NEWS
IN BRIEF
New lab for Givaudan Givaudan has opened a new development hub in Casablanca, Morocco. This has application and perfumery laboratories, alongside a development department, plus offices to house a dedicated commercial team for the fabric care, home care, personal care and fine fragrance markets in the Maghreb region and West Africa. Financial details were not disclosed.
Italmatch signs Saudi deal Italmatch Chemicals has signed a long-term supply agreement with the Saudi Water Authority, the body responsible for regulating and overseeing the Saudi water sector. The programme includes an investment of up to $ 500 million to make phosphorus derivatives, including a new facility that is due to be completed by the end of 2027.
Shokubai revises plan Due to a delay in acquiring the land and rising construction costs, Nippon Shokubai has revised plans for a new plant at Kitakyushu for its Ionel brand of electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries. The plant will now cost about ¥ 43 billion, have 3,000 tonnes / year in capacity and begin operations in December 2028. A government subsidy of ¥ 12.5 billion is unchanged.
Second site for Kale Turkish surfactants and speciality chemicals firm Kale Care Chemicals has opened a second production facility in Gebze bringing total capacity to 100,000 tonnes / year. Founded in 1974, Kale supplies the personal care, home care and industrial markets. Its products include anionic, amphoteric, nonionic and cationic surfactants, and related products.
FluoRok secures investment for HF-free process
Oxford University spin-off FluoRok has closed an oversubscribed $ 30 million Series A financing round to support industrial scale-up of its fluorochemicals manufacturing platform, which bypasses the need for hydrogen fluoride( HF).
Having completed pilot qualifications and“ gained strong commercial traction with key customers”, FluoRok plans to build demonstrator facilities for its reagents and Li-ion battery electrolyte salts. Initial markets include inorganic fluorides for pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, plus lithium hexafluorophosphate, the most common Li-ion battery electrolyte salt.
The process uses mechanical activation rather than acid and high temperatures. It runs on standard industrial equipment for rapid scale-up and uses lower-grade mined fluoride or fluoride recovered from industrial waste, FluoRok said.
Fluorochemicals are widely used but their manufacture still relies on a 250-year-old HF-based process. HF is highly toxic, difficult to handle and largely sourced from highpurity fluorspar, which is mainly mined in China.
The round was led by Orano Venture Fund and Supernova Invest, alongside Bidra Innovation Ventures and existing investors, including the University of Oxford. It follows $ 14 million raised in previous rounds and over $ 13 million in UK and European public funding.
Sumitomo Chemical works with Tata
Sumitomo Chemical has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with India’ s Tata Electronics to explore collaboration in semiconductor fabrication. It will examine measures to establish a stable materials supply system, possibly including a semiconductor chemicals facility in India.
Sumitomo Chemical’ s ICT & Mobility Solutions sector seen as is a growth driver, with semiconductor materials designated as a priority. The business offers advanced photoresists and semiconductor chemicals, particularly high-purity chemicals.
Sumitomo Chemical has expanded semiconductor chemicals capacity in Japan and South Korea and established a new base in Texas. Earlier this year, it acquired Asia Union Electronic Chemical, with facilities in Taiwan and Nevada. It has also begun operations at high-purity chemical centres in Japan and South Korea to develop new processes and recycling technologies.
Another Japanese player, Nissan Chemical, has established a whollyowned subsidiary in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province, China, to make antireflective coatings for photoresists and multilayer semiconductor materials. The company cited growing semiconductor demand in China, driven by digitalisation, and increasing customer demand for supply chain resilience.
12 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981