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EPICEROL®: An innovative environmental breakthrough in Epichlorohydrin production.
Epicerol® is a novel process developed by Solvay, based on the transformation of glycerin, which is a renewable by-product of the Biodiesel industry. After a successful start-up in April 2007, this process with greatly enhanced environmental performance is now fully optimized in Tavaux, France, in an industrial plant fed with Glycerin derived from rapeseed oil.
The novel technology is based on using a totally different feedstock compared to the traditional Epichlorohydrin process, which uses Chlorine and Propylene as raw materials. EPICEROL® technology is based on using Hydrochloric Acid, a universally available product, and Glycerin, a common by-product from the Biodiesel industry. Solvay has reached an agreement with Diester-Industrie, the leading Biodiesel company in Europe, and has secured a long term contract for the supply of Glycerin.
Described by market players as the “front runner”, Solvay has filed 38 patent applications to cover the EPICEROL® technology and Solvay would not hesitate to enforce its Intellectual Property rights if needed. Some of these patent applications are already granted in different parts of the World.
Main advantages of EPICEROL®
Besides the very modular process, compared with the former one, there are a number of environmental advantages:
Solvay goes green thanks to EPICEROL®
Development of this innovative Glycerine based process for the production of Epichlorohydrin started in mid 2003. After successful trials in the Neder-Over-Heembeek Research & Technologies laboratory, a pilot plant was installed and trialed in Tavaux.
Please click here to know more about EPICEROL® process. |
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