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Including health hazards and physical hazards in your chemical risk assessment

When carrying out a risk assessment at your workplace it’s essential that you recognise both the health hazards as well as the physical hazards presented by the chemicals you use, store and handle. This blog takes a deep dive into chemical hazards and the key differences in the way these risks are assessed. Hazardous chemicals can be extremely complex as the way they are stored and handled often contributes to the hazards.

Spotlight

OCI NV

OCI N.V. is a global producer of natural gas-based fertilizers & chemicals based in the Netherlands. OCI N.V. produces nitrogen fertilizers, methanol and other natural gas based chemical products, serving agricultural and industrial customers from the Americas to Asia. We rank among the world's largest nitrogen fertilizer producers with current nitrogen fertilizer and industrial chemicals production capacity of approximately 7.7 million metric tons at production facilities in the Netherlands, the United States, Egypt and Algeria.

OTHER ARTICLES
Chemical Technology

Organic Oil Recovery improves productivity of existing reservoirs

Article | July 14, 2022

MAY 2021 ///Vol 242 No. 5 FEATURES Organic Oil Recovery improves productivity of existing reservoirs A transitional technology producing excellent results in extracting hard-to-reach oil is attracting the attention of many large operators. Ancient, resident microbes are used to liberate large oil deposits in depleted reservoirs, thanks to science uncovered by studying the humble Australian koala. Roger Findlay, Organic Oil Recovery It began in almost outlandish fashion, with a scientist’s fascination with the complex digestive system of an Australian marsupial, the koala. Today, it has evolved into a green technology that is helping major producers around the world potentially reach billions of dollars of oil that they feared they could never access or bring to the surface. As the pressure on the oil and gas industry continues to grow, to find new ways to operate with less impact on the environment, Organic Oil Recovery (OOR) is reducing the need for further exploration. Instead, it is helping producers focus on the reservoirs already in situ to extract even more precious resource—at very low cost—from deep below the ground or seas, across a myriad of jurisdictions and geographies.

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Chemical Technology

More data show how far we still have to go to solve the climate and plastic waste crises

Article | August 2, 2022

SEE THE END section of this blog post for a dystopian version of our environmental future. In a follow-up post – which I will publish on Thursday, 1 July – I will offer some suggestions about how we can avoid an outcome that nobody of course wants.Both posts are meant to be provocative, challenging and controversial because only through debate, and sometimes outright argument, will we get to the answers. If you disagree after either or both posts have been published, great, that would be good. In fact, I would love to hear from you whatever your views at john.richardson@icis.com. The petrochemicals industry can do this; we can fix this if we create the right forums for ideas and then solutions. Let me provide the background first. Let me start by examining developments in the refinery industry and the implications for petrochemicals as important background. Then I will look at a sample of ICIS petrochemicals demand growth forecasts for 2020-2040. I will conclude by providing the bleakest of bleak outcomes for the world in 2025

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Chemical Management

THE BENEFITS OF CHEMICAL FOAMERS, AND HOW BEST TO USE THEM TO MAXIMISE PRODUCTION

Article | July 8, 2022

Downhole fluid build-up coupled with a drop in reservoir pressure can lead to the rapid decline of gas production rates, and can ultimately result in a well ceasing production. While there are many ways to deliquify a well to maximise production, chemical foamers can be incredibly effective and well worth considering. In this blog post, Kevin Lonie shares some of the benefits of using chemical foamers, and provides insights and advice around how best to use them… “Foamers are a much cheaper option than alternative solutions, such as mechanical lifts, and there is very little risk associated with their usage. If a foamer doesn’t work, it won’t make the well worse - so often we see clients giving them a go before opting for more expensive methods, in the hope that they produce the desired results. And we have seen their success over and over again.”

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Chemical Management

Pandemic’s third wave seems unlikely to damage global petrochemicals demand

Article | July 22, 2021

Petrochemical stocks plunged worldwide on 19 July ahead of the Q2 earnings season. The declines were consistent with those in economically sensitive sectors such as steel, copper, automotive and housing,” wrote my ICIS colleague, Joseph Chang, in this Insight article.

