Attain­ing sustain­abil­ity faster as a team

All compa­nies face the chal­lenge of oper­at­ing more sustain­ably. We are convinced that we can achieve this goal faster and more effec­tively as a team. We have the rele­vant experience.

Michael Träxler, head of Evonik’s Active Oxygens Busi­ness Line, believes “collab­o­ra­tion with customers and part­ners is key”. This is espe­cially true as far as becom­ing more sustain­able or climate neutral is concerned. When the produc­tion and appli­ca­tions exper­tise of collab­o­ra­tive part­ners is pooled, good ideas are gener­ated and the pace of prod­uct devel­op­ment picks up. This bene­fits both the compa­nies concerned and the environment.

When exper­tise meets perse­ver­ance and vision

We at Evonik Active Oxygens have long recog­nized this and collab­o­rate with part­ners and customers at many levels. We develop inno­v­a­tive, resource-effi­cient solu­tions as a team, and have been doing so for decades. For exam­ple, the HPPO process together with ThyssenK­rupp Indus­trial Solu­tions and the HPPG process together with Dow. These new processes deliver plenty of sustain­abil­ity bene­fits. They reduce CO₂ emis­sions, require fewer raw mate­ri­als, and avoid unwanted byproducts.

“Thanks to our joint prod­uct devel­op­ment capa­bil­ity, we can offer our customers a sustain­able and at the same time cost-effec­tive process from a single source that combines special­ist knowl­edge of chem­i­cals, produc­tion processes, and plant engi­neer­ing,” says Jürgen Schemel, Head of Prod­uct Manage­ment & Tech­nol­ogy, Inno­va­tion & Sustain­abil­ity at thyssenkrupp.

Another exam­ple is waste­water treat­ment through Advanced Oxida­tion Processes (AOP): Indus­trial waste­water can be chem­i­cally treated using a combi­na­tion of hydro­gen perox­ide, ozone, and UV light. This process is much more energy effi­cient than, for exam­ple, the conven­tional prac­tice of incin­er­a­tion, and leaves no harm­ful traces in the envi­ron­ment. Stephan Neumayer of the Active Oxygens team for Strate­gic Market­ing & Busi­ness Devel­op­ment remarks, “We not only want to provide our customers with the right process chem­i­cals for their appli­ca­tions, we also want to advise them on the most suit­able tech­nol­ogy and support them with the right part­ner for imple­ment­ing it. That’s why we work closely together with inter­na­tional collab­o­ra­tion part­ners in construct­ing facil­i­ties and tapping new future technologies.”

Collab­o­ra­tive ventures that result in prod­ucts and tech­nolo­gies like these require vision and perse­ver­ance. We have both at Evonik Active Oxygens. And we are only too happy to contribute both in other collab­o­ra­tive ventures. “We analyze what chal­lenges we are set to face in 10 or 20 years together with our collab­o­ra­tive part­ners. We then launch specific projects based on these analy­ses,” Träxler explains. “That way, we can solve prob­lems early on ‒ rather than when they arise. So, we need to look now at what will be on the agenda in 2050, for example.”

Our experts are currently work­ing with part­ners around the world on a large number of ventures and research projects. The aim is not only to develop new appli­ca­tions and tech­nolo­gies but also to further improve logis­tics and safety measures. Here too, we focus on good work­ing rela­tion­ships, provide advice on equip­ment and train our customers’ employ­ees in safety issues.

All process steps at a glance

Rethink­ing processes together to become more sustain­able ‒ this also applies to our own processes, as well as processes upstream of our produc­tion. One impor­tant topic is the produc­tion of green hydro­gen, for which we need compe­tent, reli­able part­ners, who can supply us with the right prod­ucts at the right loca­tion. We have also been able to expe­dite the decen­tral­ized produc­tion of hydro­gen perox­ide through our invest­ment in Danish start-up HPNow. The company builds plants based on a patented tech­nol­ogy that allows low-concen­tra­tion hydro­gen perox­ide to be produced directly from water and elec­tric­ity on the customer’s premises as required. This elim­i­nates the need for trans­porta­tion and stor­age, for example.

Join­ing forces to drive sustain­able appli­ca­tions forward

As our prod­ucts are able to demon­strate their strengths to the full in the context of sustain­able appli­ca­tions, these projects with part­ners are enabling us to break new ground. Currently under­way are a number of projects, in which we are work­ing together on the full produc­tion process — from our start­ing prod­ucts to new appli­ca­tions. We intend to continue expand­ing this devel­op­men­tal work in the future. This way, we are increas­ing the speed at which new tech­nolo­gies and ideas are help­ing to drive sustain­abil­ity forward.

“The chal­lenges to which we intend to find answers are as diverse as the appli­ca­tions for our prod­ucts,” says Träxler. “This can be done faster and more effec­tively together with partners.”