Case studies 2009

On 22 July 2009 DSM Anti-Infectives inaugurated its new plant at Toansa, India for the production of Ampicillin, one of the most widely used first lines of therapy for combating bacterial infections.

DSM Anti-Infectives has implemented the newly developed enzymatic process for production of Ampicillin, which is the first ever commercial scale implementation of biotechnology for producing this Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient. The process generates significantly lower amounts of waste compared to conventional processes.

A bridge made from glass fiber reinforced composite resins is up to 5 times better for the environment than a bridge from concrete or steel. The carbon footprint is also much smaller. This was demonstrated by a life-cycle study that was presented 1 July 2009. These figures are based on the use of the new DSM resins for InfraCore composite bridges built by FiberCore Europe.

The study was executed as an initiative of Fibercore Europe, Senter Novem and DSM.

DSM and the French starch and starch-derivatives company ROQUETTE have confirmed that its bio-based succinic acid demonstration plant in Lestrem (France) will be operational by the end of 2009. The pilot scale production has proven that this biological route for producing succinic acid can be commercially viable. The first tests for customers are already underway with this ‘green’ succinic acid.

For the first time succinic acid – a chemical building block used in the manufacture of polymers, resins, food and pharmaceuticals among other products – will be produced using biological means. DSM and ROQUETTE have developed a method to produce succinic acid from starch using an innovative enzyme-based fermentation technology rather than the traditional ingredients, crude oil and natural gas. The Lestrem demonstration plant will enable this manufacturing process to be refined further before it is scaled-up to full commercial industrial production in 2011/2012.

This new white biotechnology-based route could result in up to 40% reduction in energy requirements compared to the traditional method, and have a positive impact on reducing CO2 emissions, as carbon dioxide is actually used in the production process.

DSM Resins has inaugurated new facilities in Schoonebeek (Netherlands) that will enable the Schoonebeek plants to cut their overall consumption of natural gas by nearly 1 million m3 per year, reduce their CO2 emissions by 15% and greatly reduce the emission of NOx, dust and organic components. The new facility will moreover result in a trouble-free process, eliminating the risk of odor nuisance and leading to a further increase in security of supply.

In the new system, heat is supplied to the reactors by a thermal oil furnace with a capacity of more than 6 megawatts. This furnace is much more efficient than the previously used incinerator, resulting in major energy savings. Waste water incineration had already been abandoned in early 2008, being replaced by biological purification. And waste gases are treated in the new facility with a so-called regenerative thermal oxidizer, which removes more than 99% of all organic components. The two new units, in combination with the biological treatment of waste water, together result in natural-gas savings totaling close to 1 million m3 per year. This is equivalent to the total annual gas consumption of about 300 households (the average consumption per household being 3,000 m3/yr).

In January 2009 DSM announced the opening of its DSM China Campus in the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park in Pudong New Area, Shanghai. The Campus will advance local research and development competence and as it is one of the first LEED Gold-certified buildings in China, it will become a symbol of DSM’s sustainable development in China.

The new campus has a total floor area of 26,000 sqm and has space for more than 600 employees. DSM has implemented the requirements of LEED Gold certification in the whole process of design and operation, such as location selection, transportation, water and energy saving, indoor environmental quality, renewable and locally available building and decoration materials, waste and recycling during construction and daily operation, enabling the campus to be one of the first buildings in China with LEED Gold certification

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system is a voluntary, consensus-based standard for developing high-performance sustainable buildings. The system was developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) (www.usgbc.org). The USGBC LEED initiative is supported by an alliance of member organizations from every sector of the building industry. It works to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible and healthy to live and work in.

Save a thought for the millions of Christmas trees which are discarded each year after the festivities. When not just thrown into landfill or carelessly left to wither on the roadside, these are often recycled for compost. However, as DSM, the global Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company reveals, there are other ways in which this annual abundance of green waste may be put to use in the near future – by powering our cars.