ARKEMA is one of the most important companies in the European and International landscape of chemical industry. With its 1,200 researchers, distributed in 10 research centre, Arkema uses the 2.2% of Group revenues in research and demonstration activities. Faced with the depletion of fossil resources, Arkema is developing solutions which are contributing to the development of new energies, products made from renewable raw materials and lightweight materials which save energy.
Today Arkema makes about 800 M€ of sales on products derived from renewabales. These include Polyamides from castor oil, but also coproducts like glycerine, solvents, heptanaldehyde (fragrances), heptanoic acid (for lubricants…), 2-octanol ; fatty amines derived from vegetable oils, Epoxidized soy oil and linseed oil, ethylacrylate (ethanol is biobased), activated carbons from pine wood, ethylamine (from ethanol)
The Arkema group has long been developing components made from raw materials of plant origin, especiallycastor oil. The advantage of castor oil plants is that they grow in arid soils and therefore do not compete with food crops. Based on this experience, the Group has developed severalpolymer technologies. R&D is still exploring other opportunities based on other plant species with the aim of increasing the use of renewable raw materials.