To Detect and Serve

At LANXESS’ largest site in the United States, in El Dorado, Arkansas, bromine is produced under demanding conditions. To further enhance safety, the team from the PLA BU is relying on an unusual ally: a robot dog that detects and reports hazards – and goes where things can get dangerous for humans. As a result of this innovative idea, the team has now won the CEO Safety Award.

Bromine has many uses – for example, it helps keep fires under control. As a flame retardant, it has become indispensable in the construction industry – for example, in public buildings such as schools and daycare centers – as well as in the electrical industry for electric vehicles. It is also found in various forms as an additive in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and preservatives. Its range of applications is diverse. But as is always the case, there’s two sides to every coin. In the case of bromine, the name itself gives it away: it comes from the Ancient Greek word bromos – meaning “stench.” Not only does the substance have an unpleasant odor, but its fumes are also potentially harmful to human health. “On top of that, we first have to extract the bromine from the brine using chlorine. We also work with phosgene – another group of hazardous substances,” explains Arfie Wiradjaja, Head of Operations, USA, PLA BU. This kept him up at night: “We follow the strictest safety measures here to protect the team,” says Wiradjaja. “But I knew there was more we could do.”

It was the “near-misses” that were weighing particularly heavy on the chemical engineer’s mind. After all, they can quickly turn into a major incident – and this needs to be prevented at all costs. Wiradjaja is tech-savvy and has always been interested in programming. So it didn’t take long before he got in touch with a drone manufacturer. “I thought that, given the technology currently available, it should be possible to develop some kind of robot that can detect and report hazards.” He quickly found the right manufacturer – they also supplied fire departments and sent him a “robodog.” 

He worked with the manufacturer to customize and program the robot to fit the plant’s specific conditions. Today, the robodog identifies toxic gas leaks in real time. It alerts employees to chemical leaks, detects spills or pools of liquid, and makes it possible to safely monitor confined spaces. It also uses its thermal imaging camera to detect uninsulated hot pipes.

“In an emergency, it can even guide the teams through the evacuation process.” Wiradjaja is thrilled with his new coworker, who can even climb stairs. “Thanks to him, we can prevent our staff from putting themselves in potentially hazardous situations. Instead, we first send our robodog in and wait to see what it finds.” This approach has proven effective, as the robotic safety dog was able to identify even a minor hydrogen sulfide leak and sound the alarm. At the same time, he guided a team member, who was keeping his distance, to a safe area – ensuring that the employee didn’t inhale any harmful gases. That was a classic case of a near-miss.

Wiradjaja plans to acquire more robodogs. The current one has also been fully accepted by the team. “The robodog is easy to use. And since it has already proven itself once, everyone recognizes the benefits,” Wiradjaja explains. With a purchase price of around 4,500 euros, the increased safety is well worth it.

Currently, it’s only in use at the largest of the three facilities, the Central Plant. But, according to Wiradjaja, that’s going to change soon. The chemical engineer is simply bursting with ideas. Most recently, he “accidentally” – as he modestly puts it – found a solution for recycling dichloromethane, DCM. Normally, DCM is released unused into the off-gas system during the production of the flame retardant Emerald Innovation 3000. Now, however, the production process takes place in a cooled environment. This greatly improves DCM vapor condensation and absorption, allowing it to be effectively absorbed. “Cooling was the key,” says Wiradjaja. Within three weeks, the team implemented the system for this new project, dubbed “Popsicle” – they now expect to save over three million euros annually. As an added bonus, the change also makes the production process more sustainable – DCM no longer escapes unused into the atmosphere, instead it’s now recycled.

Wiradjaja has a few more ideas for process changes that will also be implemented. But he doesn’t want to talk about them until they’ve proven their worth. But to him, the most important innovation remains the robodog: “We can all sleep more soundly now. Our brave little robodog coworker now goes wherever it could be potentially dangerous for us humans.”