SMART SURFACES: SMART ENGINEERING: A MAGIC HAT FOR SHIPS THE BEST PROCESS FOR MMA ELEMENTSOCTOBER 2017 # 60 A SOLID FOUNDATION* ELEMENTS #60 OCTOBER 2017 THE INNOVATION MAGAZINE Creativity moves the world forward. And Evonik translates Nothing is so perfect that creativity into innovative products. As one of the world’s leading specialty chemicals companies, we filed 350 patent you can’t improve it. applications last year alone. This innovative ingenuity makes us a development partner of choice for all industries. The fruits of our collaboration include more effective drugs, more stable bridges, more efficient wind turbines and more environmentally friendly cars. In a nutshell, we transform chemistry into tomorrow’s products. www.better-with-evonik.com Kunde: EVO-CM-029-17 | Motiv: Bessermacher Anzeige, englische Version, Copy „Fachpublikum und Wirtschaftsentscheider“, Motiv Känguru Format: 230 x 300 mm | Beschnitt: 0 mm | Farbprofil: ISO Coated v2 (ECI) (CMYK) | Titel: elements, englische Ausgabe | Bearbeitet: mr | Stand: 01.09.2017 Creativity moves the world forward. And Evonik translates Nothing is so perfect that creativity into innovative products. As one of the world’s leading specialty chemicals companies, we filed 350 patent EDITORIAL you can’t improve it. applications last year alone. This innovative ingenuity makes us a development partner of choice for all industries. The fruits of our collaboration include more effective Thoroughly scientifically investigated: drugs, more stable bridges, more efficient wind turbines the food supplement MEDOX® Page 8 Agility and more environmentally friendly cars. In a nutshell, we transform chemistry into tomorrow’s products. According to a recent study, Evonik is one of Germany’s most innovative companies. www.better-with-evonik.com CONTENTS The business magazine brand eins Wissen Dr. Ulrich Küsthardt 4 Antifouling and the statistics portal Statista asked 2,000 Chief Innovation How Evonik plans to protect Officer representatives of award-winning innovative Evonik Industries AG ships’ hulls against biological ulrich.kuesthardt fouling companies, 250 experts from the Institute for @evonik.com 8 Advanced Food Ingredients Innovation and Technology in Berlin, and 20,000 Why the Health Care executives and employees from the Statista Business Line is focusing “Expert Circle” to rate the innovative strength of on food supplements 2,000 German companies. 16 Guest Commentary We are delighted to be acknowledged in this Dr. Heribert Watzke on way, because innovation is essential for our bioactive ingredients company. We need it to expand our existing 20 Methacrylates business and also to open up new markets. For How energy and raw materials can be saved in example, the Performance Materials Segment, MMA production one of the leading providers of methacrylate 24 Portrait monomers, has developed a new process for New member of the methacrylate. Tests in a pilot plant show that Evonik Executive Board: this process sets new standards for the efficient How Dr. Harald Schwager sees innovation use of resources. The Nutrition & Care Segment has entered the attractive market for food 3 26 Research Funding Why publicly funded projects supplements to participate in the market’s are so important growth with Advanced Food Ingredients. The 28 Entrepreneurship early results are very promising. How Evonik employees can Whether it’s a new process or a new market, implement their ideas innovation will always work best with people 34 LIKAT Rostock who see a challenge and opportunities where What makes a 20-year others see problems and obstacles. To heighten collaboration possible and successful awareness in this area, we have once again presented our Entrepreneurship Award. The 14 Data Mining Anthocyanins 17 Company News winner, Dr. Sarah Hintermayer, has one year 30 Corporate Foresight and a budget of €200,000 to further develop her Life extension idea. At the same time, she can become familiar 32 Professionals with the lean startup methodology, which Prof. Stefan Pelzer 38 Wishlist relies on early customer contact and, as a result, Prof. Christine Lang and earlier market entry. This agility is becoming Prof. Joachim von Braun increasingly important as our environment 39 Book Tips | Masthead becomes ever more dynamic. Our goal is an ambitious one: to be one of the most innovative companies not only in Germany but worldwide. Photography p. 3: Mike Hagen, Dirk Bannert, Dirk Evonik Hagen, Mike 3: p. Photography Feedback Prof. Stefan Pelzer values the freedom he Tell us your opinion of has at Evonik. Page 32 elements: Cover and back cover: Shutterstock cover: and back Cover [email protected] ELEMENTS #60 THE EVONIK INNOVATION MAGAZINE Kunde: EVO-CM-029-17 | Motiv: Bessermacher Anzeige, englische