BASF Earns Louisiana Award for Catalyst Recycling Program

The BASF Geismar site, Baton Rouge, LA, has won a state pollution prevention award for a voluntary program initiated in 2002 that is converting what was once waste into a useful product.

The Pollution Prevention Achievement Award was presented to BASF last week as part of the Governor's Environmental Leadership Awards Program. The award recognizes BASF for its "Aniline Catalyst Recovery" project -- a process that recovers materials used in production at the site.

"I applaud these recipients for their efforts to keep Louisiana environmentally protected," said Governor M.J. Foster. "The state's responsibility is to the citizens of Louisiana. Protecting citizens by enforcing environmental laws is made much easier when industries and companies go beyond the minimum requirements of the law in the area of environmental responsibility."

The new process recovers the silicon based copper catalyst used in the production of aniline. About 55 metric tons of the catalyst were mechanically separated to remove inefficient small particles that made the catalyst unusable. Previously, a spent charge of catalyst was replaced in its entirety with a charge of new catalyst. Instead, the catalyst is now recycled, with about 90 percent of the catalyst recovered during the process. This new process resulted in a reduction of 50 metric tons of landfill waste. This is equal to the volume of waste a typical family of four produces in four years and would require 30 garbage trucks to haul away.