Sustainable solutions take centre stage as Nouryon announces 2019 Imagine Chemistry winners

Surfactants derived from plants, eco-friendly membranes, and miniature sensors were among the eight winning ideas in the 2019 Imagine Chemistry collaborative innovation challenge, organised by Nouryon.

More than 160 submissions from 30 countries were received, and the winners were chosen from 14 finalists at a three-day event at the company’s RD&I centre in the Netherlands.

Two overall winners were awarded joint development agreements (JDA), with Sironix Renewables receiving a JDA from Nouryon and Unilever for its technology to make surfactants from plants, and Ionomr receiving a JDA for its eco-friendly membrane technology.

 Meanwhile, Ingu Solutions was awarded a supply agreement with Nouryon, RISE and Intelligent Fluids awarded research agreements with Nouryon, Cambridge Carbon Capture given partner support by Lux Research, and Arenal Process Control Solutions and The University of Sheffield and Entomics were awarded chemical research support.

Renier Vree, CFO of Nouryon and Chairman of the Imagine Chemistry jury, said: “Collaborative innovation is essential to create value and develop the solutions our customers need.”

“The conversations between finalists and experts from inside and outside the company were very open-minded and collaboration focused. Developing value cases for joint development of products, research as well as supply will help us to better achieve our growth ambitions.”

Christoph Krumm, CEO and co-founder of Sironix Renewables, said: “The plant-based molecule we developed serves a both a surfactant and chelating agent, eliminating the need for co-formulated chemicals in detergents.”

“Imagine Chemistry was an invaluable opportunity for us to learn from Nouryon and Unilever experts and business leaders, and to come up with a plan to further develop our technology.”

Bill Haberlin, CEO of Ionomr, said: “We aim to replace toxic chemicals in electrochemical applications and have the most stable alternative to enable significant cost reductions. This award really validates the work we are doing, and will accelerate the adoption and scale-up of our technology.”