Page 127 - CW E-Magazine (1-4-2025)

Point of View

Chemical substances and materials will remain

essential building blocks of any future we build

The global chemical industry is facing challenges the likes of which have been seldom seen in its development. These have been
brought about by several factors, some very much the industry’s own doing, while others are external and brought about by societal and
regulatory pressures. How the industry goes about overcoming these will have consequences and will determine the form and structure
of the industry in the decades to come. This is of great importance, given that the industry is an essential one, not just as an enabler of
other industries, but also modern life.

As some of the following examples reveal, the chemical industry is not static but evolving. It is innovating products, processes, services,
and delivery models – all of which will make it even more relevant in the years to come. It is doing this even as many segments, notably
commodity chemicals,are in the midst of a deep and long downcycle that has taken operating rates, margins and profitability to lows, with
a recovery in most value chains a long way away.
Ammonia
No product of the industry epitomises the relevance and the challenges the industry faces as much as ammonia. It’s production from
two basic elements – hydrogen and nitrogen – is deceptively simple in chemistry, but hard in practice. The process remains energy-intensive
even as substantial improvements have been made in the original Haber-Bosch process developed more than a century ago. As it uses fossil
fuels as feedstock and energy source, ammonia production has a hefty carbon footprint and contributes substantially to global warming. But
its importance cannot be overstressed, particularly for agrarian economies as India. As a feedstock for making nitrogenous fertilisers that are
vital to replenish the depletion of this resource in soils, it has enabled 20-50% increase in crop yields across the world. The Geen Revolution
that underpinned India’s agricultural progress and lifted millions in rural India out of destitution and abject poverty would not have been
possible without the abundant availability of cheap fertilisers – made possible by ramping up ammonia production.
Ammonia also well represents the chemical industry’s current emphasis on decarbonisation. While nearly all of the ammonia produced
today comes from fossil fuels, several efforts are being undertaken to lower the carbon footprint associated with its manufacture. Aside
of incremental improvements to raising process efficiencies through better catalysts, astute engineering and automated operations, more
fundamental changes are ongoing. One approach is carbon sequestration, in which the carbon dioxide (CO ) produced in the manufacturing
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process is stowed away in underground geographical formations, producing a ‘blue’ ammonia with a smaller carbon footprint. A ‘green’
version uses hydrogen that comes from the splitting of water by electrolysis using renewable energy, but these are still early days for the
technology.

There are new uses emerging for ammonia, including as a hydrogen/energy carrier, as, unlike hydrogen, it can be shipped easily using
existing infrastructure (ships, tanks, pipelines). But widespread use of ammonia as an energy source will bring up the fuel vs food debate.

Epoxy resins
Epoxy resins are versatile polymers that offer high performance at reasonable costs. This has allowed these resins to carve out significant
markets in a range of applications.The coatings market is the largest use, accounting for about half of total demand on a global basis. For marine
coatings, in particular, epoxy resins are highly favoured, due the harsh environments they can handle. The combination of high flexibility, good
chemical resistance, ability to withstand temperatures in which packed foods are sterilised and their low cost have also made epoxy resins the
preferred choice for lining the interiors and exteriors of metallic food packaging.Their use in glass-filled composites for making wind turbine blades,
is also ahigh growth area, and exemplifies the role the chemical industry plays in sustainable development and in the ongoing energy transition.

But the business of epoxy resins has been shaped by regulatory concerns – as has the broad chemical industry. Much of the concern
is over the use of bisphenol-A – a suspected endocrine disruptor – as a raw material, in food contact applications (e.g., can coatings).
But the industry’s innovative ability has led to the development of alternate systems, including ones based on polyester, that have found
market acceptance.

The epoxy resins industry is also facing sustainability pressures and again reacting through innovation. While epoxy coatings have
traditionally been solvent-based systems in which the resin and curing agent (hardener) are dissolved, water-based systems, in which
the two components are available as emulsions in water, are now available with no compromise in properties such as protection against
corrosion.

Chemical Weekly April 1, 2025 127

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