Chemical Manufacturing - News & Events
American Chemistry Council Honors Energy Efficiency Award Winners
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, November 14, 2003 — As part of its ongoing efforts to improve the environment and the economy, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) today honored 15 companies for energy efficiency improvements made in 2002. ACC announced a total of 27 awards to these companies for their company-wide or plant-specific progress.
Greg Lebedev, President and CEO of ACC, announced the awards. He said that the business of chemistry is energy intensive and relies on energy inputs not only to power its operations, but also as a raw material to manufacture many of its products. Energy costs can be as high as 85 percent of total production costs for some products. ACC members' efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions are critically important in the context of U.S. efforts to develop a comprehensive energy policy and to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions. "These awards publicly recognize that energy efficiency projects not only reduce greenhouse gases and other emissions but also add appreciably to each company's bottom line," Lebedev observed. It's a win-win situation for the country, he said, because "the improvements protect the environment while helping American business compete globally." The total annual energy savings represented by the 27 awards amounts to 8,674,909 million BTUs, equal to the energy needs of about 94,000 households. Annual carbon dioxide reductions amount to 782,102 tons.
Lebedev noted that natural gas, the lifeblood of the U.S. chemical industry, remains in short supply and prices are at historic highs. "While Congress needs to act to increase domestic natural gas supply, these awards illustrate steps ACC members are taking to do their part in increasing natural gas conservation and efficiency."
The awards to the 15 members are part of ACC's Energy Efficiency Continuous Improvement Program, a voluntary effort that encourages members to improve energy efficiency and minimize energy-related environmental impacts, thus strengthening international competitiveness. This year's winners were selected from four categories:
- 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 "Non-Manufacturing Improvement" award is given for improvements resulting from energy efficient lighting, insulation, other building improvements and other non-manufacturing energy efficiency improvements.
- The "Environmental Impact" award is given for initiatives with substantial environmental benefits, including reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to energy efficiency improvements.
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.
Awards can be given at any of four levels within the company: Corporate/Business Unit, Plant Site, Operating Unit or Project.
Companies receiving awards for 2002 are:
- Arch Chemicals, Inc.
- ATOFINA Chemicals, Inc.
- ATOFINA Petrochemicals Inc.
- BASF Corporation
- Celanese
- DuPont
- Eastman Chemical Company
- Equistar Chemicals, LP
- ExxonMobil Chemical Company
- Lyondell Chemical Company
- Merck & Co., Inc.
- Monsanto Company
- Sasol North America, Inc.
- Texas Petrochemicals LP
- Vulcan Chemicals
This year, award-winning activities of five companies received the ACC's "Exceptional Merit" designation for each activity's particular excellence. The companies are ATOFINA Chemicals, Inc., DuPont, Eastman Chemical Company, Equistar Chemicals, LP, and ExxonMobil Chemical Company.
The award nominations were judged and the winners determined by a sub-group of the ACC Energy Team, joined by Dr. W.D. Turner, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Energy Systems Laboratory at Texas A&M University.
A breakdown of the 27 award-winning activities follows. An asterisk (*) denotes an Exceptional Merit award designation.
Significant Improvement in Manufacturing - Plant Site
- Texas Petrochemicals LP, Houston, Texas Plant for Advanced Controls - Phase I
- ATOFINA Petrochemicals Inc., Bayport, Texas HDPE Site for ATOFINA Bayport's HDPE Extrusion Upgrade
- Eastman Chemical Company*, Texas Operations, Longview for Energy & Environmental Benefits from Steam and Electricity Cogeneration
Significant Improvement in Manufacturing - Operating Unit
- Celanese, Clear Lake, Texas Plant for Reaction and Purification Six Sigma Study
- Celanese, Clear Lake, Texas Plant for Incinerators Optimization Six Sigma Study
- Sasol North America, Inc. Lake Charles, Louisiana Chemical Complex - Ethylene Unit for Energy Efficiency Performance Improvement - Cold Side and Hot Side
- Eastman Chemical Company, Tennessee Operations, Kingsport for Energy Minimization of a Dimethyl Terephthalate Refining Facility
- Eastman Chemical Company, Tennessee Operations, Utilties Division, Kingsport for Balancing 100-PSI Steam Systems Using Feedwater Heaters
Significant Improvement in Manufacturing - Project
- SASOL North America, Inc., Lake Charles, Louisiana Chemical Complex - Ethylene Unit for Compressor Horsepower Reduction Project
- ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Beaumont, Texas Chemical Plant for Water Still Optimization
- ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Chemical Plant for Oxo Steam Recovery Project
- ExxonMobil Chemical Company*, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Chemical Plant for Extraction Steam Controls at EPLA-W
- ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Chemical Plant for Ethane Cracking Modernization - ECLA-W 'C' Furnace
Energy Efficiency Program - Corporate/Business Unit
- DuPont*, Wilmington, Delaware DTT Energy Team for DTT Energy Reduction Project
Energy Efficiency Program - Plant Site
- Arch Chemicals, Inc., Brandenburg, Kentucky Facility for Reduction in Unit Steam Production
- BASF Corporation, Portsmouth, Virginia Site for Site Energy Team
- ATOFINA Chemicals, Inc.*, Memphis, Tennessee Plant for Improving Yield and Reducing Energy
- Lyondell Chemical Company, Lake Charles, Louisiana Manufacturing Facility for Lake Charles Energy Reduction Team
- Equistar Chemicals, LP*, Morris, Illinois Plant for Morris Plant Energy Efficiency Program
- Equistar Chemicals, LP, Clinton, Iowa Facility Energy Best Practice Team for Clinton Plant Energy Efficiency Program
Energy Efficiency Program - Operating Unit
- Lyondell Chemical Company, Channelview, Texas Complex for Reduced Nitrogen and Natural Gas Consumption at Deepwell Flare
- Monsanto Company, A-Unit Manufacturing Team, Muscatine, Iowa for A-Unit Area Energy Efficiency Improvement Program
Environmental Impact - Plant Site
- Vulcan Chemicals, Wichita, Kansas Plant for Boiler Energy Use and Chemical Cost Reduction
Environmental Impact - Operating Unit
- ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Beaumont, Texas Chemical Plant for Distillation Tower Specification Changes
- Eastman Chemical Company, Tennessee Operations, Waste Disposal Services Department, Kingsport for Savings from Ammonium Nitrate Addition to Wastewater Treatment
Environmental Impact - Project
- Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey Site for Fuel Cell Installation Project
Non-Manufacturing Improvement - Plant Site
- Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey Site for Building Efficiency Improvements
Download Acrobat Reader
Award Winners and Summary Descriptions (PDF 184 KB)
Tabulation of Energy Savings and CO2 Emission Reductions (PDF 52 KB)
Page Last Modified:
August 7, 2008
