WASHINGTON, April 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At the Responsible Care Conference and Expo last evening, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) honored 16 of its member companies for implementing energy-efficiency improvements in 2010. Together, these improvements saved enough BTUs to power all the homes in a city the size of Akron, Ohio, for one year. ACC presented a total of 41 awards to these companies, five of which were deemed programs of "Exceptional Merit."

The Responsible Care Energy Efficiency Awards program is among ACC's many ongoing initiatives to improve energy efficiency. In 2010, the total annual energy savings achieved by the winning projects was 14.8 trillion BTUs, with the added benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"Chemistry empowers advances in energy efficiency and renewable energy," said American Chemistry Council President and CEO Cal Dooley.  "Through these innovations, Americans save energy every day.  Meanwhile, our industry is committed to supporting technologies that improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our own operations. Thanks to projects like these, we've enhanced energy efficiency by 36 percent and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 23 percent since 1990."

The 2011 Energy Efficiency Award winners were selected from four categories:

The "Energy Efficiency Program" award is given to companies with broad programs to achieve energy-efficiency improvements, with components such as establishing energy teams, goal setting, communications, management support, and recognition.

The "Significant Improvement in Manufacturing" award is given to companies that improve energy efficiency in their manufacturing operations through technical innovations, creative projects, or novel procedures or actions.

The "Environmental Impact" award is given for initiatives with substantial environmental benefits, including reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to improvements in energy efficiency.

The "Non-Manufacturing Improvement" award is given for improvements resulting from energy-efficient lighting, insulation, and other building improvements, and other non-manufacturing energy improvements.

Individual ACC member companies nominate specific projects for recognition under the award program. The judging committee that determined the winners is comprised of selected members of ACC's Energy Team, including representatives from ACC, the National Association of Chemical Distributors and others. The judging committee was joined by James Eggebrecht, professor of engineering and director of the Energy Systems Laboratory and Texas A&M University, and additional experts in the field of energy efficiency.

The companies receiving awards for 2011 are:

• Albemarle Corporation
• BASF Corporation
• Bayer Corporation
• Carus Corporation
• Dow Corning Corporation
• The Dow Chemical Company
• DuPont
• El Dorado Nitrogen, L.P.
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company
• Marathon Petroleum Company, LLC
• Nalco
• Occidental Chemical Corporation
• PPG Industries, Inc.
• SABIC Innovative Plastics
• Solutia Inc.
• W.R. Grace & Co.

Award winners were announced and recognized at the opening of the 2011 Responsible Care Conference and Expo in Miami, Florida. The conference continues through Wednesday, April 20. (For more information about the conference, please visit www.RCconference.org.)

Following is a list of the 41 awards given. An asterisk (*) denotes an "Exceptional Merit" award designation.

Energy Efficiency Program – Corporate/Business Unit

• BASF Corporation, for Corporate Energy Efficiency Improvement Goal
• The Dow Chemical Company, for $100 Million Investment in Energy Efficiency

Energy Efficiency Program – Plant Site

• The Dow Chemical Company, for Texas City Operations Superior Energy Performance*
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Beaumont Chemical Plant, for Plant Energy Program*
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Baytown Olefins Plant, for BOP Energy Efficiency Improvements
• Marathon Petroleum Company, LLC, Canton Refinery, for Comprehensive Energy Program Results

