Oleon has opened what it claims to be “Europe's most innovative plant for the production of sustainable oleochemicals” at Oelegem, Belgium. Built a cost of €17.4 million, including €13.3 million in European subsidies, this will operate using only enzymes of natural origin and has 3,000 tonnes/year of capacity. It is connected by canal to Antwerp’s port.
BASF has announced plans to boost its global capacity for alkyl polyglucosides (APGs) by expanding its sites in Bangpakong, Thailand, and Cincinnati, Ohio, just as it also adding alkoxylation capacities in Antwerp and Ludwigshafen (pictured). Both investments are within the Care Chemicals division.
According to a lifecycle assessment carried out by an independent consultant and verified by a panel of three that was presented at the CESIO World Surfactant Congress in Rome on 5-7 June, the carbon footprint of Cepsa Química’s NextLab facility is 80% lower than that of a traditional linear alkyl benzene (LAB) facility. Greenhouse gas savings are put at 1,320 kg CO2/tonne of LAB produced.
IMCD has acquired three companies in recent weeks, two in Israel and one in Colombia. Terms were not disclosed in any of the deals. The three are:
* The import and distribution business of Tagra Biotechnologies, an Israeli distributor and supplier of raw materials and ingredients for cosmetics and personal care
* KOI Products Solutions, an Israeli distributor of speciality products mainly for the composite, paint, cosmetics, coatings and ink markets
* Allianz Group International, a distributor of APIs in Colombia T
EuroAPI has begun an initial, multi-million-Euro, four-year manufacturing agreement with Novéal, part of the L’Oréal Group. Under this, its CDMO business will develop and industrialise the manufacturing of cosmetic ingredients, with a focus on developing eco-responsible processes.
The deal encompasses several projects, the first of which will take place at the Frankfurt site, which has a dedicated line of complex chemistry production. Chief CDMO officer Cécile Maupas described cosmetics as “a new and growing segment for the business”.
Azelis has announced the opening of new laboratories within the space of a month. Each covers different applications and is located on different continent.
A new pharmaceuticals and healthcare application laboratory in Courbevoie, France, complements existing ones in the UK and Turkey, the company said. It is equipped to address challenges in areas such as API solubilisation and bioavailability, compliance, counterfeiting and misuse, and the optimisation of formulations and production processes.
Solvay has agreed a multi-year strategic collaboration with US firm Ginkgo Bioworks, which was formerly Zymergen. Under this, Solvay said, they will join forces “to unlock the power of synthetic biology as an enabler of more sustainable chemicals and materials, contributing to the transition towards more environmentally friendly solutions”.
