PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Showcasing the Company’s innovative research and development at the inauguration of the Northeast Technology Center (NTC) in Collegeville, PA, The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) highlighted a series of key industry awards and customer honors for products that vastly improve our daily lives.
Among the innovations recognized: A durable and affordable paint that uses less of a limited natural resource, a fabric treatment that keeps socks and even workout clothes smelling fresh, bars of soap that last longer yet cost less to make, and an energy-saving water treatment system.
“Dow researchers work relentlessly to develop solutions that meet real-world needs,” says A.N. Sreeram, Dow corporate vice president of Research and Development. “We are pleased to be recognized again with prestigious R&D 100 awards, as well as to receive recognition from other programs that validate the insights and dedication our scientists demonstrate every day. Our Advanced Materials team looks forward to collaborating even more at our new innovation hub in Collegeville.”
All of these awards have been earned by businesses in Dow’s Advanced Materials Division, which generates roughly 40 percent of the Company’s intellectual property activity. This division was instrumental in helping the Company achieve a 23-year high for patent productivity last year.
Smart Science at the Core of Innovation Awards
The 2013 R&D 100 Awards, widely known as the “Oscars of Innovation,” recognized Dow in two of the program’s three chemistry-focused awards. Dow’s winning products are SILVADUR™ Antimicrobial technology for fabrics and EVOQUE™ pre-composite polymer for paints.
SILVADUR harnesses silver’s natural antimicrobial powers to keep socks, workout clothes, textiles and upholstery odor-free for more than 50 washings. The technology has been quickly embraced by textile and clothing manufacturers.
“Bacteria-fighting silver ions are built into fabrics with our special patented ‘smart release’ technology,” explains Rick Strittmatter, R&D director for Dow Microbial Control. “Then, when unwanted bacteria come into contact with SILVADUR-treated fabrics, the ions are released and bacteria are eliminated. No bacteria means no odor. No odor may mean fewer washings, which is also better for the environment.”
Longer lasting paint performance and a smaller environmental footprint are notable benefits offered by yet another Dow technology honored in this year’s R&D 100 program. EVOQUE Pre-Composite Polymer is a low-VOC technology that improves the durability and appearance of interior and exterior house paint while using up to 20 percent less titanium dioxide (TiO2).
“TiO2 plays a key role in bringing opacity to white, pastel and mid-tone paints, but it’s also a highly processed and energy intensive raw material,” explains Keith Watson, global R&D director for Dow Coating Materials. “In addition to reducing the level — and associated environmental impact — of TiO2 in paint, EVOQUE Pre-Composite Polymer brings important performance improvements to the paint film, helping to create product lines that require fewer coats, are more resistant to stains and dirt, are easier to clean, and resist rusting, corrosion and other weather effects.”
Soap and Water: Improving Upon the Essentials
In addition to the R&D 100 Awards, Dow recently earned a Unilever Innovation Award for a differentiated ingredient for hand and bath soap bars, which are the simplest and most common tool that people use to wash around the world.
Dow’s POLYOX™ Water Soluble Resins extends the life of the bar, gives the soap a better skin feel, and allows Unilever to reduce processing costs for its LIFEBUOY Brand. This keeps the product affordable for its customers — many of whom live in developing countries.
“A bar of soap is actually a fairly sophisticated piece of technology,” said Nilesh Shah, senior R&D director for Dow Consumer & Industrial Solutions. “It must have just the right pH so it doesn’t dry out skin and the right amount of lather to help get rid of dirt and oils, but not so much lather that it slips out of your hand.”
While soap is an essential disease deterrent, water is simply essential to life.
And for that reason, Dow’s low-energy FILMTEC™ ECO Reverse Osmosis Elements for water purification emerged as the winner of Aquatech China’s 2013 “Market Choice” award, presented to Dow in Shanghai.
FILMTEC ECO is a device that removes materials out of water in just one pass, making it pure. As the stress of water scarcity grows along with the world’s population, the FILMTEC water treatment technology can help ensure that water is safer and more accessible.
“FILMTEC ECO allows customers to get cleaner water while reducing energy costs by up to 30 percent,” says George Barclay, R&D director for Dow Water and Process Solutions. “This means that water processing plants can have less impact on the environment, and less strain on their bottom line.”
Innovation Set to Thrive at New R&D Center in Collegeville
The NTC is a world-class, state-of-the-art 800,000 square foot global research and development hub of modern lab and office facilities providing a fully equipped, collaborative space for more than 800 employees and contractors. One of the largest sites of its kind in Dow’s global network, the NTC will play a pivotal role as an innovation hub for many businesses in Dow’s Advanced Materials portfolio – a business unit headquartered in Philadelphia, which brings differentiated solutions to customers in key end-markets including electronics, consumer and lifestyle, infrastructure and transportation and energy.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2012, Dow had annual sales of approximately $57 billion and employed approximately 54,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 188 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.
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