NEWS
CEFIC : Increase in non-compliant article imports
According to an analysis by CEFIC of data reported through the EU ’ s Safety Gate , 2020 saw a steep increase in imports of hand sanitisers that were not compliant with EU chemical safety rules . They were either not marked as flammable or containing methanol , as required by EU Classification & Labelling rules , or had insufficient ethanol to kill viruses , as required by the Biocides Regulation . In addition , while most ( 80 %) of the non-compliant articles of all kinds came from outside the EU and the EEA , there was a rise from 4 % to 17 % in the number where the country of origin was unknown . This was probably due to increased online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic , CEFIC noted . Children ’ s toys accounted for more than a third of all reported cases , as in previous years . The main two are the endocrine-disrupting phthalate DEHP , which has long been restricted in Europe but still often turns up in dolls imported from China ; and boron , a reprotoxin that is often found in
Hand sanitisers were a major element of non-compliance
‘ slime toys ’. Automotive refrigerants and skin-lightening products were also increasing issues . “ Not only do we need more coordinated enforcement at EU borders , but we also need to ensure the restrictions or bans we adopt in Europe are enforceable ,” said Sylvie Lemoine , CEFIC ’ s executive director of product stewardship . “ This means enforcement authorities need to have the analytical tools , the lab capacity and the budgets to control a representative sample of goods for the presence and amount of restricted chemicals .”
Cepsa opens upgraded LAB plant
Cepsa , the world ’ s largest producer of linear alkylbenzene ( LAB ) and cumene , has begun operations at its first plant to use Detal technology in place of hydrofluoric acid , in the Puente Mayorga site at San Roque , near Cádiz in southern Spain ( pictured ). Capacity has increased to 250,000 tonnes / year LAB is the most widely used biodegradable surfactant in laundry detergents . Cepsa developed the patented Detal
technology with UOP . This was named in the Spanish section of the 2020 European Business Awards for the Environment and also won a technological innovation award at the ICIS Surfactants Awards , among others . The company claims that Detal is “ a safer , more efficient and sustainable process which optimises the efficient use of raw materials and electricity and reduces emissions and waste generation ”. Its use at Puente Mayorga will cut emissions by 1,100 tonnes / year , save 80,000 m 3 / year in water consumption and improve product quality . The opening followed two years of work to transform the plant , which runs on 100 % renewable electric power supplied by Cepsa ’ s Gas & Electricity business . A total of € 117 million was invested . During the shutdown involved , € 26 million was spent upgrading process safety and energy efficiency of other assets within the plant , including digitalisation .
14 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981