Press Releases

In the Chemical industry, decoupling economic growth from natural resource use is fundamental to sustainable development, together with adherence to international norms on management of hazardous chemicals and wastes.  Global figures for all industry point to worsening trends, due in part to rising natural resource use in Eastern Asia.  Nova is countering that trend by innovating in conservation and re-use.  Nova is a leader, pushing further than any other US company in recovering hazardous chemical, by-product, off-spec and waste steams.  We do this through our efficient manufacturing equipment, our permitting, our chemistry and purification expertise and our attitude toward sustainability.

Nova has an enviable record of fostering sustainability.  We have recovered over 16,000,000 gallons of by-product solvents and chemicals and returned them to specification products, largely by practicing our “Nova Recover and Return” program, isolating customer waste or by-product streams, purifying by distillation and reaction and returning specification product to the customer for re-use in their process.  “Recover and Return” is the most innovative of Nova’s sustainability efforts but we have other unique efforts, including reacting and purifying by-product, waste or off-spec impure chemicals to new specification chemicals for sale either by Nova or by the generator.

Nova currently recovers large volumes of acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, sulfolane, propanol and MEK and is continually looking to recover and return or react other difficult to recover streams of 1M# or more.

We recognize that chemical manufacturing is shifting toward more technologically complex products, though medium- and high-tech products continue to dominate existing production facilities. Nova helps other companies bring new products to market by using Nova’s investment in equipment, technology and talent so they don’t have to make major investments to determine market acceptance for their new ideas and products.

Nova continues to improve our primary reaction chemistries of reductive amination and nitrile hydrogenation and our key processes of high pressure hydrogenation and purification and recovery technologies.

In traditional sustainability efforts, Nova continues to reduce emissions as a percentage of our manufacturing value added.   We have a new technology and capital investment program to reduce energy use. We are also in the midst of a two-year program of major investment to improve our waste water quality prior to sending it to a POTW.

-Mike Clumpner, Founder and Chairman of the Board

PASADENA, Texas, January 22, 2018 (Newswire) –At a November meeting of business leaders in Wisconsin, Mike Clumpner, Chairman of privately held Nova Molecular Technologies discussed how Nova has quickly achieved a sustainable and advantaged position as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of Acetonitrile, a solvent used widely in pharmaceutical and agricultural chemical processing as well as in extractive purifications.

Nova is a relatively small $60 million sales company, competing in acetonitrile with INEOS, a US and Europe manufacturer with 25% of the worlds capacity; with Asahi Kasei, a Japanese and Korean supplier with 20% of the worlds capacity and with CNPC Jilin of China with 11% of the world capacity.  Nova has 8% of the world’s production capacity at plants in Houston and South Carolina.

Ineos, Asahi Kasei and CNPC Jilin all produce co-product acetonitrile in their acrylonitrile plants.  Nova purchases acetonitrile co-product from other acrylonitrile producers but also produces from recovered byproduct acetonitrile from large consumers/users of acetonitrile, then returns the isolated and recovered acetonitrile to their specification.   Nova also recovers smaller streams of byproduct acetonitrile for use in petroleum extraction processes. For virgin grades of acetonitrile, Nova utilizes segregated and isolated processes for co-product acrylonitrile derived acetonitrile. This ensures that byproduct recovery processes and virgin production are never commingled and preserves quality and product registrations for Nova customers.

Nova’s entry into the acetonitrile business in 2012 utilized existing distillation recovery and purification capacity at our two plants.  The largest US users of acetonitrile quickly recognized the opportunity to work with Nova to recover high quality acetonitrile, reduce their costs and assure their supply.  By 2017, Nova had achieved the position as the world’s fourth largest acetonitrile producer.

“With two US plants, reliable sources of crude acetonitrile steams, and Technical and High Purity grades, Nova is the logical primary or alternate supplier for any US user of acetonitrile,” said Mr. Clumpner.  Nova’s acetonitrile sales growth has been helped by regular supply shortages, both in the US and Asia, that have left consumers scrambling for supply.  In addition, Nova’s “recovery and return” concept has given the largest consumers assurance of supply for a portion of their acetonitrile purchases, as well as lower costs and with a bonus of sustainability by preserving the world’s resources.

Nova expects further growth in North American acetonitrile markets in the next few years due to its advantaged and sustainable niche position, an enviable position for both Nova and their customers and partners.

For more information, please contact sales@novamolecular.com, or visit the Nova Molecular Technologies website at www.novamolecular.com.

As Hurricane Harvey barreled into the Gulf Coast, Nova employees diligently focused on continuity of operation plans that were created for those very moments. At first glance, the 40-50 inch rainfall projections issued by the National Weather Service were impossible to believe. There was also uncertainty as to the final path the storm would take and if our Pasadena, Texas, location would face the eye of the storm. Our leadership team made the decision to evacuate all non-essential personnel from the plant, with the remaining skeleton crew focused on ensuring the pumps that were removing water from the plant, did not lose power.

Our organization will forever be grateful to the brave souls that rode the storm out onsite and responded with professionalism during the most trying of times. This type of character and compassion from our employees, while easily visible during extreme situations such as Hurricane Harvey, is truly part of our everyday culture. No one could have predicted the exact outcome of this storm, the only certainty that has been proven from this event, is that our greatest assets will always be our employees.

On July 1, 2014, Nova Molecular Technologies, Inc. acquired the assets of EMES, LLC. This purchase consists of a production facility and rail yard terminal located in Sumter, South Carolina.

This purchase will allow Nova Molecular Technologies to further develop its high purity solvent offerings to the pharmaceutical and agricultural markets. It also fits well into Nova Molecular Technologies’ strategy to increase its presence in the high purity solvent custom distillation segment. EMES previously offered multiple high purity solvents to the marketplace. One of these solvents, high purity acetonitrile, will remain a major focus going forward and fits the current Nova Molecular solvent portfolio.

The addition of the Sumter site allows Nova Molecular Technologies additional distillation capabilities and the ability to provide better economics to its East Coast customers. Nova Molecular Technologies services will increase as it continues to invest and expand both the Sumter and Pasadena, Texas site in the future.

For further information please contact your Nova Molecular representative.