Frost & Sullivan: Chemical Plants to Evolve From Conventional, Large-Scale Factories to Modular, Plug-and-Play Designs

Frost & Sullivan: Chemical Plants toFrost & Sullivan: Chemical Plants to Evolve From Conventional, Large-Scale Factories to Modular, Plug-and-Play Designs PR Newswire MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, March 25, 2014 -- Diversification into renewable chemical feedstock will pave the way for an integrated, safe and sustainable industry In order to meet the escalating demands for innovative and economical chemicals, several global trends are defining the chemicals industry of the future. These trends range from the emergence of green chemicals and processes to nanochemicals and smaller, modular chemical factories of the future. Large scale chemical production plants that once filled the landscape are now being replaced by smaller, more modular plants with enhanced capabilities that expect to improve efficiency by 30 percent. The chemical industry of the future will not only require smarter processes and plant designs, but also an integrated system that will sense, respond and sustain feedstock flexibility, productivity, safety and profitability. Analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Scorecard for the Global Chemicals Industry, finds that the share of bio-based chemicals is expected to grow to about 15 to 18 percent of global chemical sales by 2025. The development and implementation of biorefineries enables sustainable processing of biomass into marketable products and energy leading to both economic and environmental benefits.