Month: March 2020

Innovative BPA-free coating provides safe food packaging – IChemE Food & Drink Award Winner 2019

Bitrez Ltd took home the IChemE Global Award 2019 in the Food and Drink category for their product Curaphen.

Specialising in manufacturing synthetic resins and advanced polymers, Bitrez Ltd have developed an alternative to Bisphenol A (BPA)-based coatings used in food and drink products. Curaphen, is a BPA-free phenolic resin, which is completely safe and provides the same internal protection in food packaging.

This innovative solution has been a game-changer in the industry and has earned Bitrez Ltd the Queen’s Award as a result.

Paul Jones explains more in this video about the many benefits to Curaphen:

If you have a project, process or product that showcases innovation to optimise manufacturing operations and contribute to the manufacturing of safe, sustainable food or drink, then enter the IChemE Global Awards 2020 here.

Entries are now open until 26 June 2020. Visit: https://www.icheme.org/globalawards

This video was produced by CMA Video.

Microwave technology produces high quality graphene – IChemE Business Start-up Award Winner 2019

Winner of the IChemE Global Awards 2019 in the Business Start-up category was University College London (UCL), for their project, Continuous Graphene Manufacturing by Microwave.

In what was a five-year long project, the team at UCL were successful in their mission to develop a new material for the industry using microwave technology to effectively and efficiently transfer data quickly without using too much energy.

Graphene, which is a high-grade single sheet of 2D carbon material, is made up of lots of chemical and physical properties and can enhance the energy storage intensity. The challenge now for the team is to find a way to create larger quantities in an economical way.

Find out more about this project in the Winners video:

Have you been working on a Business Start-up project that demonstrates contribution to advancing the chemical, biochemical or process industries? If yes, then enter the Global Awards 2020 this year and be in for the chance to take home the award in 2020.

Entries are now open until 26 June 2020. Visit: https://www.icheme.org/globalawards

This video was produced by CMA Video .

Creating a culture for everyone – IChemE Diversity & Inclusion Award Winner 2019

As an organisation, Costain have been implementing various initiatives to “create a culture where everyone can be their best.” At the IChemE Global Awards 2019, Costain won the Diversity and Inclusion Award, for their commitment to become a diverse employer.

In this video, Clara Wicks shares more about Costain’s strategy to recruit, attract and retain a diverse workforce and hopes this will encourage more women to consider a career in a chemical engineering industry.

Is your organisation best demonstrating a commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion within its workforce, sector or business practices? You can enter for this category in the IChemE Global Awards 2020.

Entries are now open until 26 June 2020. Visit: https://www.icheme.org/globalawards

This video was produced by CMA Video.

New generation of medicine for patients: IChemE Biotechnology Award Winner 2019

Addressing the need to generate new medicines and treatments for patients at a faster pace was something that UK consortium group – CPI, UCB Celltech, Lonza Pharma and Biotech, Horizon Discovery, Sphere Fluidics, and Alcyomics, have been developing over the past four years and earned them the IChemE Global Award 2019 in the Biotechnology Award category.

“If you involve chemical engineers earlier, you can get more manufacturable solutions earlier. It’s having that translational mindset in the project from an early stage, which makes a massive difference.”

The project incorporated various sectors of the biopharmaceutical industry together and working as team help advance the production and delivery of medication to patients more efficiently.

Hear more about the project in this video:

If you have what it takes, why not enter the IChemE Global Awards 2020 now:
https://www.icheme.org/globalawards

Entries are now open until 26 June 2020.

This video was produced by CMA Video.

GUEST BLOG: SMART thinking

Programme SMART (Sustainable Membership Achieved via Robust Transactions) is a group of four member-led projects designed to deliver sustainable membership growth.

When it was initiated in 2017, members were consulted and webinars were held to inform the membership of its aims.

We’re now beginning to deliver some of the changes and so we wanted to provide an update on progress of the projects, and we will continue to do this via The Chemical Engineer and this blog throughout 2020.

In today’s blog, IChemE Vice President (Qualifications) Ainslie Just provides more detail on Programme SMART and its progress.

Continue reading GUEST BLOG: SMART thinking