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Sustainability in Chemical Manufacturing

<p>Sustainability in chemical manufacturing is an often-overlooked way that our society can reduce its environmental impact without sacrificing quality of life or economic viability. Did you know that the chemical sector is the most <a href="https://www.iea.org/energy-system/industry/chemicals">energy-hungry industrial sector,</a> and the third-highest carbon emitting industry in the United States?</p>
<p>Sustainability isn’t optional anymore. Nearly every sector has found itself impacted by tightened regulations and customer expectations for sustainability.</p>
<p>In the United States, legal sustainability requirements have grown increasingly stringent over the past twenty years. Maintaining competitiveness with less regulated international markets while meeting ecological commitments is an added challenge for American manufacturers.</p>
<h3>An economic case for sustainable chemicals?</h3>
<p>It’s not all bad news for your bottom line. A commitment to sustainability comes with perks like access to certifications and memberships that keep you informed while promoting your brand. Manufacturers who go above and beyond to reduce their environmental footprint can become certified B-corps. They may choose to join sustainable trade associations, gaining access to industry insights and facilitating partnerships with like-minded businesses. Over the long term, adopting a sustainable chemical process will save money through reduced waste management fees and lowered risk of fees and fines from polluting activities.</p>
<p>The best benefit provided by sustainable chemistry is its positive impact on our communities. Every American deserves to live and work in safe and healthy communities. Sustainable chemical manufacturing results in less hazardous waste, typically requires less energy, and produces fewer secondary pollutants and emissions than conventional processes. These benefits add up to improve the environmental health and integrity of communities across America and around the world.</p>
<p>Let’s look at how sustainability in the chemical sector has evolved over the years, where it’s at now, and how your manufacturing processes can be made cleaner—and in some cases, cheaper and more effective—by embracing a sustainability-first focus.</p>
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<h1>Environmental history of chemical manufacturing</h1>
<p>Through much of the twentieth century, American environmental policy concerning chemical manufacturing could be characterized as lax, non-specific, and incomplete. Until the passage of legislation like the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts between 1970 and 1972, industrial regulation consisted of patchwork local and municipal laws. In many cases, the pre-1970s laws were toothless, vague, or otherwise ineffective at curbing bad behavior.</p>
<p>As a result, many 20th century chemical manufacturers took the path of least resistance. Companies disposed of waste by burying it, dumping it into waterways, or simply allowing waste streams to flow to ground unabated.</p>
<p>This resulted in a number of infamous environmental disasters including the Love Canal incident in New York. The Hooker Chemical Company used the Love Canal region as a dumping ground for a variety of hazardous waste materials before selling the land. Over the next two decades, a school and neighborhood were established in the area. Residents experienced extremely high rates of cancer, birth defects, and poor health as a result of severe chemical contamination of soil and groundwater.</p>
<p>It took about twenty years before concerns about health issues in Love Canal got taken seriously. By the late 1970s, the region was evacuated. It took until the passage of the 1980 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act for the federal government to begin remediation—a process that would continue until 2004 and involve the demolition of hundreds of houses and the permanent evacuation of over 900 residents.</p>
<h2>Today’s regulatory framework for sustainable chemistry</h2>
<p>Decades of legislative expansion and refinement have resulted in a more comprehensive framework for managing environmental issues in the chemical sector.</p>
<p>In the years following the Love Canal incident, the US federal government expanded upon existing environmental regulations, for instance by introducing the 1980 “Superfund” program. Superfund taxes oil and gas and chemical companies, maintaining a reserve fund used to clean up waste sites, spills, and environmental disasters caused by industry.</p>
<p>Further expansion of regulations through the 80s and 90s include modernization of clean air laws and expanded disclosure requirements for polluting industries.</p>
<p>Through the 2000s, US environmental laws became more stringent with an emphasis on harmonization with regulations in major export markets.</p>
