Apr 18 2006
Huntsman Corporation has announced that it has formed a new strategic business unit dedicated to the enhancement of the Company’s Green Chemistry initiatives.
“Given the universal definition that Green Chemistry is the design of products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances, we have been avid devotees of Green Chemistry for several years,” said Performance Products Division President, Don Stanutz. “Our new strategic business unit, working closely with the research and development professionals at the Huntsman Advanced Technology Center, will now help us to significantly ramp up our efforts.”
Examples of Huntsman’s existing green, or sustainable, chemistry products include propylene carbonate based solvents that reduce toxicity in applications from agriculture to industrial cleaning agents, carbonates that reduce volatile organic compounds in paints, wood preservatives that replace a known human carcinogen, waterborne paint primers, non-brominated flame retardants and catalysts that eliminate emissions from insulation foams.
Mr. Stanutz commented, “These are but a few of our current sustainable chemistry products and the possibilities for more are endless. We are especially anxious to build our position in this burgeoning field through the use of bio-based feedstocks such as glycerin, natural alcohols, methylesters, carbohydrates and sugars.”
“One cannot speak about Green Chemistry without a discussion of energy conservation,” Mr. Stanutz continued. “Huntsman is a major contributor to energy conservation through its creation of such products as more energy efficient insulation, lighter composites that enhance fuel efficiency in automobiles and aircraft, and lubrication additives that improve fuel economy through reducing friction.”
“Energy efficiency and Green Chemistry are not only better for the environment, they make sound business sense,” he concluded.
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