NEWS
IN BRIEF
Afyren facility opens Greentech firm Afyren has announced the industrial commissioning of its Afyren Neoxy plant at Carling Saint-Avold in eastern France . This is the first industrialscale factory for the production of biobased carboxylic acids from sugar beet co-products . The company will make seven biobased organic acids , with the objective of delivering the first batches during 2022 .
Indian pharma buy Blue pigments maker Asahi Songwon Colours has acquired a 78 % stake in its Indian compatriot Atlas Life Sciences and will also buy the rest in two tranches over the next two financial years . Atlas has a GMPcertified API plant in Ahmedabad , where Asahi Songwon is also based , plus an R & D facility , a corporate office , and a 15,000 m 2 site in Chhatral for future expansion . It is a market leader in pregabalin for anti-convulsants .
Lonza , Ecolab named among ‘ World ' s Most Ethical Companies ’
Ethisphere has named Lonza and Ecolab among the 136 publicly traded companies from 45 industries in 22 countries in its ‘ World ’ s Most Ethical Companies ’ listing . These have outperformed a comparable index of large cap companies by 24.6 percentage points over the past five calendar years Lonza , which appeared for the second time , was one of three in the Pharmaceuticals category , along with Pfizer and Eli Lilly . The company said that the award “ acknowledges its successful efforts in combining performance with integrity and accountability ”. Hygiene products firm Ecolab has appeared in the list every year since its inception in 2007 . It was named in the Chemicals category , along with industrial gases player Linde . Appearing for the first time in the Consumer Goods category , alongside Colgate-Palmolive and Japan ’ s Kao Corporation , is Switzerland ’ s Firmenich , the world ’ s largest privately owned flavours and fragrances house . In the Health & Beauty category , the only company was Natura & Co . of Brazil . The awards are based on Ethisphere ’ s Ethics Quotient , whose assessment process includes more than 200 questions on culture , environmental and social practices , ethics and compliance activities , governance , diversity and initiatives to support a strong value chain .
Carboxylic acid boost Perstorp plans to roughly double its carboxylic acids capacity by 2024 , by adding a 70,000 tonnes / year facility at its main site in Stenungsund , Sweden . Like the original unit , this will produce acids from C 3 to C 9 chemistry and will be fully integrated into the company ’ s oxo production platform . The company is also planning to “ significantly ” increase production capacity for calcium propionate by 2024 .
12 more BioCertified Spectrum Chemical has added 12 sugars and carbohydrates , organic and inorganic salts and preservatives to its BioCertified quality management system and chemicals portfolio for biopharmaceutical manufacturing . These products undergo additional testing for endotoxin , bioburden and elemental impurities , as well as incorporating additional quality control processes and certifications .
WeylChem has put a new , € 7 million , multi-purpose custom manufacturing plant into operation at Lamotte in the Hauts-de-France region of France . The project involved the comprehensive overhaul of an existing production line , by adding key elements such as an acid-proof 4 m 3 Hastelloy filter dryer , a thin-film evaporator and a 10 m 3 stainless steel reactor , enabling the line to reach temperatures of up to 200 ° C and a service pressure of up to 8 bars . There is also a high level of automation , including robotic elements .
14 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981