gas availability and pricing

are big challenges to overcome. “I do not

see a major shift towards using gas as a

feedstock. Globally, naphtha continues

to be the major source (accounting about

70-75 per cent) for petrochemicals,

followed by gas (about 15-20 per cent)

and rest from coal-to-chemical & bio-

feedstock. And this will not change in

the next 10-15 years. Of course, there

are exceptions such as the US where

increasing availability of shale gas

gains shares,” points out Dr Alexander

Keller, Partner, Roland Berger Strategy

Consultants GmbH.

In order to diversify their feedstock

needs, global chemical majors are

investing in bio-based raw material

technology. In India, this is still in the

early stage of development. “Renewable

feedstocks (bio-based feedstocks) are

being used in the Indian chemicals

industry as an alternative to petroleum-

based feedstocks, but they are at a nascent

stage of development. In future, the usage

of renewable feedstocks is, however,

expected to increase on the back of rising

crude oil prices and the government’s

initiatives to promote the substitution

of a percentage of its petroleum

requirements,” opines Maheshwari.

Coal, the stored energy Experts believe that if crude stays at

above $ 80-90 per barrel, then coal-to-

chemical is a viable option. Although,

there is a clear potential for coal-to-

chemical with current crude prices at

$ 100-110 per barrel, there are many

challenges. Dr Keller points out, “First,

coal-to-chemical technology is still not

a matured technology. Second, coal-to-

chemical project requires multi-billion

dollar investments. At the same time,

it is environmentally challenging, eg

the technology requires large quantity

of water. In many places, while coal

availability is not an issue, finding water

is a problem. So coal-to-chemical is a

solution, but it cannot be the only source

for feedstock.”

With large reserves of coal, India can

look at coal-to-chemical as an attractive

alternative. In India, two blocks were

awarded for coal-to-liquid projects to

Tata Group (in joint venture with South

Africa-based Sasol Synfuels Pty Ltd) and

Jindal Steel & Power Ltd with Lurgi, in

Orissa. “This is a positive step for such

complex technologies to take root in

India. These multi-billion dollar projects,

although having made significant

progress, are still in the initial stages of

development as they are long gestation

projects. One of the major challenges

before these companies will be selecting

appropriate technology for utilising the

local coal, which is characterised with

higher ash content than what is found

globally, for these projects. Many other

Indian companies have also evinced

interest in coal-to-chemicals projects,

but one has to wait and watch the

results of these two projects,” opines

Pratik Kadakia, Principal, Roland Berger

Strategy Consultants Pvt Ltd.

Securing supply for future Although feedstock diversification is

an option that can be explored, Indian

chemical companies will continue

to depend on naphtha for their

requirements. Given the fact that India

will be dependent on imports to meet its

feedstock requirements even in future,

the ideal strategy will be to optimise

resources by using state-of-the-art

technology.

“While India continues to be one

of the leading importers of crude oil,

the refining capacities that are coming

up are based on the competitiveness

of Indian refiners vis-à-vis global

counterparts making us competitive in

the export of petroleum products. So

the learning from this is if we continue

to invest in latest technologies and

world-scale infrastructure & operations,

the chemicals industry will flourish

in India as the market is definitely

here. With the refining capacity that

will get commissioned, it will continue

to meet the domestic requirement

of naphtha for now and the future,”

concludes Kadakia.


BOOSTING FEEDSTOCK

AVAILABILITY

��Reduce import costs of feedstock,

and discourage export of naphtha

� Secure feedstock supply from oil-

rich countries

� Diversify feedstock requirements

� Scout for alternative sourcing

for gas

� Coal-to-chemical technology can

be explored, but will require huge

investment

� Incentivise research for bio-based

raw materials

In future, the usage of renewable feedstocks is expected to increase on the back of rising crude oil prices and the government’s

initiatives to promote the substitution of petroleum requirements.

Shushmul MaheshwariCEO, RNCOS E-Services Pvt Ltd

G l o b a l l y, n a p h t h a continues to be the major source (accounting about 70-75 per cent) for petrochemicals. And this

will not change in the next 10-15 years.Dr Alexander KellerPartner, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants GmbH


Prabhakar Nair

During the next 20 years,

while global energy

demand will grow by

more than 40 per cent,

the International Energy Agency

(IEA) strongly projects that more than

75 per cent of energy will still be supplied by

fossil fuels. Solutions can be devised if the

challenges and opportunities are considered

in the same vein. Very intricately, the

chemicals industry is inextricably linked to

the energy industry.

India is one of the leading investors in

clean energy, particularly solar and wind

power. The country has also developed

innovative solutions for its large rural

population who do not have easy access to

the grid power. These include solar cookers,

solar lighting and rural electrification

schemes based on bioenergy. The rural

electrification schemes being pursued in

some of the emerging regions are a clear

example of localised solutions that are

better enabled by use of renewable sources

like solar or biomass than by conventional

grid supply.

The imminent question that arises is:

How do we get more alternative sources of

energy into the current energy pool? How

do we change the energy mix such that no

more than 60 per cent of the global pool is

supplied by fossil fuels by 2035? A likely

solution could be continued investment

in the clean tech industry. India is

aggressively moving towards becoming a

global clean tech powerhouse and ranks

fourth among the G20 nations in terms

of clean tech investment. In 2011 alone, it

racked up investments of $ 10.3 billion in

the sector, a growth rate of 52 per cent that

dwarfed the rest of the world’s significant

economies (source BNEF).

Towards empowermentIndia has taken serious cognisance of the

need to grow its chemicals industry as a

whole and has a national Five-Year Plan

(2012-2017) perfectly in place for this

industry. This plan will enable the country

to develop its entire chemicals sector

including infrastructure, IT, specialty

chemical development and exports, and

thereby allow India to expand its current

(3 per cent) access to the $ 4 trillion-worth

global chemicals market. A part of this

plan is to evaluate the use of renewable

feedstocks to produce chemicals. For

example, producing chemicals using

precursors such as ethanol that could be

derived from renewable sources.

The Indian chemicals industry needs

to launch an industry-wide initiative

to include robust renewable R&D

development and deployment strategies

to ensure that all avenues for renewable

chemical production are explored. India

is already investing heavily in R&D to

develop fuels from a variety of feedstocks

and pathways.

Friendly measuresThe bilateral agreements that the United

States Department Of Energy and the

Indian Ministry of New and Renewable

Energy have in place to facilitate

increased co-operation between the US

and Indian firms in the green spectrum

are aimed at providing support towards

developing green chemicals industry in

India. Besides, dramatic growth rates for

green chemicals are expected during the

coming decade. National Energy Policy

in India is an important driver for the

growth of alternative energy solutions

and it serves to set the objectives for the

implementation of new energy solutions

by the industry. However, it needs to

be remembered that effective energy

solutions will be those that address

energy needs at a local level.

Prabhakar Nair is Head of

Business Development Asia,

LanzaTech NZ Ltd. For details,

contact Smriti Kulkarni at

[email protected]

Emphasising heavily on renewable resources is the biggest priority for the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy in India. In this backdrop, the chemicals industry is best suited to tackle the challenges pertaining to dearth of non-renewable resources. Friendly government policies and measures are needed to imbibe deeper execution of this plan.

Renewing energy

future g

India

FEEDSTOCK Renewable resources


FEEDSTOCK LNG supply

Rakesh Rao

The boom in shale gas in the

US may turn out to be a

blessing in disguise to Asian

countries, particularly India,

which are scouting for gas supply to meet

their energy needs. Record production

from shale deposits has driven down gas

prices in the US – making it one of the

lowest in the world. Unlike oil, natural

gas market is still in the early stages of

development; in other words, gas prices

are still not uniform across the globe. But

this could change with global gas market

integrating.

Looking beyond Gulf countriesEven India, which traditionally used

to source gas from Gulf countries,

is seriously looking at the US. Gail

India, the country’s largest gas supplier,

became the first Asian buyer of US

natural gas in December 2011 when

it signed a 20-year deal with Sabine

Pass Liquefaction, LLC – a subsidiary

of Cheniere Energy Partners LP

– for supply of 3.5 million tonne

per annum LNG. “Yes, the contract

between Cheniere and Gail is the first

time that Cheniere, or any other US

company, has sold LNG to India under

a long-term contract,” asserts Andrew

Ware, Director, Corporate Affairs &

Communications, Cheniere Energy.

With excess supply of gas in the

domestic market, the US companies are

looking for export of gas to emerging

economies such as India. “Cheniere

is bullish on growth in Indian LNG

demand, and we foresee great potential

for more contracting between US

and Indian counterparts in the future,”

Ware adds.

Even companies from Australia are

gearing up to explore the Indian LNG

market. The fourth-largest exporter

of LNG in the world, Australia is the

third-largest LNG exporter in the Asia-

Pacific region having exported 18.9

million tonne of LNG in 2011 worth

around $ 11.1 billion. While Australia

has been supplying LNG to China and

Japan for quite some time, it is now

eyeing to strengthen its foothold in

India as well.

Similarly, Russia’s Gazprom is also

expanding its footprint in the Asian

markets – particularly India. “Gazprom

and Indian oil & gas companies are

developing their co-operation on

various business directions, including

supplies of LNG to India. Under

estimates of independent experts, gas

consumption in India may increase

around 70 per cent by 2020 compared

with current volumes. This market is

quite promising for Gazprom, which

plans to build export facilities as part of

its Eastern gas programme. In 2009 and

2011, Gazprom exported 10 batches of

LNG amounting to a total of 650,000

tonne to India,” according to an official

of Information Directorate, Gazprom.

Pricing, the deciding factor Prices of LNG in India are at

$ 13.65 per million British thermal unit

(mBTU) this year, according to the US

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

(FERC). Traditionally, long-term prices

of gas are linked to oil. With crude

oil prices above $ 100 per barrel, the

cost of LNG (after addition of cost of

shipping, regasification, pipeline tariff

and local levies) is likely to be about

$ 17-20 per mBTU. On the other hand,

as per the contract with Cheniere, the

price of LNG will be based on Henry

Hub (HH) from the US market, which

is generally lower by $ 2-3 per mBTU

compared to that based on oil index

(Brent/JCC) from other sources.

Ware explains, “LNG supply from

the US offers portfolio diversification

for Indian buyers. LNG has historically

been purchased under long-term

contracts linked to oil prices, and this

contract structure remains dominant

in the global industry. Due to high

WHY THE US?

�� India is exploring LNG from non-

traditional suppliers such as the

US and Australia

� Record production of shale gas in

the US has lowered the cost

� US companies are exploring

markets to export gas

� For India, cost of LNG supply

from the US can be lowest

� India can bargain with other LNG

suppliers to lower the cost

India plans to diversify its Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) imports. While new destinations are being explored for gas to meet the domestic need, the US could emerge as one of the low-cost, long-term suppliers of LNG in near future.


LNG supply

($ 100+) oil prices, this oil linkage requires Indian

companies to pay high prices for their LNG. Cheniere is

offering a new contract structure to the LNG industry. For

the first time, LNG would be purchased at prices linked to

the HH in Louisiana, which is the index point represented

by Nymex natural gas futures contracts. This contract

structure would provide Indian buyers exposure to the

largest traded natural gas hub in the world. Diversifying

risk while lowering purchasing costs is a good proposition

for all LNG buyers, including companies in India.”

Similarly, Indian companies may find Australian LNG

to be priced a bit too high with gas prices in the US

declining. Ware adds, “America’s natural gas prices are now

the lowest in the world due to the ‘shale revolution’ that has

been gaining momentum in recent years. The US now has

an estimated 100 years worth of natural gas due to advances

in drilling technology pioneered by the domestic industry

that has unlocked vast resources in shale fields across the

US. The US natural gas production is at record highs, and

prices are now approximately $ 2.50/mBTU (~$ 15/barrel

oil equivalent), at 10-year lows, due to oversupply. This

creates compelling value for energy companies in India.”

Booming gas economyMany developing countries, including India, are realising

the benefits of gas to reduce reliance on petroleum products,

which are expensive, and coal, which is considered to be

polluting. With domestic production of natural gas on

decline, demand for LNG is likely to increase manifold in

near future in India. Ware says, “We anticipate significant

future growth in Indian LNG demand to meet both the

needs of India’s expanding economy and increase the rate

of penetration of natural gas within the economy’s fuel

mix. India and China represent the fastest-growing natural

gas markets in the world. India has long struggled with a

shortfall in availability of natural gas supplies as feedstock

for its fertiliser units. Natural gas will also play a critical

role as a fuel in expansion and upgradation of India’s power

industry, and to wean reliance on coal for power generation.”

LNG can provide an opportunity to globalise supply

availability to countries that lack indigenous natural gas

resources. Many believe that LNG will be the world’s fastest-

growing fuel source over the next 30 years. And many Indian

companies will look forward to contracts similar to Gail-

Cheniere to boost gas supply for the domestic industry. Ware

opines, “Cheniere will continue to engage with LNG buyers

in India and seek out good partners for future LNG projects.

Our free on board (FOB) contract arrangement with Gail

represents a good model for the relationship – Cheniere is

responsible for making and delivering LNG to Gail’s vessels

at the Sabine Pass terminal, after which Gail is free to take

its LNG cargo wherever it chooses.”



FEEDSTOCK Roundtable

Is natural gas an ideal feedstock?With volatile crude oil pricing and uncertainty in the international markets, conventional fossil fuel sources for the chemicals industry are running the operations under tough conditions. The entire downstream process trickling down to end-products experiences a steady inflationary impact. In such times, how effective can natural gas be as a feedstock? Mahua Roy talks to experts and gauges the situation…

Considering the economical and environmental benefits provided by natural gas over conventional fossil fuels, it needs to be considered

seriously as an alternative by the chemicals industry. The fertiliser industry has been implementing this strategy and is showing successful

results. To ensure an exemplary sustainable future for the chemicals industry, natural gas needs to be employed as a source of feedstock.

EDITORIAL TAKE

B Akala Former Chairman & Managing Director,

Central Coalfields Ltd

Crude oil, natural gas and coal

are the usual feedstocks for

chemicals industry. But natural

gas is the fuel of preference that

powers most chemical and refining

processes because of the simplicity

in the process associated with

ease in handling, cleanliness and

comparatively cheaper handling

cost. Cheaper natural gas would

mean cheaper ethane for chemical

producers, giving them an

advantage.

Increasingly volatile oil prices

have had a knock-on effect on

naphtha, which has swung wildly

in the past five years. Natural gas

has innumerable uses in chemicals

industry and new applications are

being developed every day. With

the prevailing shortage situation

of natural gas in many countries,

coal-to-chemicals technologies are

developing quickly and use of coald l i i kl d f l

and ethane is expected to grow

rapidly for economic reasons.

Soumen Kumar RoyGeneral Manager – Health, Safety and

Environment, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd

Natural gas contains about 89-90 per

cent methane. Hence, it cannot be

used as feedstock for petrochemicals.

However, it can be used as feed

in fertilisers as well as hydrogen

generating plants and in furnaces

& boilers. The economic benefit

of using natural gas as feedstock

depends upon the cost of natural

gas (delivered cost) vis-à-vis cost

of alternative feedstock. Presently,

the delivered cost of natural gas

is lower in India as compared to

naphtha or other fuels. Natural gas

as a feedstock is commonly found

as a building block for methanol,

which in turn has many industrial

applications.

Environmental benefits through

lower carbon emission will be there

using natural gas, if it replaces

heavier fuel in furnaces or is used

as feedstock in hydrogen generation.

Technological improvement may be T h l i l i b

required in chemicals industry on

case-to-case basis to use natural gas.

N AnandSenior Manager - Marketing,

Aker Solutions Pvt Ltd

Natural gas is the cleanest of all the

fossil fuels. Reliable and continuous

availability of natural gas poses

one of the greatest challenges

to the industry to develop new

technology and improve R&D

spends to develop new processes

for better utilisation of gas. Syngas,

which could be derived out of

natural gas, provides substantial

opportunities to develop various

downstream products. However,

manufacturers are presently looking

at producing syngas from coal,

which is not a clean source. It is

essential to address areas of concern

to facilitate a switch over to natural

gas supply. To take care of future

requirements arising out of greater

demand and usage of natural gas,

a sustained programme would be

required from research and process

know-how companies to innovate

and develop cleaner technologies d d l l h l i

to harness the potential strength of

natural gas.


RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT Basic research

Avani Jain

Research and development in

the chemicals industry can

act as a long-term investment

enabling an organisation to

drive innovations and improve productivity.

It enables the company to have a leadership

position in leveraging the new technology

for offering higher value. Research can

also help cater to the constant demand for

improvement in quality, bring down costs,

and create more value.

Research can be basic or applied.

Pure, basic, or fundamental research is

carried out to increase understanding of

fundamental principles. Dr Anand Mohan,

Assistant Professor - Department of

Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of

Technology (IIT) Hyderabad, notes, “In the

chemicals industry, basic research involves

analysing the subject at the molecular and

fundamental level, to understand its impact

at the macro level.”

Basic research is not intended to

yield immediate commercial benefits.

However, in the long term it is the basis

for many commercial products and applied

research. Pure research is mainly carried

out by chemical institutes like Institute

of Chemical Technology (ICT), IITs,

National Institute of Pharmaceutical

Education and Research (NIPER), Indian

Institute of Science (IISc) and Council of

Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

It is seen that academicians have a strong

ability to analyse the various problems

faced by the industry and solve these in

the conceptual domain. This is an expertise,

which industry lacks and here the role of

research assumes high importance.

Dr Y R Singh, Executive Director,

Alkali Manufacturers’ Association of India,

notes, “Basic research assumes importance

in the chemicals industry as it forms the

basis for growth. Through basic research

activities, companies get to know about new

technologies, atomised processes etc, which

can help them in developing new products

and reducing cost & energy consumption.”

Fundamental benefitsNew knowledge is the primary product of

fundamental research. The industry gets to

know about innovations and improvements

about existing products. Chemical

companies can use this knowledge

to produce new products and satisfy

customers. Pure research generates new

ideas, principles and theories, which may

not be immediately utilised, despite being

the foundations of modern development.

Moreover, the economic returns from

fundamental research can be considerable,

far in excess of the initial costs of the

research.

Despite the benefits, there are few

challenges as well, while promoting basic

research activities. Dr Mohan notes, “Not

many academicians and institutes want to

take up fundamental research as it is time-

consuming and there is no glamour attached

to it as compared to applied research. Thus,

Universities and research institutes have always been the source of new ideas for the chemicals industry in India. The basic or fundamental research carried out by them has opened new avenues for the industry; but at present, not much is being done to promote such activities. The need of the hour is that the concerned authorities including the government and chemical companies in India should put their best foot forward.

Building foundation for


Basic research

to find a dedicated person is a challenge.”

Further, institutes are often involved in

academic or pure research, which may not

have applied aspect to it. But this situation

can be improved by entering into industry-

academia collaboration.

Promoting basic research activitiesIn order to provide a boost to the chemicals

industry in India, it is important to facilitate

the growth of basic research activities.

Dr Singh notes, “The first step in this

direction is providing adequate funds for

supporting fundamental research. The

actual costs of basic research are high.

Modern research requires increasingly

sophisticated equipment and technologies.

Thus, the government and the industry

should come forward and fund such

research projects.”

Often, basic research is carried over

a long period of time, ie it does not

give immediate results. Dr Singh says,

“The authorities and the industry must

be ready for such long-term investments

and should not stop the funding in the

middle of a task as seen in many cases.

The companies should also realise this

fact and fund such researches.”

He adds further, “Not only the

government funding is required but

proper direction is also needed by the

institutes. The skilled manpower is

available in plenty but there is no one to

guide them in carrying out the different

researches. So steps should be taken to

improvise such a situation.”

It is crucial to spread technologies

produced by universities or national

laboratories widely to private sector so

that they can benefit from it and the

researcher’s work is recognised. Also,

companies should facilitate and invite

researchers on deputation basis to work

in their labs to gain experience on newer

equipment so that this knowledge can be

used in carrying out new process as well

as new product research. Further, they

should also actively scout for opportunities

to commercialise technologies developed

within the institutes.

The main hurdle today in carrying

out fundamental or basic research is lack

of proper infrastructure and mechanism.

Dr Singh comments, “The government

should set up national chemical labs

so as to provide the much-needed

technology and process to carry out the

basic research activities.”

Future prospectsThe basic research being undertaken

by many researchers at universities and

national research institutes, and around

the world, not only provides results that

are valuable but are intellectual assets

that can be shared by all the segments of

the industry. The practical application of

such research has the potential to drive

innovations in the chemicals industry.

Thus, adequate steps need to be taken

to promote basic research in this sector

in India.



RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT Collaborative research

Avani Jain

The chemicals industry

offers several

opportunities for

players to collaborate

for improving competitiveness.

Players could come together and

reap benefits like reduced costs,

better knowledge and greater

marketing power. Out of the

several forms of collaboration,

industry-institution partnership

for knowledge development/R&D

is slowly gaining momentum in

the country.

The Indian chemicals

industry can leverage the

potential of research and

educational institutions as a

source of intellectual capital as

well as future human capital. It

can collaborate effectively to

establish research programmes for

application research in educationalatioi nal

institutes. This is espeecially

critical to the knowledgee segment in

the industry.

The need for collaborrationIn India, till recently there was no need

for research in most compaanies – the

knowledge that existed in thee public

domain was sufficient for the

business the company waas

engaged in. But that seems

to be changing now. It is

now commonplace for

companies to work withh

outside partners and purrsue ‘open

innovation’, which incluudes research

institutes. In present times, tthe universities

and national research instituutes play major

role in the industry in terms of R&D.

Dr Kirti Chandra Saahu, Assistant

Professor - Department of Chemical f Ch l

Engineering, Indian Institute of

Technology (IIT) Hyderabad, notes, “At

present, in India, the technology and

process required for performing research

is traditional and outdated. Further, India

is also lagging behind in fundamental

research activities. Companies directly want

to undertake applied research but this is

not possible until and unless there is strong

fundamental/basic research to support it.

In order to carry out fundamental research,

companies have to involve professionals

from the institutes who have the required

knowledge and skills. The professionals

from research institutes

have good theoretical and

fundamental knowledge, which

they can apply effectively so as to

provide innovative solutions to

the industry and resolve all their

problems.”

Role of research institutesResearch institutes play an

important role in driving product

innovation in the chemicals

industry but they also need to

consider a few factors. Quality

and timeliness are the two top

criteria that research institutes

need to bear in mind when

aspiring to work with industry.

While defining the role

of research institutes when

collaborating with the industry,

A Prathap Reddy, Managing

Director, Balaji Amines Ltd,

notes, “Research institutes note

uld welcome technical staff shou

y to interact with their ownfrom industry

well as use their equipment researchers as

ter closer relationships andso as to fost

ndustry-focussed researchencourage in

h can then be funded by work, which

with backing from their industry

upport staff.”own s

There are currently

three basic collaboration

types that can be seen

between industry and

research institutes. Firstly,

ollaboration betweenco

d research institute for basiccompanies an

rch. Secondly, collaborationproduct resea

mpanies bring in new where com

nd research institute helpstechnology an

pt to the local conditions. them to adap

h research institutes andThirdly, both

companies providing core expertise in

complementary areas. Of the three, the

first type is the most frequently preferred.

Challenges posed on the wayIndustry-academia collaborations

can work, provided clear areas of

co-operation are worked out at the start

The industry-academia collaboration for R&D is increasingly being viewed as a way of accelerating the industrial growth in the

country. Through this collaborative strategy, the chemicals industry too can leverage on

the capabilities of academic institutes in the areas of new product development and design & process innovation to sustain its

competitiveness.

The way forward

to create a win-win situation


Collaborative research

of a project. However, the challenges are

many and the major among them is huge

investments. Dr Sahu notes, “Investments

in fundamental research are huge and

often companies are not interested in

making long-term investments as they

want quick results. For example, one has

to wait for few years to see good results

from research but the companies shy away

from that. The scenario is different in

other countries where companies actively

involve themselves in fundamental

research. However, slowly and gradually,

the situation is changing in the country.”

The other key challenges include the

protection of intellectual property and

government support to such initiatives

so as to ensure that even small-scale

industries are encouraged to utilise

the efforts of such research institutes

for carrying out cutting-edge research

that otherwise would have been beyond

their reach.

