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Solvay Fluor – the name of the international Solvay Group‘s globally active Strategic Business Unit – is made up of many committed companies and 11 production operations, including a fluorspar mine.
Today we rank second worldwide in the rapidly growing fluorochemicals market.
Our structure is targeted at providing rapid and flexible responses to the demands of a global market – for the benefit of our clients.
Professional Fluorochemistry
Solvay Fluor stands for a professional team of outstanding chemists and sales personal, all committed to the best in fluorochemistry. It is a name synonymous with powerful application technologies, prepared to take on any challenge, seeking to solve the problem at hand in close consultation with the client. It also means an unusually broad range of fluorocompounds and specialties, produced at 11 locations worldwide. Solvay Fluor is the only company offering a full range of fluor products using fluorspar sourced in-house.
Solvay Fluor offers
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The highest asset of the international Solvay Group are its 30000 employees in 50 countries, dedicated to and motivated by their business.
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Nocolok Flux enables fully automated furnace brazing of aluminum components |
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Solkane - our CFC substitutes - a vital step towards a protected environment |
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New application areas are being found in CF3 chemistry continuously |
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We supply elemental fluorine, used for example in the fluorination of plastic fuel tanks |
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Alternative propellants for pharmaceutical aerosols |
Headquarter :
Solvay Fluor GmbH
PO box 220
D-30002 Hannover
Advanced Products for Humankind and Nature
'What are Your Solutions, Solvay Fluor?'
Contents:
Disclaimer:
All statements, information, and data given herein are believed to be accurate and reliable but are presented without guarantee, warranty or responsibility of any kind, express or implied. Statements or suggestions concerning possible use of our products are made without representation or warranty that any such use is free of patent infrigement, and are not recommandations to infringe any patent. The user should not assume that all safety measures are indicated, or that other measures may not be required.
More Innovation – More Environmental Protection
Solutions
Solvay Fluor has been developing and launching pro-environmental solutions for many years which respond to today’s environmental agenda. Humankind – Nature – Technology lies at the heart of the business philosophy of a modern organisation with eight production locations in six countries and two research sites.
Structure
Solvay Fluor - the Solvay Group´s globally active Strategic Business Unit Fluorochemicals - consists of four committed companies - Solvay Fluor und Derivate, Germany, Solvay Fluorides, USA and Mexico, Solvay Fluor Iberica, Spain, and Solvay Fluorés, France. The structure is streamlined to rapidly and flexibly respond to the demands of the global market and for the benefit of our clients.
Professional Fluorochemistry
With its outstanding chemists and technicians dedicated to producing the best in fluorochemistry, Solvay Fluor is synonymous with powerful application technologies, the commitment to take on any challenge, and the ambition to solve the problem at hand in the most cost-effective and pro-environmental way. It also means an unusually broad range of fluorocompounds and speciality products produced around the world.
Alternative Propellants and Refrigerants–Solkane‚
We develop and market innovative refrigerants, propellants, blowing and insulation agents under the Solkane brand. By aiming at environmental harmonisation throughout the product range, we withdrew early from the use of conventional CFC’s, ensured the rapid availability of their initial more eco-friendly replacements, and powered ahead with the development of the new generation of fully pro-environment products. We simplified the transition process for our clients by providing professional support and application expertise. Intensive R&D in the search for pro-environment replacements has also led to the discovery of a wide range of Fluor products suitable for special applications – such as the highly successful refrigerant Solkane 134a, and Solkane 227 pharma, a propellant for medical sprays, and Solkane 365mfc, a high performance polyurethane foam.
Award Winning Concepts
Our SF6 Re-Use Concept won the 1997 European Recycling Award for its major contribution to the minimisation of emissions in high voltage electricity distribution equipment. As a world leader in the field of aluminium brazing with its NOCOLOK® Flux, Solvay established the Product Stewardship Concept to optimise environmental protection through the entire product lifecycle and improve its ecological profile. The process was awarded ISO 14001 certification in 1998. And our CF3 products for nutrition and medicine enhance the effectiveness of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals so that lower dosages are required – with positive effects on the environment.
