January 2008

Sustainable solutions for clean water

Photo: view over the calm sea in a clear, blue sky

About 6000 people die every day because they have no access to clean water. The UN has defined improved access to clean drinking water as a Millenium Development Goal. BASF has already successfully reduced its emissions into water and strives for further improvement in this field. It is also developing products that improve drinking water quality. ABATE^®, for example, destroys the larvae of diseasecausing insects in stagnant waters. This product has helped to almost completely eradicate the guineaworm, an organism endemic in Africa. This parasite causes painful infections in its human victims. ARM 300 granules, on the other hand, eliminate arsenic from drinking water. This product is mainly used in the USA. BASF also manufactures special polymers that extend the life cycle of desalination plants used to obtain drinking water. As well as offering customers a range of individual products for handling water and waste water, as part of the Success initiative BASF also supplies allround solutions, from waste water checks to preventive water pollution control.

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Success initiative

Energyefficient technologies in China

As part of the initiative "Germany and China – Moving Ahead Together", BASF presented energyefficient and sustainable technologies for housing and the automotive industry in a pavilion on the "German Esplanade" in Nanjing. More than 50,000 visitors showed great interest in the sustainable technologies that can significantly contribute to environmental protection in China. The pavilion offers both interested public and experts the opportunity to extensively inform themselves. Sustainable solutions in the high growth segments construction and mobility are especially interesting for China since they can help reduce environmental burdens compared to conventional solutions. A particular attraction was the Kids Lab in which children can gain a handson acquaintance with chemistry. As part of the German-Chinese Initiative, the BASF pavilion will then be moving on from Nanjing to visit other large Chinese cities. The initiative is planned for completion in 2010. With this presentation of sustainable technologies and materials, BASF is making a major contribution to cooperative knowledge transfer and sustainable development in China.

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Pilot plant for CO₂ capture in coalfired power plants

BASF, RWE Power and the Linde Group are jointly developing new processes for CO₂ capture from combustion gases in coalfired power plants. Under a joint venture, the trio will construct and operate a pilot facility at a lignitefired power plant of RWE Power AG. Here, new developments and solvents from BASF for the capture of CO₂ - known as CO₂ scrubbing - will be tested. The plant pilot facility is to carry out longterm testing of these solvents with a view to gaining an understanding of processes and plant engineering to improve CO₂ capture technology. The goal is to apply CO₂ capture commercially in lignitefired power plants by 2020. With this technology, more than 90 percent of CO₂ could be removed from the combustion gas of a power plant and then subsequently stored underground. Since 2004, RWE and BASF have been involved in the EU sponsored CASTOR climate protection project which, together with European Universities, is seeking to find methods to remove and store CO₂. When the pilot tests have been successfully completed, a decision will then be taken about constructing a demonstration plant.

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Polyamide from renewable raw materials

A material developed by BASF over fifty years ago – a polyamide based on sebacic acid – is undergoing a renaissance. At the world's largest plastics exhibition, BASF unveiled Ultramid^® BALANCE, which is based to the extent of about 60 percent on sebacic acid which is derived from castor oil. This established and now revitalized material combines product properties such as good lowtemperature impact resistance with a relatively low density for a polyamide, which in automotive construction, for example, allows savings in weight, associated costs and emissions. The new polyamide therefore features an extended range of uses. Besides Ultramid^® BALANCE, BASF has another plastic in its portfolio that is produced in substantial measure from castor oil: BASF's subsidiary Elastogran has already presented its new polyol Lupranol^® BALANCE 50. This can be used for manufacturing slabstock foams for mattress production. Castor oil is obtained from the seed of the castor oil plant. Lupranol^® BALANCE 50 is made up of 31 percent castor oil. This very high percentage of renewable raw material in the finished product is a breakthrough in the realm of polyurethanebased products. This has been made possible Through the use of BASF’s cuttingedge catalyst technology.

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New research agreement for more efficient photovoltaic cells

Photo: a thin layer with photovoltaic cells

G24 Innovations Limited (G24i) and BASF have announced a joint development agreement. The two companies will initiate a program to develop ionic liquids and formulations that further improve both performance and efficiency of G24i’s solar cells using a proprietary dyesensitized thin film technology. The photovoltaic cells produced by G24i are sensitive to far more of the visible spectrum of light than conventional solar cells, so that all sorts of light sources can be used to generate power, even at relatively low levels of light intensity. The photovoltaic process used is roughly similar to photosynthesis in plants: a special ruthenium dye assumes the role of chlorophyll, turning light into electrical energy in a chemical process. Specifically adapted to the electrode and dye system, the ionic liquids are key to ensuring that the solar cell will generate power in a reliable and stable manner. BASF is bringing into this cooperative development project its extensive expertise in ionic liquids that are used to the same extent as the highly automated dye technology for solar cells of the British company G24i.

