Emission Reduction Research Center unveils Batch Design Kit for "Zero Avoidable Pollution" built with Gensym's G2 software.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 7, 1994--The Emission Reduction Research Center (ERRC), headquartered at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, unveiled a pre-release version of its Batch Design Kit to its consortium members at a meeting at Pennsylvania State University last week.

The Batch Design Kit is a software toolkit, created using G2 from Gensym Corp., which will be used by pharmaceutical and specialty chemical plants to reduce their environmental impact by optimizing batch process design to minimize pollution. The project is funded by a consortium of nine leading chemical and pharmaceutical companies, including Bristol Meyers Squibb, SmithKline Beecham, Ciba Geigy, and Eastman Kodak, together with the U.S. Army, New Jersey Commission on Science Technology, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and National Science Foundation. The consortium's goal for the Batch Design Kit is enabling "Zero Available Pollution." Product development is taking place at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's chemical engineering department under the direction of Professor George Stephanopoulos.

Dan Watts, executive director of the ERRC, said, "This unveiling marks the beginning of the Batch Design Kit training and testing program. We are very excited about our progress to date. By combining expert process knowledge and advanced design methodology, the Batch Design Kit strives to eliminate avoidable pollution and save pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturers estimated millions of dollars. The avoidance of pollution is one benefit. Other benefits include a more productive means of designing batch processes, which will save in design costs, and more importantly, will provide a faster time-to-market. The companies that use the Batch Design Kit will have a considerable competitive advantage."

"G2's object-oriented architecture and client/server capability have allowed us to get to this point rapidly and successfully," Watts continued. "This version of the product will be available to consortium members for evaluation in December, with a formal training program to be completed in the first quarter of 1995." Earlier this year, it was announced that Gensym Corp., makers of G2, would be the exclusive sales and support channel for the Batch Design Kit.

The Batch Design Kit will advise users of production alternatives and help them optimize production methods to minimize waste at the lowest possible cost. This includes suggesting solvent substitutes, establishing benchmarks for waste generation, and offering advice about how to adhere to emissions guidelines and mandates. "The methodology employed within the toolkit will be familiar to the targeted end-users, who include process chemists and engineers," said Professor George Stephanopoulos, who is directing product development from MIT. "It will enable the generation of flowsheets and batch recipes. The simulator will include process and waste stream tables that summarize various mass balance calculations. It will also offer an intelligent support system for selecting waste treatment alternatives. We estimate that the Batch Design Kit could help companies save millions of dollars in non-compliance fines, waste product, and raw materials."

The Emission Reduction Research Center (ERRC) is a National Science Foundation Industry/University cooperative research center headquartered at New Jersey Institute of Technology. Its objective is to create improved manufacturing technology with reduced emissions through multimedia source reduction, consistent with the concept of pollution prevention endorsed by the EPA and the new Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Founded in 1986, Gensym Corp. is the leading supplier of software products for developing and deploying intelligent real-time solutions for industrial, scientific, commercial, and government applications. With over 3,000 product licenses installed worldwide, Gensym serves 30 industrial sectors including the process industries, discrete manufacturing, telecommunications, environmental, power, and aerospace. Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., Gensym has regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Dortmund, Hong Kong, Houston, Leiden, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seoul, Toronto, Uppsala, and Washington D.C.

CONTACT: Gensym Corp.

             Betsy Gartner, 617/547-2500
                         or
             ERRC
             Dan Watts, 201/596-3465