<p>Today, the philosophy surrounding pollution and waste management is quite different from how these issues were approached in the ‘70s. An increasing focus on environmental and restorative justice attempts to rectify historical wrongs committed by polluting companies against marginalized communities. In a more general sense, regulations have shifted from addressing the outcomes of polluting industry to addressing pollution at the source—intervening during the polluting process rather than merely prescribing cleaner ways to deal with the resultant waste.</p>
<h2>Technology and sustainability: advancements in chemical manufacturing</h2>
<p>While increased scrutiny and more meaningful regulation contribute greatly to a cleaner and greener chemical sector, technological advancements are at least as important.</p>
<p>For instance, one of the world’s most used and most essential chemicals is ammonia. Without it, modern agriculture is impossible. Most ammonia is produced through the so-called “Haber-Bosch process.” Ammonia consists of nitrogen and hydrogen. Nitrogen is freely available in the air we breathe. Hydrogen is trickier to come by. Conventionally, it’s extracted from methane gas using steam—an energy intensive process.</p>
<p>Using a catalyst like iron, nitrogen and hydrogen gases get compressed and heated to high temperatures. This results in the production of ammonia gas, which gets cooled and extracted as a liquid.</p>
<p>Earlier, we mentioned that the chemical industry is the single biggest energy consumer of energy worldwide. Ammonia production is the most energy-hungry process in the chemical industry, requiring about 1% of the world’s energy and producing about 1% of the industrial world’s carbon emissions.</p>
<p>Through technological innovation, that massive energy consumption is dropping. Over the past fifty years, process improvements ranging from advanced heat exchangers that reduce energy waste to greener sources of hydrogen and upscaling of ammonia production facilities have dropped energy usage per ton of ammonia produced by up to 40%. This is an example of process intensification (PI) where a range of process optimizations combine to result in a large efficiency gain.</p>
<h2>Other technologies impacting chemical sustainability</h2>
<h3>Chemical recycling</h3>
<p>For the most part, the chemical industry has always prioritized re-using and efficiently managing reagents when possible. There’s no sense in disposing of a process chemical if it can be cleaned up and re-used or repurposed elsewhere.</p>
<p>Modern methods of chemical recycling allow for even more significant re-use of chemicals. New technologies allow companies to break complex plastics back down into monomers, allowing waste materials to be remade into virgin plastics.</p>
<p>This is promising new technology, though recycling often proves to be energy intensive. Bringing down energy requirements and reducing the process’ cost will make it more viable for manufacturers in the near future.</p>
<h3>Biological chemical manufacturing processes</h3>
<p>One exciting area of innovation in the chemical world is the increasing use of bioengineered organisms to facilitate chemical manufacturing. Imagine a bacteria that eats a feedstock chemical and excretes an end product. This is an emerging reality!</p>
<p>Many companies now specialize in the production of yeast, bacteria, or enzymes that produce useful chemical products. For example, there’s an engineered strain of bacteria that eats methane and excretes materials used in the production of bioplastics. Some engineered microbes can produce natural flavor and fragrance compounds from readily available feedstock, reducing the need for carbon-intensive agriculture in producing and extracting such compounds.</p>
<h3>CCUS (Carbon capture, usage, and storage)</h3>
<p>Carbon capture is an increasingly familiar technology found in many industries. The idea is to prevent CO2 and other greenhouse gases from venting to the atmosphere. By capturing and sequestering such pollutants, industries can lower their emissions without fundamentally altering their process.</p>
<p>In many cases, stored carbon can be repurposed for other processes. CO2 is a critical reagent for many important products and chemicals. It can be used in plastics production, the creation of biofuels, or to create or improve construction materials.</p>
<h3>Solar chemical processes</h3>
<p>There’s no cleaner source of energy than the sun. We use the sun’s energy directly or indirectly in all kinds of ways. After all, what are fossil fuels but ancient plants and animals turned into hydrocarbons? In this sense, they are storing energy from hundred-million-year-old sunlight.</p>
