SMC Global has acquired International Chemicals (ICC) and will merge its own Oilfield business into ICC. The company said this “establishes an expanded, comprehensive portfolio of innovative products and services specifically designed for the oil and gas and produced water treatment industries”. Terms were not disclosed.
Travertine Technologies and precious metal refiner Sabin Metal have announced plans have revealed plans to build a demonstration plant at Sabin’s main facility near Rochester, New York. This will create sustainable, fossil-free sulfuric acid for Sabin’s adjacent operations via the carbon-negative ‘Travertine Process’.
Three CDMOs have separately announced expansions in their antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) manufacturing capabilities and capacity on opposite sides of the Atlantic. This has come on the back of growing interest in this modality in the treatment of cancer, which has been forecast to grow at 15%/year to 2028.
OCSiAl has opened its first European graphene nanotubes facility in Serbia. It will produce 60 tonnes/year under the Tuball band and the company plans to double this by launching a second synthesis unit within the next year. The modular design means it is able to scale production rapidly.
A pilot enforcement project carried out by national enforcement authorities in 13 European Economic Area (EEA) countries between November 2023 and April 2024 found that 6% of about 4,500 cosmetic products inspected contained hazardous substances. The project was undertaken under the auspices of ECHA’s Enforcement Forum.
The authorities looked mainly for the presence of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), long chain perfluorocarboxylic acids and related substances, plus two cyclic siloxanes. They found 285 of the cosmetics included hazardous chemicals, notably:
Biosynth, which supplies critical raw materials and services for diagnostics, vaccines and pharmaceuticals, has officially opened its Biosynth Biological Technology site at Lifebay, a technology park in Suzhou, China. Facilities include a bio-laboratory, which, the company said, “significantly enhances capabilities for internal project development initiatives and material supply into the domestic life science market”.
Spanish energy and chemicals company Cepsa has renamed itself Moeve. This is described as part of the Positive Motion strategy, under which the company is seeking to position itself as “a leader in sustainable energy and mobility” with most of its profits coming from sustainable activities by 2030.
The company is already decarbonising its operations through an €8 billion investment strategy. Over 60% of this will be dedicated to sustainable businesses, including the production of green hydrogen, 2G biofuels, sustainable chemical products and ultra-fast electric charging.
