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An international team of Bayer researchers from its Basic and Fine Chemicals Business Group has been honored with the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) prestigious Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in Washington, D.C.

The EPA presented the award to the scientists on behalf of US President George W. Bush for their work in researching and developing BaypureTM CX, a Bayer chelating agent with very good biodegradability. The main uses for the product are washing and cleaning agents and in the agricultural and textile industries. Last year, Bayer’s Coatings and Colorants Business Group received the award for development of an environmentally benign industrial coating systems.

“It is our aim to develop products which meet sustainable development criteria: products which are state-of-the-art, ecologically benign, economic, and accepted by authorities and the general public,” said Dr. Attila Molnar, a Member of Bayer AG’s Board of Management with environmental protection responsibilities. “Our BaypureTM product range meets all the criteria. We are especially proud that in the same year that we are to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, we have won this important environmental award for the second year running with innovative products from Bayer research,” he said. Bayer’s New York Stock Exchange listing is scheduled for September.

President William J. Clinton launched the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in 1995 to promote environmental protection in industry. The prize is awarded once a year in five categories and gives national prominence to those companies and Cationic Surfactant organizations which show commitment to researching, developing and implementing environmentally compatible chemical technologies.

BaypureTM CX (iminodisuccinate, IDS) is a chelating agent that traps metal ions such as heavy metal ions that cause the decomposition of chemical formulations. Such decomposition can be seen, for example, when creams have become rancid or when paper and cotton do not have the desired degree of whiteness. Natural chelating agents are vital to the photosynthesis of plants and the respiration of man and animals. In technical fields, chelating agents are generally used in washing and cleaning products, in textile and paper manufacture, in the photographic industry and in agricultural nutrients.

Baypure’sTM environmental compatibility is one of its most important properties: Its chemical compounds are structured according to a natural model and therefore biodegrade within a very short time. Synthesis of the product does not generate any waste that requires disposal. “This is an example of the in-process environmental protection policy we have practiced at Bayer for many years,” Dr. Molnar added.

Bayer launched a new IDS unit at the Leverkusen site in November 2000. The facility is designed for a capacity of 4,500 metric tons a year, but can be expanded to produce 12,500 tons without too much problem, giving Bayer the flexibility it needs to respond to a rapidly growing demand for the product.