NEWS
IN BRIEF
Biocellulose partners Ingenza is collaborating with Danish start-up Cellugy to accelerate the development of its platform for producing biofabricated cellulose with the aid of microorganisms . They will focus on implementing different techniques to identify key factors influencing the cellulose production pathway . This is seen as a sustainable alternative to petrochemicals in various applications , starting with personal care .
Brazilian buy for Brenntag Brenntag Specialties has acquired two Brazilian companies serving the pharmaceuticals , personal care and other life science industries , PIC and PharmaSpecial . Terms were not disclosed and closing is expected in Q4 , subject to regulatory approval . The two firms were founded in 1991 and are headquartered in Itapevi . They had combined sales of about € 11 million in 2023 .
ChemDesign invests US CMO ChemDesign will complete two updates at its site in Marinette , Wisconsin , by the end of the year . It will install or replace several reactors , receivers , bulk tanks and heat exchangers , and add advanced filtration equipment in Building 52 and a solvent recovery system in Building 69 to improve operational efficiency and sustainability . Both are the direct result of specific customer collaborations .
Taylor-made South Korea ’ s Soulbrain is to build a $ 175 million electronics-grade phosphoric acid plant in Taylor , Texas , near to where its customer , Samsung , will open a $ 17 billion semiconductor plant in 2026 . Construction will begin in early 2025 and be complete in 2028 , according to local news reports . The firm also envisages a subsequent $ 400 million expansion .
Following laboratory trials , Integrals Power , a battery nanomaterials company , has started production of its proprietary advanced cathode active materials at its pilot plant in Milton Keynes , UK . This is one of the first of its kind in the UK and has been developed with a view to localising the supply chain . All of the materials are sourced form European and North American suppliers . The facility can produce 20 tonnes / year of lithium iron phosphate and lithium manganese iron phosphate for evaluation and can be scaled up rapidly if demand warrants it . The materials have been assessed as ultra-high purity in a third-party analysis using X-ray diffusion technology to study attributes like chemical composition and the lattice structure of the molecules .
CEFIC makes recommendations on ‘ designer precursors ’
Following public consultation , CEFIC has presented a paper with six recommendations in support of the European Commission ’ s proposals to update the existing EU regulation on pharmaceutical precursors . These are :
• Effectively tackling illegal trade online , for instance by requiring licences for private platforms wishing to trade sensitive substances
• EU-wide harmonisation for implementation between Member States , for regulations and with customs practices . This would include a more harmonised approach to thresholds for scheduled substances in mixtures
• Digitalisation : Fully digitising all steps of the process of compliance
• Legal clarity : Continuing to list for monitoring individual substances , clearly identifiable ideally by CAS numbers , rather than listing chemical groups or families based on their molecular structure
• Avoiding hindering innovation : Ensure that potential bans do not inhibit legitimate R & D activities based on the same chemicals . Ideally , operators with a licence for activities involving drug precursors would be excluded from the ban
• Improving information sharing for economic operators , including via e-learning tools and trainings In the past ten to 15 years , the association noted , ‘ designer precursors ’ have appeared on the European market as part of the illegal drug trade . These are described as “ close chemical relatives of traditional drug precursors , purpose-made to circumvent controls ”, which “ usually do not have any known legitimate use ”. The existing paper-based implementation system to control the trade drug in precursors has become increasingly ineffective .
12 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981