J.M. Huber has completed the set-up of a 1.8megawatt (DC), ground-mounted solar array located at the Huber Engineered Materials (HEM) Fire Retardant Additives Marblehead facility in Quincy, Illinois. The facility is now receiving more than 60% of its power from the array during daylight hours.
Merck KGaA’s Life Science business sector has launched ChetoSensar, a technology that improves the solubility of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Over 20% of ADC candidates are terminated in clinical trials because of poor solubility. The company said that this supports it efforts to double its ADC and HPAPI capacity in the near future.
Ecolab has agreed to acquire Purolite, a supplier of ion exchange resins for the separation and purification of solutions based in Pennsylvania, for $3.7 billion in cash. This should close within Q4, subject to regulatory clearance and other closing conditions. It is expected to be revenue-neutral in 2022 and slightly accretive in 2023.
Purolite operates in more than 30 countries and employs about 1,000 people, with expected 2021 sales of around $400 million. It will operate as a separate global business unit and it results will be reported within the Life Sciences division.
In partnership with Aguettant Pharmarmaceutical, Italy’s Olon Group is to expand and renovate its plant in Mulazzano, which is dedicated to the production by enzymatic transformation. It will install reactors, filters and ancillary equipment, as well as automating and digitalising some steps performed there.
Following on from the extension of a long-standing supply agreement with Merck & Co. for a proprietary enzyme used in the manufacture of sitagliptin, Codexis has reached a manufacturing agreement with two other firms. Sitagliptin is the API in Merck’s Januvia and one of the APIs in Janumet.
Shortly after acquiring a lithium converter in Guangxi province, Albemarle has signed investment agreements that will enable it go build two lithium hydroxide plants in China. Each will have 50,000 tonnes/year of capacity and construction is to be completed by the end of 2024.
They are located at the Yangtze River International Chemical Industrial Park within the Zhangjiagang Free Trade Zone in Jiangsu province and the Pengshan Economic Development Park in the Pengshan district in Sichuan province.
Synalloy has acquired DanChem for $32.95 million in a deal that it described as “a pivotal step forward … as we plan to significantly scale and accelerate profitable growth within our chemicals segment”. Both companies are based in Virginia. The 120 employees will all transfer.