Significant Improvement in Manufacturing – Operating Unit

• BASF Corporation, Geismar, LA, for Ethylene Oxide Plant Multivariable Predictive Control Improvements
• BASF Corporation, Geismar, LA, for Geismar Polyol Plant Steam Reduction
• Bayer Corporation, Baytown, Texas, for Baytown TDI Unit Improvement*
• DuPont, Sabine Ethylene Plant, for Sabine Ethylene Furnace Optimized Burner Replacement
• DuPont, Memphis, TN, for Optimize Natural Gas Usage at Memphis, TN Facility
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Baton Rouge Chemical Plant, for BRCP 2010 Furnace Energy / Reliability Improvement Team
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Baton Rouge Chemical Plant, for Coproduct Unit Energy Optimizations
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Baton Rouge Chemical Plant, for Aromatics DMC Application
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Beaumont Polyethylene Plant, for Cycle Gas Cooler Cleaning Method
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Beaumont Chemical Plant, for Energy Reductions During Safe Park Operations
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Beaumont Chemical Plant, for Steam Cracker Furnace Optimization
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Beaumont Chemical Plant, for Steam Cracker Conbox Wash
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Beaumont Chemical Plant, for Paraxylene Dynamic Matrix Control (DMC)
• PPG Industries, Inc. Lake Charles, LA Chlor/Alkali Manufacturing Facility, for Reduction in Refrigeration Energy
• SABIC Innovative Plastics, Mount Vernon, IN, for Mount Vernon Process Simplification Project
• Solutia, Inc., for Solvent Recovery Improvements

Significant Improvement in Manufacturing – Plant Site

• Albemarle Corporation, Pasadena, TX, for The Specialties Flare Calorimeter Project
• BASF Corporation, Greenville, OH, for Greenville Energy Optimization Initiative
• Carus Corporation, LaSalle, IL, for LaSalle Energy Efficiency Improvement Program*
• DuPont, Belle, WV, for Capture Condensate Energy from Belle, WV Facility
• DuPont, Morses Mill, NJ, for Novel Recuperator Cleaning Technique Enables Higher Efficiency Operation
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Baton Rouge Chemical Plant, for Steam System Optimization
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Beaumont Chemical Plant, for Beaumont Chem Plant Energy Real Time Optimizer
• Nalco, Ellwood City South Plant, for Ellwood City Cooling System Improvements
• Occidental Chemical Corporation, Ingleside, TX, for Steam Loss Reduction
• Occidental Chemical Corporation, Muscle Shoals, AL, for Electricity Reduction
• PPG Industries, Inc., Lake Charles, LA Chlor/Alkali Manufacturing Facility, for Steam Leak Repair Program
• SABIC Innovative Plastics, Selkirk, New York, for Steam Turbine Generator*
• W.R. Grace & Co., Davison Division, Columbia, MD, for Dryer Air Flow Reduction-6849/Water Heater Gas Optimization 9499
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Beaumont Chemical Plant, for Propylene Refrigeration Bypass

Environmental Impact – Operating Unit

• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, for BRCP Vistalon™ EPDM Dilution Slurry Optimization

Environmental Impact – Plant Site

• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Baton Rouge Polyolefins Plant, for Utilization of Landfill Gas in Steam-Producing Boiler
• El Dorado Nitrogen, L.P., Nitric Acid Plant, for N2O to Nitrogen Gas Program

Non-Manufacturing Improvement – Corporate Business Unit

• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, for Headquarters Building Energy Efficiency Program/BRCP Building Lighting Upgrades
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, for BRCP Building Lighting Upgrades

Non-Manufacturing Improvement – Plant Site

• Dow Corning Corporation, Kendallville, IN, for Lighting Can Be Significant!

http://www.americanchemistry.com

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) represents the leading companies engaged in the business of chemistry. ACC members apply the science of chemistry to make innovative products and services that make people's lives better, healthier and safer. ACC is committed to improved environmental, health and safety performance through Responsible Care®, common sense advocacy designed to address major public policy issues, and health and environmental research and product testing. The business of chemistry is a $674 billion enterprise and a key element of the nation's economy. It is one of the nation's largest exporters, accounting for ten cents out of every dollar in U.S. exports. Chemistry companies are among the largest investors in research and development. Safety and security have always been primary concerns of ACC members, and they have intensified their efforts, working closely with government agencies to improve security and to defend against any threat to the nation's critical infrastructure.

SOURCE American Chemistry Council