<p>An example of a solar chemical process is the photolysis of water into hydrogen and oxygen. As previously described, important chemical processes like ammonia production rely on hydrogen gas. Solar processes facilitate a low carbon means of splitting water into its atomic components, separating and storing the gases for use in other processes. While the process has its challenges—it can be slow, expensive to deploy, and expensive to scale—it’s a powerful way to reduce energy requirements for major industrial processes.</p>
<h2>Economic benefits of sustainable chemical manufacturing</h2>
<p>Sustainable chemistry offers myriad benefits to our communities and our planet. How does it impact the bottom line for companies that choose sustainable options?</p>
<p>While the up-front costs for sustainable chemicals remain higher than for conventional options in most cases, the long-term view is different. Whether through risk management or access to new business opportunities, a case may be made that sustainable chemicals benefit manufacturers in the short and long term.</p>
<h3>Access to funding and partnerships</h3>
<p>As businesses face increasing scrutiny regarding their environmental record and commitments, those who fail to meet expectations may experience direct and indirect penalties. For instance, many public procurement processes now score applicants on their social and environmental record. Making meaningful commitments to sustainability, like maintaining membership in good standing with environmental groups, can help businesses close more contracts. Some of these groups and associations may present new business opportunities through networking with like-minded partners.</p>
<p>In other cases, a commitment to sustainable practices can open doors to grants and funding. Funding may even be acquired to help hasten the transition to sustainable technology.</p>
<h3>Enhanced worker safety</h3>
<p>Keeping workers safe and healthy keeps them productive. Many sustainable options are also safer and gentler to work with. Companies dedicated to maintaining a safe workplace should audit their chemical usage to ensure that safe and eco-friendly options get prioritized.</p>
<h3>Risk management</h3>
<p>Remember the Love Canal incident we discussed earlier? It’s one of many environmental disasters in the United States. While there are examples of companies “getting away with it,” these disasters can have massive legal and financial consequences for the businesses held responsible. Even in cases where a safer or more sustainable chemical is more expensive without otherwise adding value to the process, if it contributes to reduced legal exposure it may be a good idea to view it as insurance against future problems.</p>
<h2>Barriers preventing adoption of sustainable chemistry</h2>
<p>Across America, more and more companies choose sustainable options. They make this choice for a variety of reasons. Government regulations and financial incentives offer a carrot-and-stick model for adopting sustainable tech. Companies may choose to go green as way to differentiate themselves in the market. Some companies may choose sustainable options for moral reasons.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, there remain barriers that prevent wider-spread adoption of sustainable chemicals.</p>
<h3>Supply chain management</h3>
<p>Because sustainable manufacturing processes tend to be more complex or time-consuming than conventional options, companies may have concerns about supply chain. As sustainable options eat up more market share versus conventional products, we should see an increase in production and supply that will put manufacturers at ease.</p>
<h3>Process adjustments</h3>
<p>Many sustainable products are drop-in solutions. Sustainable ammonia is identical to conventionally manufactured ammonia. In some cases, more sustainable chemicals have different chemical properties than the conventional chemical they replace. A need to swap out tooling or otherwise modify a process is a strong disincentive for many manufacturers. Finding the time to make the swap, train staff on a new process, and still meet manufacturing commitments can be difficult.</p>
<h3>High upfront costs</h3>
<p>Today’s economy is tight, with high interest rates and low capital reserves encouraging businesses across America to carefully manage their spending.</p>
<p>In this context, it’s hard to ask manufacturers to pay more up-front for essential chemicals. Addressing the cost disparity between sustainable and conventional chemicals is a major challenge without a single answer. A combination of subsidies, regulatory pressure, and market pressure (customer demand for more sustainable products) will help close the gap over time.</p>
<h1>Conclusion</h1>
<p>In conclusion, as we face the pressing challenges of climate change and environmental degradation, the chemical manufacturing sector stands at a pivotal junction. Embracing sustainability is not merely an ethical choice but a strategic imperative that promises significant benefits across economic, environmental, and social dimensions. Companies that pivot towards sustainable practices are poised not only to comply with increasingly stringent regulations but also to enhance their market competitiveness through innovation and improved public perception.</p>
