Dow Advances Sustainable Chemistry with Epichlorohydrin Made from Renewable Glycerine
Dow continues to advance sustainable chemistry through new and enhanced products, processes and services.
Dow will use an innovative new process to produce liquid epoxy resins (LER) which are used in marine protective, automotive, can coatings and many other applications. This new process involves making a key raw material for LER resins, epichlorohydrin, from glycerine, a renewable based feedstock.
The glycerine is a by-product of bio-diesel production (a fuel alternative), which is made from renewable vegetable oil feedstocks. Through the use of this innovation, Dow will reduce waste water generation from the production facility by over 90 percent compared to the conventional technology, and will almost completely avoid organic by-product formation. The process will significantly reduce the environmental footprint by consuming 30 percent less energy.
A stand-alone pilot plant for this technology was completed and began operating in 2006 at Dow's Stade, Germany production site. Dow has announced plans for a world-scale glycerine-to-epichlorohydrin plant in China. The brine produced at the facility will be used by Shanghai Tian Yuan Huasheng Chemical Co. (TYHSC) for chlor-alkali production, as part of a long-term supply agreement between Dow and TYHSC to maximize resource recycling.
This is just one example of how the Human Element at Dow is contributing to more sustainable chemistry solutions; for more, please visit http://www.dow.com/commitments/studies/index.htm