Apart from this, for an effective

collaboration, there are other requirements

as well. First, to be partners for R&D

co-operation, both the parties need to

have their strong areas either in research

or with regard to other relevant aspects.

Second, the two needs to be upfront and

clear about potential issues regarding

intellectual property, and prepare possible

solutions for these in advance. Third, for

research institutes to be an important

partner for collaboration, it needs to

focus on identified strong areas and build

its manpower committed to timely work

and agreed cost. Thus, both sides need

to renew their approach, if there has

to be continuous exchange. The key is

that co-operation between industry and

research institute be similar to a business

transaction – it is an exchange from

which each partner needs to benefit.

Way forwardGiven the benefits of industry-academia

collaboration, in future, it will be critical

in emerging areas such as biotechnology.

Another bold step could be the privatisation

of some of the institutions in full or part

creation of private research companies

that run laboratories or undertake contract

research for companies. The educational

institutions could also partner with the

chemicals industry by offering courses and

conducting research proactively.

Reddy concludes, “The industry-

academia collaboration has high

probability of attaining success in the

country as India is a major chemical

manufacturing hub. This would be a

phenomenal opportunity for industry

since in-house R&D set-up always

involves extensive set-up costs and HR

costs. Moreover, industry generally faces

substantial shortage of research talent

with the requisite skill-set and experience

in advanced analytical researches but this

collaboration will help the industry in

this aspect also.” Thus, the collaborative

strategy will definitely go a long way

in ensuring growth of the chemicals

industry in the country.



RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT Roundtable

Can India evolve as the global hub for research?

With chemical companies realising the importance of research and development (R&D), many steps are being taken by them as well as the authorities for promoting such activities. So, can India become a global hub for research? Avani Jain delves deeper into the issues and analyses the steps that need to be taken to achieve the objective.

In order to ensure the overall development of the industry, it is essential to develop long-term strategies for sustaining innovative R&D

initiatives. However, at present, one of the biggest problems facing the chemicals sector is lack of fund and technology required to perform

research and development activities. If these issues are resolved, then India can definitely become a global hub for research.

EDITORIAL TAKE

Jaimin Vasa President, Gujarat Chemical Association, and

Managing Director, Vasa Pharmachem Pvt Ltd

India is lagging behind in R&D

activities compared to other

nations. However, a few proactive

measures can make India a global

hub for R&D. First, we should

establish chemical sector council for

innovation having representatives

from the government, chemical

companies, industry associations and

reputed research institutes. Second,

we should establish an autonomous

$ 100-million chemical innovation

fund to encourage commercialisation

of innovations. Third, we should

develop regional clusters and

innovation centres in universities

dedicated to chemicals industry.

Fourth, collaboration agreements

with foreign countries will enable us

to develop capabilities in chemical

product and process innovation.

Finally, we should establish Chemical

Innovation Council, which will

recommend and help government ind d h l i

creation of dedicated fast track court

to handle IP issues.

Bhupendra PatelChairman - Gujarat Region, Chemexcil, &

Managing Director, Jemby Chem Ltd

While the US and Japan remain

leaders in innovation, there is an

increasing shift of R&D activities

to Asian countries. Growth of

technological capabilities in this

region is the prime factor. Over the

past two decades, India has emerged

as a global hub for product research.

Not only have multinationals set up

their own R&D operations in India

and partnered with local enterprises

but Indian multinationals are also

leveraging the talent pool for cutting-

edge development. The teams based

in India today are in a position to

lead and collaborate with R&D

teams across the globe to help define

an organisation’s leadership position

in their respective domains and in the

industry as a whole. However, care

must be taken to continue to nurture

this ecosystem. Academia and

industry must continue to co-operate

closely to understand each other’s l l d d h h ’

requirements and deliver the same in

a mutually beneficial environment.

Mukul B MalviPartner,

TEXSPAN

There is good scope for R&D

activities in the country but the

companies are not willing to invest in

this. India has potential in terms of

availability of skilled manpower but

the funds are not available. Further,

even the technology required for

such activities is not adequate. The

industry-academia collaboration is

also at a nascent stage. Whereas in

the US, projects are sanctioned by

the government in this regard and

industry provides funds to universities

to carry research process, in India, this

concept is still not developed. There is

a good scope for such collaborations

in India. In my opinion, it will take

a long time for India to become a

global hub for research as the industry

is not motivated to indulge in R&D

activities and innovation. Thus,

industry should start taking interest

in R&D activities; and industry-

academia collaboration should be d i ll b i h ld b

promoted, so as to make India a

global hub for research.


SAFETY, HEALTH & ENVIRONMENTSafe processing

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K N K Murthy

Industrial occupations pose

additional hazards when new

scientific principles, engineering

and technologies are applied as

part of development or improvement

process or for progressive growth. Among

all industries, chemical manufacturing and

allied functions are extremely vulnerable

to high toxicity, corrosiveness, reactivity,

fire/explosion etc, besides most of the

safety concerns faced in other industries

as well. All these threats need specific

risk management techniques and

strategies. They can be chosen from

a variety of options and application

flexibility.

Current scenario and challengesNew hazards that can manifest into

high-intensive operational risks are

being seen. The main causation factors

could be faster reaction rate, less retention

time, adoption of higher temperatures/

pressures/flow velocities, risks emanating

out of high reactivity/non-compatibility/

emissions/energy releases etc.

Optimisation and integration of safety

with productivity can be considered as a

viable and proven option to circumvent

such situations. This takes care of the

important aspect of enhancement of

productivity through more dependence

on safety.

Social liabilities/commitments on

safety, occupational health surveillance,

pollution controls, responsible care etc are

also to be addressed seriously. Industries

do face constraints in inventory

management of hazardous materials

(maintaining optimally minimum

quantity) due to fluctuating market

situations and uncertainties. This problem

can be resolved by adopting phased-out

delivery schedules of raw materials of high

hazardous nature, safer location/plant

layout by way of segregating/distancing

bulk storages (both raw materials and

finished goods) from hazardous zones.

Moreover, safer storage patterns such as

provision of emergency containment/

treatment facilities against spillages/

leakages/emissions etc, and creation of

marketing outlets/terminals etc, away

from high hazard-intensive operating

plants/facilities also help.

There are various factors hindering

safe processing. Non-availability

of required number of qualified,

experienced, skilled personnel

at different levels including

professionals at senior level is a

serious problem with respect to

safe operation/upkeep of all types

of chemical processing units.

There exists a wide gap with

regard to the knowledge base on

different chemicals being used and

resultant process hazards & risk

management capabilities.

Sometimes the race for job

completion against tough targets

and time-frames pose add on/

external risk factors. Absence/

inadequacy of the contribution of

independent centralised/facilitation

service functions like technical

wings, R&D, corrosion monitoring/

inspection, structural design, condition

monitoring, rotary equipment upkeep/

maintenance, preventive/predictive

maintenance of mechanical/electrical/

civil and instrumentation system can

be detrimental to safety management.

Poor response with reference to need-

based training/retraining system for

employees is a major concern. Lukewarm

attitude to emergency preparedness

and response plan execution can

decelerate safety governance. Last but

not the least, companies are faced with

the tough task of compliance against

Effective risk management for boosting investments

Why workplace safety is important to attract investments in the chemical arena?

y py p

India is a preferred destination for chemical business considering the prevailing goodwork culture, resources, professional management capability/competence, availability of skilled, committed manpower, industrial peace and harmony. Accordingly, it isimportant that manufacturers give importance to safety. Worldwide, the performanceof any manufacturing unit is gauged based on the following parameters:A. Ability to sustain highest qualityB. Ensuring the delivery of desired quantityC. Commitment to extend best service – both pre- and post-dispatchD. Integration of safety at all phases of business entrepreneurship and management Any aspect of delinking with respect to D will adversely affect A through C.

While new advancements in every industry spell good news

for its growth, they also come with the baggage of additional hazards or new

hazards hitherto unknown or undiscovered,especially in the case of chemicals sector.Hence, it is vital to tighten the safety belt not only to avoid workplace hazards, but

also to attract huge investments in the chemical arena.


Safe processing

stringent statutes, which have come

up after major disasters like Bhopal

gas tragedy.

Workplace safety vis-à-vis efficient production targetsIn industrial circles, there used to be in

existence certain myths for a long time

(still persistent among few) that:

� Compliance efforts to fulfill safety

norms decelerate production and

efficiency considering the extra

time/resource mobilisation

� Extra cost is to be borne for

implementing required safety

measures, which cannot be justified

in terms of appropriate payback

Both the above arguments can be

brushed aside if the work methods/

systems are improved upon.

In fact, proper planning, preparation

and compliance of safety measures

save a lot of time, expenditure and

even embarrassment at times. On the

contrary, the loss of time or profit

reduction encountered due to any

untoward incident could be more

detrimental for higher productivity.

Reducing workplace hazardsThe attempt must be commensurate

with choice of proven, inherently safe

technology, process, adherence to best

design/engineering standards, choice

of right material of construction,

good construction and craftsmanship

followed by smooth operation, upkeep

of plant and equipment, preventive

maintenance, periodical examination,

checking and certification.

Good engineering practices include

structural integrity, reliability, control

of noise/vibration/corrosion, inspection,

fire proofing, installation of electrical

fittings/fixtures/accessories as per area

classification, static dissipation etc,

to name a few. Usage of appropriate

personal protective gears followed by

inspection, surveys, monitoring, audits,

motivation, enforcement and accident

reporting/investigation/retrieval of

information will go a long way in

managing workplace hazards.

Revisiting the ‘human element’From time immemorial, the human

element factor has been doing rounds

as the ‘ single’ and the most significant

aspect of accident causation theory,

which could be logical considering the

involvement of humans being more

prevalent in any type of accidents.

However, it is commonly observed

that the application of the human

element theory especially after an

accident tends to be shifted exclusively

towards the person at the fag end of

the chain – mostly victim. This is

unfortunately a reactive or sometimes

knee jerk response; in the process one

loses sight of various other factors –

again human – but pertaining to specific

and focussed elements such as the

persons in charge of employee selection/

p l a c e m e n t / s u p e r v i s i o n / t r a i n i n g /

enforcement of system, upkeep of work

area/design of equipment/maintenance,

safety system management etc.

Then there is the question whether

there could have been an attribute to

the execution of one’s assigned roles/

responsibilities, which could have

helped prevent the incident at source.

In most of the accidents, it could be

proved that any one or more of such

key links in the chain of events could

have been the contributory factor for

the final occurrence per se.

While considering human element,

it is important to accept people, who

may be error-prone at various degrees,

but can be trusted to be more error-

resistant, user-friendly, etc, rather than

always being dependent exclusively

on human intervention, involvement,

attitude, aptitude, behaviour etc.

Safety as business boosterIn the current scenario of financial

uncertainties, competitiveness and

highly speculative market environment

at global level, safety can definitely play

a catalytic role to enhance business

viability. In the prevalent situation,

where India is being seen as a viable

option among many investors (both

local and overseas), a deep-rooted safety

culture will enhance their confidence

level - it being an indispensable element

in total loss prevention/reduction/

control of hazards.

K N K Murthy has been in the

fertilisers and petrochemicals

industry for 38 years and retired

as Senior Manager (Safety)

from Indian Petrochemicals

Corporation Ltd, Vadodara. Currently, he

works as a Safety Consultant and is associated

with Mahatma Gandhi Labour Institute,

Ahmedabad. He has done pioneering works in

various aspects like hazard identification, safety

audits/inspections/surveys, training, emergency

preparedness planning, quality/environment

standards (ISO), etc. He can be contacted on

email: [email protected]

MISHAPS DUE TO HAZARDOUS

CHEMICALS

Following are some of the recent

accident cases (indicative) involving

units handling hazardous chemicals:� Serious fire in a hydrocarbon

storage terminal of a leading refinery unit (loss of property andbusiness interruption)

�� Fire involving natural gas(conveyed through pipeline) at adairy industry (loss of life, property and business interruption)

�� Leakage of chlorine from a gascylinder storage zone located near a national harbour

�� Fire at a rivulet bed where oily wastes from a refinery were being dumped (no report of loss of lifeor property except violation of pollution-related statutes)

�� Runaway reactions involving organic and inorganic chemicals(loss of life and property)

�� Fires/toxic emissions involving road/rail tankers hauling materialslike petroleum products/ammonia


SAFETY, HEALTH & ENVIRONMENTProduct stewardship

Rakesh Rao

Today, probably one of the

most important things

in the minds of chemical

manufacturers is safe handling

and use of substances. In their endeavour

to strengthen their Environment, Safety

and Health (ESH) policy, companies are

adopting product stewardship strategy.

Product stewardship is the management

code for assuring safe handling and

use of chemicals, throughout each

chemical’s lifecycle, that is from R&D,

design, manufacturing, marketing

distribution, use, recycling and disposal

of chemical products.

While product stewardship is a well-

established concept globally, in India it is

now gaining importance. “The concept

of product stewardship is definitely

gaining importance in India. Though

the acceptance is low at present in small

to medium enterprises, most of the big

players are adopting strategies for product

stewardship. Multinational companies

such as Dow, BASF, Clariant, etc have

dedicated set-up for product stewardship.

On the other hand, most of the Indian

chemical manufacturers are still more

focussed on process safety and the concept

of product stewardship is still nascent

among them,” says Dr D M Wakankar,

Vice Chairman & Chairman – REACH

Committee, Chemexcil.

Meeting global obligationAs a result of lack of strong legislative

requirements for chemicals in India,

companies have not taken product

stewardship seriously. But this is likely to

change with the upcoming international

movement called ‘Strategic Approach to

International Chemicals Management’

(SAICM), which is a policy framework to

promote chemical safety around the world.

“According to this UN initiative, to which

India is a signatory, by 2020 all countries will

have to put in place chemical management

programmes. For this, India will have to

frame several legislations, which could be

related to restrictions, bans, control on

certain chemicals, imports, etc. All these

form a part of product stewardship, which

will become indispensable over a period of

time,” says Dr Wakankar.

Because India has this obligation

towards SAICM, he feels that chemical

manufacturers in the country will have to

gear up to product stewardship initiatives.

Know ‘thy’ chemicalsWith globalisation, the supply chain has

become highly complex. Hence, Indian

chemical manufacturers will have to

take proactive steps to achieve product

stewardship. Dr Wakankar suggests, “First

of all, our knowledge about synthesised

products is restricted. SMEs play a big

role in Indian chemicals industry and

manufacture & export lots of goods.

However, fundamental knowledge

about the product profile (ie, chemical

composition, impurity profile, safety

aspects, etc) is scarce. To compete globally

Product stewardship is a product-centered approach to reduce the environmental impact of manufactured products. There is a drive to put in place policy framework to promote chemical safety around the world. So are Indian chemical manufacturers prepared for this?

A cradle-to-grave tool toreduce environmental

impact of chemicals

WHY GO FOR PRODUCT

STEWARDSHIP?��Though not mandatory now, it

will be critical in future

� Global obligations will result in

stringent chemical legislations in

India

� Post-2020, most countries will

have tighter control over chemicals

being supplied

� Knowledge of chemical’s safety

profile is a must for environment

protection

Design, Development

& Product Launch

STORAGE, PACKAGE &

DISTRIBUTION

CUSTOMERUSE

DISPOSAL &RECYCLING

MANUFACTURE

SUPPLY


Product stewardship

with other chemical manufacturers, one

needs to enhance these capabilities.”

To regulate chemical manufacturing, it

is important to know exactly the number

of chemicals being manufactured in the

country and how much. Whether they

are hazardous or not? What is their

safety profile? To know these, most of the

developed countries have in place what is

called as chemical inventory.

Dr Wakankar says, “Inventory

will have to be the starting point of

everything. Unless you have inventory,

you would not know which and what

quantum of chemicals are being

manufactured and imported. Hence,

inventory is always the beginning for

any legislation in any country.”

Chemical inventory: Work in progressIn January 2012, there was a meeting

organised by Department of Chemicals

and Petrochemicals (DCPC), Government

of India, to discuss the status of chemical

inventory. In this meeting, it was decided

that Chemexcil will take a lead and

prepare a model inventory based on which

the actual inventory will be developed.

Dr Wakankar discloses, “We have already

started the work and have so far covered

4,000 substances. In about two to three

months, the model inventory should be

ready. Then we will present this jointly

to the Ministries of Environment &

Forests, and Chemicals & Fertilizers.

Government then has to take this forward,

since inventory cannot be implemented

without the legislation.” Normally, when

inventory is published, anything that is not

mentioned in it cannot be manufactured

or imported.

Getting future-ready If India has to meet the SAICM obligation,

then it has to finish the chemical inventory

at the earliest as this will be the basis for

framing other legislations. Dr Wakankar

says, “Most of the developed countries have

their inventories in place. We do not have

the luxury of time as developed countries

had (since they started the process quite

early) and hence, we have to do multiple

things at the same time and with double

the speed. If we have to adhere to the

2020 deadline of SAICM, then chemical

inventory has to be put in place by 2014

at the latest.”

Post-2020, most countries, including

India, will have stringent legislations in

place to regulate chemicals. Hence, Indian

chemical manufacturers will have to start

the work on product stewardship in right

earnest to be future-ready. “Once legislations

come into force, chemical manufacturers

will start looking into impurity profile,

safety aspects, classification & labelling, etc

about the products. And if a manufacturer

is unable to fulfill any of the legislative

requirements, then the company will not

be able to sell/manufacture this product.

Hence, product stewardship is going to

be critical for doing business in future,”

concludes Dr Wakankar.



SAFETY, HEALTH & ENVIRONMENTRoundtable

Can green chemistry principles be effectively used in production processes?

The optimism of Dr Paul Anastas and Dr John C Warner, who put forward the 12 principles of green chemistry, is seen to be rewarded by the efforts of the chemicals industry. Mahua Roy speaks with experts in this field who decode the stipulations of green chemistry by extrapolating them from the lab to the production area.

The most inevitable question that needs to be answered is: can greener methods be cost-efficient? Resolution of this long-standing debate can

convince chemicals manufacturers to adopt green chemistry in their production process. The key lies in considerable investments in R&D efforts

to make sure that new routes of process engineering suit the practicalities of the industry, and most importantly, are cost-competitive.

EDITORIAL TAKE

Dr Swapan Kumar GhoshDirector,

Nova Surface-Care Centre Pvt Ltd

With scientists and engineers

being more involved in providing

solutions, it is important for

academicians to use the principles

of basic green chemistry and work

upon it to provide solutions, which

are practically possible to implement.

As it is not easy to bring about a

radical change, incremental amount

of green changes can be looked into.

All businesses ultimately aim at

maximising the profitability. A new,

greener process will not be feasible

unless it provides some advantages

over current processes and is

sufficiently profitable to shifting from

the conventional facilities. Green

chemistry needs the engagement of

a wide cross-section of the scientific

community to enable it to deliver

and within a stipulated timeframe.

A concerted research drive by

academia, government and industry

is needed to develop a wide rangei d d d l id

of reliable, green methodologies that

will be available as and when needed.

Dr Pintoo GangulyGeneral Manager – Laboratory Operations,

Sigma-Aldrich India Ltd

The chemicals industry has been

striving to make better products

with improved properties and

applications. The industry is aware

of its responsibilities towards

sustainable development. Though

much has been achieved, lot more

is possible if the society at large

supports companies and incentivises

organisations that make products

the ‘greener’ way. The cost focus

should be coupled with the focus

on waste reduction, recyclability

and reuse. Easy access to affordable

technologies will enable a large

number of SMEs to graduate

towards cleaner technologies.

Academia all throughout has

played a key role in the development

of chemistry and technologies

including development of green

chemistry. Greener ways of

production are the requirement of

the times and it has to be taken up h i d i h b k

to ensure a brighter future for the

chemicals industry.

Dr G D YadavVice Chancellor,

ICT, Mumbai

Sustainability rests around three

important pillars – economic,

environmental and social. But it

is a known fact that the industry

does not adopt new ways of

manufacturing unless there are strict

legislations defined. Unless there are

tax incentives or monetary benefits

achieved through the practice

of green chemistry, the industry

does not feel motivated enough to

implement greener processes.

Use of safer chemicals and

processes in every sector is

possible. Especially the dyestuff,

intermediates and agrochemicals

industry needs to implement

process re-engineering towards

greener routes. Green chemistry or

engineering should be employed

to develop environmentally benign

technologies, which are not energy-

intensive. It is the duty of the

academia on its part to introduce d i i i d

green chemistry programmes in

their syllabi.


Mahua Roy

India is seeing numerous investments

in the chemical, petrochemical

and oil & gas industries. As

the chemical technologies for

these become more intricate, demanding

high level of expertise for designing and

operation, it is an obvious fact that without

an adequate number of knowledgeable

employees, several technology-related

industrial functions cannot be carried out at

adequate standards. The problems appear

to be centred at the level of education

and training provided to the engineers,

technicians and scientists in India.

Quality over quantity?There have been an sudden spurt in the

number of engineering colleges, technical

institutions and higher science research

institutes all over India. Several students

successfully complete their coursework

every year and the number is much more

than what is required in India. “Technical

education in the country is booming

today, with almost 1.5 million engineers

graduating every year,” says Prof Vilas

G Gaikar, Bharat Petroleum Professor

of Chemical Engineering, and Head,

Department of Chemical Engineering,

Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT),

Mumbai. If one would look only with

a quantitative viewpoint, India has a

colossal figure of technologists, engineers

and technicians to boast of.

Companies are increasingly finding

it difficult to get reasonably talented and

knowledgeable engineers, technicians

and scientists for investigative and

skill-oriented functions like R&D,

design & estimations and consultancy

functions. While quantitative availability

of manpower is certainly met with, the

problem is at quality level.

What does the chemical industry want?Chemical engineering is a highly science-

based discipline, and changes in other

areas have started affecting the ‘technical

expertise or competence’ requirement.

The industry now expects the candidates

to have working knowledge of design

software. “The chemicals industry is

known for its diversity with areas ranging

from petroleum refining, petrochemicals,

polymers, fuels, to steel & mining and

specialty chemicals. Chemical engineers

by their training, however, can settle

comfortably in any of these fields once

the basic principles are learnt and

employed properly,” says Prof Gaikar.

The basic expectations of the

chemicals industry from new talent are

technical expertise, leadership qualities,

willingness to take initiatives, and

excellent interpersonal communication

skills. But in the last few years, soft skills

are becoming a major requirement.

Nurturing talent for tomorrow One of the most common problems faced

by the freshly graduated candidates is their

unemployability because of lack of training

in practical aspects and multidimensional

nature of engineering discipline. If the

potential of these engineers is to be used

to the fullest extent, practical training is a

must. “It may be difficult for the chemicals

industry to provide training to every

graduate. But if teachers are given training

by the industry, with some sustenance

stipend, it would help in imparting useful

Attracting excellent talent to the chemicals industry has become as tough as predicting the trend of crude oil prices. An industry that offers a wide range of challenging deliverables and strategies, why is it losing out the battle to glamorous fields like IT, services and even media? The nurturing of talent needs to happen right at the stage when the minds of young chemical engineers and scientists are impressionable.

Nurturing skill-set for tomorrow’s industry needs

HUMAN RESOURCES Chemical institutes


Chemical institutes

knowledge to the next level of students,”

suggests Prof Gaikar.

He further adds that the offering of

courses or part-time lectures by experts

in industry can help in the transfer of

knowledge and expertise to the students.

“Also, the industry can probably offer

internships to the most deserving

candidates; challenge them with more

difficult problems and nurture their talent

for entrepreneurship & innovation,” says

Prof Gaikar.

Serious industry participation is neededNow is the time for serious industry

participation, beyond just monetary

funding. “An important aspect is generating

interest among students towards science,

and chemicals industry is ideally suited

to exhibit application of science for

producing materials of interest to society.

The industry needs to demonstrate clearly

the care it takes to avoid negative impact

of its operations on the surrounding

environment,” says Prof Gaikar. The most

difficult first step is to attract the talent

to take up a career in chemical sciences

and chemical engineering. “Chemical

companies can participate in the process

by sharing the best practices at the

undergraduate level in association with

the educational institutes,” suggests Prof

Gaikar. In addition, industry experts can

add value by participating in curriculum

revisions; writing to universities explaining

tomorrow’s needs so that curriculum is

shaped well in advance.

