preparation at my home..your suggestions pleae

[Chem Akram]

This is my first post at this forum, I looked around the forum and found so many people being helped out by others; so I feel optimistic about posting my request here.

 

I'm from Pakistan (ahem) and a Chemical Engineer. I wish to develop my own lab at my home, or use a small hall for a workshop for my chemical business which I am yet to begin.

 

Could you recommend a few chemicals that are easy to make and profitable? If you could give me a link to resources on the internet or give me titles of book perhaps that would be very helpful too. There are very few people in Pakistan making chemicals other the regular dishwashers, cleaners, etc.

 

Please recommend a few chemicals and if possible, a link to their preparation methods too (I will be working in a small place, but willing to invest around $5000)

 

Cheers, and feels great to be here among people who know so much

[CaptainPanic]

I doubt production of base-chemicals is going to be profitable at a small scale. And I doubt you have the financial means to set up anything larger. 5000$ is really not much!

 

You might want to try some fermentations, like ethanol fermentation. It is relatively safe and easy... although it gets a little more difficult if you try to get it to >99% purity. Distillation is more dangerous already, and you don't get to the right purity.

 

Personally, if I were determined to have my own company, I would look one step further downstream... like using resins+fibres to make some products (check out carbon fibre reinforced polymers, or fiberglass). Also, as an engineer, you can design processes, and be a consultant.

 

I'm surprised that as an engineer, you have to ask the question actually. Sorry if that sounds rude.

[Chem Akram]

I doubt production of base-chemicals is going to be profitable at a small scale. And I doubt you have the financial means to set up anything larger. 5000$ is really not much!

 

You might want to try some fermentations, like ethanol fermentation. It is relatively safe and easy... although it gets a little more difficult if you try to get it to >99% purity. Distillation is more dangerous already, and you don't get to the right purity.

 

Personally, if I were determined to have my own company, I would look one step further downstream... like using resins+fibres to make some products (check out carbon fibre reinforced polymers, or fiberglass). Also, as an engineer, you can design processes, and be a consultant.

 

I'm surprised that as an engineer, you have to ask the question actually. Sorry if that sounds rude.

 

No, it wasn't rude. thank you for your response captainpanic,

In Pakistan, Chemical Engineering is more or less solely obsessed with maintenance of the process. Practically nothing is designed in Pakistan. Let alone processes, not even heat exchangers, etc.

 

I've learnt from people around me and from the internet that the Chemical Business offers huge margins compared to others and the investment is usually very low (the typical advice being "all you need is a little space and a couple of drums).

 

Thank you for your advice, I will look it up.

[CaptainPanic]

What the internet often forgets to mention is that the approach of "a little space and a couple of drums" also reduces your life expectancy by about 40 years.

 

I advise you to look into the dangers of each and every chemical you're about to use. Material Safety Data Sheets are available (through Google) for pretty much every material.

[Chem Akram]

..thanks...I definitely will

and the CFRP idea really excites me. We have motorcycle manufacturers here, mobile phone too..and apparently CFRP's usage is only growing so my next step is to look into the process, and once I'm sure that this is something I can do on my own with the budget I mentioned, I would delve further into market research and see if I could sell this product in Pakistan first.

 

If you have any resources for the process, or any tips even, please do let me know.

 

As of yet, I'm indebted to you for the prospect you have highlighted.

 

 

Regards

[CaptainPanic]

If you have any resources for the process, or any tips even, please do let me know.

I know nothing about the process, sorry. It was just an idea. I've seen some people do such things in a relatively small workshop (on tv).

[John Cuthber]

I think this thread is looking at the problem from the wrong side.

Don't ask "What can I make?"

It's better to ask "What do people want?"

[Chem Akram]

good point john, thank you for responding.

actually in Pakistan, the chemical industry is not thriving, to put it mildly. I thought I could enter the market by simply choosing a product that was being mostly imported. But going through imports and choosing a product has presented itself to be a very complicated process; I thought I might as well explore a few options sorted by their ease of making and see if the substances are being manufactured in Pakistan; if not, I've struck GOLD

 

Please do suggest some substances I could look into if you believe you have a reasonable idea of what would be marketable and profitable in a country like Pakistan.