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Chemical Technology

Future-Proofing the Chemical Industry with Digitalization

Article | July 14, 2022

MAY 2021 ///Vol 242 No. 5 FEATURES Organic Oil Recovery improves productivity of existing reservoirs A transitional technology producing excellent results in extracting hard-to-reach oil is attracting the attention of many large operators. Ancient, resident microbes are used to liberate large oil deposits in depleted reservoirs, thanks to science uncovered by studying the humble Australian koala. Roger Findlay, Organic Oil Recovery It began in almost outlandish fashion, with a scientist’s fascination with the complex digestive system of an Australian marsupial, the koala. Today, it has evolved into a green technology that is helping major producers around the world potentially reach billions of dollars of oil that they feared they could never access or bring to the surface. As the pressure on the oil and gas industry continues to grow, to find new ways to operate with less impact on the environment, Organic Oil Recovery (OOR) is reducing the need for further exploration. Instead, it is helping producers focus on the reservoirs already in situ to extract even more precious resource—at very low cost—from deep below the ground or seas, across a myriad of jurisdictions and geographies.

Read More
Chemical Technology

The Digital Transformation of the Chemical Industry: The Key Trends

Article | August 2, 2022

SEE THE END section of this blog post for a dystopian version of our environmental future. In a follow-up post – which I will publish on Thursday, 1 July – I will offer some suggestions about how we can avoid an outcome that nobody of course wants.Both posts are meant to be provocative, challenging and controversial because only through debate, and sometimes outright argument, will we get to the answers. If you disagree after either or both posts have been published, great, that would be good. In fact, I would love to hear from you whatever your views at john.richardson@icis.com. The petrochemicals industry can do this; we can fix this if we create the right forums for ideas and then solutions. Let me provide the background first. Let me start by examining developments in the refinery industry and the implications for petrochemicals as important background. Then I will look at a sample of ICIS petrochemicals demand growth forecasts for 2020-2040. I will conclude by providing the bleakest of bleak outcomes for the world in 2025

Read More
Chemical Management

The Future of Supply Chain Management for Chemical Companies

Article | July 8, 2022

Downhole fluid build-up coupled with a drop in reservoir pressure can lead to the rapid decline of gas production rates, and can ultimately result in a well ceasing production. While there are many ways to deliquify a well to maximise production, chemical foamers can be incredibly effective and well worth considering. In this blog post, Kevin Lonie shares some of the benefits of using chemical foamers, and provides insights and advice around how best to use them… “Foamers are a much cheaper option than alternative solutions, such as mechanical lifts, and there is very little risk associated with their usage. If a foamer doesn’t work, it won’t make the well worse - so often we see clients giving them a go before opting for more expensive methods, in the hope that they produce the desired results. And we have seen their success over and over again.”

Read More
Chemical Management

Pandemic’s third wave seems unlikely to damage global petrochemicals demand

Article | July 22, 2021

Petrochemical stocks plunged worldwide on 19 July ahead of the Q2 earnings season. The declines were consistent with those in economically sensitive sectors such as steel, copper, automotive and housing,” wrote my ICIS colleague, Joseph Chang, in this Insight article.

Read More
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Spotlight

OCI NV

OCI N.V. is a global producer of natural gas-based fertilizers & chemicals based in the Netherlands. OCI N.V. produces nitrogen fertilizers, methanol and other natural gas based chemical products, serving agricultural and industrial customers from the Americas to Asia. We rank among the world's largest nitrogen fertilizer producers with current nitrogen fertilizer and industrial chemicals production capacity of approximately 7.7 million metric tons at production facilities in the Netherlands, the United States, Egypt and Algeria.

Related News

Chemical Management

LBB Specialties Announces Principal Partnership with Viscofan

PR Newswire | October 25, 2023

LBB Specialties (LBBS), a leader in specialty chemicals and ingredients distribution in North America, announces a new partnership with Viscofan DE, a global leader in collagen manufacturing. LBB Specialties will be Viscofan's preferred partner in the United States for their portfolio of premium collagen hydrolysates, including COLLinstant® and COLLinstant LMW®. "Viscofan has over 90 years of experience in the collagen market. We are excited to bring this expertise to our customer base, as these products meet global consumer demand for highly bioavailable ingredients with a major advantage over traditional collagen formulas," said Mike DeGennaro, Senior Vice President of LBB Specialties Food & Nutrition. Viscofan DE is the center of excellence for collagen products within the Viscofan group. Viscofan applies proprietary technologies and standardized extraction methods to process collagen from bovine skin for the development and industrial-scale production of novel collagen ingredients and biometrics. "LBB Specialties' technical expertise and dedicated commercial team is uniquely positioned to expand our innovative offerings in the US nutraceutical market," said James Murray, Business Manager at Viscofan. "Their existing portfolio of high-quality ingredients for health and wellness applications is the perfect complement to our COLLinstant® product line of collagen peptide alternatives." About LBB Specialties LBB Specialties is a leader in North American specialty chemicals and ingredients. It is a diversified supplier serving end-markets including care, food & nutrition, industrial specialties, and life sciences. LBB Specialties generates approximately $500 million in revenue annually and employs more than 110 commercial team members.