Academia playing its partMany institutes such as ICT, Indian

Institutes of Technology (IITs), Council

of Scientific & Industrial Research

(CSIR), are well-equipped with some

of the world-class facilities and look for

collaborative activities. “Academic R&D

labs should not be viewed as service

labs to provide analytical services. PhD

candidates take a major risk when they

embark on a journey into unknown. This

atmosphere can be used to attract industry

talent to work in academic laboratories

on joint projects. This will bring greater

responsibility in academic circles with

respect to time-bound deliverables. On

the other hand, young PhDs can bring

new outlook and fresh ideas in analysing

the situation,” quips Prof Gaikar.

Besides, academia can also offer

refresher courses to industry personnel, as

a continuation of education programme.

“New theoretical foundations are

being built with heavy emphasis on

miniaturisation, high speed computational

facilities and on-line optimisation.

Research students are the cheapest

labour of highest intellectual capacity

and available to work on projects at the

minimum cost,” says Prof Gaikar. He also

opines that if talented candidates exist

in industry, they can come back to the

academia to impart knowledge, as there

is in fact a dearth of talented teachers in

engineering profession.



HUMAN RESOURCES Talent retention

Mahua Roy

The attitude towards a strong

CSR policy is evidently

missing in India. Considering

the size of the chemicals and

petrochemicals industry, the efforts towards

the mission of ‘giving back to the society’

are few. Apart from the laudable endeavours

by a handful of large players, a lot remains

to be done on this front. Traditionally, the

chemicals and petrochemicals industry has

been plagued with the image of being a

polluting industry. To contribute towards a

positive image, the chemicals industry, as a

whole, needs to build up on the lost trust.

Emphasising on sturdy CSR initiatives is

one of the best places to begin.

Addressing attritionAnother real world problem that the

chemicals industry is facing is that of

talent crunch. Right from highly qualified

and experienced R&D professionals to

production engineers, it is exposed to

a number of challenges arising out of

attrition. More so, as the young workforce

enters the industry, the HR policies

need to be crafted taking into account

the mindset of the new talent. “There

is inadequate focus on career anchoring

among youngsters, which poses challenge

for the organisation. Also, lack of mobility

is an area of concern as there is a huge

gravitation towards city jobs,” puts forth

B Sudhakar, Chief Human Resources

Officer, Tata Chemicals Ltd.

Gluing CSR and talent retention togetherApplication of CSR policy can help the

chemicals industry address the problem

of both attrition, and engage employees

to contribute towards betterment of

the society. “If an organisation’s CSR

programme is genuine and positive, and

it believes in total involvement, then the

company definitely helps in building a

positive feeling. People like to work for

companies that share their values,” opines

B Ramakrishnan, Managing Director,

Marine & Protective Coatings, Akzo

Nobel India Ltd, and Head, Performance

Coatings plant, Bengaluru. Whether

through reduced attrition costs or increased

employee productivity, the HR benefit of

CSR cannot be overlooked. Anecdotally,

CSR improves morale, reduces turnover,

and generally leads to more satisfied

employees.

Promoting the benefits of why ‘doing

good’ is important in society has always

been a tough task. This is where the role of

senior management comes into the picture.

Regular interactions with employees

orienting them regarding the greater

good obtained are essential. And not

just culturisation, individual involvement

of senior management makes a huge

difference. “There is a direct correlation

between management time invested in

young talent and the output from them.

Personal demonstration of the leaders

makes a lot of difference to the youngsters,”

says Sudhakar.

Risks, responsibilities and rewardsIn order to put forth a strategic CSR

policy in place, weighing the risks,

responsibilities and rewards becomes

Creatinga new dimension

through CSR strategy

In a recent survey conducted by GlobeScan, a prominent international market research agency,

83 per cent of employees in G7 countries said that their company’s positive corporate social

responsibility (CSR) reputation increases their loyalty. Emulating such values is driving companies

in India too to seriously orient their strategies towards CSR as a

mode for talent retention.


Talent retention

important. From putting forward

imminent regulatory changes to

other such serious and relevant issues,

companies must consider what risks they

face and how CSR might help mitigate

exposure to those risks. If the cause taken

up by the company somehow aligns with

the ideology of the company, the CSR

exercise makes even more sense.

Responsibilities arise out of new wave

of expectations surrounding corporate

involvement in the community. Whether

from consumers, media, NGOs or even

employees, there is visible pressure

being put on chemical companies to

be active and engaged in society. And

most importantly, rewards arise out of

gaining reputation, loyalty and credibility

as a responsible sector. “Our current and

ex-employees feel proud and happy to be

associated with the CSR programmes. We

have established a CSR model that has

been extended to different geographical

areas and wider sections of the society,”

quips Ramakrishnan.

Looking beyond immediate numbersIn a world where business decisions need

to be justified through sound reasoning,

quantitative measurements, and tangible

benefits, coupled with Excel sheets and

Powerpoint presentations, expecting

immediate return on investments

(RoIs) is not the way to go. Heads of

chemical companies should be mindful

of where, when and in what form

CSR investments pay off, and should

not expect miracles overnight or over a

quarter. “Encouraging volunteerism to

inculcate care and trust dimension in

the employees, which also helps them

contribute to the society at large, is a

factor that cannot be neglected,” adds

Sudhakar. The bigger picture lies in the

development of a responsible pool of

citizens created by the corporate sector.

Although some noticeable benefits of

CSR may be seen, the larger picture and

justification out of investments will be

visible only in the long run. An effective

plan of CSR can not only boost the

commitment of current employees, but also

attract talent in the future. “Employees and

potential employees reflect the values of

the wider community and are influenced

by those issues & concerns that are readily

communicated in their communities

and society. CSR programmes, when

appropriately communicated, demonstrate

the actualisation of values,” adds

Ramakrishnan.

Imbibing the right cultureIt is an obvious fact that if a chemical

company is involved in blatant, or even

subtle depletion of the environment

or natural resources, or embroiled in

an embarrassing financial scandal, the

employees will probably be less enthusiastic

than if one believed one’s company is

involved in ‘saving the world’. However

innocent or raw the statement sounds,

fatter paychecks can never compete with

the repute of a company.



HUMAN RESOURCES Roundtable

Is industry-academia partnership helping to tackle talent shortage?

One look at the research scientists in a renowned international institute, one is bound to see an Indian name in the list. But closer home, the chemicals industry is facing real talent crunch. Isn’t this the right time to relook at the academic scenario and revamp the procedure of chemical education? Mahua Roy finds out…

The chemicals industry is one of the most prestigious in India. In order to sustain its reputation, academia-industry partnership needs to

build strategies together. These two facets are interdependent and co-existent. It is more of a symbiotic relationship. The sooner the two

works together as one entity, the faster will the real issue of talent crunch be solved.

EDITORIAL TAKE

Vinayak Pai Director – Operations, Aker Powergas Pvt Ltd

In the chemicals and petrochemicals,

or even the allied EPC industry,

there is a definite resource gap for

skilled manpower. There needs to

be a structured top-driven approach

to address this issue. Fortunately,

the government has identified this

problem and is driving solutions

to this issue through the National

Skill Development Council.

Rather than working on

piecemeal basis, the government

and the industry should join hands

and prepare a holistic approach to

address this issue. A lot of data

needs to be generated to actually

quantify this gap and work out

programmes to fill this gap. The

industry is in the best position

to do this and then tailor-make

training programmes at all levels.

The government can steer this

programme and provide funds as

required. Short-term and long-i d Sh d l

term targets need to be identified

and tracked for effectiveness.

Ravi KapoorManaging Director,

Heubach Colour Pvt Ltd

Sourcing highly skilled talent

has become a critical issue for

the chemicals industry in India.

Chemical engineering or chemistry

is not usually the first choice for

students, except those few students

choosing highly reputed institutes,

which are known for these fields.

The Indian education system

needs to be revamped in order to

address this issue. Global practices,

especially those in Germany

need to be studied deeply and a

relevant model should be adopted

that is customised towards Indian

environment.

A three-tier system comprising

healthy involvement from

academia, industry and the

government is looked forward to.

The academia can train from the

theoretical aspect; the industry

would support practical training

while the government needs to hil h d

come forward with feasible funding

to support these causes.

Mukul GuptaManaging Director,

Chemtreat India Ltd

The Indian chemicals industry

has a good record in management

expertise – the availability of skilled

and qualified chemists & chemical

engineers are at par with the world.

However, local talent deserting

Indian industry is becoming a major

problem. In view of this, the industry

and authorities should create an

exciting situation for Indian talent

to flourish in the country.

There is a need to provide

infrastructure for innovation to flourish

as it will stop the brain drain and

migration of talent to other developed

countries. The academia needs to

focus on training students who are

ready for industry and provide good

interface for fruitful collaborations.

Partnership between industries and

academia is a must for transforming

ideas into new products. Thus, Indian

chemicals industry should leverage

the potential of education & research h i l f d i & h

centres and intellectual resource as

well as human capital.


HUMAN RESOURCES Roundtable

Are chemical manufacturers taking right measures to ensure work-life balance?

Long working hours, frequent expeditions, stringent deadlines – these words would seem highly familiar to an employee in the chemicals industry, which is facing a talent crunch. So what is the status of HR practices that are looking to tackle talent retention? Mahua Roy examines the efforts of leading companies.

Regarded as one of the highly stressful industries, the chemicals & petrochemicals industry is facing an inevitable challenge of talent crunch.

Thus, one of the critical issues facing the industry is that of talent retention. One of the best ways to achieve this is by providing a work-life

balance, which would help create, most importantly, sound unstressed life for the individual.

EDITORIAL TAKE

Bharat GalaPresident,

SNC Lavalin Engineering India Ltd

The demands of the chemicals

industry create the need for a fast-

paced workplace with high standards

for excellence in a growing sector.

In order to succeed, we need to

ensure the well-being of employees.

This includes a balance between

work and personal time. In order

to ensure this, the corporate values

of an organisation need to reflect a

focus on employees, their personal

growth, career development, and

general well-being. We know

that this is important to all our

employees, regardless of age, and we

promote it across our workforce.

Our employees work hard to

meet the high standards we have

set for ourselves. The company

needs to care about the health

and safety of employees. When it

comes to the stressful demands of

the EPC sector, work-life balance

ensures that employees are happy h l h

and productive, which allows us to

do a better job for our clients.

Rohit ThakurDirector & Head of Human Resources,

GE Energy, India

Our experience shows that work-

life balance has become more of

an element of work-life flexibility

rather than work-life balance.

With a flexible work culture, the

employees work in an environment

where they feel comfortable; where

employees are treated equitably and

managers are empowered to create

an open, supportive and responsive

environment, and where requests

are approved based on business and

customer needs.

Our successful initiative has

been well-received by employees.

It helps our company to retain

talent and create a competitive

advantage at a time when finding

qualified job candidates can be a

difficult challenge as it provides our

employees flexibility in setting their

own schedules to meet business

needs as well as their own personal

needs. It helps people to be mored I h l l b

productive specially those who have

long commutes.

Lakshmi NadkarniHR Country Leader India,

Dow Chemical International Pvt Ltd

Work-life balance is broadly defined

as a satisfactory level of involvement

or ‘fit’ between the multiple roles in

a person’s life. Its importance has

increased with the demanding 24x7

work culture. Taking cognisance of

this importance, we are empowering

our leaders and employees to

work together to develop work-

life solutions that effectively help

employees manage their professional

and personal responsibilities.

The young workforce of today is

aware of this concept and respects

companies, which enable them to

gain that balance, making it one

of the important driving factors of

consideration for them.

The chemicals industry is a

highly sensitive one, where employees

need to be responsible enough to

deliver safe and optimum results.

Even a marginal error could lead to

disastrous results. Hence, it is critical di l H i i i i l

that employees are provided with an

environment that helps them thrive.

Chemical World |60

WATER MANAGEMENTWastewater treatment

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Rakesh Rao

On April 26, 2012, something

unusual happened at

Mangalore Refinery

and Petrochemicals Ltd

(MRPL). For the first time, the two-

decade old refinery had to go for a total

shutdown due to shortage of water

supply. Surprisingly, the region where

it is located receives plenty of rainfall.

So what was the reason? Experts

claim that the cause of the problem

was mismanagement of water by the

government authorities. If this could

h h bhappen to a region that receives above

average rainfall, then one could imagine

the scenario in areas where rainfall is

scanty. No wonder, water conservation

has gained importance in all the

sustainability reports of chemical majors.

Moving towards hybrid solution The water situation is more critical for

countries such as India and China, which

have large population

and where agriculture

accounts for a major

share of GDP. Hence,

industries have a moral

obligation to minimise

usage of water and treat

effluents. To achihhhihhhihhihhhhhh eve

this ooooooooooooooooobjective, chchchchhchhchhhhhhhhhhemical

manufacturers in India are

adopting novel wastewatetetetetetetetetetetetteteteteteeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrr rr

treatment technologies.

“Industry is embracing newer

technologies with an objective to

maximise recycling of treated efflflflflflflueuuuuu ttntttt

back into their process. Sequencing

Batch Reactor (SBR), Moving Bed

Bioreactor (MBBR) and Membrane

Bioreactor (MBR) are some of

the new but proven technologies being

used for effective treatment of industrial

wastewater in India,” says Nilesh Tantak,

Senior Applications Engineer, Aquatech

International Corporation.

One of the major trends witnessed in

the recent times is the increased adoption

of hybrid technologies to treat complex

wastewater and effluents. Hoshang

Subawalla, Business Leader, Water &

Process Technologies, GE Energy, India,

elaborates, “The industrial market has

seen adoption of hybrid technologies

like chemical treatment/pretreatment

in addition to equipment technologies

h MBR (RO)such as MBR, reverse osmosis (RO),

Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD), etc for

wastewater reuse. In many cases, the

industrial markets are opening up for the

process/specialty chemicals too. These

solutions have been driven by increasing

need for conserving and reusing water in

industrial processes.”

Though the adoption of hybrid

technologies is low, it is slowly picking

up pace. “In India, a key challenge

would be the ‘slow’ adoption of newer

technologies. Water policies need to be

directed towards reduction of the non-

revenue water and adoption of latest

technologies. These drivers will generate

the push towards reuse and recycling

of water,” says Subawalla. GE offers

water & process technologies providing

d lintegrated solutions to serve energy-

and water-intensive industries such as

mining, metals, refinery, petrochemicals,

power and food & beverage.

“Our products include equipment

such as membranes, MBR and

sysssssssssss stems, and treatment chemicals

& services for effluent, cooling,

bobbbbbbbb iler and wastewater applications.

We offer specialty chemicals

used in the process, wastewater,

metal removal and cooling

applications. Increasingly, the

environmental awareness,

social responsibility and

operational cost savings

through adoption

of these chemical

technologies are driving

the growth in this sector

of the water business,” adds

Subawalla.

SoSoSoSoSoSoSoSoSoSoSoSoSoSoSoSSSoSoSSoSSSSS lving the ccococoococcooompmpmpmmpmpmpmpmpmpmmpmpmpmpmpmmpplellllllllllllllllll x xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx waste problem

Often the effluent

from chemicals industr y

contains various types of chemicals,

which cannot be treated by a specific

WaWaWaWaWaWaWaWaWaWaWWaWWaWW tetettt r sscarcity s s ssss eveveveveveveveevvididddddddddddddddddddddeenenenenenentttt t tt t t tttttWater scarcity is evident across India. Henccncccceee,e,e,ee,e,e,e,e,e,ee,e,eee,ee,across India. Hence,

to reduce dependence to reduce dependence on municipality for the on municipality for the

sususussussususupply of water, cchemicalsupply of water, chemicalmanufacturers are adopopopooooopting manufacturers are adopting novel technologies to treat novel technologies to treat wasttewater and reuse tttttttttttttttt n wastewater and reuse it in

thtt eie r facility.their facility.

Technologies to conserve the precious drop

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Wastewater treatment

technology. Hence, manufacturers have

to adopt the ideal strategy for ensuring

effective effluent treatment. Tantak

says, “In general, for specific chemical

contaminants that may pose challenge

to biological treatment technologies,

the inside battery limit treatment

within process unit itself is the norm.

For instance, spent caustic waste

stream originating in refinery and

petrochemical plants is treated via wet

air oxidation system before it is allowed

to be discharged to central wastewater

treatment plant.”

However, the discharge standards

in near future may aim towards certain

refractory chemical contaminants –

dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls

(PCBs), heavy metals, etc – to achieve

very low levels in parts per billion (PPB).

“This may require addition of specific

advanced treatment technologies such

as Advanced Oxidation Processes

(AOP), advanced chemical precipitation

processes as polishing treatment to

meet trace level discharge standards.

These technologies are also available

in the market but their use may

require piloting for specific application

before adopting on commercial scale,”

opines Tantak.

Experts feel that the global

developments in the wastewater sector

are not different from what India is

experiencing right now. However,

the shift in wastewater treatment is

towards the concept of ZLD. “This

has led to process and system design

with equipment such as MBR, RO,

ultrafiltration (UF) and evaporators

with chemical treatment/pre-

treatment. Increasingly, the shift in

chemicals is towards polymers, which

are much easier to handle; metal

removal applications for environment;

and process & specialty chemical

applications for specific needs in the

different industries. The industry is

definitely seeing the adoption of hybrid

technologies with chemical treatment/

pretreatment in addition to MBR,

RO, ZLD, etc for wastewater reuse,”

adds Subawalla.

Taking proactive stepsThe chemicals industry, one of

the leading consumers of water, is

responding by using less water and

reducing emissions of pollutants into

rivers. Take the example of recently

established carbon disulfide (CS2)

production plant in Dahej of Indo

Baijin – a joint venture between

Indofil Industries and Shanghai

Baijin Chemical Group (SBC). “The

green technology adopted by Indofil

Industries for its Dahej plant results

in 25,000 tonne (estimated) carbon

credits per year and can be traded in

carbon exchanges. The technology

also recycles 300 cubic metre of water

everyday. These measures not only help

protect the environment and reduce

carbon footprints, but also increase the

bottom line of the company. The new

technology has a time tested 99.5 per

cent sulphur-to-product conversion,

which means Indofil would be

minimising wastage of raw materials,”

claims R K Malhotra, Chief Executive

and President, Indofil Industries Ltd.

The company plans to expand

its water management strategy to

other manufacturing units. Malhotra

adds, “Keeping in mind the outlet of

wastewater, where human habitation

might be present downstream or close

to its vicinity, it becomes pertinent for

chemicals industry to adopt effective

treating technologies. Indofil Industries

is committed to adopting green

technology and encourage sustainable

development across all its plants. We

will use water recycling technology in

all other plants and projects of Indofil

after the success in Indo-Baijin project

in Dahej. However, this would be done

in phases over a period of time.”

Save every dropWith more and more companies

taking steps to optimise the usage of

water, wastewater treatment solution

providers are looking to invest in India

and bring leading global technologies

into the country. Subawalla opines,

“GE currently sees wastewater as an

important and high growth area for

the industrial and municipal sector.

Water scarcity/stress in many areas of

the country and regulation enforcement

along with the ‘comparatively’ better/

newer technology adoption in industries

would be a driver for wastewater

treatment in this sector.”

Speaking about the future scope of

wastewater treatment market, he says,

“Technologies for treatments are well-

proven and, more efficient and ‘leaner’,

less energy consuming technologies

are making new inroads. MBR, SBR,

MBBR are few such technologies, which

are finding prominence in wastewater

treatment. The adoption of these

technologies in the industrial sector and

the municipal sector will define the scope

of the wastewater treatment.”

Water is already a scarce resource in

all parts of India. Intense competition

with human needs makes this a sensitive

social factor, and there is no question that

industry will be a third priority in any

allocation, after community and farming

needs. Hence, chemicals industry will

have to take a lead in offering solutions

to water scarcity problem, and also to

find ways and means to efficiently use the

world’s most precious liquid.


WATER CONSERVATION

SOLUTIONS

��Water scarcity is driving chemical

companies to use novel wastewater

treatment technologies

� Chemical manufacturers are

making significant investments to

use water efficiently

� Usage of hybrid technologies (ie

combination of chemical treatment

with equipment technologies such

as MBR, MBBR, etc) is on the rise

� Water recycling is gaining

importance

� There is a shift towards the

concept of Zero Liquid Discharge



Effective water management

is the buzzword in every

industry. It is mainly because

of gradual depletion of

water, which makes industries cautious

and forces them to adopt strategies to

address the problem. Hence, today, water

and wastewater treatment market is

growing by leaps and bounds. Looking at

the dynamics of the chemicals industry,

effective water management is a must and

will provide myriad benefits to the industry

as well as nature. “The demand for water

from the industry is expected to grow at a

rate of 4-5 per cent compounded annual

growth rate (CAGR) over the next decade.

However, the availability of water (ground

and surface) is projected to go down over

the same period. This calls for major focus

on managing process water requirements

by the industry to ensure a progressive

drop in specific water consumption for

bridging the demand-supply gap for water,

going forward,” points out Alok Kumar

Bhadra, Managing Director, Nalco Water

India Ltd.

Tips to conserve waterWith increasing population and

urbanisation, the demand for water,

especially domestic water, is on the rise.

“It is difficult to bring down the demand

for water in the area of agriculture, which

comprises over 70 per cent of consumption

and feeds the growing population. The

challenge lies within the industry to

reuse and recycle water by adopting latest

technologies and best practices aimed at

conservation, and meet the increasing

discharge limitations with regard to

quality and quantity,” says Bhadra.

Technology and innovation will

play a major role in the Indian market

to overcome the challenges of rapid

industrialisation and the progressive

scarcity of water resources. “Automation

and control technologies to manage

‘more with less’, plus technologies for

better management of unit operations in

municipal water, sea water, surface water,

wastewater, will be extremely crucial in

optimising water usage costs effectively,”

points out Bhadra.

With the advancements in materials

science, nanotechnology and information

technology, it is likely that there will

be new developments in the area of

membrane filtration, disinfection/

oxidation methods, ion exchange resins,

adsorption technologies, as well as

water management methods utilising

information and telecommunication

technologies with remote monitoring and

control capabilities.

Nanofiltration and nano-size based

membrane filtration are the most quickly

developing novel technology, in terms

of both quality and quantity of treating

wastewater. Even though ultrafiltration

and reverse osmosis (RO) techniques are

gaining popularity in wastewater treatment

markets for their performance in tertiary

treatment, nanofiltration remains mid-

way between the two as this technology

is proven to be efficient in terms of better

particle removal and also with lesser

operating pressure than RO.

Business driversAmong the various treatment technologies

available, there has been a discernible shift

from the conventional methods towards

advanced technologies like RO membrane

technology and use of ion exchange resins.

These technologies are mainly used for

recycling processes. As the world is facing

energy crisis, there is a demand for energy-

efficient water treatment technology.

Eco-friendly biotechnology also would

be a cost-effective clean technology for

wastewater treatment. Besides, forward

osmosis technology removes difficult

waste and pollutants from industrial waste

streams. No doubt, the water management

arena is also witnessing remarkable

changes. “The outlook is positive as the

key business drivers for the industrial

water market in India are firmly in place

and projected to intensify in the medium-

to-long term, attracting investment in

talent, technology and infrastructure, by

both the government and the private

sector,” asserts Bhadra.


The fast depleting water resources has brought to the fore the need for effective water management across industries. Effective management of water in the process industry can address demand-supply gap to a large extent. Increased focus on water treatment is also instrumental in bringing new technologies to the market.

Innovative solutions to bridge demand-supply gap

WATER MANAGEMENTOptimising water usage


WATER MANAGEMENTRoundtable

Is recycled water a viable option for processing?

Water scarcity is not a dreaded dream any more, but a reality. Water recycling is one of the possible solutions to solve this challenge. Rakesh Rao interacts with some experts to know the feasibility of water recycling in the Indian chemicals industry.

Forced by stringent environment regulations coupled with growing awareness about water recycling, chemical manufacturers in India are

looking to use recycled water in their facilities. Given the slow adoption rate, the government should facilitate the process by giving adequate

sops for water recycling technology.

EDITORIAL TAKE

Hoshang SubawallaBusiness Leader, Water & Process Technologies,Business Leader, Water & Process Technologies,

GE Energy, India

Water recycling is a function of

water availability, cost of water and

regulatory environment. As all these

drivers for recycling are shaping

up in India, recycling certainly is

a viable option for the chemicals

industry. Water availability is

getting scarce; industrial water

charges are climbing higher or

are beginning to be charged

(which used to be free or at a

nominal cost); and regulations &

enforcements are becoming more

stringent, especially for water-

intensive industries such as steel,

power, chemical etc.

