Albemarle has signed a joint development agreement with 6K, a specialist in microwave-controlled plasma technology, to explore the use of 6K’s UniMelt materials production platform to develop novel lithium battery materials. It has also made an undisclosed investment in 6K through Volta Energy Technologies, a venture capital firm active in the energy storage sector that is already an investor.

Following on from earlier acquisitions and investments on both sides of the Atlantic, Sterling Pharma Solutions has commenced a $2.1 million expansion project to increase chemical and analytical capabilities at its facility in Cary, North Carolina. The work should be completed by the end of 2022 and will create up to 20 new jobs. This will include five new laboratories: two for R&D, one for scaling up chemical synthesis and others for QC and analytical services.

Catalent has completed a $10 million expansion in large-scale isolator units at its sites in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and Dartford, UK. These provide advanced containment capabilities for the micronisation of highly potent drug compounds.

According to the German business newspaper Handelsblatt, the International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG) intends to sell CordenPharma. A valuation of around €3 billion has been cited. ICIG has, the paper said, has already had meetings with potential buyers and will send out information packs to them by the end January. Neither ICIG nor CordenPharma has made any comment.

Following discussions with various parties about a sale of its Battery Materials business, Johnson Matthey (JM) has announced that it has not been able to reach an agreement to sell the business as a going concern. It is therefore beginning consultation with employees about proposed closure of the business and pursuing the sale of its individual assets.

German enzyme catalysts maker has acquired Fujian Sanming Minhe Pharmaceutical Technology in order to meet the growing demand for biocatalysts in multiple industries. 40% of Sanming Minhe’s capacity will be dedicated to manufacturing products using Enzymaster technology, increasing Enzymaster’s global capacity by 50% to 600 tonnes/year of enzymes.

Chlor-alkali producer Nobian, which was separated from the rest of Nouryon last year, has signed an agreement with German-Australian lithium developer Vulcan Energy to assess the feasibility of producing lithium hydroxide from lithium chloride in Germany. 

Nobian has an electrolysis and crystallisation demo-plant at its site in Frankfurt, near to Vulcan’s own geothermal-lithium reservoir sites in the Upper Rhine Valley area, where it plans to build several geothermal plants and a central lithium-hydroxide plant.