Albemarle Introduces Next Product in the Earthwise Portfolio of Sustainable, Eco-Friendly Solutions

April 12th, 2012

Innovative polymeric fire safety solution is result of technology license from Dow

(BATON ROUGE, La.) April 12, 2011–Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), a leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of flame retardants, announced today that it has expanded its Earthwise™ platform of sustainable products by introducing a new polymeric flame retardant for use in extruded (XPS) and expanded (EPS) polystyrene applications.

This new technology, licensed from Dow Global Technologies LLC (DGTL), a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), will be commercialized under Albemarle’s Earthwise brand and provides a stable, high molecular weight, non-PBT (Persistent, Bioaccumulative, Toxic) polymeric technology for use in these demanding applications. This new technology is expected to become the preferred choice to meet critical fire safety requirements for both XPS and EPS.

Albemarle’s agreement to manufacture and sell this premium technology confirms the company’s commitment to provide customers with sustainable, innovative fire safety solutions that meet the increasing demands of global regulations and standards, such as energy efficiency and sustainable design for these thermal insulation materials.

“This expansion of our Earthwise portfolio is another sign of our position as the industry leader in flame retardants, and joins our other key polymeric platforms, Green Armor™ and our family of brominated polystyrene products, SAYTEX® HP-3010, HP-7010 and 621,” said Brian Carter, Division Vice President of global brominated flame retardants.  “Albemarle expects to commercialize this new technology in 2014 and is already working closely with customers to fully qualify the product in both applications.”

Albemarle’s flame retardant business is part of the Company’s fire safety solutions within the Polymer Solutions business segment.

About Albemarle
Albemarle Corporation, headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is a leading global developer, manufacturer, and marketer of highly-engineered specialty chemicals for consumer electronics, petroleum refining, utilities, packaging, construction, automotive/transportation, pharmaceuticals, crop protection, food-safety and custom chemistry services. The Company is committed to global sustainability and is advancing its eco-practices and solutions in its three business segments, Polymer Solutions, Catalysts and Fine Chemistry. Corporate Responsibility Magazine selected Albemarle to its prestigious “100 Best Corporate Citizens” list for 2010 and 2011.  Albemarle employs approximately 4,000 people and serves customers in approximately 100 countries. Albemarle regularly posts information to www.albemarle.com, including notification of events, news, financial performance, investor presentations and webcasts, Regulation G reconciliations, SEC filings, and other information regarding the Company, its businesses and the markets we serve.

Whether consumers are watching a television, sitting on a sofa, taking a commercial airline flight, or swallowing ibuprofen to relieve a headache, Albemarle products are there making lives safer and more livable.  For more information, visit www.earthwiseinside.com.

Albemarle Media Contact:  Ashley Mendoza, (225) 388-7137, Ashley.Mendoza@albemarle.com

Albemarle Investor Relations Contact: Lorin Crenshaw, (225) 388-7322, Lorin.Crenshaw@albemarle.com

About The Dow Chemical Company
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow’s diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.

The Dow Chemical Company Media Contact:  Erik van Oosten, (989) 636-5090, evanoosten@dow.com

“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding Albemarle Corporation’s business that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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Posted in Albemarle, Chemistry, Company Information, Energy, Global Business, Sustainability, Uncategorized

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Production of Biofuels is Expected to Increase Significantly Over the Next Several Years

March 16th, 2012

The increased demand for innovative biofuels is prompting fuel producers to look for alternative sources of feedstock that are more sustainable.  For example, sugars and starches can be used for the production of ethanol while animal fats and vegetable oils can be used in the production of biodiesel.  Alternative feedstocks include bio-degradable wastes, aquatic biomass such as algae and seaweed, and biomass such as wood, bagasse, corn stover and grasses.

In response to increased demand for alternatives fuels, Albemarle has developed a line of catalyst that will facilitate the production of biofuels from biomass.  These catalysts make up our GoBioTM portfolio.

Among our GoBio products, Albemarle offers catalytic solutions for renewable diesel and biodiesel production using two primary processes. In the first process, vegetable oils and fats are reacted with methanol to produce fatty acid methyl-esters (FAME or biodiesel). This process utilizes our new  heterogeneous products, GoBio TS-15 or T300.

In the second process, vegetable oils and fats are converted into paraffin via a refinery-based hydrotreating process.  The process also utilizes a heterogeneous catalyst which leads to significant process improvements.   Albemarle’s heterogeneous catalysts have been successfully used in the NExBTL® process, a process developed by Finnish oil company Neste Oil.  The first commercial NExBTL units are now in operation and are producing high quality renewable diesel.

We also interact with a diverse group of companies to investigate their specific biomass conversion needs. In addition to oil companies, these organizations include technology providers and engineering firms.

For Albemarle’s portfolio of biofuel catalyst, click here.