Recycled water has numerous

applications depending on the level

of treatment/removal achieved.

Most of the current applications for

recycled water include gardening,

flushing and non-drinking

applications. However, with the

added filtration/treatment process, dd d fil i /

this water can also be used for the

production application.

Nilesh TantakSenior Applications Engineer, Aquatech

International Corporation

There is little doubt that water

recycling is a viable option. Scarce

fresh water resources and rapidly

deteriorating quality of water

resources due to discharge of

untreated or non-compliant treated

effluents are the prime compelling

reasons for Indian chemicals industry

to adopt effective technologies

for treating wastewater. Industry

is pursuing several cost-effective

options to recycle their treated

effluent to reduce its dependence

on the dwindling fresh water

supplies. Aquatech has successfully

implemented treated effluent

recycle system in several chemical

manufacturing facilities in India.

It is possible to use the recycled

water in production process. This

requires additional polishing

treatment steps, for example, second

pass RO, mixed bed demineralisation

unit or electro deionisation (EDI) to i l d i i i (EDI)

meet specific process water quality

requirement.

R K MalhotraChief Executive & President,

Indofil Industries Ltd

Water recycling is not an option but

a must for the chemicals industry

in India as availability of potable

water is becoming scarce for human

consumption and agriculture. Also,

the industry has to treat effluents

in order to recycle water and

achieve zero wastewater discharge

so as to obtain Environmental

Clearance (EC) from Minister of

Environment & Forests (MoEF)

to set up the project and for

expansion. Hence, it is the

responsibility of an ethical corporate

to adopt all possible measures to

try and reduce consumption and

wastage of fresh water.

At the new Indo-Baijin project,

we have adopted technology to

channelise used water through

cooling plants. Its primary utility

here will be of heat transfer,

without much relevance for its pH

balance. Thus, by reusing water, we b l Th b i

would be utilising it several times

in the production process.


POLICIES & REGULATIONSDuty rationalisation


The chemicals industry in

India strongly feels that if

the government rationalised

the current duty structures,

it could reach new heights in terms of

competition, exports, etc. According to

Satish Wagh, Chairman, Chemexcil, the

Government of India is giving incentives

to farmers under Vishesh Krishi & Gram

Upaj Yojana (VKGUY) for export of

castor oil (industrial feedstock) whereas

the value-added products like sebacic

acid are not incentivised. “This situation

discourages the entrepreneurs from

manufacturing value-added products.

China is the biggest buyer of Indian

castor oil,” he says.

In case of oleochemicals (soaps

and detergent industry), countries like

Indonesia and Malaysia impose an

Export Tax on palm oil, which is a basic

raw material for soap noodles. “Added

to this, India levies additional Customs

Duty on import of palm oil meant for

industrial use. Also, it is mandatory to

import adulterated palm oil for industrial

use (so that it is not diverted into local

market). All these add to the cost of

Indian soap manufacturers making them

incompetitive in the international market

compared to Malaysian and Indonesian

manufacturers. This is causing a serious

threat to the survival of the Indian soap

industry,” laments Wagh.

Excise Duty Hike in Excise Duty and Service Tax

ultimately results in price increase at the

final consumer level. “This will be more

predominant in case of products where

benefit of CENVAT cannot be availed.

With inflation already reigning high,

the disposable surplus with the Indian

consumer is already under pressure,”

points out H S Karangle, Director

General, Indian Chemical Council.

Further in view of current duty levels,

imports from overseas countries have

increased and Indian manufacturers need

to reduce price to match the landed

price of imported goods. This also puts

pressure on the margins and affects the

industry. Price increase due to these

tariffs will surely have adverse impact on

the chemicals industry.

In many cases, Import Duty imposed

on raw materials is higher than that

imposed on the intermediate products.

It is quite detrimental as India invested

substantially to put up the manufacturing

capacity. “Many of the products are facing

the problem of inverted duty structure

making them less competitive vis-à-vis

imports. This is particularly more apparent

in the case where India has signed Free

Trade Agreement (FTA), eg Thailand,”

points out Karangle. Hydrogen peroxide is

a case in point. “Hydrogen peroxide when

imported as per the recent Notification

No.127/2011 dated 30-12-2011 has the

Basic Customs Duty (BCD) at 2.5 per

cent. Whereas manufacturers have to pay

Import Duty on the ingredients/key raw

materials required for the manufacture

at BCD levels of 7.5 per cent,” rues

Karangle. According to him, there is an

Export Duty on phosphorous in China

whereas on the finished product based

on phosphorous the duty is lower or nil.

Such proactive step from the Chinese

government ultimately helps the industry

there to grow.

India needs to have its own

measures in this regard. It seems that

the government is now realising the

gravity of the matter and its affect on

the industry. “Some initiatives are being

taken; however these need to be examined

for compatibility with WTO,” says

Karangle. According to him, insufficient

infrastructure development in existing

chemical clusters and energy & finance,

which are linked with Central & State

tariffs are the reasons for India losing out

to other countries.

Pragmatic duty structureFor level-playing field for the chemicals

industry, it is imperative to understand

that every stakeholder is now part of

the global economy as barriers are now

being dismantled. “Thus, we have to be

globally competitive,” exhorts Karangle.

While Indian technical manpower

and manufacturing skills have been

substantially upgraded, now it is time to

sincerely look into costs vis-à-vis other

countries. “The various costs, the major

elements like energy (this cost is almost

controlled by the government), labour

reforms etc are government-centric. Thus,

the government has to play a proactive

role. Also, there is a need to support

R&D, which will be the backbone for

sustained growth of the chemicals

industry,” asserts Karangle.


The absence of pragmatic duty structure is costing chemicals industry in terms of competition, level-playing field etc. It is time for the government to examine the duty structures in other countries and the benefits they offer to their respective chemicals industry. It is still not too late to emulate what other nations have done for good.

Time for a pragmatic approach

Many of the products are facing the problem of inver ted duty structure making them less competitive vis-à-

vis imports. This is particularly more apparent in the case where India has signed Free Trade Agreement.H S KarangleDirector General, Indian Chemical Council


POLICIES & REGULATIONSNational Chemical Policy

Vipul Shah

Chemistry touches millions

of lives every day and helps

address many of the world’s

most challenging problems

such as ensuring adequate potable

water, renewable energy generation &

conservation and increasing agricultural

productivity. In India, the chemicals

industry is one of the fastest growing,

critical sectors that accounts for almost

13 per cent of the GDP. With a market

size worth more than $ 100 billion, it

helps sustain the 7 per cent plus GDP

growth of our economy by contributing

~ 3 per cent to it. Hence, a policy specific

to the chemicals industry like the Draft

NCP is the need of the hour for better

regulation and functioning.

Cohesive policy For the NCP to be effective, it should

be aligned to the country’s National

Manufacturing Policy (NMP) and more

importantly, supplement the already

announced concept of Petroleum,

Chemicals and Petrochemical

Investment Regions (PCPIRs) in 2007.

In order to give a boost to the Indian

chemicals industry, the policy should

also make concrete recommendations

for adopting:

�� A cohesive approach to address all

relevant legislations given that the

chemicals industry endures a large

number of legislations (both Central

and Local) governing it. Instead of

merely stating an intention to adopt

legislation similar to that of REACH

or setting up a centralised body –

Indian Chemical Agency – the policy

needs to iterate the timeline within

which these need to be adopted

� Stricter mechanism to ensure safe

disposal of chemical waste

� Concrete steps towards addressing

high power costs/captive power costs/

land acquisition costs and associated

risks/taxes, levies and duties/lack of

infrastructure/financial support and

incentives for the industry. These are

real issues plaguing the industry for a

while now

� A roadmap for consolidation of SMEs

into bigger units – how much and by

when. Incentive guidelines should be

provided for the SMEs so that they

can see the benefit of consolidation

� An industry-friendly duty for

feedstock products and uniform pricing

mechanism for importing feedstock

� A mechanism to provide financial

incentives to players who are

migrating from obsolete technology

to green state-of-the-art technology

� Leveraging the Free Trade

Agreements with several blocs by

reducing the customs tariffs and

signing definitive amount of import/

export of chemicals as part of the

agreements

� The final policy should also clearly

specify the role and accountability

of the government, various bodies,

industries and others to ensure complete

backward and forward integration

� In the context of sustainable

development, accepting that

sustainability today is a reality, the

policy has to have a special emphasis

on green technology through

the Technology Acquisition and

Development Fund (TADF). This

will result in a positive move in the

direction of a sustainable eco-friendly

manufacturing industry

Let’s get started! The current draft does attempt to cover all

points such as bringing in fresh investment,

developing infrastructure, providing

financial incentives and tax benefits &

state-of-the-art-technology. Having said

that, the need of the hour from this draft

policy is a concrete, realistic and doable

approach, with specific timelines to get the

goals off the ground.

Vipul Shah is the President,

CEO & Chairman, Dow

Chemical International Pvt

Ltd. He provides leadership

and geographic oversight

for implementing Dow’s geographic business

objectives and reinforcing the company’s new

portfolio and transformational operating

model. For details, contact K Balaji on

email: [email protected]

Recently, the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals, under the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India, has come out with Draft National Chemical Policy (NCP). The thrust of this policy is to underscore the imperative that sustained adoption of technology upgradation would offer viable options in overcoming developmental challenges across multiple sectors.

ey to accelerateindustry’s progress


POLICIES & REGULATIONSChemical clusters

Avani Jain

Today, there is an urgent

need to build better

infrastructure and provide

adequate power/water to

support industrial growth. The chemicals

industry faces various challenges related

to safe transportation of products.

Infrastructure is also inadequate with

respect to proper storage facilities, and for

seamless exports. Investments are needed

to develop roads, railways, waterways,

ports, warehouses, etc to support the

overall industrial growth. Further,

chemical units are dispersed throughout

the country due to incentives offered

by the respective State Governments.

Thus, there is a need to form clusters

with provision of common infrastructure

facilities to address the constraints of

common effluent treatment, transport

linkages, including roads, power supply,

water facilities, etc.

Cluster developmentIndustry clusters are establishments

where several players set up plants

around an area to reap the benefits

of co-location. Some of the major

benefits of chemical clusters include

sharing of resources to reduce costs,

proximity of suppliers/buyers, thereby

improving co-ordination across players

and availability of trained & industry-

specific skilled manpower.

Jaimin Vasa, President, Gujarat

Chemical Association, and Managing

Director, Vasa Pharmachem Pvt Ltd,

says, “A cluster-based approach will

help the government in providing basic

amenities to all the industries in a

particular area and this will encourage

planned development in the State,

besides giving a boost to the chemicals

industry there.”

There are various benefits of a

chemical cluster. The major being that

it will provide a boost to SMEs in the

sector, which do not have adequate funds,

infrastructure and technology. Further,

clusters can work to obtain clearance

from regulatory agencies in export

markets for the entire cluster. Companies

can get easy access to common services

like power, transportation infrastructure,

legal services for patent and intellectual

property rights-related queries, and a

well-equipped laboratory for quality

checks as well as compliance-related

issues. This will also save transportation

costs of companies by easily connecting

them with the key raw material suppliers,

giving them tremendous logistics

benefits and operational flexibility.

Further, the clusters can set up their

own common waste disposal plants like

the effluent treatment plants etc.

Government initiativeThe Government of India has developed

‘Industrial Cluster Upgradation scheme’

to facilitate the growth of the industries

including the chemicals. The proposed

scheme primarily focusses on developing

and upgrading industrial infrastructure

at existing clusters. The overall objective

of the scheme is to influence efficiency

and enhance competitiveness of industries

located in such clusters. The scheme

covers areas such as infrastructure support,

market intelligence, technology transfer,

human resource development etc.

Gujarat: A success storyThe presence of mega-estates in

chemical manufacturing at several

industrial clusters in Gujarat has helped

growth and expansion of the industry

by providing an appropriate business

ecosystem. Chemical clusters especially

at Ankleshwar, Panola, Vapi, Vatva,

Jhagadia, Dahej etc have facilitated rapid

development. Vapi is one of the country’s

largest chemical clusters. It comprises

majorly small and medium players. It

consists of about 1,300 industrial units,

of which about 1,900 are involved in

chemical and pharmaceutical processing.

The chemicals industry in India is growing at a rapid pace. It forms the backbone of the industrial and agricultural development in India and provides building blocks for downstream industries. In order to further add impetus to this growth, and provide a boost to the SMEs in the sector, chemical clusters have been formulated and they have yielded positive results.

A c l u s t e r - b a s e d approach will help the government in providing basic amenities to all the industries in a particular

area and this will encourage planned development in the State, besides giving a boost to the chemicals industry there.Jaimin Vasa

and MD, Vasa Pharmachem Pvt Ltd


Chemical clusters

The Petroleum, Chemicals and

Petrochemical Investment Region

(PCPIR) – a specially delineated

investment region planned for the

establishment of manufacturing

facilities for domestic and export-

driven production of chemicals and

petrochemicals – at Dahej is spread

over an area of 453 sq km of brownfield

area in the coastal belt of the Gulf of

Khambhat. With a capacity of 22 million

metric tonne per annum (MMTPA), it

is in the vicinity of the Dahej port. The

PCPIR offers scope for future expansion

possibilities to augment capacities to

30 MMTPA for catering to LNG,

dry bulk and liquid chemicals. Thus,

with the development of clusters like

PCPIRs and SEZs, Gujarat has created

world-class infrastructure facilitating the

progress of the chemicals industry.

Issues to be addressedWhile everything seems positive about

the chemical clusters, the government

needs to keep few points in mind. Vasa

notes, “There should be effective effluent

disposal scheme in the chemical clusters.

This is to ensure clean environment in

the chemical zones. The government

needs to ensure that everybody gets

access to common amenities like basic

infrastructure, water and power supply.

Further, efforts should be made to shift

the existing chemical companies to

chemical clusters, as this will help them

to better utilise the facilities that are

meant for them.”

Networking at its bestThe chemicals industry in India is

well-established and has recorded a

steady growth over the years. It offers

a wide scope for development that

contributes positively to economic

growth and regional development. The

outlook for the industry is bright with

positive developments anticipated in

various chemical sub-sectors. In order

to promote investment in this sector

and make the country an important

hub for both domestic and international

markets, the government has decided

to set up chemical clusters so as to

attract major investments, both domestic

and foreign.

The chemical clusters would reap

the benefits of networking and greater

efficiency through the use of common

infrastructure and support services. They

would have high-class infrastructure,

and provide a competitive environment

conducive for setting up businesses.

Further, the chemical clusters need

to leverage individual capabilities

and unique selling points to attract

businesses. Clusters need to be

projected as a single destination

for potential buyers of chemicals

catering to the needs of all buyers.

Thus, it can be said that the chemical

cluster can aid in growth of chemicals

industry and can be a viable option for

the industry.



POLICIES & REGULATIONSPolicy reforms

Rakesh Rao

According to the Planning

Commission, Government

of India, size of the Indian

economy is expected to

reach $ 10 trillion by 2025, making it the

third-largest economy in the world. This

has prompted many chemical companies

to increase their investments in India.

“Increasing per capita consumption,

strong domestic demand, high growth

rate of end-user industries such as

automotive, construction, textiles and

paints & coatings and high number of

working age population makes India a

preferred investment destination,” says

Aashish Kasad, Partner & Tax Leader

– Chemicals Practice, Ernst & Young

Pvt Ltd.

In order to further increase investors’

confidence, government is taking a

number of initiatives. Kasad observes,

“As per the draft manufacturing policy

recently approved by the Cabinet,

it targets an increase in the share of

manufacturing in GDP to at least 25 per

cent by 2025 (from current 16 per cent).

The growth in the chemicals sector

is also expected to be boosted

by government policies

such as 100 per

cent FDI,

s p e c i a l

duty-free zones,

establishment of export

promotion zones, Customs &

Excise Duty cuts, formation of

Petroleum, Chemicals & Petrochemical

Investment Regions (PCPIRs), etc.”

Long way to go In spite of this, experts feel that

India has to undertake number of

structural reforms urgently. Kasad

says, “Government should focus on

consolidating multiple legislations

governing the chemicals industry into

one integrated legislation and cover the

entire lifecycle of chemicals. It should

also focus on removing redundancy

associated with multiple regulatory

bodies. Integration of chemical

legislation will simplify the regulatory

structure, avoid duplication as well as

make the entire process more efficient.”

In addition, she feels that the

government should provide a single

window clearance for development

of infrastructure facilities to boost

chemical sector, including setting-

up of special duty free zones,

export promotion zones and new

chemical investment regions. “To be

competitive in the export market,

export-linked income tax incentives

akin to those granted to the erstwhile

export-oriented units should

be introduced,” she adds.

For susta inable

growth, it is

n e c e s s a r y

for the business

environment to allow

economies of scale to be

accessible for companies with growth

plans. For this, industry has been

demanding tax reform for quite some

time. Diane Kelly, India President,

Dow Corning, says, “Taxation laws

that are rolled out and implemented

are important and affect the way

companies make investment decisions.

From a macro-level standpoint, it is also

necessary for the inflation and interest

rates to be monitored and regulated by

the concerned authorities and statutes.

In summary, creating an environment

to encourage manufacturing growth

would determine the investments that

companies make in any geography.”

According to Siddharth Paradkar,

Principal, Tata Strategic Management

Group, India should do the following

to increase the flow of investments:

� Provide incentives to international

players for setting up large

petrochemical plants – enabling

availability of feedstock for

downstream products

� Policy initiatives like the PCPIRs

and National Manufacturing

Investment Zones (NMIZs) need

to be pushed to strengthen the

infrastructure for the industry

� Simplify and expedite approvals,

e spec ia l l y l and and

environment

Building confidence

Favourable market

coupled with proactive

policies can result in faster growth

of the industry. As Dr Wilhelm

Sittenthaler, Member-WACKER

Executive Board, rightly says,

“There can be no question that India

is one of the most attractive countries

for foreign investments in Asia. So,

there actually is little room for

improvement. If at all, India should

try to further enhance its infrastructure

and its electrical power supply.

Any stimulus in this field would be

extremely beneficial to the chemicals

industry and could attract additional

investment. Another point worth

consideration is the efficiency of

administrative processes. While we

have always been pleased with the

forthcoming assistance provided by local

authorities, streamlining and speeding

up approvals could help highlight

India’s attractiveness as a preferred

investment destination.”


On account of healthy economic growth, various government initiatives and rising domestic demand, India is on the radar of

global chemical majors. With more structural reforms, benefits can be manifold.


POLICIES & REGULATIONSRoundtable

Should India have REACH-like regulation?REACH legislation, enacted by the European Union, aims to protect human health and environment from the hazardous effects of chemicals. Many other countries are adopting a similar policy to retain their position in the global market. In this interaction with industry experts, Rakesh Rao finds out the feasibility of implementing REACH-like regulation in India.

At present, there are no specific Indian legislations pertaining to registration of substances, restrictions on hazardous substances, etc. Hence,

there is an urgent need to have stringent legislation to monitor and control the movement of hazardous chemicals. The legislation need not

be on similar lines as REACH, but it has to ensure safe use of chemicals for protection of human health and environment.

EDITORIAL TAKE

Dr D M Wakankar Vice Chairman & Chairman – REACH

Committee, Chemexcil

I object to the basic phrase

‘REACH-like legislation’. Why do

we want to imitate somebody? We

have to understand our scenario,

capabilities, etc and frame a

legislation, which is appropriate for

our country. This statement arises

from the fact that there is a general

feeling that REACH is a trade

barrier. The question is should we

look at chemical legislation as a trade

barrier or as an instrument of safety

for human beings and environment?

That REACH is a trade barrier is

an argument, which is debatable and

cannot be fully supported. Had it

been a trade barrier, then European

chemical companies would not have

been asked to do the same thing as

the non-European companies.

In India, there is significantly

low awareness about chemical

hazards. I strongly feel that we

should have strong legislation inh ld h l i l i i

place, but in no case should we

imitate REACH.

Diane KellyIndia President, Dow Corning

Yes, regulatory reforms are

important to India just as in any

other economy to provide the

necessary structure and bring in

discipline to the way business

is conducted in the country.

However, this is a continuous

improvement process, which does

not stop at merely introducing

regulations.

Considering the necessity

of and the benefits from such

regulations, it is pertinent to

ensure that companies are

compliant with such norms across

all sectors. At Dow Corning,

as any ethical company would

do, we strive to follow and be

compliant to the regulations and

norms. If the compliance is not

uniform, it can put us at a time/

cost disadvantage.

Hence, it is necessary that the

regulations that are rolled out l i h ll d

have an in-built mechanism to

track compliance.

Pratik KadakiaPrincipal, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants

Pvt Ltd

Globally, there is a drive towards

sustainability and chemical companies

have become environmentally

conscious. While there is an

agreement in the Indian chemicals

industry that manufacturers should

act responsibly, there is also the need

to differentiate such responsible

companies through an Indian

equivalent of Responsible Care

Certification. Policy or regulation

should be such that companies (both

Indian as well as MNCs), who are

complying and acting responsibly,

should be incentivised for growth

and not treated at par with those

who do not. A certification of this

kind could be effective.

We definitely require strong

legislation since there is a need to

have a control on environmentally

hazardous chemicals. Having said

that, the regulation should be

framed after holding consultations f d f h ldi l i

with all the stakeholders and

drawing a thorough action plan.


END-USER INDUSTRIESFine chemicals


Specialty chemicals form the key constituents

of various solutions for end-user industries

like cars, paints, leather finishes, textiles,

agro-produce, household goods and consumer

durables, construction, among others. Hence, these industries

play an important role in the growth of the chemicals industry

in India.

Of late, growth in disposable income of people has further

widened the scope for specialty chemicals. This is because, now

more and more people are buying cars, changing cell phones

frequently, using value-added paints for various requirements,

etc. All these have ultimately helped the specialty chemicals

segment to grow. When it comes to India, it is the volume

that is accelerating the growth of specialty chemicals. Hence,

the end-user segment is crucial. In the recent past, the market

has seen increasing focus of MNCs like LANXESS, Clariant,

Dow Chemical etc in the Indian market. Again the focus

differs for different companies.

Potential unlimited Let us have a look at what construction industry offers for chemicals,

especially specialty chemicals sector. Construction chemicals

encompass a large range of products for application in every type

of construction. The chemicals are used internally in concrete as

well as for purposes such as protection, repair and maintenance

of structures. The growth of automotive, construction and textile

industries calls for more investments in manufacturing facilities.

As these facilities grow, they require more concrete, concrete curing

compounds, specialty floorings, protective coatings for structures,

grouts for machinery foundations, water-proofing solutions, anti-

corrosive coatings, coatings for water treatment plants, heat-resistant

structures, etc. “Construction of durable structures is absolutely

not possible without the correct usage of construction chemicals.

Therefore, with the growth of industries and construction, the

construction chemicals industry will by default augment its own

growth,” points out Sunny Surlaker, Head-Admixtures Division,

MC-Bauchemie (India) Pvt Ltd.

Growth on fast laneIn the recent past, the automotive market has seen the launch

of both luxury as well as cars meant for mid-segment in India.

And such companies are registering a healthy growth as well.

The booming automotive industry augurs well for the specialty

chemicals sector, as these chemicals are used in significant amount

in automotives.

“Chemicals touch human lives in all its spheres right from the

beginning of the day till the time we go to bed, and hence the

end-user industries that are directly related to the basic needs, ie

food, clothing and housing will be lucrative for specialty chemicals

segment in India,” points out Ravi Vadiya, Head-SOM &

Coatings, India Sub-Region, Clariant Chemicals (India) Ltd. For

any segment, with the change in the technology, the products are

getting more and more customised, hence, it is more like a solution

provider. The growth of end-users market is directly proportional to

the growth of the specialty chemicals.


Specialty chemicals are gaining prominence in end-user industries like construction, automotive, textiles, etc. This is

mainly because such chemicals provide customised solutions, enhance energy efficiency, etc in different industries. Specialty

chemicals have been able to provide solutions in various instances, which until recently were seen as challenges.