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Eco-efficient insulation of roofs

Photo: a house entrance with painted parts

BASF's ULTRA-Cool^® coating technology, used to insulate the roofs of houses, performed very convincingly in an ecoefficiency analysis of conventional roof construction materials. The methodology and the results were confirmed by independent institutions in the USA and Germany. ULTRA-Cool^® coating technology increases the reflectivity of coatings on exposure to sunlight. Especially for dark colors, this produces an economizing effect for cooling buildings. In turn, CO₂ emissions and the associated ecological and monetary costs are reduced. The product was developed by BASF Corporation. ULTRA-Cool^® coating technology is especially popular in the hot southern states of the USA.

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CO₂ reduction in Brazilian homes

BASF Brazil has initiated a pilot project focusing on the reduction of private CO₂ emissions. The project aims to raise awareness for the environmentally friendly use of raw materials in the home and to foster resource sparing practices. The project is being implemented in cooperation with the regional competence centre for ecoefficiency "Espaço ECO", founded by BASF. Altogether 1500 employees are involved who are not only extensively trained in environmental issues but are also coached to act as multipliers passing on their knowledge to other employees. Initial practical experience for the multipliers consists in constructing a CO₂ neutral house. The target for the first year of this longterm project is the education and training of the multipliers, while the savings will be assessed later on.

Further information on Espaço ECO

Beijing buses with BASF catalysts

BASF Catalysts is supplying selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology for Beijing transit buses. BASF Catalysts is thereby helping operators meet Euro IV standards which will be binding in mainland China from 2010. About 450 buses equipped with this environment sparing technology are already on Beijing streets by the end of 2007. An additional 600 buses are scheduled to receive the SCR catalysts in 2008. The SCR technology cuts harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from the buses by more than 60 percent.

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BASF House in Nottingham – low energy and low building costs

BASF is building a low energy house in cooperation with the Department of Architecture of Nottingham University (UK). Stateoftheart construction materials made from BASF materials such as Neopor^®, Elastopor^® and Micronal PCM^® Smartboard, are being used as energyefficient insulation. The aim is not only to save energy and improve insulation, but also to use renewable energies while constructing an affordable house. This objective not only helps to minimize emissions, but also drastically reduces running costs. Thermal efficiency is achieved, among other means, by the use of the BASF product Micronal PCM^®. This is an insulating element which has a wax core that changes its properties depending on the temperature. When the temperature rises in summer, the wax liquefies and absorbs heat. When the temperature falls again, the wax solidifies and the heat stored until then can be released again, allowing better regulation of indoor temperatures. Besides BASF and Nottingham University, other companies are also involved in the project.

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Transport safety roadshow in Thailand

BASF’s Transportation, Distribution and Safety team and BASF Thai have presented its program "SMILE" in Thailand. The program communicates safety standards for the handling of materials during transportation and distribution. Not only logistic service providers and customers of BASF's products benefit from this comprehensive introduction to European safety standards, but also the communities in which they operate. The propagation of safety standards is a sustainable contribution to individual, collective and ecological protection in the regions of Asia Pacific. The program also includes cooperation with the local authority. Together with the Department for Industrial Works, the information tool ERICards (Emergency Response Intervention Cards) has been provided an online to all stakeholders. About fifty companies of BASF’s customers, industry partners, local authorities and transportation and distribution service providers attended the inaugural event. After Thailand, the program is to be extended to include other countries in the Asia Pacific region such as China or Malaysia.

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Awards for BASF’s sustainability communication

Photo: Dr. Lothar Meinzer receives the award

BASF’s sustainability communication has been awarded twice for its quality in 2007. The consultancy Jungle Rating has ranked the sustainability website of BASF highest among 53 companies that are listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. The rating highlighted quality, accountability as well as the uptodate information. The Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) has ranked the sustainability reports of the 150 biggest German companies. BASF has been ranked as best chemical company and achieved the third position, especially for its reporting of social issues. Lothar Meinzer, head of the Sustainability Center received the award in December.

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European CSR Alliance: demographic change

BASF, Evonik, SAP and econsense start with first Dialogue Workshop
Under the title "Shaping demographic change in Europe together", about 60 experts from politics, labor unions, business and science attended the first Dialogue Workshop in Berlin at the end of 2007 to discuss how the challenges of demographic change can be mastered. The invitations were sent out by econsense together with BASF, Evonik Industries and SAP. The "Demographic Change Laboratory" founded at the beginning of the year is integrated in the European Commission Alliance for CSR – a partnership of politics and business. Its aim is to identify corporate solution options for demographic change. Besides representatives of the German Parliament, labor unions, the financial market and the world of science, BASF participated in the panel discussion as coinitiator of the laboratory. The results will be presented in April 2008 at a conference in Brussels under the patronage of EU Commissioner Wladimir Spidla. During the CSR Marketplace in Brussels in December 2007 Commissioner Spidla caught up for BASF’s current measures regarding demographic change.

Further information

Homepage of the Laboratory

Contact:

Tanja Castor
BASF SE
Sustainability Center

Phone: +49 621 60-97322

Fax: +49 621 60-95873

E-mail: tanja.castor@basf.com

Internet: http://www.basf.de/nachhaltigkeit