NEWS
IN BRIEF
ANH carve out begins DSM-Firmenich has begun a process to carve out the the Animal Nutrition & Health ( ANH ) business because of the different dynamics this particular business faces to the Perfumery & Beauty , Taste , Texture & Health and Health , Nutrition & Care businesses . The process should be completed in the course of 2025 .
Rhamnolipid milestone Evonik has manufactured the first product from its industrialscale facility in Slovakia , which produces rhamnolipids via a proprietary fermentation process that uses European corn sugar as the main raw material . They are fully biodegradable , with a low toxicological and ecotoxicological profile , as well as being entirely biobased .
EuroAPI allies with CRO EuroAPI has initiated what it calls “ a pivotal collaboration ” with SpiroChem , a Baselbased CRO that is specialised in chemical process R & D , or route scouting . They will seek to offer consolidated CRO- CDMO services , “ ensuring that industrialisation constraints for small molecules are integrated from the initial step of drug design , thereby speeding up the process ”.
Olon ’ s new HPAPI suite Olon Group is building an HPAPI suite at the site in Concord , Ohio , which hosts its centre of excellence for early development of APIs . It will have an OEL of < 1 µ g / m 3 ( OEB 5 ), thus integrating it with the commercial-scale sites at Segrate and Rodano , Italy , where Olon has invested about € 40 million in the last few years .
LG Chem and GM in cathode material deal
Under a new supply contract worth KRW 25 trillion , LG Chem will supply General Motors ( GM ) with over 500,000 tonnes of cathode materials from its new plant in Tennessee between 2026 and 2035 . This equates to powering five million units of high-performance pure electric vehicles ( EVs ) with a range of 500 km on a single charge . The agreement follows a comprehensive agreement between the two firms in July 2022 for long-term supply of cathode materials .
The main user of the nickelcobalt-manganese-aluminium materials produced at the Tennessee plant is expected to be Ultium Cells , a joint venture between LG Energy Solution and GM . LG Chem began building the plant in December 2023 . It has capacity of 60,000 tonnes / year and will produce customised cathode materials optimised for North American EVs from the development stage .
In a similar deal , Albemarle will deliver battery-grade lithium hydroxide to BMW over multiple years from 2025 . Although precise details were not disclosed , Albemarle said that that the deal is “ one of [ its ] largest ever globally and is of significant volume and value . The two will also partner on technology for safer and more energy dense lithium-ion batteries .
Crop protection breakthrough claimed
Syngenta and Connecticut-based Enko have announced the discovery of novel chemistry to control fungal disease in crops , using a platform that reduces the time required for R & D discovery . This features a new mode of action designed to target diseases that currently cause the loss of 10- 23 % of the yield of cereal crops .
“ This breakthrough was achieved by screening billions of chemical molecules within Enko ’ s DNA-encoded libraries , and then using artificial intelligence ( AI ) and machine learning models to identify potent , selective molecules ” the firms stated . “ This significantly shortens the time required for the discovery process , while ensuring molecules meet specified safety criteria .”
The two companies have now entered into the next phase of their multi-year collaboration , in which they will seek to optimise the fungicide ’ s attributes and test them for safety and efficacy . They have also signed a new agreement to discover novel chemical starting points for a new herbicide to combat widespread resistance and eliminate aggressive weeds , such as Palmer Amaranth .
Syngenta subsequently signed an agreement to use Lavie Bio ’ s technology platform to identify and optimise bioinsecticide candidates . Lavia uses a proprietary computational predictive platform that uses the MicroBoost AI tech-engine of its parent firm , Evogene , to harness big data and AI to develop biostimulants and biopesticides .
8 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981