Lucrative opportunities in the offing


END-USER INDUSTRIESAutomotives


The automotive industry has impressively improved

on performance and the supporting technology

in the last decade. Specialty chemicals have

played a crucial role to make these advancements

possible. For example, high performance rubber for tyres, plastic

alternatives to metal parts that help reduce the weight of the

car, light-weight leather for seat covers all contribute in different

ways towards improving the fuel efficiency, safety and comfort

of a car. “Innovative chemicals also improve drivers’ comfort

and safety in the form of antifreeze and other fluids, rubber

tyres and hoses, plastic dashboards, and the coating of a modern

car. Through our rigorous research and innovation, we are now

a frontrunner in offering these solutions for future mobility,”

claims Dr Joerg Strassburger, Managing Director and Country

Representative, LANXESS India.

According to Shailendra Deshpande, Director, Commercial,

Dow Corning India, the automotive industry is important for

the growth of the specialty chemicals sector because it uses

various chemicals in different forms at many different levels of

the value chain. For example, automotive paints use chemicals to

give particular properties like mar resistance and lustre. Sealants

made of silicones are used for wind screen and rear screen

sealing and gasketing applications. Adhesives help assemble

components. The foams used in the seats need chemicals for

processing and for incorporating special properties. Fabrics and

finishes in the car use chemicals for treatment to resist soiling

and reduce noise.

The engine, transmission, brakes and other parts need

specialty lubricants to reduce wear and sealing compounds &

rubber gaskets to prevent leaks. Electrical wiring needs rubber

insulation, motors need lubrication, and electronic hardware

needs chemical-based potting and encapsulation solutions for

keeping them in working condition in the harsh automotive

environment. Safety devices such as seat belts need specialty

lubricants for reliability, and airbags also need special chemical

treatment/coating to function properly when they are used.

Modern technologies widening the scopeThere have been many changes in the automotive industry that

have widened the scope of chemicals usage. Diesel is becoming

attractive as a fuel. “Now we have diesel engines, which are less

polluting, give more fuel efficiency and are more silent. This

change in fuel presents many challenges to automotive designers,

which they are solving by way of using specialty chemicals. The

temperature in the engine and under the hood has increased,

and hence designers are using special lubricants, sealants and

gaskets, which can withstand higher temperatures in and around

the engine,” points out Deshpande.

The road aheadChemicals have a major role to play in the success of the automotive

industry. Specialty chemicals will help the automotive designers to

meet new design requirements for more fuel efficiency, safety and

reliability. “Specialty chemicals can help design vehicles that would

be a pleasure to drive, will require less servicing and will have less

impact on the environment,” points out Deshpande. With more

innovations in the specialty chemicals, the reliance is bound to

grow between the chemical and automotive industries, and the

market is bound to grow in the years to come. “This will be largely

driven by the growing middle-class population and increasing

purchasing power of the consumers. The automotive sector will

steadily propel the demand for specialty chemicals and advanced

polymers. Prospects for vehicle manufacturing (automotive and

all forms of mass transport) and greater use of high-performance

materials are on the upswing,” sums Dr Strassburger.


DRIVING DEMAND�� Innovative chemicals enhance drivers’ comfort

� Adhesives help assemble components

� Special chemical treatment required for airbags

� Need to reduce the existing gap between chemical manufacturers and automotive designers

Accelerating the growth of chemical sector

Specialty chemicals find applications in automotive

manufacturing in the areas of safety and comfort, fuel-related issues etc. However, there exists a gap

between chemical manufacturers and automotive designers. Once the gap narrows down, the acceptance

of specialty chemicals in the automotive sector will be more.


END-USER INDUSTRIESBuilding & construction


The focus on building and road

construction will favourably

impact the growth of the

construction chemicals

industry. With the advances in concrete

technology and new construction chemicals

impacting the types of concrete being

produced today, the industry is set for

major leaps ahead. Other popular systems

are injection and membrane technologies to

cater to every type of water entry problems

and soil stabilisation.

Roads, airports, railway terminus, bus

depots, sea ports are civil constructions

and are required to be built in India at

a rather rapid pace. “Specialty chemicals

could impart great value to achieve this

humongous task by making cement to

rapidly set, buildings to be anti-fungal

and anti-bacterial, steel and seaports to be

made anti-rust, airports to be made less

inflammable, railway station buildings less

noisy and roads non-chippy by usage of

various eco-friendly chemicals,” points out

Ravi Vadiya, Head-SOM & Coatings,

India-Sub Region, Clariant Chemicals

(India) Ltd. A few examples can be

halogen-free flame retardants and eco-

friendly bio-degradable additives/waxes.

Role of modern technologyAccording to Vadiya, due to shortage of

land mass, the cities in India are growing

vertical. “High-rise buildings need top

quality exterior paint, durable up to 7 years,

with high light fastness, weather fastness,

sea salt spray fastness, as cost of repainting

of such high-rise buildings is phenomenal.

Specialty chemicals help in achieving these

desired qualities,” he points out.

Modern technology and construction

practices do impact the chemicals industry.

For eg, today, waterproof concrete is the

next big trend in the field of construction.

“We would need to adopt the latest material

technology for production of waterproof

concretes. If we manipulate the properties of

concrete itself, we can prevent water entering

the concrete, protecting the reinforcing

steel against water and aggressive media.

We can achieve this using a combination of

a dense aggregate packing factor along with

high performance PCE-based admixture

technology, next-generation materials like

silica-fume or aluminosilicate slurries and

highly specialised latest generation integral

water-proofing compounds that work on

process of Dynamic SynCrystallization

(DySC) technology,” explains Sunny

Surlaker, Head, Admixtures Division,

MC-Bauchemie (India) Pvt Ltd.

Taking concrete measuresAccording to Surlaker, commercially, the

construction chemicals industry size is

pegged at roughly ` 2,000 crore. Experts`predict the industry to grow to ` 5,000 crore`in next five years. “This growth can only

come, if the industry joins hands to promote

awareness among constructors and end-

users. Ultimately, the users should believe

that use of such chemicals would provide

them with clear advantages,” he says.

The biggest opportunities to the industry

would come by increasing awareness,

standardisation of products, training for

right usage and creating a commercially

a level-playing field. The awareness and

standardisation coupled with proper training

will help grow the industry manifolds.

“Chemicals/specialty chemicals shall always

play an important role in improving the

quality of construction industry. In India,

we still do not have buildings/infrastructure

fully stable against earthquakes, tsunamis,

hurricanes or other natural disasters.

Chemicals industry can play a significant

role in balancing these factors along with

civil engineering industry by making use of

natural sources such as sunlight (through

solar cells), water (through rain harvesting)

and natural wind energy (through scrubbers/

purifiers) towards achieving this milestone,”

concludes Vadiya.


Laying a strong foundation for future

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END-USER INDUSTRIESHome & personal care

Mahua Roy

Walk into a retail store and

you can subtly hear the

‘Buy Me!’ cry once you

pass the shampoo aisle.

With numerous variants to suit all kinds all kinds

of hair in Indian conditions, and mmaximum

benefits promised by a particular bbrand, the

shampoo aisle is one of the most stocked

and sought-after. This can be extrappolated to

other HPC categories including hhomecare,

haircare, oral care, dishcare and launndry care.

Chemexcil puts this industry at a sstaggering

` 2,00,000 crore, and it is set to grow 15`per cent year-on-year in the next ffive years.

Besides food & beverage, the personal

care industry is directly aligned wwith the

population dynamics of a country. And

since almost 50 per cent of the Inddian

population is around 25 years of age,

the HPC industry is all set to takee care

of this generation!

Big international players like Doww,

Clariant, Huntsman, BASF-CCognis

have already established their baase in

the country to cater to this exxciting

industry. At trade fairs customissed for

the HPC industry, representativees from

these companies exclaim how eveen SMEs

are keen on collaborations with these giants i

towards product development. This is a

good sign for the revolutionisation of the

domestic HPC industry.

But it is the specialty chemicals, which

are responsible for making your favourite

shampoo turn your hair like Rapunzel’s.

Be it the metallic salts of fatty acids

used to make the soaps, or the high-end

cosmeceuticals that combine the beauty-

related properties of cosmetics with the

functional benefits of pharmaceuticals,

chemicals (whether natural or synthetically

synthesised) are an integral part of personal

care products. Specialty chemicals are widely

used as active ingredients in the used as active ingredients in the form of form of

emollients, foaming agents and stabilisers.

Their performance characteristics like

thickening, foaming, imparting smoothness

and conditioning are the key functionalities

sought in several personal care products.

Here’s examining the top 4 upcoming

areas where specialty chemicals are set to

transform the HPC industry!

1. Facecare: Fairness creamsAccording to AC Nielsen, the fairness

cream market in India stands at

` 2,200 crore. Besides, a niche sector

is springing out of this figure - that of

special men’s fairness creams. Attracting

the attention of big and small playersthe atten

ough valued at justalike, tho ` 186 crore,

a staggeringly high growth rateit shows

r cent.of 31 pe

category of fairness is not solely The

o receiving the fairness attribute. related to

onsumers want added properties“The co

g with static fairness; they want along

results to be rapid and visible;the r

they want long-term authenticand

rness,” quips Farooq Alam, fair

egional Marketing Manager Re

dia, Dow Personal Care. Other Ind

portant features expected areimp

of anti-ageing, acne cleansing, those

This has led to development etc. T

veral technologies revolving of sev

nanotechnology for delivery around

as well as microencapsulation, systems

mulsions involving specialty microem

ls. “Besides, these ingredients must chemical

the ‘green’ factor, ie, they need tocontain t

onment-friendly products, derivedbe enviro

from vegetable sources,” adds Umainly f

Shekhar, Managing Director, Galaxy Sh kh

Surfactants Ltd.

It is quite evident that the skincare

industry in the developed markets is

close to saturation. Meanwhile, emerging

economies such as India offer a lucrative

market for large multinationals. As per

a recent study by the Confederation of

Indian Industries (CII), the overall Indian

According to a research report by TAM Media Research Pvt Ltd, FMCG categories constituting personal care, household products (and which also include food and beverages) accounted for 40 per cent of television ad volumes in 2011. This does not even include print, digital, outdoor or other non-broadcast media. The

boom in the Home and Personal Care (HPC) industry reflects the impending spurt of the specialty chemicals industry, which make the HPC industry the hero it is today!

The next BIG THING for SPECIALTY CHEMICALS


Home & personal care

skincare market has been increasing for the

last two years and has recorded a growth

rate of 20 per cent in 2010.

2. Haircare: Conditioning/anti-dandruffThe haircare market is anticipated to grow

at a 20 per cent CAGR during 2011-2014

to reach around ` 208 billion by 2014, as `projected by market research firm, RNCOS.

The upcoming sub-sectors seen here are that

of hair conditioning as well as anti-dandruff

attributes. “The sudden growth in the

number and sophistication of professional

haircare salons has made this category

lucrative and is seeing a lot of activity,” adds

Alam. But the challenge lies in making the

final product affordable keeping in mind

the target audience of using various salons

as distribution channels.

The haircare market is seeing

differentiated products with non-ionic

ingredients, which are replacing traditional

silicone, giving superior hair conditioning

properties. “The need for mild (soft, less

toxic, suitable for everyday use) products is

increasing. Two to three decades back, one

used to apply shampoo maybe once a week;

today it is used once a day,” notes Shekhar.

This can be attributed to the innovation

brought about by specialty chemicals.

3. Kitchencare: Stain removalAccording to Alam, dishcare is an area

where he sees traffic of requests from the

FMCG industry to deliver better attributes.

“Liquid dishcare is an exciting area, which

is quite nascent at this stage in India,”

he adds. Liquid dishcare agents add to

convenience, which is what the consumer

of today really wants.

India has been traditionally exposed to

multipurpose surface cleaners. Designing

a surface cleaner that specifically targets

hard surfaces is the next big thing to look

out for. “A small amount of activity is

brimming in this space. And soon, it will

develop into a full-fledged category with

institutional clients like hospitality in the

rope,” adds Alam.

4. Laundrycare: Stain removalLaundry detergents are another sector,

which is catching the attention of specialty

chemical manufacturers. “Tough stain

removal, care (of the colour) and anti-

redeposition are the attributes demanded

by consumers,” notes Alam. Another

term called ‘functional whiteness’ is doing

the rounds in this industry, where other

properties apart from just whiteness are

desired by consumers, for eg, fragrance and

anti-dullness post washes.

This is also leading to product

reformulations. This trend is catching

on quite rapidly among specialty

chemicals manufacturers. “Manufacturing

technologies have to focus more on

‘concentrated’ products. This is where the

marketing campaigns of such products are

to be directed. For example, these days the

promotional activities of detergents stress

on the usage of only 1-2 spoons. So, it all

depends on how one packs more power

into a product,” sums up Shekhar.



END-USER INDUSTRIESTextiles


Though the agriculture

industry enjoys the apex

position contributing to

the employment of around

52 per cent of the total workforce, textile

manufacturing accounts for 14 per cent

of the total industrial production and

contributes to nearly 30 per cent of

the total exports. The textiles industry

is dependent on chemicals industry,

as textile dyes and chemicals add value

to the garment. The textiles industry is

registering a sturdy growth of around

9-10 per cent and the chemicals industry

as a whole is growing at a healthy rate

of 12.5 per cent. “With the growth of

developing countries, the average world

per capita fibre consumption currently

is at about 10-11 kg. Thus, textiles

play a major role in the growth of the

chemicals industry,” says V R Sai Ganesh,

Deputy General Manager – Business

Development, DyStar India Pvt Ltd.

Role of chemicals in textilesThe Indian textile industry is mainly

dominated by two major substrate types,

cotton and polyester. Other substrates are

viscose, linen, wool and silk, etc. Cotton,

in its raw form, contains impurities

and to ease the spinning and weaving

processes, additives such as fibre/yarn

lubricants & sizing chemicals are added.

For the removal of natural as well as

added impurities/additives, processes such

as desizing, scouring and bleaching are

carried out. “These processes involve use of

bulk chemicals such as sodium hydroxide,

hydrogen peroxide, acetic acid, etc; and

specialty chemicals such as wetting agents,

detergents, novel chemicals, sequestering

agents, stabilisers and enzymes such as

amylase and catalases,” says Ganesh. Apart

from removal of impurities, value-adding

processes are done on the substrate with

the use of dyes (colouring chemicals) and

process chemicals in dyeing and finishing

chemicals. Chemicals and dyes have also

been extensively used in non-apparel

segment such as industrial textiles, agro

textiles, sports textiles, geo textiles, etc.

Technologies further enhancescopeTextile printing, for example, is one such area

where modern technology has expanded

the scope and capability of chemicals. “In

the colour industry, inkjet printing (digital

printing) is the latest innovation and was

considered to be of great academic/research

interest due to its large production volumes,

low costs and high production speeds etc.

These are usually difficult to achieve with

traditional inkjet printing as the traditional

inkjet printers for textiles tend to be slower

than screen printing systems. Digital

printing is slowly finding its way,” he says.

With increased usage of digital printing

machines, there is a rise in demand for

the inks and additives, thus opening new

horizons for textile chemicals industry.

Entangling issuesCotton is the most preferred choice for

consumers. “The dyeing technology most

commonly used on cotton is reactive dyeing.

Reactive dyeing requires high amount of

water and energy to wash off the process,

to remove unfixed reactive dyes from

the textile in order to achieve high wash

fastness; it also consumes high quantity

of basic chemicals such as common salt

(sodium chloride) and soda ash,” he says.

In this direction, specialty chemicals

manufacturers are offering solutions

to help reduce both water and energy

consumption during the process. “The

market demand will veer towards

multifunctional chemicals that have

lesser load on ecology. There will also be

tremendous growth in chemicals, in terms

of technology that help reduce water and

energy consumption, making production

more economical,” sums up Ganesh.


Chemicals can add value to textiles right from reducing the process time to saving energy. Besides, these also enhance look and feel of clothes. Chemicals and dyes have been extensively used in different segments like industrial textiles, agro textiles, sports textiles, geo textiles, etc.

Knitting a value PROPOSITION


END-USER INDUSTRIESInterface - Manish Doshi

Pho

to: J

oshu

a N

aval

kar

What vital role does chemicals and specialty chemicals play in drug manufacturing?Chemicals, inorganic and organic (commodity chemicals), have

entered every sphere of human life and India is no exception.

End-user industries are many, be it plastics and petrochemicals,

drugs & pharmaceuticals, dyes & pigments, pesticides &

agrochemicals, fine & specialty chemicals, or fertilisers. All

manufactured drugs are organic or inorganic. Specialty chemicals

constitute the higher value-end of the chemicals business. These

chemicals are generally characterised by their innovative aspects

in the form of developing new products or modifying existing

ones, besides developing new process technologies to produce

such products.

How pharmaceutical industry in India isboosting the growth of the chemicals industry? The Indian pharmaceutical industry is growing at a phenomenal

double-digit growth rate and is one of the largest in production

volume globally. Also, our manufacturers are continuously

engaged in innovating and formulating newer combinations of

APIs for providing better therapeutic medicines at affordable

costs. This growth and innovation has to be supported by the

continuous supply of bulk drugs, intermediates etc. Although

the drug industry constitutes only about 15 per cent of the

Indian chemicals industry today, the chemicals industry is also

growing and has been focussing on modernisation, which in turn

is helping the pharmaceutical industry.

Elaborate how modern technologies arewidening the scope of chemicals in thepharmaceuticals industry with an example. With increase in investments in R&D, the Indian chemicals industry

is registering significant growth in the knowledge chemicals sector

such as pharmaceuticals, biochemicals etc. The industry, especially

the API, has evolved from being a basic producer of chemicals to

an innovative one to produce environment-friendly technology

and products. Many API manufacturers in India have adopted

differential manufacturing technologies through in-house R&D

and collaborations. For example, Arch Pharmalabs Ltd, a Mumbai-

based producer of APIs entered into a strategic collaboration with

Codexis Inc, a US-based biosciences company to implement its

biocatalyst technology for manufacturing APIs and intermediates

at room temperature, shortening process development timelines

and substituting use of certain hazardous chemicals, thus decreasing

overall environmental impact. This advanced technology resulted

in a 20 per cent cost differential vis-à-vis conventional methods

of production.

What are the areas that remain a challengefor the chemical manufacturers as far as drug manufacturing is concerned? The recent trends of globalisation has seen an erosion of API

manufacture in India, mainly owing to the unhealthy competition

…says Manish Doshi, President, Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association (IDMA). In conversation with Prasenjit Chakraborty, he touches upon issues such as the transformation of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) sector, competition from China, and the need to modify existing laws, among others.

The Indian chemicals industry is registering significant growth in knowledge chemicals sector


Interface - Manish Doshi

from China due to dedicated large volume

production plants sponsored by the State.

Thus, there is an urgent need for creating

and increasing capacities of APIs and basic

chemicals, to maintain our exports and

affordability in domestic healthcare. The

API industry requires whole-hearted support

from the government in terms of realistic

costing and price controls. Also, strong

support from Indian formulators in sourcing

their API requirements indigenously will

make a significant difference to our hard hit

API manufacturers.

One important aspect that contributes

heavily to the cost of manufacturing is

effluent treatment. The government

should create more Common Effluent

Treatment Plants (CETPs) in

collaboration with private sector, near the

industrial estates.

The API plants should not only meet

‘Schedule M’ standard, but also meet

WHO-GMP standard. For this, assured

funding at low rate of interest and easy

repayment schemes are necessary for

upgradation or setting up of new units.

The support by Central Government for

the development of the API industry

should be in co-ordination with state

financial institutions.

What steps need to be taken to address these challenges?The environmental laws are stringent and

almost in line with those applicable to

the chemicals industry. The laws should

be modified taking into account the

smaller tonnage of APIs as compared to

the chemicals industry in general, and

also the extent to which the API pollutes

the environment. Our regulator should

align with the regulatory procedures

of USFDA and EDQM by sending

inspectors for site inspection at overseas

manufacturing units; thereby the number

of manufacturers from China and other

countries dumping APIs in Indian

market will be curtailed.

Indigenous manufacturing through fiscal

and other methods need to be encouraged. A

lower tax regime for locally produced APIs

is perfectly TRIPS compatible. Setting up

a dedicated API & Basic Chemicals Fund

(ABC Fund) of about $ 700 million to

develop small & large API manufacturing

facilities is imperative. Land should be

provided at cheap rates for dedicated API

plants as Small-scale Industries (SSI) and

the first generation entrepreneurs require

support from governments, both Central

and State, to procure land at reasonable

prices on long lease.

Entrepreneurs must be encouraged

to tie up with universities and research

institutes for development of APIs;

simultaneously these institutes must

be provided with incentives to put up

incubators & pilot plants to enable first

generation entrepreneurs, either small or

big to successfully complete their R&D

projects at a pilot plant level at lower

cost, which will reduce their risks and

encourage them in putting up facilities

confidently.



GLOBAL MARKETUncertain business environment

Rakesh Rao

The current uncertainty

in the global economy is

casting dark shadows on the

Indian chemicals industry.

With the traditional markets such as

the US, Europe, etc not providing ample

exports opportunities, Indian chemical

manufacturers are exploring strategies

to survive in this unfavourable global

market. Giving insights into this, Kumar

Kandaswami, Senior Director, Deloitte

Touche Tohmatsu India Pvt Ltd, says,

“There are still high growth markets among

the emerging economies. Admittedly, they

are relatively smaller in size compared

to the traditional consuming markets,

somewhat evolving and where most of

the global manufacturers are focussing

their attention on. Therefore, while there

are opportunities, it is also true they are

competitive as well. Frankly, India will be

an attractive market for some time to come

– it may be worthwhile to think of niches

one can serve or increasing marketshare.”

Bolster exports to EuropeWith developed markets implementing

stringent regulations, exports to these

countries have added additional cost.

A case in point is European Union’s

REACH regulation, as per which

companies exporting to any European

country has to be REACH-compliant.

While industry has been urging for

incentives for becoming REACH-

compliant, the financial aid is not

forthcoming. Aashish Kasad, Partner

& Tax Leader – Chemicals Practice,

Ernst & Young Pvt Ltd, adds, “REACH

registration is compulsory and costly for

Indian companies exporting products to

Europe. Moreover, for products to be

REACH-compliant, it takes substantial

investment to reformulate chemicals.

Government should provide weighted

deduction on expenses incurred with

respect to REACH compliance, to

incentivise chemical exports to European

Union countries.”

Depreciating Rupee The value of Indian Rupee has been sliding

down against the Dollar since August

last year. While Rupee depreciation is

good for exporters, it increases the input

cost for manufacturing. So how can

Indian chemical manufacturers (with

large exposure to overseas market) devise

strategy for this? Kandaswami answers,

“If one is talking about companies with

large exports, the problem of currency

fluctuations is somewhat evened out. The

problem is probably larger for companies

that are import-focussed in the current

context and where they are not able

to pass on the additional costs to their

customers. The obvious solution would

be to build a portfolio that balances these

risks. That said, it is not something a

company can achieve overnight. Larger

companies with wider product/market

portfolios would be in a better position

to deal with such situations.”

Transforming Transforming challenges into challenges into opportunitiesopportunities

Industry observers believe that uncertainty in the global economy is here to stay at least for another two to three years. Hence, it is important for Indian chemical manufacturers to devise strategies to survive in this period by focussing on long-term goals and product innovation.

SURVIVAL TIPS

��Keep a close eye on cash flows in these times

� It is important to create a niche for your products

� Exploring other developing markets where consumptions are still low

� Survival will depend on the strength of the product or the value proposition and

not just on the market growth rate

� Do not emulate others. Devise your own strategy based on the strength of the products


Uncertain business environment

Scouting for new destinationWith dwindling exports to developed

markets, chemical companies can explore

other developing markets. “Significant

portion of chemical exports are from

dyes & pigments and agrochemicals

into the US and EU markets. There

is definitely a need for the industry to

diversify into new markets like Asia-

Pacific and Middle East, which currently

have lower levels of consumption,” says

Siddharth Paradkar, Principal, Tata

Strategic Management Group.

To increase their export basket, Indian

firms are drawing up strategy to expand into

emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia,

South Africa, etc. Though this strategy

appears good, Kandaswami feels that

this may not be enough. He adds, “Most

manufacturers are pursuing opportunities

in the emerging economies vigorously. In

many cases, they are willing to invest in

buying marketshare. This is a game for

big players with financial strengths. In

such situations, smaller companies are the

first casualties. In the final analysis, it will

emerge that the determinant of longevity

is the strength of the product or the value

proposition and not just the rate at which

the market grows.”