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Posted in Albemarle, Biofuels, Chemistry, Eco-regulation, Energy, Green awards, OEM's, Recycling, Uncategorized

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Environmental Health News Gets it Wrong About ACC and Underplays Benefits of Flame Retardant

December 1st, 2011

By Anne Kolton

The American Chemistry Council works to educate policymakers about how chemistry makes life better for people across the country and around the world. That’s why it’s discouraging to see reports, like the one that appeared today in Environmental Health News, that misrepresent ACC’s advocacy initiatives. Prominent among the inaccuracies was the implication that all expenditures from ACC in California were related to flame retardants – that is simply not true.

Regardless, the real story is that flame retardants save lives. For example, aviation experts cite improved flame-retardant technologies in cabin seats and furnishings among the critical engineering advancements that have increased passengers’ chances of surviving an airline accident.

Our member companies are at the forefront of innovating new flame retardants, which undergo extensive testing by manufacturers and the safety data are scrutinized by government agencies in the U.S. and abroad. And there is a great deal of information showing that flame retardants play a crucial role in protecting people from the devastation of fire.

Unfortunately, we’ve found time and again that these important facts do not receive the attention they deserve, while, in the age of social media, the most alarming stories take on a life of their own. That’s part of the reason why ACC has to commit so much time and effort educating policymakers and the public, and countering misinformation.

We hope you will share this information with your friends and encourage anyone with questions to visit www.americanchemistry.com.

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Posted in Biofuels, EPA, Energy, Flame Retardants, Green Chemistry, Uncategorized

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New Green Careers Grow as Sustainability is a Critical Business Goal

July 14th, 2011

Jobs opportunities may seem slim, but positions tied to sustainability are on the rise. Companies are creating job titles such as chief sustainability executive or VP of earth stewardship. These new roles have responsibilities that include: finding better ways to protect the planet, save energy, minimize the carbon foot-print, maintaining an environmentally friendly work place and overseeing their sustainability efforts and communications with an annual green report.

The number of online job postings containing the keyword ‘sustainability’ quadrupled, which aggregates online job postings.

What new positions is your company adding that contain sustainable keywords? If so, we’d love to know.

Need a good reference for eco-employment? Check out: Greenjobs, a guide to eco friendly employment.

Read more about the sustainability job market as covered in the Wall Street Journal, click here.

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Posted in Albemarle, Consumer eco-products, Economic development, Electric, Electronics, Energy, Global Business, Green Chemistry, Innovation and ideas, Sustainability, Uncategorized, fire safety

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Using less, Living Better Drives Green Week Conference

June 22nd, 2011

Green Week is the biggest annual conference on European environmental policy and took place from May 24th to the 27th in Brussels and around Europe. This year’s theme: “Resource Efficiency – Using less, living better”.

The conference addressed the problem of resource depletion and scarcity, as well as the challenges and opportunities presented by constraints on resources. Albemarle’s European Advocacy Departmentsustainable growth. Over the past decade, the conference has established itself as ‘the event not to miss’ for anyone involved with protecting Europe’s environment. attended this conference that aimed to encourage a shift towards a resource-efficient, low-carbon, low-waste economy to achieve

Sustainability topics ran the gamut of industries and markets. Presentations and discussions focused on phosphorous depletion (focus on agricultural/food use), green chemistry, sustainable consumption and production (SCP), as well as Green Public Procurement (GPP).

Some of the Presentations/discussion panels included:

If you missed the event and want to learn more about Europe’s sustainability progress, visit the Green Week 2011 site.

For more on Albemarle’s sustainability initiatives, visit the Albemarle and the Earthwise sites.

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Posted in Air and water, Albemarle, Alternative fuels, Chemistry, Company Information, Conferences, Consumer attitudes, Consumer eco-products, EPA, Eco-awards, Energy, European Chemical Industry Council, Events, Global Business, Uncategorized

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What Are the True Impacts of Recent Oil Spill and Other Natural Disasters in the Gulf of Mexico?

June 10th, 2011

14-week Scientific Voyage to Study Important Ocean Habits and Ecosystem.

Albemarle Corporation, Ocean Alliance and the University of Southern Maine are coming together to study the impacts of recent oil spills and natural disasters in the Gulf of Mexico. The study will last 14-weeks and is expected to start from Key West, FL with a ten person team using a 93 foot floating laboratory called Odyssey. The team will collect samples from fish, squid, krill, sperm and Brydes whales, and the water from depths of up to 3,000 feet to try to monitor and gauge the health of the Gulf ecosystem. The start of this expedition was set to begin on June 8th.

For more information of this voyage and to learn more about Albemarle, Ocean Alliance and The Wise Laboratory at the University of Southern Maine, click here.

Do you know of other studies around this important environmental topic?

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Posted in Albemarle, Biofuels, Chemistry, Company Information, Global Business, Green marketing, Sustainable transportation fuels, Uncategorized

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How Technologies are Making Properties Less Flammable

April 26th, 2011

Add to the list of things we take for granted in modern society the end of major fires as a threat to cities and communities. The great Chicago fire in 1871 killed hundreds and burned over 17,000 buildings. The same year, the Peshtigo fire in Wisconsin claimed 1,500 lives. Nowadays first still claim lives, but if far fewer numbers and with far less loss of property.  This is not really so much a result of vastly improved firefighting, though that has improved dramatically. It has as much to do with the better home and office fire prevention technologies, the improvements in electricity and heating systems, and the creation of highly effective fire-retardant materials and additives to materials so that things will either not catch fire or will burn slowly enough to allow firefighters to arrive.

