Today, we woke up bright and early at 7 AM, and got breakfast for the final time at the Meininger hotel. We put on our fancy clothes and took private transportation for about an hour to Nouryon polymer specialties headquarters in Deventer. We were first given an introduction into the life saving safety rules and regulations which they require all visitors and employees to follow to ensure they stay incident free. Nouryon takes safety very seriously, especially because they deal with highly hazardous chemicals. They specialize in determining the best way to handle potentially harmful chemicals, the amount threshold for safe use, and transportation through various conditions all while abiding by EU guidelines. 

We then were given an introduction into the difference between hazard and risk, and the qualms Nouryon has with EU risk assessment guidelines. Our hosts explained that, in the case of a shark in the ocean, the shark itself is a hazard, but only poses a risk when encountered by humans. The hosts made this analogy to articulate that EU guidelines currently assess chemicals based on their hazard and not risk, meaning most chemicals they deem unsafe are actually safe if handled with proper care.

We then were given a tour of several labs around the facility, the first being the biodegradation lab which tests the end of life degradation of their chemicals by bacteria. The lab tests pressure and O2 production to analyze how the bacteria are degrading the chemicals in their products. We then saw the toxicity lab, which analyzes how concentrated the chemicals are after a period of time in a living sample. Then, we toured the safety lab, which has over 20 concrete enforced rooms with meter wide walls that ensure safety no matter the reaction outcome. The purpose of this lab is to determine the outcome of unpredictable reactions, so the safety precautions need to be extensive. All of these labs pertain to sustainability in some way, making sure their chemicals don’t hurt the environment or hurt humans and other organisms. 

We wrapped up discussing how Nouryon tackles sustainability and has staunch goals for sustainability in the future. One of the main focuses of the presentation focused on Nouryon’s new formula which aids in adjusting the MFI (melt flow index) of plastic recyclate. Being able to tailor the MFI of recyclate mater allows for reuse in more specific and useful areas. This tackles a huge issue in recycling that has made it too expensive and impractical in the past. The patent for the compound already exists and will likely change the future of recycling.

Nouryon took up a majority of our day, and we had a two-hour bus ride back to our hotel in Rotterdam. After we got back, everyone got some greasy American food (we were all craving it) and called it a very early night.

Welterusten!