Navroz Mahudawala, Founder,

Candle Partners, advises Indian chemicals

industry to learn a lot from its pharma

counterpart. “Indian pharma sector has

managed to create a strong presence in

these developing markets; a large part of

which has come from inorganic bolt-on

acquisitions. These markets are growing

and several end-user sectors present

interesting opportunities,” he adds.

On African safariExperts feel that if political crisis across

African continent ends, then it could be

a land of golden opportunity for Indian

chemical companies as it has abundant

natural resources. But Indian companies

will have to offer better value proposition

through their innovative marketing

strategy as it is a highly competitive

market. Kandaswami adds, “The whole

of African chemical market is probably

less than the size of India in terms of

Dollar value of sale – it is said that the

top 10 sub-Saharan countries add up to

something like $ 35 billion. Each one of

the countries would represent a pretty

small volume – except for countries like

South Africa and Nigeria. This volume

is likely to grow over the coming decade,

particularly, if the downstream sectors

take root there. Clearly, it is the market

for the future.”

He adds, “The trick would be to

identify the right time to tap into these

markets – frankly, some of them are

too small and difficult to enter into at

this time. It must be remembered that

all global major manufacturers would be

looking at Africa with the same level of

interest as the Indian manufacturers.”

The survival instinct In this uncertain global financial scenario,

one needs to remember the golden rule:

Cash is king. Mahudawala says, “In the

current times, it is important to look at

the domestic market and consolidate one’s

presence. Also, entrepreneurs need to be

careful in pursuing growth. It is important

to keep a close eye on cash flows in these

times and least on topline growth.”

For small and medium enterprises, it

is critical to devise long-term strategy

to sustain growth. Kandaswami says, “If

one goes on the basis, a large number

of chemical manufacturers in India are

likely to be medium sized. It is important

to recognise that playing the cost game

with commoditised products gets difficult

to sustain over a period of time.”

In the coming years, there is likely to

be excess capacity for certain periods of

time, particularly, if China’s – and of other

large consuming countries – consumption

slows down. “First, it would be critical

for chemical manufacturers to have in

their portfolios products that are unique

and offer attractive value propositions to

their target customers and to keep the

new product pipeline healthy. Second, it

is important to build a supply chain and

product portfolio that help manage the

cyclical risks of the downstream sectors

or economies. Three, cost is a burning

issue – there are a number of controllable

costs along the entire supply chain that

can be taken out,” suggests Kandaswami.

Most importantly, this is a strategy-

intensive sector – given the fact the

structural rigidity and costs are built up

on the basis of assumptions of what may

be the likely future scenario. Therefore, it

is absolutely critical to define a sensible

growth strategy. Kandaswami recommends,

“Often, one sees companies trying to do

what the industry leader may be doing,

little realising that the internal realities of

these two could be different. So, companies

should be sure they are adopting the

right strategies – there is no sense in a

small/medium manufacturer banking on

strategies that are appropriate for a large

company simply because they are not

sustainable. The reverse is true too – a large

company may struggle to do what a small

start-up is able to achieve successfully.”


Entrepreneurs need to be careful in pursuing growth. It is important to keep a close eye on cash flows in these times and

least on topline growth.Navroz MahudawalaFounder, Candle Partners

It would be critical for chemical manufacturers to have in their portfolios products that are unique and offer attractive value

propositions to their target customers. Kumar KandaswamiSenior Director, Deloitte ToucheTohmatsu India Pvt Ltd

There is definitely a need for the industry to diversify into new markets like Asia-Pacific and Middle East, which currently have lower

levels of consumption.

Siddharth ParadkarPrincipal, Tata Strategic Management Group


GLOBAL MARKETBRICS countries

Rakesh Rao

According to the Global

Competitiveness Report

2011-12 by the World

Economic Forum, India

was ranked 56th among the most

competitive economies globally.

Among the other BRICS nations, India

continues to rank at par with South

Africa (50th) and Brazil (53rd) and ahead

of Russia (66th), but its gap with China

is widening. China currently ranks 13th

and the difference between China and

India has increased six-fold between

2006 and 2011. “Poor infrastructure

and comparatively poor availability of

feedstock are some of the challenges

faced by the Indian chemicals industry,”

observes Aashish Kasad, Partner & Tax

Leader – Chemicals Practice, Ernst &

Young Pvt Ltd.

India raring to goThe biggest advantage India possesses

over the other BRICS nations is the

working age population. Kasad says,

“By 2030, India is expected to have

the largest working age population in

the world. Between 2010 and 2030,

India is expected to add 241 million

people in working age population while

Brazil and China are estimated to add

only 18 million and 10 million people,

respectively, during the same period.”

The confidence is echoed by

many multinational companies

(MNCs). Diane Kelly, India President,

Dow Corning, says, “India stands out

for the advantages it offers companies

in terms of the availability of and

access to a well-educated population

of professionals. The fact that language

is not as much of a barrier as it is

in many other emerging economies

makes it easier to grow business in India.

As a market, the large and growing

middle class offers to companies the

scope to understand specific needs

and identify potentially unique

opportunities to serve the market with

better focus and clarity.”Though India lags behind other BRIC (Brazil, Russia and China) nations in terms of infrastructure, its increasing working population will trigger big investments from the leading global chemical companies. Whether India will lead the race to become leading investment destination for global chemicals industry, is something worth watching.

Advantage India?

BIG TICKET INVESTMENT

�� In April 2012, BASF announced

its plan to invest Euro 150 million

($ 195 million) to set up a new

chemical production site at the

Dahej PCPIR located in Gujarat

� In January 2012, Kuwait ’s

Al-Qabela Al Watya decided to

invest around $ 7.6 billion (` 400`billion) to develop a refinery in

PCPIR near Visakhapatnam

� The US-based Huntsman

Corporation plans to invest ` 2.50`billion ($ 50 million) in India

over next two to three years for

expansion of existing facilities and

acquisitions

Source: Aashish Kasad, Partner & Tax Leader – Chemicals

Practice, Ernst & Young Pvt Ltd

1000500

0

198 390 205 229

Year

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11

749

FDI in Indian chemicals industry

362 398

$ M

illi

on

Source: Ernst & Young Pvt Ltd


BRICS countries

Yes, definitely, agrees Dr Wilhelm

Sittenthaler, Member, WACKER

Executive Board. “India’s booming

market offers significant growth

opportunities for chemical companies

around the world. According to analysts,

India’s GDP will increase around 7 per

cent this year, making it one of the

fastest expanding BRIC economies. In

terms of volume, India is already the

third-largest producer of chemicals in

Asia today,” he adds.

Knowledge-driven businessThe availability of skilled workforce

having knowledge about chemistry is

an added advantage. Dr Sittenthaler

says, “One of India’s advantages is its

technology-mindedness and its thirst

for knowledge. Indians are technology-

savvy people who want to bring in a lot

of newness to the country. India provides

an inspiring and fruitful environment

for innovation and technology. The

country also has a lead in important

industry branches such as information

technology and pharmaceuticals.”

Except China, India has a cost

advantage in several sectors of chemicals

vis-à-vis the BRICS nations, believes

Navroz Mahudawala, Founder, Candle

Partners – a boutique investment bank

with focus on lifesciences and chemicals.

He adds, “Our skills in chemistry and

our ability to do difficult chemistries

in record times are attributes that other

countries do not possess.”

The signs that Chinese economy

may be heading for a slow growth in

GDP (compared to earlier years) in

2012 can provide additional advantage

to India. Siddharth Paradkar, Principal,

Tata Strategic Management Group,

observes, “Over the next 5 years, China

is expected to grow at a rate of around

7.5 per cent as against India at the rate

of 7-8 per cent. There has already been

significant investment into China and

now it is time to look at India.”

Propelling growthAccording to Kasad, “With Asia’s

growing contribution to the global

chemicals industry, India is becoming

one of the preferred destinations for

investment for the chemical companies

globally. High growth rate of the end-

user industries, rising per capita income,

availability of skilled manpower and

easy access to local and international

markets have propelled global chemical

manufacturers to invest in India.”

Most of the global chemical majors

have been present in India for quite

some time; hence they understand

the market requirements much better

today. “Indian chemicals industry has

several decades of experience and most

chemical MNCs have done well in the

country and have profitable operations.

There is keenness to invest further in

the years to come,” opines Mahudawala.

Low penetration of chemicals in

India is also seen as an advantage to

bolster demand. Dr Sittenthaler says,

“Our strategy in emerging countries

has always been to create markets and

to grow the business. On a relative

scale, the per capita consumption of

chemicals in India is still less than

10 per cent and it is even less in the

specialty chemical field such as silicones.

So what comes as the first challenge

is creating awareness and demand.

The way we do it is by strengthening

and expanding the relationship to our

customers and by establishing technical

centres in order to provide best possible

local customer support.”

Flowing investments According to Kasad, between April

2000 and August 2011, the foreign

direct investment (FDI) inflow in the

chemicals sector (other than fertilisers)

has been $ 3.03 billion, representing

2.06 per cent of the overall FDI inflow.

The sector (other than fertilisers)

attracted cumulative FDI of $ 398

million in FY11, representing a 9.9 per

cent increase over the previous year.

The Indian chemicals industry is

expected to grow at a rate of about

12 per cent to reach revenues of

$ 240 billion by 2020. There is no

doubt that it will continue to occupy

top slot for investment among global

chemical majors.

Kelly says, “India has always been

one of the preferred destinations for

multi-national companies. Innovation

is critical to the success of the

chemicals industry in India. At Dow

Corning, we work towards developing

innovative solutions in conjunction

with Indian customers. It is vital for

chemical companies to have the market

and customer intimacy for developing

solutions that are sustainable for

growth. Government reforms would

certainly propel the attractiveness of

India as a preferred destination. But

relying completely on the reforms

without development of innovative

solutions in-house may not be the best

possible approach to success.”


India’s booming market offers significant growth opportunities for chemical companies around the world. In terms of volume,

India is already the third-largest producer of chemicals in Asia today.

Dr Wilhelm SittenthalerMember, WACKER Executive Board

With Asia’s growing contribution to the global chemicals industr y, India is becoming one of the

preferred destinations for investment for the chemical companies globally.Aashish KasadPartner & Tax Leader – Chemicals Practice, Ernst & Young Pvt Ltd

India has always been one of the preferred destinations for multi-national companies. Innovation is critical to the

success of the chemicals industry in India. Diane KellyIndia President, Dow Corning


GLOBAL MARKETChemical exports


It is indeed the need of the hour

for the Indian chemicals industry

to spread its wings to newer

export markets. The traditional

markets for India include the US, Japan,

European Union – basically all the

developed countries where production/

consumption has stabilised. Moreover,

there is a shift of manufacturing base from

the developed world to the developing

countries such as India, Vietnam,

China due to the availability of skilled

manpower and competitive production

facilities. “The Indian chemicals industry

constitutes only one per cent of the total

international trade,” says Satish Wagh,

Chairman, Chemexcil.

It is interesting to note that during

the economic nosedive in the recent past,

the exports to traditional markets suffered

drastically whereas our exports to focus

markets viz Latin American countries,

ASEAN, Africa etc registered double-digit

growth. “Therefore, in order to increase

our marketshare in international trade and

sustain growth, both indigenously and

on export front, we should explore newer

markets,” he opines.

Current scenarioChemicals industry is an important

constituent of the Indian economy. “The

total investment in Indian chemicals

sector is approximately $ 60 billion and

total employment generated is about one

million,” says Wagh.

According to him, the export

performance of dyes and dye intermediates

panel for the period April 2010 to February

2011 was $ 3,148 million as compared to

$ 2,411 million of the corresponding period

last year, registering an increase of 30.56

per cent. The pigments and intermediates

sector have good scope for exports.

If current trends are any indication,

then emerging markets will continue to

dominate on the export front. “Asia and

other emerging markets will continue to

lead the world in volume gains, with China

and India showing the most significant

increases. Chemical manufacturers in the

emerging markets witnessed 5.4 per cent

production increase in 2011. It is expected

to be 6.2 per cent in 2012 and 7.5 per cent

in 2013. The chemicals industry outlook

indicates modest growth over the next

several years, depending on certain factors,

including strengthening domestic demand

and improvement in exports,” points out

Pravin S Herlekar, Chairman & Managing

Director, Omkar Speciality Chemicals Ltd.

According to global consulting firm,

McKinsey, the Indian specialty chemical

exports is projected to grow at 22 per cent

every year from $ 7.5 billion in 2005-2010

to $ 13 billion in 2013. Further, India’s

specialty chemicals industry is expected to

grow at 15 per cent by 2015, almost double

the growth of the global specialty industry.

Bottlenecks in exportIndian chemicals industry forms the

backbone of industrial and agricultural

development of India and provides building

blocks for downstream industries. The

industry comprises both small- and large-

scale units. The fiscal concessions granted

to the small-scale sector in mid-eighties

On a voyage to explore new opportunities

Statistics of chemical exports from India in the last five years (in ` crore)

2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10

Dyes 5718 7657 8945 8333 8368

Dye intermediates 741 1548 1225 1214 1220

Pigments 843 1264 1287 1496 1500

Inorganic chemicals 1344 1639 2252 3712 3892

Organic chemicals 4897 5989 6024 7958 8248

Agro chemicals 2546 2048 2923 4304 4390

Cosmetics 1258 1455 1650 2671 2771

Soaps & toiletriesp 265 273 209 354 454

Essential oils & perfumesp 681 821 899 1416 1506

Castor oil 940 1090 1276 2129 2178

In exports, depending only on traditional markets is not an ideal situation. The reason: A slowdown or uncertainties in these markets can have a huge

impact on the domestic industry. During the last economic recession, growth in chemical exports was witnessed more in non-traditional markets. For overall growth in chemical exports, both government and the industry

have to take the right steps.

Source: Chemexcil


Chemical exports

led to the establishment of a large number

of units in the small-scale industries

(SSI) sector. “Currently, the industry is

in the midst of a major restructuring and

consolidation phase. With the shift in

emphasis on product innovation, brand-

building and environment-friendliness, this

industry is increasingly moving towards

greater customer orientation. Even though

India enjoys an abundant supply of basic

raw materials, it will have to build upon

technical service and marketing capabilities

to face global competition and increase

its share of export,” points out Herlekar.

Further, volatility of inputs like crude oil

and natural gas prices has been the major

roadblock for the chemicals industry,

indirectly factoring a negative impact on

the bottom line of the companies.

According to estimates, the spike in the

prices of crude oil has eroded 12-15 per

cent of the overall revenues of the industry.

“The industry faces shortage of feedstocks

like naphtha, liquid natural gas etc. Due

to high input material cost, the chemicals

produced by chemicals sector are not

competitive,” points out Wagh. Apart from

this, the chemical plants in India, with the

exception of few, are not of global capacity

and thereby cost of production becomes

high. Wide dispersion of industries leads

to high logistics cost.

The right approachPlayers in the industry strongly believe that

India has the potential to become a global

chemical exporter, if the government and

domestic players rise up to the challenge.

The Indian chemicals industry is standing

at a critical juncture, where immense

growth opportunities coupled with

intense competition are acting as major

drivers behind the dynamic growth being

witnessed in certain segments. “The key

success factors needed for the industry are

lower cost of feedstock and availability,

value chain access, technology, capital

investment as well as access to growing

markets,” observes Herlekar. Cluster

approach and provision of common

infrastructure facilities in the clusters

such as roads, common effluent treatment

plants, power etc, for the units to have plug

in and plug out approach could help a lot

in this direction.

Indian chemicals industry can deliver

on an accelerated growth phase, provided a

clearly defined vision along with a strategic

roadmap is developed by the government

to enable it. “If this is not done, we may

see the growing market increasingly being

served through manufacturing done outside

India. Various segments of the chemicals

industry (such as organic chemicals and

specialty chemicals) have their own unique

set of challenges. The industry can grow

only if these segments overcome their

challenges and move swiftly along the

growth path. Besides, the sector has been

facing a major stumbling block in terms of

procedural hurdles from various government

departments like Customs and Central

Excise,” laments Herlekar. Is it not time to

give a serious thought to all these?



GLOBAL MARKETInterface - Robert Duane Dickson

How is the Indian chemicals industry shaping up? The Indian chemicals industry is well-supported by effective

engineering and science education system. The world will

look towards India for major breakthroughs. From the market

perspective – the ever-increasing needs of a growing population

and a surging economy will drive the need for advancements in

agriculture, collection and processing of biomass into energy or

chemical feedstocks, advanced and distributed fresh water and

wastewater systems, and materials for affordable housing. India

has the education, the markets and the technology competency

to develop world-class solutions.

Do you think the current uncertainty in Europe and other developed countries will work in India’s favour with more investments coming into the country?Certainly, more investment will flow into India, if it can further

develop itself as an attractive investment destination, and

develops as expected as a market. The situation in Europe is

a challenge for all countries producing chemicals and materials

considering the imports of Europe.

How is the current chemical trade betweenthe US and India? How could it be givenfurther boost? Trade between the US and India could be improved by stronger

trade partnerships and open innovation. Both countries have

good transportation infrastructure. They also have complementary

resources, be it materials or manpower. Acceleration will come

when the collaborations become more common and open. I also

expect to see growing Indian investment in the US assets, which

will act as a catalyst for further growth

Currently, feedstock diversification is a major initiative by companies around the world. Do you think it is time for India to shift to gas? Shifting to gas is easier said than done. It certainly makes sense

to move to a more balanced feedstock profile and to deeply

explore biological routes to chemical feedstocks.

Which are the two important factors preventing global companies from investing in India? India does not have a strong track record when it comes to

honoring contracts, and that worries investors. The permitting

process and perceived corruption documented in the past is also

a lingering concern. There is also lack of adequate infrastructure

in parts of India, which adds to their woes.

What is the scope for India in emerging regionslike Africa and Latin America? India has so much potential to develop and export advanced

materials and technologies based on resolving climate

issues, new modes of transportation, affordable systems

for healthcare and the like. India has many of the same

opportunities and challenges as Africa and South America.

I think agriculture, scarce water/wastewater, and renewable

energy needs in India, if solved, would be transportable to

Africa and South America.


…says Robert Duane Dickson, Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP. In conversation with Prasenjit Chakraborty, he emphasises on opportunities offered by the Indian chemicals market, feedstock situation, current uncertainty in Europe, and trade prospects between India and the US.

The world will look towards India for major breakthroughs


TIPS & TRICKSHandling colourless gas

Persons who work with

cr yogenic ethylene

or respond to emergencies involving

cryogenic ethylene must be trained for

its proper and safe handling and in

accordance with applicable federal, state

and local laws & regulations.

All employees who

work with hazardous

chemicals, including cryogenic ethylene,

must be trained in accordance with

the Occupational Safety and Health

Administration’s (OSHA) Hazardous

Materials Communication Standard (29

CFR §1910.1200).

Employees should be

provided with information

and training on the hazards of cryogenic

ethylene, methods for detecting releases,

and protection from exposure. The

materials safety data sheet (MSDS) is

an important source of information. It

contains information on health, safety,

fire and protective measures.

All personnel responding

to hazardous material

incidents, including cryogenic ethylene,

must be trained in accordance with

OSHA’s standard on Emergency

Response (29 CFR §1910.120 [q]).

Responders should be provided with

information on the hazards of cryogenic

ethylene, methods for detecting releases,

methods of protection from exposure,

isolation distances and options for

mitigation.

Cryogenic ethylene is

transported in specially

built tank cars. These tank cars are

insulated and vacuum-jacketed to keep

cryogenic ethylene in a liquid state.

Cryogenic ethylene

is transported in

class Department of Transportation

(DOT)-113 tank cars. All class

DOT-113 tank cars are constructed as

a tank-within-a-tank. Each tank car

is protected by one or more pressure

relief valves and one or more rupture

(frangible) discs.

Each tank car transporting

cryogenic ethylene must

be in compliance with all applicable

regulations, including markings and

placards, the amount of material loaded,

transit times, vacuum level, pressure relief

valve retest, and rupture disc change out.

Each shipment of

cryogenic ethylene must

have a shipping paper describing it as

‘Ethylene, Refrigerated Liquid, 2.1,

UN1038’, and some indication of the

total quantity, such as ‘1 Tank Car (T/C)’,

as appropriate (49 CFR §172.201).

For any shipment made

under the provisions of a

DOT Exemption, the shipping papers

must state the exemption number, as

‘DOT-E’ followed by the number of the

exemption, unless specifically excepted in

the exemption (49 CFR §107.101(g)(2)).

For both loaded and

residue shipments

in tank cars, the shipping papers must

include the notation, ‘DOT-113;

Do not hump or cut off car while in

motion’. Additionally, for residue

shipments in tank cars, the shipping

papers must include the notation,

‘Residue: Last contained’, before

the shipping name (49 CFR §173.203(e)

(1-2)).

Reference: www.lyondellbasell.com


Ethylene is not significantly

toxic by inhalation, but

high concentrations may be

anaesthetic or may cause

asphyxiation via displacement of air.

Contact with cryogenic ethylene and

concentrated cold ethylene gas may cause

frostbite. Ethylene is transported as a

compressed gas or cryogenic liquid and

used for a variety of applications, including

refrigeration and for making plastics and

organic chemicals. Containers of cryogenic

ethylene may rupture violently if exposed to

fire or excessive heat for sufficient duration.

One of the products of combustion includes

carbon monoxide. Hence, it needs proper

care during transportation. Some of the

factors to be considered while transporting

ethylene gas are mentioned below.

h ld b E h k

11

33

44

55

66

77

88

99

Safety tips for TRANSPORTING

ETHYLENEEthylene is a colourless gas having a faint, slightly sweet odour. It is practically insoluble in water. Cold ethylene gas is heavier than air and may travel a considerable distance to a source of ignition. Cryogenic ethylene weighs approximately 4.7 pound per gallon at its boiling point at atmospheric pressure.

22

101


EVENT LIST

NATIONAL

India Oil & Gas Review Summit 2012

International conference and exhibition

showcasing latest trends in oil & gas

industry; September 06-07, 2012; at

Hotel Taj Lands, Mumbai

For details contact:

Oil Asia Publications Pvt Ltd

530, Laxmi Plaza, Laxmi Industrial Estate

New Link Road

Andheri (W), Mumbai 400 053

Tel: 022-6681 4900, Fax: 022-2636 7676


Automation 2012Conference and exhibition showcasing

latest technologies in the fields of factory

automation, process automation and

control systems, robotics & drives, field

instrumentation & smart sensors bus

technologies, software solutions, wireless

technologies, etc; September 07-10, 2012;

at NSE Complex, Mumbai


IED Communications Ltd

64, Empire Building

D N Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001

Tel: 022-22079567, Fax: 022-22074516

Email:[email protected]

Informex India 2012A tradeshow for bringing together

buyers and sellers of chemicals, chemical

technologies and related services; September

12-14, 2012; at Nehru Centre, Mumbai


UBM India Pvt Ltd

Sagar Tech Plaza A 615-617, 6th Floor

Andheri-Kurla Road

Saki Naka Junction, Andheri (E)

Mumbai 400 072

Tel: 022-6612 2600, Fax: 022-6612 2626/27


India Chem 2012Premier tradeshow for the chemical

industry in India; October 04-06, 2012;

at NSE Exhibition Complex, Mumbai


Mehul Tyagi, FICCI

Federation House, 1 Tansen Marg

New Delhi 110 001

Tel: 011-2376 5081/2373 8760

Fax: 011-2335 9734


Watertech Expo & ConferenceAn event to be held concurrently

with Wastetech, Cleantech and

Pollutech focussing on technologies

for waste, wastewater and recycling;

November 02-04; at Ahmedabad


Exhiference Media Pvt Ltd

B-2 Basement, Kalyan Tower

Near Vastrapur Lake, Ahmedabad 380 015

Tel: 079-4003 9444, Fax: 079-4003 9431


Indian Petrochem 2012An interactive knowledge forum for

manufacturers, traders, buyers, technology

licensors, consultants, strategists, financial

intermediaries and investors; November

08-09, 2012; in Mumbai

F d ilFor details contact:

Sahil Shah

Elite Conferences Pvt Ltd

606, Bhagyalaxmi,

Kennedy Bridge, Mumbai 400 004

Tel: 022-2385 1430

Fax: 022-2385 1431


CPhI India 2012International exhibition on pharmaceutical

, ingredients, machinery, equipment,

routsourcing and bio-solutions; November

21-23, 2012; at Bombay Exhibition

Centre, Mumbai


UBM India Pvt Ltd

Sagar Tech Plaza A 615-617, 6th Floor

Andheri-Kurla Road

Saki Naka Junction Andheri (E)

Mumbai 400 072

Tel: 022-6612 2600

Fax: 022-6612 2626


IPVS 2012A trade show for industrial pumps, valves

tand systems; December 14-16, 2012; at

Auto Cluster Exhibition Centre, Pune


Orbitz Exhibitions Pvt Ltd

202, Navyug Industrial Estate

T J Road, Sewri (W), Mumbai 400 015

Tel: 022-2410 2801

Fax: 022-2410 2805


EverythingAboutWater Expo 2013An international exhibition and conference

on water & wastewater management;

February 28-March 2, 2013; at Chennai

Trade Centre, Nandambakkam, Chennai


EA Water Pvt Ltd

A1/152, Neb Sarai

IGNOU Road, New Delhi 110 068

Tel: 011-4310 0568/ 0572

Fax: 011-4310 0599


For details

Infomedia 18 LtdRuby House, 1st Floor, J K Sawant Marg, Dadar (W), Mumbai 400 028. t

• Tel: 022 3003 4651 • Fax: 022 3003 4499 • Email: [email protected]

India’s premier industrial trade fair on products and technologies related to Machine Tools,Hydraulics & Pneumatics, Process Machinery & Equipment, Automation Instrumentation,

Packaging & Auxiliaries, IT Products, Electrical & Electronics, Material Handling and Safety Equipment.

