|
Ube Industries, Ltd. (President: Kazumasa Tsunemi), with its synthesized
aromatic (formal name: α-methyl-1,3-benzenedioxl-5-propanol,
abbreviated "MDP") having a fresh, marine aroma,
developed a new process to efficiently synthesize it from
existing chemical substances without any use of natural
tree components.
The Company has applied for a trademark under the name
"Heliofresh" and has already begun a survey
for commercialization with an eye toward 2005.
For conventional MDP, sassafras woods were cut and the
roots steam distilled. Heliotropin, a base aromatic from
the extracted sassafras oil, was synthesized and then
derived into MDP and produced (refer to the Attachment).
In recent years, however, balmy marine aromas have become
trendy and demand for MDP has risen, so deforestation
has worsened due to indiscriminate cutting of the same
woods. For a stable supply of MDP as well, establishment
of a new process of synthesis that is not via the plant
route has been awaited.
At the Company, product groups related to diphenol are
positioned as the core products for the fine chemicals
field, and vast expansion is planned into large aromatics
such as vanillin/ethyl-vanillin, which are diphenol derivatives,
and pharmaceutical ingredients, intermediates, and the
like that are synthesized with them as a base.
The Company had already succeeded last year in combining
long years of synthesis technology and being the world's
first in the synthesis of heliotropin from methylenedioxybenzene,
which is a diphenol derivative, although at this time
technology to synthesize MDP directly from methylenedioxybenzene
without taking place via heliotropin has been established."Heliofresh"
via the same technology (refer to the Attachment) does
not require plant components and is a breakthrough to
effectively synthesize the aromatic in short processes
completely from existing chemical substances, so it will
contribute to both preservation of the global environment
and cost reduction.
As a result of successful development for the same process
of manufacture, the Company has positioned a series of
methylenedioxybenzene-related aromatics such as heliotropin
and "Heliofresh" as strategic products for diphenol
derivatives and is engaged in a market survey with the
goal of full-blown production in 2005.
At the current time, the Company estimates a production
scale of 1000 t/yr in methylenedioxybenzene conversion
and a market scale of about 2 billion yen.
The Company plans to participate in the exhibition and
introduce the product at ChemSpec Europe held in Manchester,
England starting on June 4th.
Attachment
[1.Conventional MDP Process of Manufacture]
[2.Current "Heliofresh" Process of Manufacture]
Please use the inquiry form to send us your inquiry.
|
