New process design reduces costs: UniCat spin-off DexLeChem convinces Lonza

Cost-effective and ecological: The globally renowned company LONZA is impressed with the “creativity, smart solutions, speed and outstanding technological know-how" of DexLeChem. The young company developed several process designs enabling the chemical manufacturer (turnover: 3 billion € in 2013) to produce more cost-efficiently and ecologically in future.

This was a big challenge for the technical team, since the existing processes of LONZA are already highly optimized. The task was to derive a re-using process enabling the repeated re-use of homogeneous chiral catalyst. Based on a detailed initial analysis of the existing process the DexLeChem experts (homogeneous chiral catalysis, theoretical physics and process engineering) outperformed the high requirements of LONZA’s development and optimization department. „I was very impressed how creative and clever DexLeChem’s approaches have been. Furthermore I must highlight the extensive technical as well as scientific foundation, on which the presented re-using strategies are based on,” says E. Klegraf, Ph.D. – Process Optimization. J. Reichwagen, Ph.D.–Chemical Process Development comments: „The fast progress of the project was due to the high level of competence as well as the open and constructive discussion culture,which promoted the best ideas and ensured a very pleasant collaboration.”

As the positive feedback showsthere is a huge demand and willingness to take new paths in chemistry. By implementing new high-tech processes into chemical production approaches towards a reindustrialization of chemical industry become possible, enabling a more cost-effective and ecological production than traditional methods.

About DexLeChem
Founded out of the Cluster of Excellence UniCat (Unifying Concepts in Catalysis)
DexLeChem GmbH is changing the chemical-pharmaceutical industry with green hightech services, creating a new state of the art with its innovations. The company is able to produce highly complex chemical active substances in water and other sustainable solvents. These novel, patented synthesis routes are much cheaper than procedures in toxic organic solvents, since DexLeChem can keep the required and expensive noblemetal catalysts active and re-use them, despite the use of water. The interdisciplinary team currently counts twelve employees and specializes in chemical engineering, chiral catalysis and quantum physics. Innovator and co-founder is Sonja Jost, who is also the company's managing director. Since April 2014 the company is located at the Bayer HealthCare CoLaborator, Muellerstrasse 178, 13353 Berlin, Germany. More information at www.dexlechem.com

Press contact
Anja Paulsen-Stock| paulsen-stock@dexlechem.com | +49 (0)170 5340351