<p>As technology continues to evolve and market dynamics shift towards green solutions, the adoption of sustainable practices in chemical manufacturing is not just a forward-thinking strategy—it is an inevitable and essential transition that will define the future of the industry.</p>
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Eliminating Hazardous Air Pollutants and VOCs in Manufacturing

<p>Air pollution is a critical concern for manufacturers of all types. Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) are a class of compounds defined by the United States government, spanning nearly two hundred distinct types. Though not all are created equally—pollutants like benzene are considerably more hazardous to humans than solvents like methanol—limiting the production and release of HAPs is socially, environmentally, and economically responsible. Even relatively harmless air pollution can result in unpleasant odors and irritation among sensitive community members.</p>
<p>Many forms of pollution remediation focus on upstream and downstream factors rather than the manufacturing process itself. There are effective process adjustments that may be made to either capture or destroy pollutants before they impact your workers, facility, or community at large.</p>
<h2>Clean Air Act and Hazardous Air Pollutants</h2>
<p>Since 1990, the American Environmental Protection Agency has maintained a list of regulated hazardous air pollutants. The list’s composition has changed over time, currently containing 188 distinct materials ranging from asbestos to vinyl acetate. Industries that work with these pollutants must adhere to higher standards of regulatory compliance. This includes monitoring and reporting activity, installation of effective filtration and recapture devices, and implementation of strict health and safety standards when handling regulated substances.</p>
<h2>Hazardous Air Pollution in Manufacturing</h2>
<p>In manufacturing, VOCs and PFAS are common hazardous air pollutants, though many facilities have begun to phase out PFAS. Broadly speaking, there are two types of remediation for air pollutants: capture and control. Capture involves preventing the release of air pollutants through filtration systems and chemical intervention. Control involves destroying or neutralizing the pollutants through a variety of methods.</p>
<h2>Measuring capture/control of hazardous air pollutants</h2>
<p>In order to measure improvements in air pollution footprint, a facility must first establish a benchmark. Implementing Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (CEMS) is a logical first step to reducing HAP emissions.</p>
<p>These systems involve several components that help measure both specific pollutants and overall physical complexion of exhaust. For instance, gas analyzers may be tuned to identify and measure specific pollutants like VOCs, while more general sensors may analyze flow rate, temperature, opacity, and moisture content to provide a more general view of the exhaust’s composition.</p>
<h2>Methods of capture</h2>
<h3>Absorption</h3>
<p>Absorption relies on chemical reactivity to capture pollutants before they vent to atmosphere. One example would be forcing exhaust gases through a chamber filled with a reactive liquid that removes specific pollutants. For instance, an acidic solution can remove ammonia from exhaust gases. The removed ammonia can be safely disposed of or extracted and re-used in other processes if it’s economically feasible to do so.</p>
<h3>Adsorption</h3>
<p>Adsorption captures pollutants on the surface of a material like activated carbon. A bed of activated carbon can attract and capture pollutants like VOCs. In most cases, VOCs can be recovered through thermal or steam regeneration, replenishing the adsorbent potential of the carbon while recapturing the pollutant for re-use or destruction.</p>
<h3>Condensation</h3>
<p>Another simple form of pollution capture is condensation. Hot exhaust can run through a cooling system, causing certain pollutants to condense into a liquid for recapture. This works for certain types of pollutants but won’t work for others whose dewpoint is too low to make condensation feasible.</p>
<h2>Methods of control</h2>
<h3>Chemical Scrubbing</h3>
<p>Chemical scrubbing uses reagents to convert a hazardous pollutant to a more manageable form. It’s similar to absorption but focused on disposal rather than recapture. For instance, a sodium hydroxide scrubber can convert dangerous chlorine into relatively safe chloride. This makes management and disposal safer and less costly.</p>
<h3>Flaring</h3>
<p>Perhaps the simplest method of control, flaring refers to burning off harmful pollutants. Depending on the efficiency of combustion, this can greatly reduce the harmfulness of certain pollutants. Compared to other methods, it’s less clean but relatively easy and reliable to implement in relevant processes.</p>
