That the global chemical industry with a worth of $2 trillion has an enormous impact on economy, society and the environment, is undisputed. However, with regard to the nowadays unstable economic and political situation worldwide, an increasing rate of development in science and technology and higher customer demands, chemical companies have to struggle for competitive advantages.
A key factor for a company to maintain its market position and even enlarge it is successful innovation. Furthermore, the direction of innovation plays a major role for sustainable growth of a company.
Nowadays, the basis of innovation in chemical industry is defined by sustainability and environmental protection due to climate change, pollution and therefore stricter regulations.
But of course every manufacturing company, as most of the companies in chemical industry manufacture, searches for ways to produce more efficient, faster and cheaper.
So might there be a way to combine both desires and transform the chemical industry to be more sustainable and increase their economic benefit at the same time?
Even if one can hardly imagine, “green” chemistry is about to achieve both of these goals and leads to transformational changes in chemical industry due to “green” innovations in various chemical fields. Pike Research, a market research and consulting firm, predicts that “green chemistry represents a market opportunity that will grow from $2.8 billion in 2011 to $98.5 billion in 2020” and, which is also extremely promising for chemical companies, that green chemicals will save industry $65.5 billion by 2020.
Various chemical inventions and technological developments, for example in the expanding field of catalysis, set the basis for the production of new, less-hazardous and multifunctional chemicals, which is at the same time more efficient and environmentally friendly.
Hence, the impact on chemical industry through inventions in the field of green chemistry is obviously enormous. But how exactly do inventions in green chemistry, especially in the promising field of catalysis, affect innovation in chemical industry?
Therefore, to find an answer to this question, the field of green chemistry and its potential to foster innovation in chemical industry is going to be examined in this work.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
2. Review of Literature
2.1 Innovation in chemical industry
2.1.1 Categories of innovation in chemical industry
2.1.2 Critical innovation success factors for companies highly relying on R&D - the three P’s
2.1.3 Substream: F3-Factory
2.2 Green chemistry - the innovative state-of-the-art field in chemical industry
2.2.1 What is green chemistry?
2.2.2 The impact of green chemistry on a company
2.2.3 Substream: Supporting the shift towards green chemistry by sustainability marketing
2.3 Catalysis - a driver for economic, social and environmental benefits
3. Synthesis of Literature Review
4. Example from case studies
4.1 Elevance Renewable Sciences
4.2. Monsanto Company
5. Discussion of the Cases in the light of the Literature Synthesis
6. Conclusions
Research Objective and Scope
This work explores how scientific inventions in green chemistry, particularly in the field of catalysis, can be transformed by chemical companies into successful innovations that generate economic, social, and environmental benefits. It examines the mechanisms by which research-driven inventions are converted into sustainable business practices.
- Theoretical framework of innovation categories in the chemical industry.
- The role of "People, Processes, and Partnerships" as critical success factors.
- The transformative potential of Green Chemistry and the F3-Factory concept.
- Catalysis as a foundational pillar for sustainable industrial production.
- Case studies of Elevance Renewable Sciences and Monsanto regarding catalytic innovations.
Excerpt from the Book
4.1 Elevance Renewable Sciences
Green chemistry is one of the development’s axes which interests more and more companies and governments. France, for example. wishes better chemicals for the environment which was seen by the launch of the "New Industrial France" by President François Hollande. A main objective in the chemical industry and all its concerning branches is to find solutions to reduce the use of petrol. The American company Elevance Renewable Sciences has won the Presidential Green Chemistry Award in 2012 because their syntheses of high-performance, specialty chemicals out of renewable vegetable oils by using a Nobel Prize-winning innovation in metathesis catalysis.
With its head office in Woodridge, Ill., Elevance Renewable Sciences creates considerable chemical specialties from natural oil. The applications of their products are multiple: lubricants, cleaning products, cleaners etc. Elevance will open its third biorefinery in Sabah, Malaysia. The company already manages one in Indonesia in Gresik and soon a second will be operational in Natchez in the Mississippi. It is the reconversion of a biodiesel site.
Elevance Renewable Sciences leans on an exclusive technology based on Nobel Prize-winning innovations in metathesis catalysis by Dr Robert H. Grubbs, Dr Yves Chauvin, and Dr Richard Schrock in 2005. This innovation allowed them to realize effectively the synthesis of complex molecules by using an innovative catalytic reaction. Through this, vegetable oil, a renewable raw material, e.g. from palm, mustard, soya or seaweeds, can be transformed into olefins (generic name of a type of hydrocarbons) which leads to high-performance or other specialty chemicals. These can be used in multiple applications. The catalysts of this metathesis allowed the chemists to invent new access strategies to more and more complex molecules. Elevance company has therefore been built up around this scientific finding in the field of catalysis and, by mixing the metathesis of natural oil with industrial processes to produce specialty chemicals in an economic and environment-friendly way, it gains an outstanding market position as it "addresses a market $176 billion in the specialty chemicals industry" (5).
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Outlines the necessity for sustainable innovation in the chemical industry to maintain competitiveness and addresses the research questions regarding green chemistry and catalysis.
2. Review of Literature: Provides a theoretical foundation covering innovation categories, success factors, green chemistry principles, and the role of catalysis.
3. Synthesis of Literature Review: Integrates the reviewed concepts to develop a framework linking scientific inventions to sustainable innovation outcomes.
4. Example from case studies: Analyzes the practical application of catalytic innovations through the real-world examples of Elevance Renewable Sciences and Monsanto.
5. Discussion of the Cases in the light of the Literature Synthesis: Critically evaluates the case studies against the theoretical models, highlighting the impact of green chemistry on business strategy.
6. Conclusions: Summarizes the key findings, confirming that catalytic innovation is a driver for economic, social, and environmental success in the chemical industry.
Keywords
Green Chemistry, Innovation, Chemical Industry, Catalysis, Sustainability, Metathesis, R&D, Sustainability Marketing, F3-Factory, Elevance Renewable Sciences, Monsanto, Glyphosate, Sustainable Development, Industrial Processes, Competitive Advantage
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The research investigates how the chemical industry leverages green chemistry inventions, specifically catalysis, to transition towards more sustainable and economically viable innovation models.
What are the core thematic areas?
Key areas include the categorization of innovation, the three P’s (People, Processes, Partnerships), the twelve principles of green chemistry, and the role of sustainability marketing in corporate strategy.
What is the research goal?
The goal is to determine how scientific catalytic inventions can be successfully transformed into innovations that simultaneously provide economic, social, and environmental benefits.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The work employs a literature review combined with a qualitative analysis of two specific case studies, Elevance Renewable Sciences and Monsanto, to validate theoretical findings.
What does the main body cover?
It covers general innovation dynamics in chemicals, the specific innovative state-of-the-art field of green chemistry, and the foundational importance of catalysis in modern manufacturing.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is defined by terms like Green Chemistry, Catalysis, Innovation, Sustainability, and Industrial Transformation.
How does the F3-Factory concept contribute to the discussion?
The F3-Factory acts as a visionary practical model demonstrating how modular, flexible manufacturing can revolutionize chemical production and business models.
Why were Elevance and Monsanto selected as case studies?
They were selected as recipients of the Presidential Green Chemistry Award, serving as ideal examples of how different company types (a newcomer versus an established corporation) translate catalytic inventions into successful, sustainable innovations.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2017, Green Chemistry. Innovation in the Chemical Industry, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/369630