AHMEDABADGujarat,

Oct 5-8, 2012

PUNEMaharashtra,

Nov 2-5, 2012

CHENNAITamil Nadu,

Nov 22-25, 2012

LUDHIANAPunjab,

Dec 21-24, 2012

INDOREMadhya Pradesh, Jan 11-14, 2013

AURANGABADMaharashtra, Feb 1-4, 2013

RUDRAPURUttarakhand,

Feb 23-26, 2013


EVENT LIST

INTERNATIONAL

Chemistry Oil & Gas 2012Chemistry Oil & Gas 2012Specialised exhibition on cutting-edge

products and technologies, equipment

and materials for the chemical, oil and

gas industries; May 15-18, 2012; at the

Roofer Soccer Arena, Belarus


Olga Akulinina

ZAO Technics and Communications

Post Box 34, Minsk, 220004, Belarus

Tel: (+375 17) 306 06 06

Fax: (+375 17) 203 33 86

EEmail: [email protected]

Dye+Chem Indonesia 2012TTrade show for dyes and fine & specialty

chemicals; May 31-June 3, 2012, at Jakarta

International Expo, Jakarta


PT CEMS Indonesia

22608, Grand Kartini

57 Jalan Kartini Raya, Jakarta, Indonesia

Tel: +(62)–(21) 7003 3233

Fax: +(62)–(21) 3042 5226


WWorld Gas Conference & ExhibitionEvent showcasing the latest in exploration,

safety, refining, subsea production

systems, drilling, transportation, etc; June

04-08, 2012; at Kuala Lumpur Convention

Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia


The CWC Group Ltd

Regent House, Oyster Wharf 16-18

Lombard Road, London, The UK

Tel: +(44)-(20)-7978 0037

Fax: +(44)-(20)-7978 0099


Chemspec EuropeAAn event dedicated to the fine and

specialty chemicals industry; June 13-14,

2012; at Gran Via Exhibition Centre,

Barcelona, Spain

F d ilFor details contact:

Quartz Business Media Ltd

Westgate House, 120/130 Station Road,

Redhill, Surrey, The UK

Tel: +44-1737-855000

Fax: +44-1737-855034


ACHEMAOne of the leading international

events on chemical engineering,

environmental protection and

biotechnology; June 18-22, 2012; at

Messe Frankfurt, Germany


Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH

Ludwig-Erhard-Anlage

1, Frankfurt, Germany

Tel: +(49)-(69)-7575000

Fax: +(49)-(69)-7575643


Petrochemical Asia 2012The event will focus on solutions to

overcome feedstock challenges and the

latest processing technologies; June 20-21,

2012; at Conard, Bangkok, Thailand


Clarion Events Pte Ltd

78 Shenton Way #20-03

Singapore 079120

Tel: + (65) 6590 3970

Fax: + (65) 6223 9198


Dye+Chem Bangladesh 2012Trade show for dyes and fine &

specialty chemicals; July 11-14, 2012; at

Bangabandhu International Conference

Centre, Dhaka, Bangladesh


Conference & Exhibition Management

Services Ltd

House – 119, CEMS House

Unit A3, Road – 1, Banani Block – F

Dhaka – 1213, Bangladesh

T l (880) (2) 8818111Tel: + (880) –(2) – 8818111

Fax: + (880) –(2) – 8811788


ICIF China 2012An event to facilitate the growth of

petroleum & chemical industry of China

and also to encourage international

exchange & cooperation; September

10-12, 2012; at Binhai International

Convention & Exhibition Centre, Tianjin


CCPIT Sub-Council of Chemical Industry

Bldg. 16, Block 7, Hepingli

Beijing 100013, China

Tel: + (86)-(10)-64222898

Fax: + (86)-(10)-84292180


Gastech 2012Focussed event showcasing the

latest innovations, technologies and

developments across the gas value chain;

October 8-11, 2012; in London, the UK


Paul Sinclair, Sales Director

DMG Events

Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street

London, W8 5TT, The UK

Tel: +44 203 180 6576

Fax: +44 203 180 6550


TOG Expo 2012Event focussing on latest technologies in

the oil and gas industry; October 16-18,

2012; at Pavilion 58, Tripoli International

Fair, Tripoli


WAHAexpo Company

Ben Ashour Road

PO Box 83433

Tripoli, Libya

Tel: (00) (218)-(21) 7269417

Fax: (00) (218)- (21) 362 2360


The information published in this section is as per the details furnished by the respective organiser. In any case, it does not represent the views of Chemical World


BOOK REVIEW

Wastewater treatment has become an integral part of the chemicals industry, which has to deal with hazardous effluents. The plants should be so designed that the effluent standards and reuse objectives, and biosolids regulations can be met with ease and at reasonable cost, keeping in mind the regulatory stipulations as well. The design should incorporate flexibility for dealing with seasonal as well as long-term changes in wastewater quality.

Engineers, scientists and financial analysts can definitely utiliseprinciples presented lucidly in this book from a wide range of disciplines: engineering, chemistry, microbiology, geology, architecture, and economics to carry out the responsibilities of designing a wastewater treatment plant. The objective of this book is to present technical and non-technical issues that are most commonly addressed in the planning and design stages for wastewater treatment facilities. Topics discussed include facility planning, process description, process selection logic, mass balance calculations, design calculations and concepts for equipment sizing. Theory, design, operation and maintenance, troubleshooting, equipment selection and specifications are integrated for each treatment process. Thus, delineation of such information for students and practising engineers is the main purpose of this book.

Available at: Wisdom Book Distributors, Hornby Building, 1st floor, 174, D N Road, Mumbai 400 001Tel: 022-2207 4484/6631 8958, Telefax: 022-2203 4058, Email: [email protected]

Wastewater treatment plants: Planning,

design, and operation

Author: Syed R Qasim

Price: ` 995`

Water conservation is one of the major areas of concern across all industries. Water is critical for various processing requirements in the chemical industry. This book deals with water analysis and remains a trusted source of accurate, proven methodology for analysing natural waters, water supplies, and wastewaters. The 22nd edition is powered with new content and most of the sections are updated. It guides the user towards safety and quality management with excellent experimentation techniques discussed in detail.

The book provides methods for measuring biological, chemical, and physical attributes of water, and offers guidance for choosing the best-suited among available methods for specific elements and compounds. It will help professionals in the field of environment management, production, as well as laboratory experts and students.

Standard methods for examination of water & wastewater

Edited by: Eugene W Rice, Rodger B Baird, Andrew D Eaton, Lenore S Clesceri

Price: ` 15,675`

Reviewer: Tejas Padte, Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, Ramnarain Ruia College, Mumbai


PRODUCTS

This section provides information about the national and international products available in the market


Just type CW (space) Product Name and send it to 51818eg. CW Pump and send it to 51818

ical Wo

Vacuum pumping unit

This vacuum pumping unit consists

of twin lobe pumps as fore pump

and rotary vane pump as backing

pump. The fore pump picks up oil

necessary for its lubrication from

the backing pump. The exhaust

from the fore pump is connected

to the suction side, which gives

advantage of high pumping speed

at higher vacuum. The pumping

units are highly energy efficient and consume less power than

conventional single vacuum pumps. These are of compact design

and are mounted on the base frames. Applications include vacuum

distillation, evaporative concentration, vacuum drying, vacuum

coating, degassing, gas evacuation, sintering, brazing, metallurgy and

heat treatment.

Acmevac Sales Pvt Ltd

Mumbai - Maharashtra

Tel: 022-28375837


Website: www.acmevac.com

External shunt

The MECO-V external shunt

is used for DC ammeters.

End blocks are made from

electrolytic copper extruded

sections ensuring high

electrical conductivity and perfect contacts. The resistance

element is made from manganin, which has low PPM, thus

ensuring highly reliable and stable readings. A unique soldering

system ensures that the shunt does not get over heated. The

external shunt has current rating from few mA to 6,000 A

and a voltage drop of 50/60/75 mV. It conforms to IS:1248,

DIN:43703 and BS:89 standards.

Goliya Electricals Pvt Ltd


Tel: 022-24149657


Website: www.goliya.comya

Energy saver

Sensor-based energy saver (model

ACES) automatically switches

the air-conditioners On and Off

when the temperature in the room

is achieved. There is a 3-minute

compressor protection time interlock

between each On/Off operation.

The existing air-conditioner has a

crude non-sensitive thermostatic control, which senses the grill

temperature to switch the air-conditioner On/Off, whereas ACES

has a precision sensor, which can be placed, in any part of the room

to switch the air-conditioner On and Off. This helps in maintaining

the comfort temperature in most used part of the room.

Gautam Enterprises


Tel: 022-2875 0421


Website: www.gautament.com

Cooling tower

This evaporative Fibreglass Reinforced

Plastic (FRP) cooling tower is of vertical

induced draft counter flow design with

uniform water distribution and optimal

heat transfer. The tower casing is made of

tough FRP and has sufficient structural

strength to withstand high wind velocities

and vibrations. The fill splits the air and

water into several streams, increasing the time of contact. Automatic

rotary sprinkler system is made of nylon 66 material; rotary head and

sprinkler pipe distribute the hot water over the entire space of the

filler. Sprinkler pipes are non-clogging, require low pressure to operate

and assure uniform water flow with minimal operating pump head.

The performance of cooling tower greatly depends upon the water

distribution over the fills. The water is distributed evenly through a wide

spray angle without any dry pockets.

Gem Equipments Ltd

Coimbatore - Tamil Nadu

Tel: 0422-2363800, Mob: 09366631697


Website: www.gemindia.com


PRODUCTS

Heat exchangers

The range of heat exchangers include fixed shell and

tube type, floating, full double expanded and double tube

sheet type. These heat exchangers are used for various

applications in industries, namely, fertilisers, chemicals,

petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and other allied segments.

Capacity of the heat exchangers ranges from 1 to 150 sqm of

heat transfer area.

Kwality Process Equipments Pvt Ltd

Thane - Maharashtra

Tel : 0250-6417968


Steam cleaner

The steam cleaner is environment-

friendly and operates without any

chemicals. The heating output is

1500 W, tank capacity is 1L, steam

pressure is 3.2 and the dimensions

(LxWxH) are 380x254x260 mm.

Steam is an ideal alternative to conventional cleaning methods.

During cleaning, the steam penetrates into the microscopically

tiny spaces between the dirt and the surfaces it clings to and

removes even the most stubborn dirt particles. This ensures

that the dirt is easily removed from hard-to-reach areas so

that one can achieve hygienic cleaning results without any

scrubbing or polishing.

Karcher Cleaning Systems Pvt Ltd

Noida - Uttar Pradesh

Tel: 0120-4661800


Electronic dosing pump

The electronic dosing pump is available

from 0-20 lph. It is compact in size and

lightweight. The pump is diaphragm-

type solenoid-operated pumps. The

diaphragm is made of PTFE and backed

by hyphalon. It can also be provided

with automatic flow switches and level

controllers. The pump is suitable for

applications in water and wastewater treatment, fuel metering and other

chemicals dosing in many process industries.

Positive Metering Pumps (I) Pvt Ltd

Nashik - Maharashtra

Tel: 0253-2381993, Mob: 09326781757



PRODUCTS

Fasteners and steel metal components

The fasteners and sheet metal components

are useful in plastic injection-moulding

machines and rubber industries. The

components include full thread spindle,

HTS hex head bolt, nuts, washers, spiral

pin, plugs etc. These materials are offered

as per ISO, DIN, IS, BS, JIS and ASTM

standards. The materials are made from MS, carbon steel, alloy steel,

stainless steel, brass, copper, PVC, nylon, fibre and spring steel.

These components are used in hydraulic-pneumatic pumps & valves,

electrical, electronics, machine tools, materials handling equipment,

home appliances, washing machines, refrigeration and air-conditioning

plants, etc.

Zenith Industrial Products


Tel: 022-28470806


Website: www.zip-india.com

Mass spectrometry systems

The Agilent 5975E GC/MSD is a bundled

system, which provides outstanding value for

routine analysis. These systems consist of 7820A

GC, CC 5975 series GC/MSD, PC loaded with MSD5

ChemStation software and printer. An optional

7693A automatic-liquid sampler and 150 vial tray, A

or Headspace sampler can be added for increased productivity.

Agilent Technologies India Pvt Ltd

New Delhi

Tel: 011-51496664


Level control switches

These are RF admittance-type solid & liquid

single-point level control switches. The RF

admittance absorption measurement principle

use sensing probe employing driven shield, coat

guard circuit and corresponding three–element

probe. Three-element coat guard technology

ignores material build-up on the probe. These

are suitable for high dusty environment.

MTS Engineers Pvt Ltd

Ahmedabad - Gujarat

Tel: 079-26400063

Mob: 09879495924



PRODUCTS

Liquid ring vacuum pump

The liquid ring vacuum pump

is available in both single and

double stages with capacity that

ranges from 10 to 4000 cfm and

ultimate vacuum is up to 720

mm Hg. It is silent in operation

due to which silencer is totally

eliminated. Its mechanical shaft

seals design ensures adequate

protection to the expensive shaft

and provides for ease of maintenance. This leads to minimal time

required for servicing, cutting down time to the barest minimum.

This pump is rugged in design, reliable in performance and easy

to maintain. It finds applications in vacuum distillation, drying,

concentration, degassing, crystallisation, gas evacuation, gas

conveying & compression etc in chemicals, drugs, food, beverage,

sugar, fertiliser, paper, metallurgy and allied process industries.

Acmevac Sales Pvt Ltd


Tel: 022-28375837


Website: www.acmevac.com

Dry cooling tower

The dry cooling tower

maintains the temperature

of process hot water at

a particular level. This

operates on the principle

of heat transfer by a heat

exchanger with extended

fins. The fan is driven by an electric motor. Tubes are staggered

in the path of airflow for better heat transfer efficiency. The

return bends are die-formed from thick walled tubing, which

is heavier than the standard tubing and is used in the rest

of the coils. This provides toughness and durability, which

is required in the most vital parts of the coils. The inlet and

outlet headers are constructed of heavy wall steel pipes. Tubes

are mechanically expanded for an optimum bond between

tube and fin. A die-formed galvanised steel frame provides

stacking and shipping support and protection against tube

damage during expansion and installation.

Gem Equipments Ltd

Coimbatore - Tamil Nadu

Tel: 0422-2363800

Mob: 09366631697


Website: www.gemindia.com


PRODUCTS

Reactor liquid sampler

This reactor liquid sampler is for bulk drugs/

Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API).

The sampler is equipped with aseptic valves,

controllers, piping and container for sample

collection. The system requires vacuum line

for sample extraction and nitrogen line for

purging. The unit mounted on top of the reactor

extracts liquid sample from reactor through dip

pipe under vacuum or pressure of reactor. All wetted parts are made

of Stainless Steel (SS) 316 & elastomer chemical resistant Ethylene

Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM). The design is aseptic with no

product contamination and the end connection can be triclamped or

flanged. The system is equipped with a control panel. The application

lies in chemicals, pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals industries.

Industrial EquipWash Inc


Tel: 022-26797941, Mob: 09869231815


Website: www.iewi.net

Vacuum pump

The vacuum pump by ITALVACUUM

is equipped with new lubrication system

LubriZero that has zero non-reusable oil

consumption. This allows the use of synthetic

oils, which is particularly suitable for chemical

and pharmaceutical processes, such as drying, distillation, reaction and

crystallisation. This vacuum pump ensures absolute safety of the process

and the operators; operation is simple in nature and is completely

reliable during the difficult operative conditions. The nominal capacity

ranges from 80 to 3800 m3/h and the oil consumption is 10 g/h.

Emjay Engineers


Tel: 022-28975275, Mob: 09819982801


Lubricant additives and reactive surfactants

The ADEKA lube S series is an organo-molybdenum compoundS

developed with original technology by ADEKA Corporation. These

additives can reduce friction and help save fuels, minimise metal wear &

extend machine life. The additives give good lubricity performance even

under severe conditions, prevent degradation of oil, and extend oil life.

Adeka India Pvt Ltd


Tel: 022-40263301



PRODUCTS

Facemask respirator

The facemask respirator is used for dust filtration. It

is convenient to carry in the pocket. The facemask

respirator has a durable elastic band, which is

soft and safe when it comes in contact with the

skin. This mask is easy to wear, comfortable while

talking and has breathing resistance. The product

finds applications in various industries, like cable,

battery, PVC processing, heavy electrical, power &

cement plants, ceramic, silica and glass. It is also used while laying cables,

spraying paints, grinding, dusting, soldering and electroplating.

Empire Trades

Coimbatore - Maharashtra

Tel: 0422-537 7228, Mob: 09894232828


Furnace curtain

The high-temperature

silica fabric withstands

temperature as high as

1,000°C. Because of its

capacity to withstand high temperature, it offers better performance

than silica glass fabric, which can withstand much lower temperature

(around 400-500°C). The fabric is also coated with aluminium foil and

silicon rubber. It can also be used as a furnace curtain for covering open/

exposed area of the furnace. During the manufacturing process, the loom

is provided at top of the curtain and a steel wire is passed through the

loom. This curtain is also made in the form of a hanging strip.

Urja Products Pvt Ltd

Ahmedabad - Gujarat

Tel: 079-22872277, Mob: 09825688244


Website: www.urjafabrics.com

Wear plate and wear pad

Rollon Turcite-B wear plate and wear pad overcome the problems of wear B

in critical sliding surfaces of machinery. It is used in sugar mills, cement

plants and other engineering applications. It is a modified bronze-sintered

PFE material with inherent characteristics of self-lubrication, low friction

and high load-bearing capacity. The wear-resistance property is enhanced

by special wear-resistance additives. Turcite-B can withstand high working B

pressure of 115 kg/cm² and temperature of –218°C to +260°C. It is fungus-

resistant and not affected by weather/moisture and most chemicals.

Rollon Bearings Pvt Ltd

Bengaluru - Karnataka

Tel: 080-2226 6928



PRODUCTS

Basket centrifuge

These are products for handling highly corrosive and foodgrade chemical

for full vacuum to 25 kg/cm² press and up to 250°C temperature. Halar-

coated basket centrifuge is suitable for bulk drugs, fine chemicals and

pesticides. An industrial advantage of the halar coating is its smooth

surface. FDA approved and non-sticky property apart from chemical

resistance, it is available from 14” laboratory machines to 24”, 35” and

48”, three pendulums or up to inertia plate construction.

Elasto Polymer Processors (Gujarat) Pvt Ltd

Rajkot - Gujarat

Tel: 0281-2361623


Website: www.atikagroup.com

Tray dryer

This tray dryer is fabricated out of rigid angle

iron frame with double walled panels insulated

with compressed fiber glass and with a rigid

door fitted with strong hinges. A control panel

is fixed in front of the dryer to facilitate the

operation easily. It has a large working space and

is available, from mild steel and in good finishing outside with synthetic

enamel colour and inside painted with heat resistant paint to resist

temperature up to 300ºC. A highly effective recalculating air system is

provided in the tray dryer. The heated air is recalculated with fresh air in

selected proportions for optimum drying. The system is designed so that

the materials at the top and the bottom dry simultaneously.

Jas Enterprises

Ahmedabad - Gujarat

Tel: 079-22743454

E mail: [email protected]

PTFE/Teflon moulded components

The range of PTFE/Teflon

moulded components

include: bushes, rods,

sheets, bellows, O-rings,

V-rings, mechanical seals, ball valve rings, gaskets, etc.

These are available as per customers’ requirements or as per

drawings and samples. The components are also available

in all fillers of PTFE/Teflon, like glass, carbon, bronze

and graphite.

Supremo Polymer Industries

Ahmedabad - Gujarat

Tel: 079-55445181

Mob: 09327001998



PRODUCTS

Turbine blowers

These are designed to suck or to compress

gases/non-explosive air mixtures. These are

absolutely oil free with air flow capacities

that ranges from 42 to 1100 m3/hr with

maximum vacuum up to 500 mbar and

maximum pressure is up to 550 mbar. These are light-weight due to Al

construction and have 100 per cent oil-free non-pulsating continuous

air flow. These blowers require practically zero maintenance and

have silencers on both suction as well as discharge ports. These find

applications in areas such as pneumatic conveying systems, industrial

vacuum cleaners, printing & paper handling, air pollution monitoring

equipment and dental suction equipment.

Shree Siddhi Vinayak Industries

Thane - Maharashtra

Tel: 0250-2845 8372


PVC cable tray

The rigid PVC perforated cable tray is

an ideal replacement to MS tray. This

PVC tray is not affected by any corrosive

chemicals and is waterproof. It can be

used outside for prolonged periods as it

is UV stabilised to resist ultraviolet rays of sun. It is available in width

ranging from 50 mm to 300 mm, flange heights of 25 mm and 50 mm

and with a standard length of 2.9 m. The cable tray is lightweight and

maintenance-free.

Supreme Electroplast Industries


Tel: 022-2887 3428, Mob: 09820306252


Website: www.supshitl.com

Hybrid stepping motors

These PJPL series linear-type hybrid

stepping motors enable linear motion

of motor shaft with a combination of

threaded shaft and inner threaded rotor.

The motors do not require any outside

mechanical parts, such as lead screw,

wire or belt for linear motion. These motors are available in two sizes:

28 mm² and 42 mm².

Nippon Pulse Motor Co Ltd

Tokyo - Japan

Tel: +81-3-38138841



PRODUCTS

Vacuum pumps

These Minivac SVL series of low

vacuum pumps are sliding vane type

direct/belt driven vacuum pumps

mounted on common base frames.

These are compact in size, vibration free

and hence can be mounted inside the

machines. These attain maximum vacuum levels up to 29” of Hg and

capacities range from 50 to 2000 Lpm. The specially treated vanes

give advantage of silent operation, reduces wear and tear on stator.

The unique design of lubrication system positively feeds minimum

required oil to all rotating and frictional parts. These are useful in

many applications like capsule filling/capsule printing machines and

pharmaceutical machineries, packaging/labelling machines, screen

printing/plate making and vacuum chucking.

Shree Siddhi Vinayak Industries

Thane - Maharashtra

Tel: 022-28458372


Vibro sifters

These vibro sifters are ideal for gradation

and separation of dry powder, granules and

semi-solids and liquids. The modular design

clings easily with fitted clamp and is suitable

for a wide range of materials. Less power

consumption, variable flow pattern and the

dust-free arrangement leads to free sieves.

Bombay Pharma Equipments Pvt Ltd


Tel: 022-28594877


Digital flow meters

These paddle wheel insertion-type

digital flow meters are unique 2-in-1

combination, wherein the rotameter

measures flow rate vertically. The

water meter counts total horizontally

and measures both the aspects. It is

economical and used to match up with international standards. No

external power supply is required.