The Future
We produce essential products to support today’s modern lifestyles, and are dedicated to undertaking our business in a sustainable way. We have already made great strides in improving the environmental friendliness of our products and processes. But we are not resting on our laurels. We aim to enhance the number of closed product cycles, achieve ISO 14001 certification for all of our products, and intensify environmental management to prevent pollution.
Humankind – Nature – Technology: Solvay Fluor has the solutions.
NOCOLOK® Flux
The Product Stewardship Concept
The Objectives
With the NOCOLOK‚ Flux product, Solvay Fluor und Derivate GmbH is a world leader in the field of aluminium brazing for automotive heat exchanger manufacturing. In addition, NOCOLOK‚ Flux is also used to manufacture heat exchangers for refrigerators and industrial applications as well as in the manufacture of household goods.
Solvay Fluor und Derivate GmbH has dedicated itself to upholding high quality business standards (DIN EN ISO 9001 and QS 9000), customer-oriented user service, optimisation of the brazing process and the management of safety, health and environmental protection (SHE).
Integrated in already established co-operative alliances in the supplier-client-chain related to quality, service and market care, Solvay Fluor und Derivate GmbH has initiated a product stewardship concept encompassing SHE aspects for the entire product life of NOCOLOK‚ Flux.
The Concept
The important stages along the life cycle of NOCOLOK‚ Flux are the purchasing of raw materials, manufacturing, application, use of products manufactured with the aid of NOCOLOK‚ Flux (e.g. heat exchangers in cars) and recycling. In addition, transportation is required between each stage. Solvay Fluor und Derivate GmbH’s product stewardship concept to manage SHE aspects takes over at precisely these points – goal-oriented and with customer-related offers – exceeding legal requirements.
The Results
Solvay Fluor und Derivate GmbH’s activities and services have been tailored to the specific SHE demands related to NOCOLOK‚ Flux. For example:
Raw materials
The delivery of NOCOLOK‚ Flux raw materials has been switched from using small one-way-packaging to environmentally sound rail tank cars (potassium hydroxide) and big bags (aluminium hydroxide).
Manufacturing
The Solvay Fluor und Derivate GmbH NOCOLOK‚ Flux production site in Bad Wimpfen (Germany) passed the voluntary environmental audit (DIN EN ISO 14001) in 1998. This involved checking the company’s environmental policy and the mandatory establishment of environmental protection objectives and measures.
Application
Solvay Fluor und Derivate GmbH’s technical services support customers with projects for reducing water consumption, lowering waste generation and optimising recycling.
Customers are provided with written instructions as well as training for the proper and safe use of NOCOLOK‚ Flux. In addition to safety data sheets, customers receive information on studies concerning environmental protection and health aspects.
Use
Environmental effects attributable to cars are primarily generated during their use, i.e. the manufacture of components and cars only has a relatively limited impact on the environment. Light-weight NOCOLOK‚ Flux-brazed aluminium heat exchangers reduce vehicle fuel consumption and thus significantly reduce the environmental impact of the whole system.
Transportation
NOCOLOK‚ Flux is delivered to the customer in multiuse transportation containers to enhance safety and generate zero-waste. Detailed information is provided on the transportation and storage of NOCOLOK‚ Flux.
Sulphur hexafluoride SF6
Life Cycle Assessment on Electricity Supply
The Situation
- Sustainable concepts, that conserve the environment and natural resources, are needed to secure the increasing demand for electricity. Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) makes a substantial contribution in pursuing this goal.
- The debate over of the use of SF6 extended beyond engineering circles to the political level. Initially, these discussions dealt almost exclusively with the greenhouse effect of SF6 emissions. This ignored the environmental benefits resulting from the use of SF6 in the transmission and distribution of electrical power.
The Situation
- Sustainable concepts, that conserve the environment and natural resources, are needed to secure the increasing demand for electricity. Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) makes a substantial contribution in pursuing this goal.
- The debate over of the use of SF6 extended beyond engineering circles to the political level. Initially, these discussions dealt almost exclusively with the greenhouse effect of SF6 emissions. This ignored the environmental benefits resulting from the use of SF6 in the transmission and distribution of electrical power.
