DUESSELDORF, Germany—Wacker Silicones, a major business segment of Wacker Chemie A.G., is focusing on innovations in sustainability and e-mobility at K 2022.
The Munich-based silicone giant, in its standard spot at the expansive show, hosted a gathering for the press Oct. 19 in a self-proclaimed "speed dating" forum, allowing journalists to briefly interview Wacker experts on a range of topics.
Klaus Pohmer, global segment manager for performance silicones, said its pioneering biomethanol-based silicones meet the same performance characteristics as fossil fuel-derived legacy feedstocks, and use far less CO2 in their production—and, therefore, have less of an impact on the environment.
"When we are thinking about raw materials, we begin with inorganic quartz (refined silicon, ultimately), and then other groups are introduced, including fossil fuel methanol," Pohmer said. "It makes sense to use fossil-free materials, and we have found that our silicones are continuously moving into other applications."
It is a project that Wacker began about three years ago, and it remains a challenge in progress, Pohmer said.
Rather than using vegetable oils or methanol derived from another agricultural commodity that is a necessity for human consumption, Wacker has pioneered a methanol process using trash- and waste-derived material.
Wacker began looking at green methanol in 2019.
"We use the same production lines … they are exactly the same," he said. "We need no additional testing, and they can be used in all the same applications."
The development of this "one step" demonstrates that Wacker is committed to a sustainable future, Pohmer added.
"We have serious carbon-neutral targets in this race to zero," he said. "2045 is one thing, but we want to reach 50-percent carbon neutral by 2030.
"This is a start. It has its advantages, and it shows our commitment to the future."