2013-2014 Exhibitions
US-based Elevance Renewable Sciences, the maker of speciality chemicals from natural oils for use in personal care products, detergents and cleaners, lubricants and additives and engineered polymers, has introduced Renewicals, building blocks and ingredients that enable performance impossible until now, says the firm. Elevance says this encourages the industry to join the high-growth speciality chemicals company to develop sustainable products that perform better than current alternatives.
Renewicals are made possible by renewable feedstocks and sustainable advanced manufacturing processes, leaving a smaller environmental footprint than traditional petrochemicals and bio-based chemicals. This marks a paradigm shift in the way companies are addressing industry and consumer demand for improved performance and sustainability.
“The challenge for industry today is to deliver better products that are sustainable and improve current living standards. With Renewicals, we are able to deliver more than just sustainable products,” said Andy Shafer, Elevance Executive Vice President, Sales and Market Development. “Products that we use every day can now be made to meet and exceed industry and consumer expectations. Elevance is leveraging groundbreaking new technology and repurposing nature’s own compounds, without depleting the source. With the added advantages of advanced renewable commercial production, economies of scale and enhanced performance, we are creating a better future for today’s consumers and the generations of tomorrow.”
Elevance says it is able to make building blocks and ingredients that outperform traditional bio-based chemicals and petrochemicals, and is partnering with leading companies to bring better products to market.
“The first Renewicals are here today,” Shafer explained. “Our Inherent renewable building blocks and Elevance Ingredients deliver functionality and performance that were not possible before from renewable feedstocks and environmentally friendly advanced manufacturing processes. Our customers and partners are taking advantage of this to do the same in downstream products.”
Elevance recently introduced its Inherent C18 Diacid the first product in the Inherent line of renewable building blocks. The company is supplying these products today from its world-scale biorefinery in Indonesia, a joint venture with Wilmar International, and has announced that it will have a second biorefinery in operation in 2016 to keep pace with growing customer demand.
Shafer also says that Elevance Ingredients are coming for use in lubricants before the end of the year, adding to the company’s recently introduced lines of Elevance Soft personal care emollients and Elevance Smooth multifunctional personal care polymers.
Elevance has previously announced collaborations with Arkema, Stepan Company and Wilmar International. Working with these and other partners, Elevance is developing building blocks, ingredients and products that:
- help reduce energy consumption by enabling more efficient cold water cleaning and enhancing cleaner effectiveness by improving solvency and foam control in consumer and industrial cleaners;
- meet changing market trends by offering unique performance in skin, hair and cosmetic applications for personal care customers;
- enable improved weather-ability, optical clarity and durability for improved automotive parts, electronics and consumer goods (such as sporting equipment) by delivering enhanced thermal, chemical and mechanical properties in high-performance polymers, including polyurethanes and polyesters; and
- enable enhanced lubricant base oil and additive performance, improving wear performance and fuel economy — both critical needs as the industry progresses to even smaller displacement engines with higher power densities and higher temperatures with turbochargers.
Commercial shipments from the company’s first biorefinery, a 180,000 tonne-joint venture with Wilmar International ocated in Gresik, Indonesia, began earlier this year. The biorefinery is the first based on Elevance’s proprietary metathesis technology with a Natchez, Miss., biorefinery scheduled to be the second biorefinery with a capacity of 280,000 tonnes.
(PRA)
