For more than 5 years, ChemStream has been among the best of the active companies in the sector PU-2312: Chemical industry. Take a look at the Graydon evaluation report.

 Check out this new publication on the NCP-Flanders website LORCENIS - Long Lasting Reinforced Concrete for Energy Infrastructures under Severe Operating ConditionsChemStream bvba and Ghent University involved in Horizon 2020-project for developing long lasting reinforced concrete for energy infrastructures.Durable materials are paramount for safety and functionality of structures. Existing and emerging energy technologies require materials that perform in more and more extreme operating conditions as they are installed in sub-arctic/arctic areas (low temperatures, ice-abrasion), desert areas (high temperatures), along coast lines (high chloride contents), deep-sea or underground (large temperature gradients and high pressure). In LORCENIS, 17 organisations from 9 countries team up to develop a long lasting reinforced concrete for energy infrastructures with a lifetime extended up to a 100% under extreme operating conditions. Two are based in Flanders: ChemStream bvba and the University of Ghent.ChemStream is an innovative chemical R&D company, specialized in translating material problems in sustainable formulations with focus on nano-dispersions, functional coatings and inkjet inks. Within LORCENIS they will develop super absorbing polymers (SAPs) to be mixed within the concrete matrices for improving the active internal curing, self-healing and self-sealing properties of the concrete.Up till now most applications of SAPs in concrete are based on commercial SAP powders that have a given composition and particle size. ChemStream wants to base itself on other types of polyelectrolyte chemistry (based on EP2835385A1 by Geert Deroover & Els Mannekens) and in varying the particle sizes by grinding the synthesized SAP materials. Also the Polymer Chemistry & Biomaterials Group at Ghent University will be involved in the development and characterization of new SAPs. The Magnel Laboratory  at Ghent University will test the different SAPs in standard concrete mixtures at lab level. From these tests the preferred compositions, particle sizes and concentrations will be deduced. The best SAPs will be further incorporated at a larger scale in specific reinforced-concrete mix designs for extreme operating conditions by other partners in the project. ChemStream will equally upscale the synthesis protocols in order to foresee these partners with batches up to 2 to 3 kg in scale.​More information:https://www.sintef.no/lorcenishttps://www.sintef.no/projectweb/lorcenis/consortium/chemstream/https://www.sintef.no/projectweb/lorcenis/consortium/ghent-university/

 As a proud member of the VIS (Vlaams Innovatie Samenwerkingsverbond) steering committee, we are happy to announce the BAFTA project. BAFTA stands for Bio-Aromatics Feedstock and Technology Study. Due to lignin’s wide availability, its aromatic structure, as well as the variety of potential modifications offered by its chemical structure, many studies have shown that the real commercial opportunity offered by lignin lies in its valorization as a renewable feedstock of aromatics for the chemical industry. This renewed interest in lignin has stimulated research for the development of an economically viable lignin conversion route into high-added value bio-aromatics as phenol and phenol derivatives. The objective of the current BAFTA project is to initiate the first steps in closing the virtual “valley of death” between research (knowledge institutes/universities) and industrial scale, thereby focusing on the general aim of the transition towards a biobased chemical industry in Flanders using lignocellulosic feedstock. The target group of companies that will benefit from this project are found throughout the value chain of bio-aromatics, from paper, wood, and waste treatment companies as a primary/secondary source for feedstock, over producers of polymers or fine-chemicals based on phenolic compounds, to formulators in the area of adhesives, UV-stabilizers, dyes, inks, coatings. More information can be found on the Catalisti website by clicking on the link below http://catalisti.be/project/renewable-chemicals/bafta/