Version, Copy „Fachpublikum und Wirtschaftsentscheider“, Motiv Känguru Format: 230 x 300 mm | Beschnitt: 0 mm | Farbprofil: ISO Coated v2 (ECI) (CMYK) | Titel: elements, englische Ausgabe | Bearbeitet: mr | Stand: 01.09.2017 GLOBAL CHALLENGES: ANTIFOULING Bye-bye to barnacles: Coating solutions from Evonik prevent biofouling before the effects are discernible. Figure 1: How biofilms form Just seconds after contact with water, microorganisms settle on the ship’s hull. These serve as nourishment for other organisms, and a biofilm is formed. Dr. Stefan Silber, Dr. Michael Fiedel, and Dr. Gün- ther Michael aritime transport is the first preference for car- go; nearly 90 percent of all goods transported Seconds Seconds – Minutes Hours – Days Days – Month worldwide are carried Reversible adhesion Irreversible adhesion by more than 50,000 Substrate Conditioning Non-adherent Adherent Bacterial Bacteria, diatoms, Macroalgae, larva of ships plying the world’s oceans. The com- film bacteria bacteria biofilm microalgae spores invertebrates and invertebrates Mmercial viability of the global merchant fleet depends heavily on the shell of the ves- sels. Biofouling, caused by plant and animal growths on the hull under the waterline, is Figure 2: The effects of biofouling particular cause for concern. Proteins, car- bohydrates, and other micronutrients from Biofouling increases both frictional resistance and fuel consumption and therefore CO2 emissions, and the ocean attach themselves to the hull mere reduces the maneuverability of ships. seconds after its first contact with sea water. As nutrients, they attract marine organisms that then also settle on the shell. The biofilms thus formed are highly com- plex habitats in which several hundred spe- 4 cies interact with one another positively or negatively, hindering the movement of ships on the world’s seas (Fig. 1). The signif- Resistance icant roughening of the hull’s surface due to biofouling leads to a drastic increase in Fuel Speed frictional resistance during movement. The result is a vicious circle in which, to main- tain the same speed of travel, the ship needs Environment more energy and fuel, with an associated (wind and Wave making Friction weather) (hull shape) (hull surface) rise in CO2 emissions (Fig. 2). Current stud- ies indicate that even slight encrustation CO2 raises fuel consumption by up to 30 percent. Engine In addition, the maneuverability of the ships is reduced and the risk of corrosion increas- es so that ships need more frequent spells in Shaft power Boost Boost the dry dock for cleaning and repairs. Short Propeller maintenance cycles and increased fuel con- sumption result in high costs for shipping Graphic: C3 Visual Lab Graphic: companies. And the climate is also affected: Even a thin biofilm gives rise to CO2 emis- sions of more than 270 million metric tons every year. Demand is therefore high for coatings that protect ships’ hulls from biofouling. These antifouling coatings prevent the settling of Shutterstock Photography:: marine organisms and counteract the neg- ative effects of biofouling. But the search for the right coating is a challenge. The most ef- fective method known so far for protecting the hull is a biocide-containing coating. Its functioning is based on a leaching process in which active toxic substances are dissolved out of the coating matrix and arrive at the surface of the ship’s hull. Here they form a kind of biocide cloud around the ship und damage microorganisms before these ELEMENTS #60 THE EVONIK INNOVATION MAGAZINE GLOBAL CHALLENGES: ANTIFOULING GLOBAL CHALLENGES: ANTIFOULING A CLOAK OF INVISIBILITY FOR SHIPS Evonik already has effective solutions for antifouling coatings in its portfolio. The Group’s researchers are now working on new coatings for effective protection of ship hulls against biofouling that use fewer biocides, or even dispense with these altogether. 5 ELEMENTS #60 THE EVONIK INNOVATION MAGAZINE ELEMENTS #60 THE EVONIK INNOVATION MAGAZINE GLOBAL CHALLENGES: ANTIFOULING can settle on the hull. Among the best- Smart Surface found. In the absence of suitable alterna- known of the biocides is tributyltin hydride Solutions tives, therefore, biocides are still used in (TBT), an organometallic complex of tin. But The Smart Surface antifouling coatings. The active agent of there’s a problem here: Investigations have Solutions Competence choice today is copper oxide, which is re- Center focuses on ma- revealed that the toxicity of the biocides is terials and coatings that garded as more eco-friendly than TBT and not confined to organisms at the hull’s sur- improve the corrosion acts on the same leaching principle. But it face but extends also to other species in the control, anti-icing, too is a heavy metal oxide and