Improving productivity, flexibility, and speed in operations as well as processes is the goal which every industry player strives to achieve and digital transformation offers just that. With its many efficient and problem-solving technologies, the industry is slowly beginning to realize the plus points and necessity of this much needed transformation. After all, everyone wants to stay ahead in the game and nobody wants to be left out.

Time is running out! We have to get our greenhouse emissions under control and eliminate it completely before it’s too late. The effects of climate change are already beginning to appear and, in this background, the most carbon-intensive sectors have undertaken sustainable business strategies to achieve their net zero goals but is it going to be enough? PROCESS Worldwide lists down four progressive solutions that will help industries to decarbonize their operations.

Green ammonia is gradually becoming popular within the industry due to its outstanding benefits such as the production of zero-carbon fertilizers and fuel. It is also an excellent energy storage medium and carrier of hydrogen which makes it more attractive to industry players. Many big-ticket projects with a dedicated focus on producing green ammonia have been announced worldwide in recent years and with time it’s only going to increase as more and more industrial firms join the net-zero objective.

Keeping products in the economic cycle for as long as possible, closing material cycles, avoiding waste (including CO2) — awareness is now wide spread that the Circular Economy is more than “just” recycling. However, the extent of the transformation is only gradually becoming apparent. At Dechema’a Tutzing Symposium, the consensus was: if you really want to implement the Circular Economy, you have think big.

The 4th ‘China International Import Expo (CIIE)’ showed where the chemical industry in China is heading. At the beginning of November, while climate negotiations were taking place in Glasgow, keywords such as ‘low carbon,’ ‘green,’ or ‘circular economy’ also dominated the presentations of Chinese and international chemical companies at the Expo in Shanghai.

With sales of more than 2 trillion euros (2.26 trillion dollars; 2020), China is by far the largest chemical producer in the world. Even though growth has slowed from an average of 8.7 to 5.7 percent in recent years, this figure is still very impressive by global standards. This is also true for investments in property, plant and equipment, which amounted to 115 billion euros in 2020. Based on our China Market Insider series, we have summarized some interesting market trends and developments in China's chemical industry this year.

Any review of China’s chemical industry in 2021 is dominated by the two big issues the industry had to wrestle with: climate neutrality and Corona. These are the same issues that will dominate the year 2022. The industry as a whole in the People’s Republic is facing enormous challenges and changes — while at the same time there are great growth opportunities for certain sectors. However, the ongoing global epidemic, including in China, continues to create uncertainty.

Lanxess has introduced three new weak acid cation (WAC) resins along with two weak base anion exchange resins in its Lewatit product portfolio. The new WAC resins consist of renewable raw materials.

Climate protection can open up new markets for the chemical industry in China on a large scale in the coming decade. This also applies to European companies. As the chemical newspaper Zhongguo Huagong Xinxi Zhoukan reports, additional market demand of around 1.4 trillion Chinese yuan (about 222 billion dollars) will arise for several specific specialty chemicals needed for climate change.

Digital twins ensure competitiveness. This is the experience of numerous users in the process industry who are working with a solution developed by Siemens and Bentley Systems. Bart Moors from Siemens and Alistair Stubbs from Bentley Systems describe what makes this platform unique and, furthermore, how they can help customers to advance their digital maturity.