The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) today announced that Huntsman’s VITROX® Composite Resins is the winner of the 2012 Polyurethane Innovation Award. The winner was announced during the closing session of the 2012 Polyurethanes Technical Conference, which was held at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta.
The three Innovation Award finalists presented their entries during the conference’s opening session on Monday. In his presentation, Huntsman representative Marc Brokaert demonstrated via video how VITROX® Composite Resins allow for the repair of sewer lines and pipes without costly and disruptive street digging.
Said Huntsman: “During the cure-in-place process (CIPP) installation, a resin-saturated felt liner made of polyester is inverted into a damaged pipe using compressed air or water. Steam or hot water is then applied to the saturated liner, aiding the resin to cure, which allows a seal to be created around the damaged area. This process allows significant time and cost-savings in the repair of broken sewer pipes. VITROX resins provide a long handling window, fast curing time and excellent high temperature resistance properties.”
“CPI congratulates Huntsman on winning the 2012 Polyurethane Innovation Award,” said CPI Senior Director Lee Salamone. “This innovation offers a creative solution to the real-world challenges of infrastructure repairs and improvements, and it is another example of how a versatile chemistry like polyurethane can be used in an incredibly wide variety of applications and can offer a vast array of benefits.”
The 2012 Polyurethanes Technical Conference featured 63 technical presentations, 36 table top exhibits, 26 poster presentations and eight Professional Development Program (PDP) courses. Nearly 900 people attended the 2012 conference, an increase of more than 100 attendees from 2011. Nearly 150 attendees also participated in the PDP.
Award Selection
A panel of judges comprised of experts representing technical disciplines and the polyurethane supply chain evaluated all eligible Innovation Award submissions. Judges evaluated all entries based on impact on the polyurethanes industry, uniqueness of the innovation, quality of the science and societal impact. The three submissions with the highest scores were selected as finalists to be considered for the 2012 Polyurethane Innovation Award.
Voting for the Polyurethane Innovation Award took place during the Opening Session of the 2012 Polyurethanes Technical Conference on Monday, September 24. Each individual conference registrant attending the Opening Session was eligible to cast one vote for one finalist. The finalist with the most votes from the audience received an additional 20 points, which were added to the judges’ score. The innovation with the highest total score was deemed the winner.
Eligibility
Award entries in polyurethane chemistry for 2012 could have included finished products, initiatives, training or education programs, or processes or processing equipment. Entries pertaining to a polyurethane product or polyurethane manufacture must have related to polyurethane chemistry defined as the reaction of an isocyanate with a polyol.
Entries for 2012 represent new innovations that had not been previously submitted for the Innovation Award and had not been available for commercial sales longer than 15 months prior to June 29, 2012.
In addition to Huntsman, Boral Composites, Inc. was nominated for its TruExterior® Trim and Reverdia was nominated for its Biosuccinium™ succinic acid.