Managing hazardous process exhausts in high volume manufacturing

The relentless scaling of structures and reduction in thermal process budgets that characterize state- of-the-art integrated circuit (IC) production have resulted in the incorporation of many complex and hazardous materials into high-volume manufacturing (HVM) processes. In order to meet the need to deposit these materials at ever-lower temperatures, many of the new process chemicals have low vapor pressures, are highly reactive and present serious hazards to personnel and equipment. Many new CVD precursors and their associated reaction by-products are flammable, pyrophoric, toxic (harmful-to-health), corrosive or otherwise hazardous to personnel or destructive to equipment, and have a tendency to condense in pipe-work, including process exhausts.

Spotlight

Ferrer

Ferrer is an international pharmaceutical company, headquartered in Barcelona with a presence in more than 90 countries. Our mission is to advance the wellbeing of society. We make our contribution through the pharmaceutical, health, fine chemicals and food sectors. Global reach Since the early 70s, Ferrer has gone from being one of the leading Spanish pharmaceutical companies to having an important international presence. Now, through a network of affiliates, joint ventures and partnerships, our products can be purchased from San Francisco to Seoul and from Berlin to Buenos Aires. Innovation for life: In Ferrer, we discover, research and develop medicines, diagnostics, vaccines, fine chemicals, food and feed. This commitment, put into practice every day across our R&D centres in Spain and abroad, has been recognised with the highest possible rating by the Spanish government's Profarma assessment system. Diversified healthcare: Ferrer operates across the entire healthcare spectrum. P

OTHER ARTICLES
Chemical Management

The Future of Supply Chain Management for Chemical Companies

Article | July 8, 2022

Individual consumers expect tailored products and services. Color, size, quantity, payment method, and delivery channel options abound. The chemical sector is also now following this suit of action. The global chemicals supply chain has grown steadily for three decades. Chemical businesses are improving their supply chain capabilities to handle complexity and meet client demands. This includes implementing advanced data-driven and cloud-based technologies that enable faster, more flexible, and tailored customer interactions. Areas of innovation for chemical companies Living Segmentation Living segmentation can help chemical businesses better serve clients and satisfy their expectations. This entails adapting supply chain capabilities to each customer's needs. Asset-light Network An asset-light network involves developing an ecosystem of partners to add capabilities and value to your supply chain beyond standard co-manufacturing, co-packing, and third-party or last-mile logistics providers. In addition, it should include technology partners that help chemical businesses innovate and be adaptable. Data and Applied Intelligence Improving speed, agility, and efficiency in global supply chains demands comprehensive visibility and the correct information. Data provides visibility and insights. The key to providing excellent customer service is gathering the appropriate data and using it strategically to get important insight. The industry generates a ton of data, which is excellent news. In response to last year's supply chain delays, corporations are building supply chains with geographically spread shipping/supplier choices. Real-time visibility and enhanced analytics can be used to track delays by providing revised ETAs and analyzing downstream implications. Data-driven insights can alert organizations of a delay almost immediately and help them acquire raw materials from another supplier to reduce the domino impact downstream. Chemical businesses must rethink their supply chains to implement living segmentation, asset-light networks, data, and AI.

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Chemical Management

The pandemic, climate change, plastic waste and the great divide: the world in 2025

Article | July 22, 2021

NOBODY SHOULD be surprised that the developing world has fallen behind in the battle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as the region is a long way from recovering from the pandemic.Evidence to this effect emerged last week in comments made by Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA). “In many emerging and developing economies, emissions are heading upwards while clean energy investments are faltering, creating a dangerous fault line in global efforts to reach climate and sustainable energy goals,” said Birol. At the current rate, carbon dioxide emissions from developing countries largely in Asia, Africa and Latin America are set to increase by 5bn tonnes/year over the next two decades, according to the IEA, as access to power increases.At present, around 785m people worldwide have no access to electricity. There are also 2.6bn people without access to clean cooking options.

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Chemical Technology

We need a global agreement that sets targets for reducing plastic waste

Article | June 6, 2022

What follows is an entirely personal take on the challenge of plastic waste and does not represent the views of ICIS or any other expert opinion I have sought out. The views are put forward in the spirit of debate as we move forward, as an industry, to solve the crisis of plastic waste.