MTS Engineers Pvt Ltd

Ahmedabad - Gujarat

Tel: 079-26400063

Mob: 09879495924


Ultra-filtration systems

These ultra-filtration (UF) systems are

of robust flat sheet and spiral wound

membrane. The UF systems are operated

in a crossflow mode, thus reducing the

chances of fouling and maintaining the

permeability of the membrane for a long

time. These systems undergo negative

pressure operation, thereby eliminating

compaction and higher TMP.

Ovivo India

Surat - Gujarat

Tel: 0261-2465972


Dust filtration systems

The Dustkiller DK 500 captures fine 0

particulates before they settle down on

precision equipment. Dust is sucked

by the centrifugal blower through

the inlets on the top. Capacity is

500 cm³/hr, input voltage

is 230 V ±10 per cent, with

low noise and wall mounting with

fixtures.

Powertech Pollution Controls Pvt Ltd


Tel: 080-23452156


Digital indicator

The model AI-501 digital indicator is

available with programmable and modular

inputs, supporting multiple input types of

thermocouples, RTDs, voltage/current and

two-wire transmitters. This indicator is suitable

for measuring and displaying temperature,

pressure, flow, level, humidity, etc with measurement accuracy of 0.3

per cent full scale. The dual display windows are convenient to set

parameters and alarm points. Various dimensions are selectable. The

indicator supports up to 4 loops of alarms including 2 loops of high

limit alarms plus 2 loops of low limit alarms. Alarms can be outputted

to different relays or share one.

Micon Automation Systems Pvt Ltd

Ahmedabad – Gujarat

Tel: 079-30900400, Mob: 09723462390


` `` `

` `

`


PRODUCTS

Cage mill flash dryers

These have capacity that ranges from 10 kg/

hr to 5000 kg/hr. Due to low residence time

in the range of 0.5 to 2 seconds in these flash

dryers, heat-sensitive products can be easily dried

without degradation. The cage mill flash dryers

are compact, requiring less maintenance and are user-friendly.

Raj Process Equipments & Systems (P) Ltd

Pune - Maharashtra

Tel: 020-4071001

Mob: 09766441144


Salt spray corrosion testing system

This is a proven system to make

comparative or absolute study of

corrosion resistance for different

materials, surface coatings, viz, plating,

painting, etc. Various components and

assemblies of automotive, electrical,

electronic, engineering and durable consumable products are subject

to salt spray corrosion test to evaluate effect of corrosive atmosphere

on their aesthetic and performance parameters. Based on these

Polypropylene and PVDF process pump

The horizontal chemical process pump is made of

polypropylene (PP). All contact parts are made of

virgin copolymer PP with high wall thickness for

better impact resistance and stability. The pump

is centrifugal type. Rotating parts are dynamically

balanced. The pump is available with ceramic, SS-316 or FRP shaft

sleeve. Sealing arrangement is of PTFE gland packing or mechanical

seal or as per the requirement. This pump is suitable for effluent

treatment plants, filter press application, acid transfer, boiler de-scaling,

pickling in steel plants, electroplating, etc.

Moniba Anand Electricals Pvt Ltd


Tel: 022-28573156, Mob: 09820046500


corrosion effects, one can take corrosion inhibiting measures. Various

corrosion tests mentioned in National & International Standards viz,

IS: 9000 pt Xi, ASTM B 117, etc, can be carried out in this system.

Micro Supreme Auto Industries (I) Pvt Ltd

Tel: 020-26932669



PRODUCTS

Ribbon blenders

These light-duty blenders

are useful for easy mixing

of powder components and

are low-shear mixers, most

commonly used for solid/

solid, solid/liquid mixing and

when high shearing force is

not required. The counter flow

helicoids flight mounted on shaft ensure gentle mixing. Blades are

designed for triple action mixing to suit end-product characteristics.

Raj Process Equipments & Systems (P) Ltd

Pune - Maharashtra

Tel: 020-4071001

Mob: 09766441144


Centrifugal pumps

These pumps have all contact

parts, including casing and

impellers, of corrosion-resistant

silica epoxy construction. The

pumps are fitted with externally-

mounted Teflon bellow-ceramic

mechanical seals. Impeller shaft

is cast integral with shaft and

hence there is no chance of joint getting corroded. Heavy

bearings are provided on the drive shaft.

Resicast


Tel: 022-26501971

Mob: 09820883985


Fly ash dryer systems

These systems are used to dry the wet fly ash with 20-25 per

cent moisture by weight, by utilising waste heat generated from

the clinker production process or by hot air furnaces. The exhaust

hot air from the cooler or hot gas generator installed are around

300° to 350°C and made to pass through the dryer, along with

wet fly ash. The dryers are designed to have sufficient retention

time for the fly ash to get dried by bringing down the moisture

to less than 2 per cent.

Sabash Engineering (Chennai) Pvt Ltd

Chennai - Tamil Nadu

Tel: 044-24732900


Airless paint spraying pumps

These pumps are suitable where

better paint finish, gloss of paint

and aesthetic results of the machine

are prime requirements. The pumps

give high output of paint and thus

save time, manpower, paint & cost

by giving high efficiency. It is also

possible to spray high build paints

for anti-corrosive painting with

airless pump.

Synco Industries Ltd

Jodhpur - Rajasthan

Tel: 0291-2741571

Mob: 09829022258


Twin screw pumps

These pumps consist of one

set of shafts – one driving

and one driven with two

screws mounted and keyed

onto each shaft. Liquid

entering the pump is divided

into two parts, each part

going to the outer end of screws. These hold a given volume of fluid,

moving axially as the screws rotate.

UT Pumps & Systems Pvt Ltd


Tel: 022-32992488


Sample preparation plates

Ostro sample preparation plates

represent a novel approach for

removal of phospholipids from

biological samples. It removes up

to 30 times more phospholipids.

With its proprietary, patent-

pending design, it is specifically

created to overcome the hurdle by offering a solution that removes

multiple families of phospholipids.

Waters (India) Pvt Ltd


Tel: 080-28371900

Mob: 09342160313



PRODUCTS

Thee infofoormaation n publlisished inin thiss secttion iis as per thee dettails ffurniisshedd by tthe rrespectivee mannufacctureerr/disstribuutor. In

any casee, , it ddooes non t rerepressenent thhee viewws off Chemical World

Welding fume extractors

The Fumekiller welding fume extractors arer

fitted with self-balanced extractor arms that

are ideal for capturing and controlling all

types of welding fumes. Unlike mechanical

filters, these work on the electrostatic filtration

principle. Filter modules are washable and

reusable. There is no replacement cost of the filters.

Powertech Pollution Controls Pvt Ltd


Tel: 080-23452156


Wastewater treatment system

This wastewater treatment system employs

pulsed electric field processing. The operations

of a pulsed electric field (PEF) wastewater

treatment system are based on the process

of electroporation in cells to accelerate pre-

digestion. This results in up to 80 per cent less

solid waste output. The wastewater treatment PEF system destroys

cell membranes by applying 1-20 microsecond, 35-50 kV/cm high

voltage pulses at a frequency of up to 2 kHz to the wastewater stream.

This system facilitates the anaerobic digestion process of cells and is

available in sizes beginning from 10,000 lph and reduces the solid

waste by up to 80 per cent.

Diversif ied Technologies Inc

Massachusetts - USA

Tel: +1-781-2759444


Air classifiers

These are screenless machines for grading offline

powder into distinct coarse and fine grades from

60 mesh down to 40 microns. The conventional

vibrating screens have choking problems along

with low capacity when used for fine powder

separation. Also separation efficiency is reduced.

The machines can be operated in closed circuit.

Premium Vijimech Pvt Ltd

Ahmedabad - Gujarat

Tel: +079-40083450, Mob: 09712987467


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valuable experience and expertise in the chemical process industry.

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buyers & sellers through better trade contacts and more business opportunities.

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LIST OF PRODUCTS

Sl. No. Product Pg. No. Sl. No. Product Pg. No. Sl. No. Product Pg. No.

AC/DC gear box.........................................x 41

AC/DC electric motor.....................................r 41

Accelerated ageing test.....................................t 43

Acoustic enclosure ............................................ 63

Agitator ............................................................r 13

Agitator tank............................................k 45, 102

Air classifiers .................................................. 111

Air cooled heat exchanger................................r 23

Air freight ..........................................................t 8

Air pollution control equipment......................t 19

Air-cooled steam condenser .............................r 23

Airless paint spraying pump .......................... 110

Allied service ...................................................... 8

Anaesthetic rotameter ....................................r 103

Analytical instrumentation ............................ BIC

Aqua gas chlorinator ........................................r 91

Automatic and contained discharge ................. 35

Bag filter ...............................................r 26, 97

Ball check valve ................................................ 77

Ball valve .................................................... 77, 79

Basket centrifuge............................................ 104

Batch disperser .................................................r 13

Bath & circulator .............................................r 33

Bellow & dip-pipe ............................................. 4

Bend ................................................................. 79

Biodiesel ........................................................... 43

Biospec-nano .................................................... 57

Blender ...........................................................r 102

Blower ..............................................................r 39

Bulk bag filler.................................................r 103

Bulk bag unloader ..........................................r 103

Bush ................................................................. 77

Butterfly valve ............................................ 77, 79

Cage mill flash dryer ..................................r 109

Cake pressing ...................................................g 35

Calorimeter ......................................................r 13

Centrifugal fan ........................................... 73, 97

Centrifugal pump ...................................... 41,110

Chain pulley block .........................................k 104

Check valve-teflon lined .................................... 4

Chemical pump.............................................. 104

Column & chemistries .................................. BIC

Compositional & trace metal analysis ............. 43

Condenser ......................................................r 102

Continuous or batch filtration ......................... 35

Conveyor ........................................................r 103

Cooling tower .............................................r 23,98

Crane .............................................................. 104

Dehumidifier .............................................r 101

Diaphragm valve ........................................ 77, 79

Digital flow meter..........................................r 106

Digital indicator .............................................r 106

Disperser ..........................................................r 13

Distillation column .......................................... 49

Dry cooling tower ..........................................r 101

Dry vacuum pump ........................................... 99

Dry van pump .................................................. 63

Dryer ................................................................r 47

Dust collector ...................................................r 26

Dust extraction system ..................................... 97

Dust filtration system ..................................... 106

Electronic dosing pump .............................. 99

Empower.......................................................r BIC

End cap ............................................................ 79

Energy saver .....................................................r 98

EOT/HOT crane .......................................... 104

Etallography .....................................................y 43

Evaporator............................................r 27, 37, 49

Exhauster ..........................................................r 39

External shunt ..................................................t 98

Facemask respirator ...................................r 103

Failure analysis ................................................. 43

Fasteners and steel metal component ............t 100

FEP/PFA/PVDF material............................... 77

Filler compositional analysis ............................ 43

Filter cock ........................................................k 79

Filter press ........................................................ 56

Fitting...............................................................g 77

Flame proof hoist...........................................t 104

Flash dryer........................................................r 47

Flexible screw conveyor..................................r 103

Flow indicator ..................................................r 79

Flow verturi tube ............................................ 102

Fly ash dryer system ....................................... 110

Food processing machinery.............................y BC

Foot valve ......................................................... 79

FRP battery stand ............................................ 17

FRP cable tray..................................................y 17

FRP canopy......................................................y 17

FRP grating......................................................g 17

FRP handrail & fencing ..................................g 17

FRP ladder .......................................................r 17

FRP luminaries ................................................ 17

FRP pole .......................................................... 17

FRP storage tank .............................................k 17

FRP structural profile ...................................... 17

Fuel - diesel ...................................................... 43

Fully automatic filter press ............................... 56

Furnace curtain............................................... 103

Gas .......................................................... 43

Gas plant ..........................................................t 21

Gasket ..............................................................t 77

Gear box ................................................... 41, 104

Gear motor.......................................................r 41

Gear oil ............................................................ 43

Gear pump ....................................................... 81

Goliath crane .................................................. 104

Goods lift .......................................................t 104

Heat exchanger ..................r 19, 45, 99,102, FIC

Heat transfer equipment ..................................t 73

Heating bath .................................................... 13

Heating element.............................................t 100

Heating solutions ........................................... 109

High pressure blower .....................................r 104

High pressure homogeniser .............................r 13

Hot air generator .............................................r 26

Hot plate .......................................................... 13

Hot water generator.........................................r 26

HPLC ........................................................... BIC

Hybrid stepping motor ..................................r 105

IBR steam boiler.........................................r 26

Impeller ............................................................r 79

Industrial heating element .............................t 100

Informatic ...................................................... BIC

Inline disperser .................................................r 13

Jib crane ....................................................104


Just type CW (space) Product Name and send it to 51818eg. CW Pump and send it to 51818

BC - Back Cover, BIC - Back Inside Cover, FIC - Front Inside Cover


LIST OF PRODUCTS

Sl. No. Product Pg. No. Sl. No. Product Pg. No. Sl. No. Product Pg. No.


Kneading machine ...................................... 13

Laboratory reactor ......................................r 13

Laboratory software.......................................... 13

Large diameter welded pipe ............................. 99

Level control switch ....................................... 100

Lined valve & pipe fitting .................................g 4

Liquid ring vacuum pump ............................. 101

Long neck pipe end ......................................... 79

Lube-engine oil ................................................ 43

Lubricant additives and reactive surfactants .. 102

Magnetic stirrer ..........................................r 13

Mass spectrometry system .............................. 100

Material identificaton system ........................... 43

Mechanical vacuum booster.............................r 39

Mill ................................................................. 13

Mini vac pump ............................................... 100

Mixing & drying........................................g 27, 37

Monoblock high vacuum pump ....................... 99

Monoblock pump ........................................... 104

Monoblock vacuum pump ............................... 99

Monorail trolley .............................................y 104

Motor driven dosing pump .............................. 91

Motorised chain pulley block.........................k 104

Multi stage cake washing.................................g 35

Non-metallic pump ....................................104

Non return valve .......................................... 4, 79

Non-IBR steam boiler .....................................r 26

Oil lubricated vacuum pump ......................105

Oil seal high vacuum pump ............................. 99

Oval wheel flow meter ...................................r 105

Overhead stirrer ...............................................r 13

Petrol & fuel oil.......................................... 43

Pharma temperature control .............................. 8

Pilot plant.........................................................t 13

Pipe ................................................................. 77

Pipe fitting .......................................................g 41

Piping ...............................................................g 65

Piping system ..................................................... 6

Plant & machinery .........................................BC

Plastic masterbatch ........................................... 89

Plug valve ......................................................... 77

Pole ring...........................................................g 79

Polymer ........................................................... 43

Polypropylene and PVDF process pump ....... 109

Polypropylene filter plate ................................. 56

Polypropylene process pump .......................... 104

Polypropylene recess plate ................................ 56

Powergas solution............................................. 45

PP-recess chamber type filter press ................. 56

Pressure and vacuum filtration ......................... 35

Pressure vessel .......................................... 45, 102

Process gas blower..........................................r 104

PTFE lined valve & pipe fitting........................g 4

PTFE/Teflon moulded components .............. 104

Pump ....................................63, 81, 99, 104, 111

Pumping solution..................................... 55, 102

PVC ................................................................. 41

PVC cable tray ...............................................y 105

PVDF pump .................................................. 104

PVDF valve ...................................................... 41

Reactor ............................................r 19, 53, 71

Reactor liquid sampler ...................................r 102

Reducer ............................................................r 79

Ribbon blender ...............................................r 110

Rod ................................................................. 77

Roots blower ............................................r 63, 111

Rotameter .......................................................r 103

Rotary atomiser ................................................r 47

Rotary dry vacuum pump ................................. 73

Rotary evaporator .............................................r 13

Rotary gear pump..................................... 81, 104

Rotary pump .................................................... 99

Sack tip station ..........................................103

Salt spray corrosion testing system ................ 109

Sample preparation plates .............................. 110

Sampling valve-teflon lined ............................... 4

Scoop ................................................................ 79

Scrubber ...........................................................r 97

Seamless pipe ................................................... 99

Self priming mud pump ................................. 104

Self priming sewage pump ............................. 104

Sensor system .................................................. 51

Shaker...............................................................r 13

Sheet.................................................................t 77

Showel .............................................................. 79

Silence flow package ........................................ 73

Silicone FBD gasket ........................................t 69

Silicone rubber braided hose ............................ 69

Silicone rubber compound ............................... 69

Silicone rubber cord ......................................... 69

Silicone rubber corona teater sleeve ................. 69

Silicone rubber extruded gasket & profile ....... 69

Silicone rubber moulding.................................g 69

Silicone rubber sheet ........................................t 69

Silicone rubber sponge ..................................... 69

Silicone rubber tubing......................................g 69

Slipon flange .................................................... 79

Solenoid driven metering pump....................... 91

Solid-liquid mixer ............................................r 13

Spade ................................................................ 79

Spin flash dryer ................................................r 47

Spray cooler......................................................r 97

Spray dryer .................................................r 49, 97

Stainless steel pipe............................................ 99

Steam cleaner ...................................................r 99

Storage tank .....................................................k 49

Strainer-teflon lined ........................................... 4

Swing check valve ............................................ 77

Teflon lined valve & pipe fitting ...................g 4

Tefzel HHS isotactic PP material ..................... 6

Testing equipment ...........................................t 43

Thermic fluid heater ........................................r 26

Thermoplastic valve ........................................... 6

Thermostat & vaccum dryer / mixer ...............r 13

Transfer trolley...............................................y 104

Transmission fluid ............................................ 43

Tray dryer.......................................................r 104

Tri lobe roots blower .......................................r 39

Truck blower ..................................................r 104

Tube ........................................................... 77, 99

Turbine blower...............................................r 105

Twin lobe root blower .............................r 39, 111

Twin screw pump .......................................... 110

Two stage vacuum pump ......................... 99, 111

Ultra-filtration system ................................106

UPLC ............................................................ BIC

Vaccum control ........................................... 91

Vacumm cleaner.............................................r 111

Vacuum booster pump ..................................... 63

Vacuum or hot gas drying................................ 35

Vacuum pump .....................................99,102,106

Vacuum pumping unit .....................................t 98

Vacuum system ................................................ 63

Valve ........................................................... 77, 79

Variable area flowmeter .................................r 103

Vertical glandless pump ................................. 104

Vibro sifter .....................................................r 106

Washer.......................................................r 79

Water ring vacuum pump .............................. 111

Wastewater treatment system ........................ 111

Wear plate and wear pad ............................... 103

Welded pipe ..................................................... 99

Welding fume extractor .................................r 111

Wire rope hoist ..............................................t 104

Y type strainer.............................................r 79

Zircoat .........................................................t 3


Advertiser’s Name & Contact Details Pg No Advertiser’s Name & Contact Details Pg No Advertiser’s Name & Contact Details Pg No

LIST OF ADVERTISERS

Our consistent advertisers

Acme Air Equipment Co Pvt Ltd 39

T: +91-79-25831985

E: [email protected]

W: www.airequipments.com

Aeron Composite Pvt Ltd 17

T: +91-79-65258500


W: www.aeroncomposite.com

Aker Solutions 45

T: +91-22-66915901


W: www.akersolutions.com

Ani Engineers 81

T: +91-2752-241479


W: www.anivaryapumps.com

Aqua Services 91

T: +91-265-2331748


W: www.aquaservicesindia.com

Arctic India Sales 101

T: +91-11-23906777


W: www.bryair.com

Aries Engineers 53

T: +91-09930992671


W: www.ariesengineers.com

Bhavya Polymers 69

T: +91-2762-224114

E: bhavyapolymers.yahoo.co.in

W: www.bhavyapolymers.com

BHS-Sonthofen (India) Pvt. Ltd. 35

T: +91-40-23315341 / 45


W: www.bhs-sonthofen.in

Blowtech 111

T: +91-22-28457073


W: www.vacuumcleanerindia.com

Chemical Process Piping Pvt Ltd. 65

T: +91-22-67230600


W: www.cppiping.com

CM Flowmeters India Pvt Ltd 103

T: +91-33-24421456


W: www.cmflowmeters.com

Cole-Parmer India 33

T: +91-22-67162222


W: www.coleparmer.in

Dev Engineers 104

T: +91-79-26403839


W: www.devpumps.com

Em Jay Engineers 83

T: +91-22-28963809


W: www.italvacuum.com

Emersons Process Management 87

T: +91-22-66620417


W: www.emersonprocess.com

Everest Transmission 63

T: +91-11-45457777


W: www.everestblowers.com

Fluidtech Boilers Pvt Ltd 26

T: +91-79-25840105


W: www.fluidltd.com

Food & Biotech Engineers (I) Pvt Ltd BC

T: +91-09312069945


W: www.foodbiotech.co.in

Food & Pharma Specialities 27; 37

T: +91-120-4236204


W: www.foodpharma.in

Hapman India 103

T: +91-265-2517505


W: www.hapman.in

Heattrans Equipments Pvt.Ltd. 56

T: +91-79-25840105


W: www.heattrans.com

Hi-Tech Applicator 4

T: +91-79-25833040


W: www.ptfeindia.com

HRS Process Systems Ltd FIC

T: +91-20-66047894


W: www.hrsasia.co.in

IKA India Private Limited 13

T: +91-80-26253900


W: www.ika.in

Joyam Engineers & Consultants Pvt Ltd 99

T: +91-79-26569533


W: www.joyamvactech.com

Jyoti Ceramic Industries Pvt Ltd 3

T: +91-253-2350120


W: www.jyoticeramics.com


Advertiser’s Name & Contact Details Pg No Advertiser’s Name & Contact Details Pg No Advertiser’s Name & Contact Details Pg No


LIST OF ADVERTISERS

Our consistent advertisersBC - Back Cover, BIC - Back Inside Cover, FIC - Front Inside Cover

Kwality Process Equipments Pvt Ltd 71

T: +91-250-2453438


W: www.chemicalequipments.com

Litel Infrared System Pvt Ltd 109

T: +91-20-66300639

E: [email protected],[email protected]

W: www.litelir.com

P P I Pumps Pvt Ltd 111

T: +91-79-25832273


W: www.ppipumps.com

Paharpur Cooling Towers Ltd 23

T: +91-33-24792050


W: www.paharpur.com

Parth Poly Valves Pvt. Ltd 79

T: +91-79-22200198


W: www.parthvalves.com

Prayag Polytech Pvt Ltd 89

T: +91-11-47262000


W: www.prayagmb.com

PSA Nitrogen Ltd 21

T: +91-09311021433/37


W: www.psanitrogen.net

Raj Process Eqpts & Systems(P) Ltd 19

T: +91-20-40710010


W: www.rajprocessequipment.com

Ryal Logistics Pvt Ltd 8

T: +91-22-61936969


W: www.ryal.in

Samarth Engineers 102

T: +91-20-66300305


W: www.samarthengineers.com

Satyam Industries 49

T: +91-09881204322


W: www.satyamindustries.com

Shachi Engineering Works 47

T: +91-20-66546900


W: www.shachiengg.com

Shanbhag And Associates 55

T: +91-22-28346604


W: www.shanbhags.com

Shiva Analyticals (India) Limited 43

T: +91-80-27971322


W: www.shivatec-india.com

Shri Siddhivinayak Industries 100

T: +91-22-28457073


W: www.minivacpumps.com

Shri Vishnupumps 102

T: +91-22-28457073


W: www.minivacpumps.com

Siemens 51

W: www.siemens.com/chemicals

Supreet Engineers 97

T: 9225628902


W: www.supreeetengineers.com

Supremo Polymer Industries 77

T: +91-79-22205282


W: www.supremoproduct.com

Suraj Limited 99

T: +91-79-27540720


W: www.surajgroup.com

Swam Pneumatics Pvt Ltd 73

T: +91-120-4696222


W: www.swamatics.com

Techno Industries 104

T: +91-79-25830742


W: www.technoind.com

Theeta Electricals Pvt Ltd 100

T: +91-124-4387400


W: www.theeta.com

Toshniwal Instruments (Madras) Pvt Ltd 105

T: +91-44-26445626


W: www.toshniwal.net

Toshvin Analytical Pvt Ltd 57

T: +91-22-23015096


W: www.toshvin.com

United Transmission 41

T: +91-2692-231061


W: www.euro-gears.net

UNP Polyvalves India Pvt Ltd 6

T: +91-265-2649248


W: www.polyvalve.com

Waters (India) Private Limited BIC

T: +91-80-28371900


W: www.waters.com

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