<h3>Catalytic Oxidation</h3>
<p>Many pollutants like VOCs react with catalysts at high temperatures, degrading into their base components: easily managed materials like water and CO2. The process involves pre-heating gases before feeding them into a catalytic converter, usually using a metal like platinum as a catalyst. The gas reacts with the catalyst to generate heat, water, and CO2. After cooling and further filtration, the relatively clean exhaust gas is vented to atmosphere. Catalytic oxidation can be an energy efficient option for cleaning up exhaust gas as the process can sustain itself through heat generated by the reaction. The process does have downsides such as the catalyst’s susceptibility to fouling, which results in degraded performance.</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>As we&#8217;ve seen, managing air quality isn&#8217;t just about compliance—it&#8217;s about taking proactive steps to ensure the health of your employees, the environment, and the community. With advanced methods available to capture and control hazardous air pollutants and VOCs, now is the time to assess and enhance your existing systems.</p>
<p>Whether you&#8217;re looking to install a new system or upgrade your existing infrastructure, consider working with Americo Chemical to conduct a comprehensive audit of your current pollution control technologies. By monitoring, analyzing, and addressing your pollution footprint, you can protect your business from costly fines while doing better by your workers, customers, and local community.</p>
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Reducing energy consumption in the manufacturing sector through tailored chemistry

<p>When manufacturers explore options to reduce energy consumption, things like high efficiency equipment and stricter energy use policies come to mind. These are important techniques in decreasing energy usage, but they are not the only techniques. Addressing high energy usage through process chemistry is an important consideration for any energy optimization strategy. Let’s explore the regulatory context spurring energy optimization initiatives throughout the United States before demonstrating several ways that superior chemistry can result in energy savings.</p>
<h2>Energy usage in manufacturing and industry</h2>
<p>In 2022, <a href="https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/use-of-energy/industry.php">industrial activity accounted for 33% of all energy consumption</a> in the United States. 76% of energy usage in the industrial sector is the result of manufacturing activity, meaning that manufacturing consumes about 25% of all energy in the United States each year.</p>
<p>Chemical manufacturing is the most energy-hungry segment of the manufacturing sector, accounting for 37% of manufacturing energy consumption. This number may be slightly misleading on its face; 60% of energy consumption in the chemical manufacturing sector is through non-fuel applications. For example, natural gas is a crucial feedstock for the production of chemical fertilizers. This gas isn’t burned for heat or electrical power, but still gets measured as consumed energy by the EIA.</p>
<p>Given the scale of energy usage in manufacturing, particularly in chemical manufacturing, it makes sense to focus on chemical processes as a means to reduce energy consumption and meet stringent emissions targets set by the U.S. government such as net zero carbon emissions by 2050.</p>
<h2>Start with a process audit</h2>
<p>In order to optimize your energy usage, you must first understand your energy usage profile. This involves installing and monitoring metering systems, identifying low-hanging fruit for energy usage reduction, and other planning and analysis activities. Americo Chemical’s quality management expertise make us a great partner for getting started with process auditing and energy management.</p>
<h2>Chemical solutions to energy problems</h2>
<p>Superior chemical supply can reduce energy footprint at your facility in a few ways. Using chemicals whose production process is less energy intensive reduces upstream energy usage. Chemicals that provide similar benefits at lower process temperatures—or that last considerably longer than alternatives—can decrease energy consumption. Chemicals that improve equipment performance or extend equipment lifespan can also improve energy efficiency.</p>
<h3>Green Chemistry</h3>
<p>Green chemistry can mean a lot of things. Some green chemicals are biodegradable or less environmentally harmful, requiring less recovery or neutralization before disposal. This can have both direct and indirect impacts on energy usage. Consider a chemical solution that requires less heat to decompose into something safe for disposal. The actual process of disposal becomes less energy intensive. Simplified disposal processes are easier and often require less manpower and energy usage.</p>