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Products and Technologies

Lygos & CJ FNT Partner to Deliver High-Performing, Sustainable Materials

Business Wire | October 19, 2023

Lygos, a sustainable specialty chemical company, and CJ Food & Nutrition Tech a global fermentation and biotechnology company and business unit of South Korea-based CJ CheilJedang, today announced the companies have signed an agreement to support large-scale manufacturing of amino and organic acid precursors for Lygos’ Soltellus™ & Ecoteria™ products. CJ has over 60 years in the fermentation business with expertise in microbial fermentation and infrastructure to scale and optimize production processes. The partnership enables Lygos to utilize CJ’s state-of-the-art manufacturing capacity, and access existing technology and optimization tools from their newly formed precision fermentation CDMO (Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization) business. Lygos intends to execute additional plans for near and mid-term demand for product applications of Soltellus and Ecoteria, while CJ will provide critical technical and strategic optimization for process and production to support commercialization. “CJ’s innovative approach enables efficient technology development, leverages robust production capabilities across the value chain, and is a strong complement to our current and future commercial product offerings,” said Eric Steen, CEO of Lygos. “This partnership augments our commercialization strategy of Collaborate to Accelerate by providing access to CJ’s technology and optimization capabilities for fermentation processes as well as the potential to collaborate on new products.” “Lygos represents a standout partner for us that has developed technology and commercial plans that meet our objectives for future growth,” said Lance Choi, CEO of CJ FNT. “We believe their success combined with our technical capabilities will help accrue additional partnerships to our CDMO business.” Soltellus™ polymers are sustainable, biodegradable, and water-soluble with applications in home care, agronomy, and water treatment. Ecoteria™ malonates offer safety, sustainability, performance, and supply resiliency benefits in fragrances, coatings, agriculture chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and other specialty applications. About Lygos Lygos is a pioneering sustainable specialty chemicals company, leading the world’s transition toward better, cleaner, and more sustainable products. We have built a proprietary and fully integrated platform of the most advanced technologies across synthetic biology, industrial chemistry, and application development to rapidly deliver market relevant solutions to some of the world’s biggest sustainability challenges. With a pipeline of high-performing, innovative solutions, Lygos is paving the way for generations of new sustainable solutions for our world.

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Chemical Management

Sinopec NZRCC Selects Lummus' Polypropylene Technology for Large-Scale Plant in China

PR Newswire | October 17, 2023

Lummus Technology, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven energy solutions, announced a contract from Sinopec Ningbo Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Co. Ltd. (Sinopec NZRCC), a subsidiary of the Sinopec Group and its flagship refining and petrochemical company. Sinopec NZRCC will license Lummus' Novolen® technology for a new 500 kilo ton per annum polypropylene plant in Ningbo, China. "With this award, our Novolen business strengthens its position in China and globally, reinforcing it as the industry's leader and preferred process for producing high-quality polypropylene," said Romain Lemoine, Chief Business Officer of Polymers and Petrochemicals, Lummus Technology. "We look forward to supporting Sinopec NZRCC's project to build this highly competitive plant by providing timely, superior process design- and implementation services." Lummus' scope includes the technology license, basic design engineering, training and project engineering services. Today, Novolen is the industry's leading polypropylene technology and can deliver a sustainable route for polymers production, while maximizing the financial benefits of operations through lower CAPEX and OPEX. The technology is highly flexible, robust, energy efficient and allows production of a full grade slate of leading polypropylene products of all product families, including homopolymers, random copolymers, terpolymers, impact copolymers and rTPO's. About Lummus Technology Lummus Technology is the global leader in developing technology solutions that make modern life possible and focus on a more sustainable, low carbon future. We license process technologies in clean fuels, renewables, petrochemicals, polymers, gas processing and supply lifecycle services, catalysts, proprietary equipment and digitalization to customers worldwide.

