EUR 7M BAYER CATALYSIS CENTER
[BIZ/SCI-TECH: Aachen, September 20] ‘The development of entirely new catalytic processes, which we’d like to do at this joint center, presents many new opportunities, but it’s also a challenge’, said Professor Walter Leitner, the scientific head of the new center. In catalysis, even the smallest amount of a molecular matchmaker can be sufficient to guide a chemical reaction into the desired direction, or start it in first place. This is a form of sustainable industry that helps to explore new materials and makes processes more efficient which, in turn, can reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions. At the Seffent Melaten site next to the Institute for Technical and Macro-Molecular Chemistry (ITMC) at the university, which is headed by Professor Leitner, the university will provide 400m2 of lab space. The laboratory wing is currently being modernized with the support of North-Rhine Westphalia and the university; it will then be equipped and furnished in cooperation with BayerMaterialScience. As part of Bayer’s motto to ‘Provide Science for a Better Life’ the company is active in cooperating with universities in Germany and abroad. This joint center is a new step along that road. Primary markets are automotive, electrical, electronics, construction, sports and leisure industries, and the company offers fully integrated solutions along the lifecycle of chemical/pharmaceutical plants. They recently developed an ice-hockey stick made of carbon nano-tubes, which makes it sturdy and accurate.
BayerMaterialScience AG and Bayer Technology Services GmbH have signed a five-year agreement with the RWTH University in Aachen for close cooperation in catalysis research. Catalysis has become a key technology in the chemical industry and almost none of Bayer’s products is produced without involving some form of catalyst, according to Ian Paterson, a member of the board of BayerMaterialScience (BMS) and responsible for marketing and innovation, at the signing of the contract in Aachen. Over a period of five years BMS will invest a total of EUR 6.05m in the center for catalysis research and Bayer Technology Services will contribute EUR1.24m. North-Rhine Westphalia and the RWTH Aachen will provide an additional EUR 2.7m to finance the center, which will employ up to 12 researchers.
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