Clariant Receives U.S. EPA's 2007 P2 Recognition Program Award

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) has awarded Clariant its 2007 P2 Recognition Project Award for
Cartaspers PSM, a product used in paper manufacturing. Only three such awards
were made by EPA from among all of the new chemicals submitted to the agency
for registration in the U.S. during the year.
Through the annual program EPA honors companies for developing innovative
chemistry and technologies that result in pollution prevention. EPA looks for
environmentally beneficial uses of products, and products that conserve energy
and water during their manufacture, processing or use.
The award-winning chemicals are identified through EPA's New Chemicals
Program, which screens up to 2500 chemicals a year through the Pre-Manufacture
Notice (PMN) P2 screening process as well as during more detailed new chemical
reviews. In selecting products to recognize under the program, EPA looks for
products that result in pollution prevention.
In other words, as Daria Church, Product Safety Manager with Clariant at
its North American region headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., explains: "Clariant
did not specifically seek this recognition. EPA selected Clariant thanks to
our product's actual potential to reduce pollution at our customers'
facilities."
Cartaspers PSM is a nonionic, readily biodegradable, hydrophilic polymer
with high affinity for hydrophobic surfaces. It was designed by Clariant for
control of "stickies" in the board- and paper-making process. "Stickies" are
contaminants such as latex, adhesives, pitch and resins, inherent in
wastepaper as a raw material. Such "sticky" particles have a natural affinity
for synthetic wires and felts on papermaking equipment.
Keeping the paper- and board-making machinery free of such contamination
is not an easy task and longer periods of downtime may be necessary to
facilitate thorough cleaning, typically employing large quantities of volatile
and flammable solvents. On restarting the machine, the water circuits are
contaminated with cleaning solvents, which soften "stickies" and intensify the
contamination of wires and felts.
Cartaspers PSM is applied to the wet-end of a paper machine, to treat the
"stickies" in the pulp. Additionally, the product may be used to condition the
machine clothing. Added continuously to the shower water, the fabric
monofilaments are encapsulated by a "protective hydrophilic polymer layer." On
each revolution of the paper-making felt, the contamination is easily washed
away and a fresh layer of product applied.
In making the award, EPA acknowledged that Cartaspers PSM "provides
reduced worker exposure to volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and
improved paper machine operational efficiency during the use of post-consumer
waste in the production of paper products."
"It is a special honor for me to congratulate you for commencing
manufacture of a chemical with particular merit for its potential to prevent
pollution in the environment," Charles M. Auer, Director of EPA's Office of
Pollution Prevention and Toxics, wrote in the recognition letter advising
Clariant of its honor.
"From our experience with existing customers, one of the benefits of using
Cartaspers PSM is the huge saving in cleaning solvent, which is seldom
required because of the improved cleanliness on the paper machine. Solvent
usage in some cases was reduced by 90%," says John Cowman, Technical Manager
(Process Chemicals) for Clariant in the UK.
Additionally, the product can be considered compliant for use with 21 CFR
176.170 and 176.180, subject to certain limitations.
Cowman adds that: "The system runs much more cleanly with Cartaspers PSM
and without solvent."
Link to the EPA's dedicated web page:
http://www.epa.gov/oppt/newchems/pubs/p2.htm

For more information, also see:
http://www.paper.clariant.com
http://www.clariant.com

Clariant. - Exactly your chemistry
Clariant is a global leader in the field of specialty chemicals. Clariant,
which is represented on five continents with over 100 group companies, employs
about 21,500 people. Headquartered in Muttenz near Basel, Switzerland, it
generated sales of around CHF 8.2 billion in 2005. Clariant's businesses are
organized in four divisions: Textile, Leather & Paper Chemicals, Pigments &
Additives, Functional Chemicals and Masterbatches. www.clariant.com
SOURCE Clariant

Connie Knight, Director, Communications & Public Affairs - North America,
+1-704-331-7114, or Fax, +1-704-331-7112, Connie.Knight@Clariant.com, or
Muriel Werle, Communicator for Clariant's Paper business globally,
+41-61-469-72-18, muriel.werle@clariant.com, both of Clariant