Introduction
Seminar on “Smart Chemistry”
On the 19th of April, almost 20 Dutch companies paid a visit to the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park in Shanghai. The objective of this seminar was to explore the possibilities of future development for Dutch organizations in the fields of chemical efficiency, circular economy and waste treatment within China. SCIP has long been focusing on circular economy and environmental issues, and the park and its members are attractive potential partners for Dutch/European companies looking to do business in China. This seminar created new opportunities for broadening networks, sharing knowledge and sparking partnerships that will contribute to a changing future.
About SCIP
Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP) hosts a large number of MNCs and national (petrochemical) companies in Chemistry. The East China University of Science and Technology is situated close by. The original reason to establish this park was to collect scattered enterprises in one place and, as a result from this decision, development of domestic enterprises was boosted and international players have been attracted. Today, the park focuses more on high-tech, market-compatible companies that fulfil the needs of Shanghai. SCIP is also reaching out to many other industries, such as automotive and information/communication technologies, and has the ambition to open its own R&D center. Almost from he beginning, SCIP has had a strong focus on addressing circular economy and environmental issues within its park. Waste treatment is centralized: the company Suez performs all the waste water treatment and resources are shared more and more. Attention to solid and disposable waste in SCIP is increasing as well and projects to reuse heat and energy are being developed. Besides these focusses, SCIP is exploring possibilities for using renewable energy (such as solar energy) to power some of these projects and reduce CO2 emissions as well. New environmental regulations also ensure the monitoring of ground water and land quality. SCIP should become the first Chinese chemical industry park that is specialized in chemistry with high standards and technology. It has made funding available to update technology, provide safety, support the environment, and anticipates an increased attention from foreign investors.
Program
The Dutch delegation during the site visit
The seminar started with opening remarks by the SCIP organisation and the Holland Innovation Network. The first-half of the seminar was focussed on how to set up chemical industry parks and projects that take into account sustainability, circular economy, environmental protection, energy efficiency and innovation in these fields. During this first part, there were speakers from SCIPAC, the planned SCIP R&D Center, Brightlands Chemelot Campus (Mr. Maurice Lambriex) and Energy Research Center of the Netherlands (ECN; Mrs. Sigrid Bollwerk). A short break in between the two parts provided companies with the opportunity to intermingle and hopefully broaden their networks with other parties. The second-half of the seminar was more technical, and addressed the techniques and processes used by various Dutch and Chinese companies. There were speeches by: Suez/Sino-French on their waste water treatment systems on-site at SCIP, Soliqz (Mr. Nicolaas Viets) on their Hydraulic Wash Column technology, Tusti (Mrs. Eline Stiphout) on smart plastic recycling, the ECUST-DSM-TUD collaboration (Mr. Neil Tang) and their work on fermentation processes, The Institute for Sustainable Process Technology (ISPT;Mr. Jan Koning) and their work on sustainable process technology development, and GREENMENT (Mr. Johnny Browaeys) with their expertise on setting up businesses in China based on circular economy concepts. Closing remarks were made by Mr. David Pappie, Director Top Sectors and Industrial Policy of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands and, afterwards, the programme was rounded off with a tour of the park.