May 13, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WILMINGTON, Del. (USA) – Solenis LLC, a leading global producer of specialty chemicals, is proud to announce that Braskem, a global company and leading producer of plastics in the Americas, is among the winners of a 2023 Solenis Sustainability Award. Braskem, which is the only integrated first- and second-generation petrochemical company for thermoplastic resins in Brazil, is being recognized for initiatives at the company’s Q1 industrial facility in Camaçari, Brazil. The changes will allow the facility to reduce water consumption by more than 200,000 cubic meters per year and CO2 emissions by 5 tons per year.
Braskem recognized the need to improve the efficiency of the Q1 plant’s water-cooling systems to reduce water and energy consumption. High water hardness and scaling hindered the systems’ efficiency and increased water use.
To accomplish this goal, Braskem consulted with Solenis team members. Solenis technical experts provided expertise and solutions, including introducing a new scale inhibitor, Performax™ DC5002. This was combined with online monitoring of DC-5509 dispersant residuals and implemented with Solenis’ proprietary control capabilities. As a result of the changes, the cooling systems were able to operate at higher cycles of concentration, increasing from around 7.5 cycles to a minimum of 9 cycles.
The optimization initiatives significantly improved efficiency in the plant’s water-cooling operations. From October 2022 to September 2023, the Braskem team observed substantial reductions in clarified water consumption and the handling and transportation of water treatment chemicals. Based on those findings, analysis of the sustainability benefits suggests that the initiatives will save 208,200 cubic meters of fresh water and 16,585 kW of energy annually, delivering a total value of $311,613 per year, while also reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 5 tons each year.
The project leader at Braskem, Rodrigo Moreira, Production Manager of the Q1 unit, said of the project, “Receiving this award from Solenis was a reason for celebration for us, especially for the technical team, as it recognizes our journey so far and reinforces Braskem’s strategic direction, which is to make our industrial processes more sustainable. Having Solenis’ partnership in this process is very important.”
Magno Meliauskas, Regional Sales Director at Solenis, also credited the partnership for advancing both companies’ sustainability goals, saying, “We started an intense journey about six years ago at Braskem Camaçari. We’re proud to have played a role in helping the team implement innovative water treatment solutions that contributed to significant cost savings and resulted in profound sustainability benefits. This project illustrates the importance of partnerships in improving industrial practices.”
Solenis established the Sustainability Awards in 2020 to recognize projects that deliver reduced water use, reduced energy consumption, decreased greenhouse gas emissions, optimized raw material utilization, or reduced waste. Read more about the awards and winning projects on Solenis.com.