 

Thanks a lot for responding

 

Regards

[Chem Akram]

The CFRP idea sounded great but after a little research, I've found out that the CFRP production would probably not suit me in Pakistan where the automotie, aerospace industry is hardly present. The little carbon fibre that is used is in sports items and bicycles which would have to be very customized. While I haven't given up on the idea, users I'd be grateful if you could suggest some chemical synthesis ideas without extraordinarily complicated processes

 

Thanks

[ewmon]

I had initially thought of chemicals for use in labs, but my searches quickly led me to other, more important applications. Now that I think of it, laboratory-grade chemicals (such as CFRP) is a difficult order to fill. I agree with John Cuthber — what do the Pakistani people need?

 

I first googled pakistan chemical shortage and found the following article.

 

This article on pesticide shortages mentions the need for local production. Although from 2004, this topic might have relevance today, and the shortages of these kinds of agro-chemicals might be worse than before.

 

I then thought of the possibility of making natural pesticides (to avoid dangers to you, its users and the environment), so I googled natural pesticide pakistan, and quickly found this article from 2008 again on Pakistan's cotton industry being devastated by pests.

 

This video may be helpful, and you could contact this expert directly (a.sahibzada@hotmail.com).

 

Agro-chemicals satisfy a fundamental need to grow all sorts of crops. These articles focus on cotton production for the textiles industry, but other fundamental concerns are pesticides for food crops and the class of pesticides such as mosquito repellents. There may also be a need for fertilizers in Pakistan. Consider that starvations chronically occur in North Korea due to serious underproduction of fertilizer.

[CaptainPanic]

I dunno about the pesticides... the world consumption is about 2.5 million tons. That's a bulk product, made in large efficient factories. You might not be able to produce is sufficiently cheap to compete with the big industry. Typically, the margins are small, so you must work at high efficiency, or you will not have any money left for your own income (and you'll go bankrupt).

 

I would avoid competing with any big industry.

 

Since you want a workshop, I would look for a field where people pay not only for the chemical, but also for the manual labor that was put into it. Anything custom made will typically have a higher labor price...

[ewmon]

I don't know about Pakistan, but maybe there's a stigma toward big/western companies (eg, Union Carbide) and a small and locally-owned/operated company is more trusted.

 

I don't see being able to make laboratory-grade chemicals. Even the cost of producing a CoA seems prohibitive.

 

You could have farmers competing against one another for synthetic fertilizer.

 

What about perfumes?

 

What about bottled water? Can microbes be zapped with electricity?

 

Is there a need for the

? You could distribute them, but it's not chemistry.

 

What minerals are mined in Pakistan?

[CaptainPanic]

ewmon,

The OP talks about a budget of 5000$. You're talking about mining operations, and competing with industry... even if big industry wouldn't be popular, you still cannot compete with them with such a tiny budget.

 

There are 2 problems here: (1) you cannot compete, but even if you could then (2) the initial investment is too high.

 

Anyway, the Bhopal tragedy was in India, not Pakistan.

[ewmon]

I was thinking of processing mined materials. And a good prospectus could result in a microloan.

 

Bhopal was on par with Chernobyl and much worse than 9-11. If I lived in Pakistan, I'd exercise caution about big, western companies and their seemingly devil-may-care attitude in developing countries.

 

I googled pakistan shortage and found everything from drugs, to water, to lint, to wetblue. Now there's something to confound westerners — a shortage of lint (short 3 million bales of lint)!

 

Chem Akram, I think you are the one who can best understand in what niche market you can find success. I could sit here in America and think up all sorts of ideas all day long. There's all sorts of factors that you would know best because you are in Pakistan. Your business might sell to companies or to consumers, domestically or internationally. You know what Pakistanis like and don't like. For example, the Pakistani public may not like western chemicals. I have in front of me a (full, never opened) one quart antique all-natural germicide bottle containing 85% alcohol, a 10% mixture of vegetable oils containing bactericidal properties, and 5% inert materials. This product was made for decades, so I guess it was effective. You can find an appropriate niche market and then come back and we'll give you our opinions of it.

 

In my searches, I've read how its tough getting some chemicals into Pakistan. This has its pros and cons. It might hinder you from operating a particular process, or it might lead to a great idea on making a restricted chemical domestically.

 

Another point to consider is to apply chemistry in ways or in industries where it is not used now. For example, for all that Louis Pasteur did for medicine, he was not "Doctor" Pasteur, but a chemist. Same thing with Alexander Graham Bell — he didn't invent the telephone — Bell and Watson invented it! Bell knew about the production of speech and the transmission of sound through the air. He had ideas about how the mechanics of a telephone might work, but Watson was the technical wizard who was instrumental (pun not intended) in producing the device that converted sounds into electrical signals and then back into sounds again.