Read More

Chemical Management

LBB Specialties Announces Principal Partnership with Viscofan

PR Newswire | October 25, 2023

LBB Specialties (LBBS), a leader in specialty chemicals and ingredients distribution in North America, announces a new partnership with Viscofan DE, a global leader in collagen manufacturing. LBB Specialties will be Viscofan's preferred partner in the United States for their portfolio of premium collagen hydrolysates, including COLLinstant® and COLLinstant LMW®. "Viscofan has over 90 years of experience in the collagen market. We are excited to bring this expertise to our customer base, as these products meet global consumer demand for highly bioavailable ingredients with a major advantage over traditional collagen formulas," said Mike DeGennaro, Senior Vice President of LBB Specialties Food & Nutrition. Viscofan DE is the center of excellence for collagen products within the Viscofan group. Viscofan applies proprietary technologies and standardized extraction methods to process collagen from bovine skin for the development and industrial-scale production of novel collagen ingredients and biometrics. "LBB Specialties' technical expertise and dedicated commercial team is uniquely positioned to expand our innovative offerings in the US nutraceutical market," said James Murray, Business Manager at Viscofan. "Their existing portfolio of high-quality ingredients for health and wellness applications is the perfect complement to our COLLinstant® product line of collagen peptide alternatives." About LBB Specialties LBB Specialties is a leader in North American specialty chemicals and ingredients. It is a diversified supplier serving end-markets including care, food & nutrition, industrial specialties, and life sciences. LBB Specialties generates approximately $500 million in revenue annually and employs more than 110 commercial team members.

Read More

Products and Technologies

Lygos & CJ FNT Partner to Deliver High-Performing, Sustainable Materials

Business Wire | October 19, 2023

Lygos, a sustainable specialty chemical company, and CJ Food & Nutrition Tech a global fermentation and biotechnology company and business unit of South Korea-based CJ CheilJedang, today announced the companies have signed an agreement to support large-scale manufacturing of amino and organic acid precursors for Lygos’ Soltellus™ & Ecoteria™ products. CJ has over 60 years in the fermentation business with expertise in microbial fermentation and infrastructure to scale and optimize production processes. The partnership enables Lygos to utilize CJ’s state-of-the-art manufacturing capacity, and access existing technology and optimization tools from their newly formed precision fermentation CDMO (Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization) business. Lygos intends to execute additional plans for near and mid-term demand for product applications of Soltellus and Ecoteria, while CJ will provide critical technical and strategic optimization for process and production to support commercialization. “CJ’s innovative approach enables efficient technology development, leverages robust production capabilities across the value chain, and is a strong complement to our current and future commercial product offerings,” said Eric Steen, CEO of Lygos. “This partnership augments our commercialization strategy of Collaborate to Accelerate by providing access to CJ’s technology and optimization capabilities for fermentation processes as well as the potential to collaborate on new products.” “Lygos represents a standout partner for us that has developed technology and commercial plans that meet our objectives for future growth,” said Lance Choi, CEO of CJ FNT. “We believe their success combined with our technical capabilities will help accrue additional partnerships to our CDMO business.” Soltellus™ polymers are sustainable, biodegradable, and water-soluble with applications in home care, agronomy, and water treatment. Ecoteria™ malonates offer safety, sustainability, performance, and supply resiliency benefits in fragrances, coatings, agriculture chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and other specialty applications. About Lygos Lygos is a pioneering sustainable specialty chemicals company, leading the world’s transition toward better, cleaner, and more sustainable products. We have built a proprietary and fully integrated platform of the most advanced technologies across synthetic biology, industrial chemistry, and application development to rapidly deliver market relevant solutions to some of the world’s biggest sustainability challenges. With a pipeline of high-performing, innovative solutions, Lygos is paving the way for generations of new sustainable solutions for our world.

Read More

Chemical Management

Sinopec NZRCC Selects Lummus' Polypropylene Technology for Large-Scale Plant in China

PR Newswire | October 17, 2023

Lummus Technology, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven energy solutions, announced a contract from Sinopec Ningbo Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Co. Ltd. (Sinopec NZRCC), a subsidiary of the Sinopec Group and its flagship refining and petrochemical company. Sinopec NZRCC will license Lummus' Novolen® technology for a new 500 kilo ton per annum polypropylene plant in Ningbo, China. "With this award, our Novolen business strengthens its position in China and globally, reinforcing it as the industry's leader and preferred process for producing high-quality polypropylene," said Romain Lemoine, Chief Business Officer of Polymers and Petrochemicals, Lummus Technology. "We look forward to supporting Sinopec NZRCC's project to build this highly competitive plant by providing timely, superior process design- and implementation services." Lummus' scope includes the technology license, basic design engineering, training and project engineering services. Today, Novolen is the industry's leading polypropylene technology and can deliver a sustainable route for polymers production, while maximizing the financial benefits of operations through lower CAPEX and OPEX. The technology is highly flexible, robust, energy efficient and allows production of a full grade slate of leading polypropylene products of all product families, including homopolymers, random copolymers, terpolymers, impact copolymers and rTPO's. About Lummus Technology Lummus Technology is the global leader in developing technology solutions that make modern life possible and focus on a more sustainable, low carbon future. We license process technologies in clean fuels, renewables, petrochemicals, polymers, gas processing and supply lifecycle services, catalysts, proprietary equipment and digitalization to customers worldwide.

Read More

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