Promotion Polyimide hollow bres on their way through the spinning bath. Investment in the future Evonik, the creative industry group from Germany, is one of the world’s leading companies for specialty chemicals. Its corporate strategy focuses on pro table growth and sustainable increase of enterprise value. JUNE 2016 37 © Evonik Industries The group’s activities focus on important mega-trends such as health, nutrition, resource effi ciency as well as globalisation. Evonik benefi ts particularly from its innovative strength and integrated technology platforms. Expansion of the membrane business towards gas separation Evonik is currently expanding into the promising membrane business. This is why the specialty chemicals company will further expand its Austrian site in Lenzing/Schörfl ing and double the existing production capacities for the SEPURAN® brand’s hollow fi bre modules. The membrane separates gases like methane, nitrogen, or hydrogen from gas mixtures particularly effi ciently. Evonik invests a two-digit million euros amount into this facility. The production of additional membrane modules is scheduled to launch by the end of 2017. With this investment, Evonik also creates more than 30 new jobs in Schörfl ing. Promising growth market Gas separation with membranes is a rather new technology in comparison to conventional methods like gas liquefaction. Experts predict stronger growth rates for gases from membrane-based separation processes due to their higher effi ciency and lower costs in comparison to conventional gas separation methods. Nitrogen has the biggest market volume in the fi eld of gas separation via membranes with more than 40 percent. The advantages of Evonik’s membrane technology for gas separation are its precise separation of gases and increased productivity. Rettig says, “With our technology, our clients benefi t from signifi cantly improved energy efficiency and considerable cost savings. The new hollow fi bre spinning plant will allow us to provide our clients with our innovative technology for effi cient gas separation even more fl exibly and quickly.” In Schörfl ing, Evonik has been producing gas separation modules especially for the biogas market as well as hydrogen and helium extraction. The new hollow fi bre spinning plant will produce membrane modules particularly for the extraction of nitrogen. Polyimide, a highperformance plastic, is produced nearby in Lenzing, before it is spun and further processed in Schörfl ing. Lenzing’s infrastructure will also be expanded. Resource-effi cient developments The SEPURAN® family of Evonik’s resource effi ciency segment comprises membranes for biogas treatment, nitrogen extraction as well as helium and hydrogen treatment. The company’s department for high performance polymers has been developing and producing highperformance plastics in this segment for more than 50 years, which pave the way for resource-effi cient new developments in a broad range of sectors. QUERIES & CONTACT Evonik Fibres GmbH 4861 Schörfl ing • Gewerbepark 4 Phone: +43/7672/701-2891 sepuran@evonik.com www.sepuran.de
NEW BUSINESS - EXPORT TODAY 1/2016
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