 

Some advice:

• Ignore people who say you can't do it (yes, including close relatives).
  
• You can imitate what someone else is doing, or you can be a pioneer and come up with something new.
  
• You can sell to businesses or sell to the public/consumers.
  
• Consider all sorts of products/services; learn all about running businesses.
  
• Whatever you decide, know everything about what you're getting yourself into.
  
• Get more financial backing. Tell them all you know, and the responsibility of investing is theirs.
  

Edited May 14, 2012 by ewmon

[ewmon]

I forgot my favorite business rant — passion. Whatever product or service you decide on, you should have a passion for it, otherwise your lack of passion will probably limit your success, and you will be dissatisfied.

 

The passion of chemistry will only help so much. The passion of entrepreneurship will only help so much. The passion for the product or service should also be there. If you decide to throw some chemicals together to develop a new perfume, but you don’t care about perfume, it will limit your success. If you decide to test well water for health factors, but you don’t care about people’s health, it will limit your success.

 

I think this is true for employees and business owners. If there’s no passion, an employee will say, “Eh, it’s just a job, it helps pay the bills”, and probably won't get a promotion or a raise. If it’s a sole proprietorship, the owner may never understand why the business never blossomed. If it’s a company, the CEO can blame the employees, but they’re just reflecting the attitude that the CEO displays.

 

One of the easiest ways to understand what your passions point to, is to ask yourself what’s wrong with the world — what makes you angry when you hear about it (from others or on the radio) or see it (in person or on TV). Make a list, and prioritize it. Start at the top. If it’s not a chemistry problem (which would probably need a chemistry solution), could there be a chemistry solution to it anyway. For example, this morning I listened to a news show about the need to reduce the spread of AIDS, and the advent of a quick and accurate at-home saliva test for HIV. This would be far-fetched for you to do, but it serves my purpose here — a chemistry solution to a non-chemistry problem.

[Chem Akram]

whoa...and i thought i'd got all the replies i was going to get...

 

before i read ur inputs, ewmon, thank you so very much for all this effort...lim really really gratefu

I forgot my favorite business rant — passion. Whatever product or service you decide on, you should have a passion for it, otherwise your lack of passion will probably limit your success, and you will be dissatisfied.

 

The passion of chemistry will only help so much. The passion of entrepreneurship will only help so much. The passion for the product or service should also be there. If you decide to throw some chemicals together to develop a new perfume, but you don't care about perfume, it will limit your success. If you decide to test well water for health factors, but you don't care about people's health, it will limit your success.

 

I think this is true for employees and business owners. If there's no passion, an employee will say, "Eh, it's just a job, it helps pay the bills", and probably won't get a promotion or a raise. If it's a sole proprietorship, the owner may never understand why the business never blossomed. If it's a company, the CEO can blame the employees, but they're just reflecting the attitude that the CEO displays.

 

One of the easiest ways to understand what your passions point to, is to ask yourself what's wrong with the world — what makes you angry when you hear about it (from others or on the radio) or see it (in person or on TV). Make a list, and prioritize it. Start at the top. If it's not a chemistry problem (which would probably need a chemistry solution), could there be a chemistry solution to it anyway. For example, this morning I listened to a news show about the need to reduce the spread of AIDS, and the advent of a quick and accurate at-home saliva test for HIV. This would be far-fetched for you to do, but it serves my purpose here — a chemistry solution to a non-chemistry problem.

 

ewmon, captainpanic ur inputs raise just the right questions, im experienced to the point of not knowing which questions to ask myself, therefore your posts really are a help.

I'll brainstorm a bit, research a little more, and then come back to bug you

thanks a lot,

 

Regards

[chilled_fluorine]

whoa...and i thought i'd got all the replies i was going to get...

 

before i read ur inputs, ewmon, thank you so very much for all this effort...lim really really gratefu

 

 

ewmon, captainpanic ur inputs raise just the right questions, im experienced to the point of not knowing which questions to ask myself, therefore your posts really are a help.

I'll brainstorm a bit, research a little more, and then come back to bug you

thanks a lot,

 

Regards

The biggest problem with getting into business is getting stamped out by companies spending millions of dollars on equipment. They have the resources to produce chemicals very cost effectively. I would try to start out with something that doesn't need all that capital, such as logging. But you don't have forests in Pakistan, do you? Your countries biggest resource is oil, which has been effectively taken over by billionaires. What does that leave? You just need to answer that question, and you should be on your way to success.