Dr Nina Kaun, product director, chemical industry solutions, at Elsevier, looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic could help to drive digitalisation

While many industries have taken advantage of technology developments in recent years, the chemicals and materials sector has been slower to digitalise. This attitude is now changing: 87% of chemicals and materials executives believe companies will ‘lose their edge’ or ‘face extinction’ unless they embrace digital transformation, including adopting more automation and applying artificial intelligence (AI) to some processes.

Dr Russel Walters, freelance scientist at Kolabtree, shares his expertise on how to start manufacturing a hand sanitiser quickly, easily and compliantly

In order for a virus to infect a human host, the host needs to be exposed to a sufficient viral load, typically hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands of viral particles. Hand sanitisers dramatically reduce the viral load on the skin and therefore can reduce infections or perhaps infection severity.

Two of the major global pharmaceutical CDMOs, Lonza and Alcami, have announced the appointments of new CEOs in early June. There have also been changes in senior positions at Corden Pharma and, imminently, at Cambrex.

Arkema has complete the sale of its Functional Polyolefins business to SK Global Chemical as previously announced. This is said to be in line with the company’s strategy of refocusing on speciality materials by 2024, as is another new deal with integrated agricultural company Nutrien in the US.

Functional Polyolefins was part of Arkema’s PMMA activity, making ethylene copolymers and terpolymers for the food packaging, cable, electronics and coatings markets. It had sales of about €250 million/year, an and 130 employees, all of whom will transfer to SK.

New Jersey-based Sun Chemical and its Japanese parent company, DIC, have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire digital inks producer Sensient Imaging Technologies and other assets related to the production of inks from Sensient, which mainly makes colours, flavours and other speciality ingredients.

Sun Chemical said that this investment will allow it “to expand its inkjet ink capabilities and expertise using complementary technologies” in a sector it describes as strategic. Terms for the deal, which is expected to be finalised within Q2, were not disclosed.

A blast that occurred in a boiler of agrochemicals company Yashashvi Rasayan’s factory at the Dahej Special Economic Zone-1 in Gujarat state on 3 June has caused ten deaths and over 70 injuries to date. All are believed to be contract workers at the site, mainly migrants from other regions of India. Eight were killed immediately and two have since died.

Celanese’s Nanjing-based Chinese subsidiary has signed a tri-party agreement to test the industrial-scale production of acrylic acid using acetic acid as the main raw material. Commercial details are not being disclosed.

The company’s partners in this project are: the Southwest Institute of Chemical, a Ministry of Chemical Industry R&D institute based in Chengdu and known as SW Chem; and Yankuang Lunan of Teng Zhou, a privately owned chemical company which mainly makes urea, methanol, acetic acid and polyoxymethylene.