<p>Green chemicals also include those which are produced with less energy intensive methods. For instance, ammonia production accounts for about 2% of global energy demand alone! Green ammonia is a focus area for the chemical manufacturing industry, with plans to use excess renewable energy during off-peak hours to cut the emissions profile of ammonia production.</p>
<h3>Bio-based and enzymatic chemistry</h3>
<p>An exciting and emerging development in sustainable chemistry is the introduction of bio-based and enzymatic solutions for manufacturers. Though these emerging technologies may not be ready for prime time yet—both are susceptible to higher costs and difficulty scaling production—they may soon offer drop-in replacements for energy intensive and polluting chemistry across the manufacturing sector.</p>
<p>Bio-based chemicals attempt to replace petroleum-based solvents and coatings with chemicals derived from feedstock like corn, algae, or oilseed crops. The idea is that, in conjunction with more energy efficient farming practices, these feedstocks are less polluting and more renewable than conventional chemicals.</p>
<p>Enzymatic catalysts offer benefits such as lower process temperatures and improved safety for workers. They suffer from the same downsides as other bio-based chemicals: higher costs and lower availability. As this technology continues to improve, it may become a disruptive force in process chemistry.</p>
<h3>Implementing an energy-smart culture</h3>
<p>Chemical interventions can reduce energy usage, but only with buy-in from workers and management. In order to achieve the greatest energy savings, businesses must foster an energy-smart culture. Implementing this may require taking actions such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>Establishing energy usage benchmarks and realistic but ambitious and measurable goals.</li>
<li>Creating clear policies and objectives, including new routines and requirements aimed at reducing energy consumption</li>
<li>Providing workplace incentives for reduced energy usage</li>
<li>Leading by example, ensuring managers and supervisors “walk the walk”</li>
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<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>As the manufacturing sector grapples with the dual challenges of high energy consumption and increasing regulatory pressure to reduce environmental footprints, the pathway forward requires a multipronged strategy. From rigorous process audits to the adoption of green chemistry and bio-based solutions, there are many methods to tackle the issue. Americo Chemical can be your partner in achieving energy savings through process enhancement and custom chemical solutions.</p>
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Americo Chemical Achieves Prestigious TT-C-490 Military Certification for Surface Treatment

<p>Americo Chemical is proud to announce its inclusion in the Department of Defense Qualified Products Database under the TT-C-490 certification for surface treatment for military approved paint coatings.</p>
<p>Achieving this certification is no small feat. Americo’s coatings were subjected to thousands of hours of testing under extreme simulated and real-world conditions, meeting the highest standard for surface treatment quality and durability. After 5 years of rigorous testing, Americo was approved as a qualified military supplier on 2/18/25.</p>
<p>The TT-C-490 standard covers surface treatment for steel, aluminum, and steel/aluminum combinations. A product must be approved for use with at least one metal type under at least one application method. Americo’s AMB 5147 product is approved for steel, aluminum, and steel/aluminum combinations (Classes A, B, and C), mill-finished or blasted. It is approved for seven of eight possible cleaning methods.</p>
<p>This broad approval makes Americo’s product the category leader among TT-C-490 approved coatings–approved for more metals and methods than any similarly certified product.</p>
<p>The TT-C-490 certification reflects Americo’s commitment to technical excellence and innovation in surface treatment systems. Its leading performance is a testament to the hard work and talent of our team, and a validation of our total systems approach to continual product improvement. Americo is one of few chemical companies with surface treatment products approved by the Department of Defense, joining the likes of Henkel and Chemetall as world leaders in surface treatment technology.</p>
<p>Americo Chemical is owned by the Missouri-based Harbour Group of companies and headquartered in Elgin, Illinois. We are pleased to offer a wide range of quality, made-in-America metal surface treatment products for nearly any application.</p>


Americo Chemical Achieves Prestigious TT-C-490 Military Certification for Surface Treatment

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