The Results
At the level of the power supply system considered, the following results were obtained:
Designing a power supply network with GIS technology (using SF6) – compared to AIS technology (without SF6) – results in a reduction of about 27 per cent in the primary energy consumption, of about 86 per cent in the area required, of about 21 per cent in the greenhouse potential (GWP), of about 21 per cent in the acidification potential (AP), and of about 29 per cent in the nutrification potential (NP). The transferability of the results from the sample network were tested in extensive scenario calculations.
The Conclusions
- Because SF6 has considerably better insulating and quenching properties than air, substations and equipment require less material and energy than the SF6-free AIS alternative.
- Furthermore, due to the compact design of the GIS components, the 110/20-kV transformer substations can be built directly at the (downtown) load centers. So the energy is transmitted at high voltage with low losses to the city centers, and distributed from there to the consumers via short medium-voltage lines.
- A comprehensive consideration of entire power supply systems with the help of a life cycle assessment, focussing on all relevant environmental criteria, provides dependable results that are positive for SF6 use.
AIS technology: The electric power is fed into four air-insulated 110/20-kV transformer substations on the city outskirts, occupying a relatively large area, and distributed via the 20-kV network.
The 110-kV transformer substations are connected by overhead lines. GIS technology: The electric power is fed via 110-KV cables into three SF6-insulated 110/20-kV transformer substations close to the consumers, and distributed via the 20-kV network.
Solkane® 227 pharma, Solkane® 134a pharma
The New Generation of Medical Propellants to Replace CFCs
The Situation
- 50 to 60 million patients rely on metered dose inhalers (MDIs) for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. The figure is increasing at an average of around 5% per year.
- Most MDIs still contain CFCs as propellants.
But: the ban on CFCs for this application is in sight.
The Concept
Solvay Fluor und Derivate GmbH is the only company in the world that is already offering two CFC substitutes as propellants for asthma medication, HFA 227 and HFA 134a. Only these two substances, marketed by Solvay under the names 
Solkane 227 pharma and Solkane 134a pharma, have been approved by the health authorities for use in treating asthma. Both products do not contain chlorine and are destroyed by hydroxyl radicals in the lower atmosphere. Consequently, they do not affect the ozone layer and have a significantly lower global warming potential.
The References
As early as 1990, Solkane 227 pharma was taken as the basis for toxicological tests used by a committee of experts (IPACT II) in reviewing, for the first time at an international level, the suitability of HFA 227 for asthma sprays. Large-scale manufacture then began in 1996. In April 1999, Solvay Fluor und Derivate GmbH received approval from the European Health Authorities for the manufacture and quality control of Solkane 227 pharma. 
Now the Solvay product is being tested by numerous international pharmaceutical companies with various active substances and combinations of active substances in asthma sprays. Some companies have actually already launched sprays using Solkane 227 pharma on the market. An important next step is approval of the product by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In order to obtain approvals of this kind, Solvay Fluor und Derivate GmbH has lodged Drug Master Files in a total of 23 states. All pharmaceutical companies can refer to these Drug Master Files for their product applications.
Solvay´s manufacturing procedure for Solkane 227 pharma is unique. It is highly selective, and the reaction conditions are exceptionally mild. This ensures an extremely low level of impurities.
The second Solvay product for use in asthma sprays is Solkane 134a pharma, which is also produced at Solvay´s fluorochemicals plant in Frankfurt/Main, Germany.
Solkane® 365mfc
Life Cycle Assessment on High Performance Rigid Polyurethane Insulation
The Challenge
Developing insulation systems today is challenged by two requirements:
- Maintaining appropiate temperatures in our working and living environments to safeguard health.
- The efficient management of natural resources and the preventation of unacceptable environmental impacts.
The Situation
HFC-365mfc was developed to replace HCFC-141b as a blowing agent for polyurethane (PU) rigid foams. Unlike 141b, 365mfc does not have any ozone depleting properties – but, like 141b, can impact the climate when released into the air.