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Posted in Albemarle, Chemistry, Company Information, Flame Retardants, Sustainability, Uncategorized, fire safety

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ACC Announces 2011 Responsible Care® Energy Efficiency Award Winners

April 20th, 2011
WASHINGTON, April 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — At the Responsible Care Conference and Expo last evening, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) honored 16 of its member companies for implementing energy-efficiency improvements in 2010. Together, these improvements saved enough BTUs to power all the homes in a city the size of Akron, Ohio, for one year. ACC presented a total of 41 awards to these companies, five of which were deemed programs of “Exceptional Merit.”

The Responsible Care Energy Efficiency Awards program is among ACC’s many ongoing initiatives to improve energy efficiency. In 2010, the total annual energy savings achieved by the winning projects was 14.8 trillion BTUs, with the added benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“Chemistry empowers advances in energy efficiency and renewable energy,” said American Chemistry Council President and CEO Cal Dooley.  “Through these innovations, Americans save energy every day.  Meanwhile, our industry is committed to supporting technologies that improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our own operations. Thanks to projects like these, we’ve enhanced energy efficiency by 36 percent and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 23 percent since 1990.”

The 2011 Energy Efficiency Award winners were selected from four categories:

The “Energy Efficiency Program” award is given to companies with broad programs to achieve energy-efficiency improvements, with components such as establishing energy teams, goal setting, communications, management support, and recognition.

The “Significant Improvement in Manufacturing” award is given to companies that improve energy efficiency in their manufacturing operations through technical innovations, creative projects, or novel procedures or actions.

The “Environmental Impact“ award is given for initiatives with substantial environmental benefits, including reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to improvements in energy efficiency.

The “Non-Manufacturing Improvement” award is given for improvements resulting from energy-efficient lighting, insulation, and other building improvements, and other non-manufacturing energy improvements.

Individual ACC member companies nominate specific projects for recognition under the award program. The judging committee that determined the winners is comprised of selected members of ACC’s Energy Team, including representatives from ACC, the National Association of Chemical Distributors and others. The judging committee was joined by James Eggebrecht, professor of engineering and director of the Energy Systems Laboratory and Texas A&M University, and additional experts in the field of energy efficiency.

The companies receiving awards for 2011 are:

To read the rest of this article, click here.

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Our Green Lab Monthly Wrap Up: March

April 5th, 2011

Today, companies can’t compete and win without embracing sustainability in their cultures, business practices and products. This includes consumer and commercial products, from textiles and electronics to airplane and automobile interiors industries.

As the global leader in fire safety solutions, we believe sharing innovation and green business news and insight are the keys to keeping this movement on track.

For us, green is not marketing and packaging, but should involve the entire life cycle of a product from design and innovation, to minimizing the use of raw materials and energy, through the manufacturing process and down to the final stages of recycling or reusing commercial by-products.

Every year we invest millions of dollars to bring the best and safest solutions to societies around the world. One of our newest breakthrough technologies is an eco-friendly flame retardant called GreenArmor. This new generation of green technology is changing the way businesses view fire safety. Learn more on how chemicals can perform and be safe.

What is your company doing? We welcome your ideas and updates on advancements your company is achieving in the area of green innovation.

Check out the top stories from this past year on best green business practices and new green technologies.

Work with chemicals and want to learn more about eco-friendly fire safety solutions? View Earthwise Fire Safety.

Looking for safety tips that can help prevent fires, fire-related deaths and injuries? Check out Fire Safety For All.

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Posted in Albemarle, Alternative fuels, Chemistry, Company Information, Consumer attitudes, Consumer eco-products, EPA, Energy, Flame Retardants, Green Chemistry, Recycling, Sustainability, Uncategorized

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What Is The Cost of a Good Idea?

February 25th, 2011

When it comes to State or Federal governments making policies about health and safety issues, oftentimes it’s the emotional argument that is most persuasive. But for every perceived winner there may be many invisible losers. For example, when economist Henry Hazlitt points out that when a windstorm breaks 100 windows, the guy who fixes the windows gets a lot more business, thus increasing the net economic activity of the community. He may even have to hire someone to help him fix the windows. This creates “jobs.” So one could argue that the destructive windstorm is good for the economy! But hold on. The money that the homeowners spent on the window repairman now cannot be spent with the grocer, or the tailor, or the college, or the rent. These are the invisible victims of the windstorm, and their loss never gets factors into the equation.

When well-meaning rules, regulations or laws are instituted, it is imperative we fully explore the consequences of each one of them, including the hidden victims, not just the visible winners.

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Posted in Consumer attitudes, Energy, Food products, Global Business, Green Chemistry, Technology, Uncategorized

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