Two Dubai openings for Clariant

Clariant opened two new facilities at the Dubai Science Park in late October. The company said that the EMEA region technical centre for its Oil Services business, which it said “will leverage the latest technologies and more sustainable oilfield chemicals” in both oil and gas production.

Meanwhile the global Competence Centre for Decarbonisation Minerals will focus on improving metallurgical performance by maximising recovery and grade, optimising cost-performance, and creating more sustainable solutions for the processing of ‘decarbonisation minerals’. These include nickel, cobalt, and lithium for batteries for electric vehicles, rare earths for magnets in wind turbines, and alumina for lighter-weight vehicles and solar panels.

Also in the oil and gas sector, Clariant has agreed to sell its North American (NORAM) Land Oil business, a provider of chemical technologies and services, to India’s Dorf Ketal, subject to regulatory and other customary closing conditions. This should be finalised in Q1 2023. Terms were not disclosed but it is known that the business had sales of $113 million/year. About 170 employees and three sites in Texas and California will transfer.

Clariant has added to its portfolio by completing the acquisition of BASF’s US-based attapulgite business assets for $60 million in an asset deal. This includes the transfer of land, mining rights, the processing facility and inventories, which will become part of the Functional Minerals business within the Natural Resources business area.

Attapulgite is an adsorbent clay that is used to extend the shelf life and quality of edible oils and to remove contaminants during the pre-treatment process for renewable fuels. Clariant is already active in the purification of biodiesel. CEO Conrad Keijzer called the buy “a perfect example of our disciplined approach to bolt-on acquisitions as it provides tangible synergies, strengthens one of our core segments and brings us closer to our 2025 targets”.

Earlier, Clariant had announced that it will invest a further €40 million on a second line for Exolit OP range at its new, €40 million site in Daya Bay. The company added that, “despite the external challenges of COVID, logistical and supply chain issues”, it is still targeting its original timeline of beginning production at the first line in mid-2023, with the second due onstream within 2024.