However, at the same time, 365mfc-blown PU-rigid foams are beneficial to the environment because of their excellent insulation properties: less heating energy is needed and thus less emissions are generated – including climate impacting CO2.
Sound environmental considerations must therefore encompass the complete life cycle of insulation products.
The Approach
Recognising their joint responsibility Elastogran (BASF Group), Kingspan Group, Solvay Fluor und Derivate, and Synthesia Group, commissioned a life cycle assessment study (LCA) early on in the application development phase of the new blowing agent HFC-365mfc. Typical PU-rigid foam products and applications were investigated:
- Insulation of a flat warm roof on an industrial building by PU-sprays blown with water/CO2, 141b or 365mfc respectively
- Insulation of a pitched warm roof and a cavity wall of a domestic dwelling by PU-boards blown with n-pentane, 141b or 365mfc respectively.
The Results
Particularly when high insulation performance is aimed at and the spatial or static restrictions require thin insulation layers, 365mfc-blown PU-rigid foams can be more effective compared to water/CO2 or n-pentane-blown PU-foams in:
- saving energy and reducing the consumption of natural resources (minerals, water)
- reducing emissions with the potential to cause acid rain, global warming (GWP), nutrification of water and soil, summer smog (POCP)
- reducing waste.
The Conclusions
In an overall assessment, 365mfc has the potential to replace 141b as a high performance blowing agent for PU-rigid foams to avoid any ozone depleting effects.
Solkane® Refrigerants
New Generation of Non-ODP Cooling Agents
The Challenge
As the first company world-wide, Solvay Fluor stopped production and sales of CFC’s in 1994. New refrigerants with higher efficiency and environmentally friendly properties had to be developed and implemented using a safe stewardship system right through to final recycling.
Refrigerants play a hidden, but vital role in peoples lives.
The Situation
Without refrigerants, the living standards of the world’s population would not be as high as it is today. And the provision of comfortable temperatures in working and living environments plays an important part in raising the quality of life. Solkane 134a is mostly found in car air-conditioning, while Solkane 404A and 507 maintain the frozen food chain from coldstore, through transport to supermarket. Solkane 407C and 410A improve the quality of life at home by maintaining comfortable temperatures.
The Concept
All our Solkane refrigerants are environmentally accepted and undergo close control from production to use, guranteeing nearly zero leaking and complete recycling at the end of the life cycle. Solvay Fluor runs a thermal separation unit at its Frankfurt site, where the used refrigerant, after careful collection from the cooling units by skilled maintenance partners, are cracked into hydrofluoric acid and hydrochloric acid. Both raw materials are used again in industrial production and completely converted into new products.
The Conclusion
With their non-ozone depleting properties, combined with complete recycling, Solkane refrigerants contribute to Solvay Fluor’s responsible care programme. In addition, their high efficiency reduces energy consumption in the refrigeration process, with additional benefits for the environment.
Speciality Fluorine Compounds
CF3 Products for Nutrition and MedicineThe Situation
- The world´s population is increasing rapidly. According to scientific estimates, the earth’s population in the year 2020 will be around 7.5 billion.
- Therefore, nutrition will be one of the most important topics in the future. More food for more people is needed, especially in the Third World. On the other hand, the impact of agricultural measures on the environment has to remain as low as possible.
- There will be more people on earth in the future, and – on average – they will live longer. So, medicine and pharmaceutical issues will also gain in importance.
The Concept
Using the knowledge and experience gained from the manufacture of commercial, high-volume products as a platform, Solvay Fluor und Derivate GmbH markets specific fluorine specialities for industry. CF3 chemistry plays a major role in this field. The applications of Solvay´s CF3 products include the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries.
The Solutions
- CF3 products, such as Trifluoroacetyl chloride (TFAC) or Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), used in the agrochemicals production process, improve the effectiveness of herbicides, insecticides and other agrochemicals. This allows their dosages to be reduced, with a positive impact on nutrition and the environment.
- The same applies to pharmaceuticals: Solvay‘s CF3 products increase the effectiveness of medicines and reduce the size of dosages – with a positive effect on people‘s health.
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