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Science and Research

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

Article | June 27, 2021

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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Spotlight

Ferrer

Ferrer is an international pharmaceutical company, headquartered in Barcelona with a presence in more than 90 countries. Our mission is to advance the wellbeing of society. We make our contribution through the pharmaceutical, health, fine chemicals and food sectors. Global reach Since the early 70s, Ferrer has gone from being one of the leading Spanish pharmaceutical companies to having an important international presence. Now, through a network of affiliates, joint ventures and partnerships, our products can be purchased from San Francisco to Seoul and from Berlin to Buenos Aires. Innovation for life: In Ferrer, we discover, research and develop medicines, diagnostics, vaccines, fine chemicals, food and feed. This commitment, put into practice every day across our R&D centres in Spain and abroad, has been recognised with the highest possible rating by the Spanish government's Profarma assessment system. Diversified healthcare: Ferrer operates across the entire healthcare spectrum. P

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US, Canada outline plans to align hazcom standards

Chemical Watch | March 11, 2020

Regulators from the US and Canada have laid out plans to coordinate efforts on workplace hazard communication standards as the two countries implement updates to the UN's Globally Harmonized System of classification and labelling of chemicals (GHS). According to the US-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) 2019-20 workplan, released this week, the council expects to roll out joint guidance on the implementation of GHS and interpreting requirements for safety data sheets (SDSs) and communicating product hazards across the two jurisdictions. Another primary goal, highlighted in the RCC workplan, is to have "one label and one SDS" that is acceptable in both countries. US and Canadian regulators also will continue to work together to push for a common position on the GHS at future UN meetings and plan to hold a stakeholder meeting this summer.

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Protecting people from chemical hazards — another EPA failure in the making

TheHill | November 25, 2019

Most Americans assume that the chemicals in the consumer products we buy, such as that long list of unpronounceable ingredients in your bathroom cleaner or laundry detergent, have been tested and found safe for people and the environment. The truth is, not so much. And Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is missing an important opportunity to make those products safer. For decades, efforts to ensure chemical safety were stymied by an ineffective regulatory regime: the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976, which regulated household and industrial compounds, was widely regarded as toothless. During my 20-plus year career at EPA, I served as a senior manager in the agency’s toxics program from 1987 to 1989. The weakness of the original TSCA was a key factor in my decision to leave that position.

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phys.org | March 20, 2018

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Regulators from the US and Canada have laid out plans to coordinate efforts on workplace hazard communication standards as the two countries implement updates to the UN's Globally Harmonized System of classification and labelling of chemicals (GHS). According to the US-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) 2019-20 workplan, released this week, the council expects to roll out joint guidance on the implementation of GHS and interpreting requirements for safety data sheets (SDSs) and communicating product hazards across the two jurisdictions. Another primary goal, highlighted in the RCC workplan, is to have "one label and one SDS" that is acceptable in both countries. US and Canadian regulators also will continue to work together to push for a common position on the GHS at future UN meetings and plan to hold a stakeholder meeting this summer.

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TheHill | November 25, 2019

Most Americans assume that the chemicals in the consumer products we buy, such as that long list of unpronounceable ingredients in your bathroom cleaner or laundry detergent, have been tested and found safe for people and the environment. The truth is, not so much. And Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is missing an important opportunity to make those products safer. For decades, efforts to ensure chemical safety were stymied by an ineffective regulatory regime: the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976, which regulated household and industrial compounds, was widely regarded as toothless. During my 20-plus year career at EPA, I served as a senior manager in the agency’s toxics program from 1987 to 1989. The weakness of the original TSCA was a key factor in my decision to leave that position.

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Tiny gels sop up intestinal toxins

phys.org | March 20, 2018

Bacterial infections that target the intestine can cause conditions that range from uncomfortable to deadly. While it's easy to blame the bacteria, it's actually the toxins the bacteria produce that trigger inflammation, diarrhea, fever and cramps. Treatment strategies typically include indiscriminate antibiotics that slaughter health-promoting gut bacteria along with disease-causing microbes. Researchers now report the development of a microgel scavenger that targets toxins instead of bacteria. The researchers will present their work today at the 255th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS)."We want to develop a new therapy that is based on scavenging the toxins rather than killing both the good and bad bacteria," says Alexander Kuehne, Ph.D. "This way inflammation can be reduced while supporting the natural intestinal flora and holding the bad bacteria at bay."About three decades ago, Kuehne says, scientists developed a particle that used electronic charge to bind toxins in the intestine. It made it to the clinical testing stage, he says, but had too many non-specific targets for further development. This idea was the basis, though, for Kuehne's team's current project.

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