It seems October is chock-full of news and November is all about conferences. On Wednesday, I will be presenting at the Biorefining Conversions Network (BCN) Retreat in Canada and will be tweeting under #BCNRetreat. On November 19-21, I will be covering the Ecochem conference from Switzerland under #Ecochem. It will be difficult to post a lot this month given my travel schedule but the blog will try. Hopefully, I will still have energy to eat turkey by Thanksgiving!
Oh, and for those who sent me inquiry emails since last week, I promise to get back to you next week after my Canada trip.
Valmet supplies LignoBoost plant to Stora Enso
Metso Corporation’s pulp, paper and power business, which in the future will be known as Valmet, will supply a LignoBoost lignin separation plant to Stora Enso’s Sunila mill near Kotka in the southeast of Finland. The plant, which will produce 50 ktpy of dried lignin, is to be integrated with the pulp mill to separate and collect lignin from the black liquor. Stora Enso’s biorefinery project is scheduled to start for the first quarter of 2015. The Sunila mill can process 370 ktpy of softwood pulp.
NatureWorks sells PLA for durable goods
NatureWorks now offers three new Ingeo high performance biopolymer grades designed for injection molding and extrusion applications. The new grades allow faster cycle times and production rates, an improvement in heat deformation temperature, and a 3-4 fold increase in bulk crystallization rate. Applications for these new biopolymers can include consumer durable and semi-durable products like food service ware.
Saint-Gobain’s bio-based lab tubings
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics has become the first manufacturer to introduce a bio-based phthalate-free product for use in laboratory applications. The company has introduced its next-generation Tygon S3 tubing made from bio-based plasticizer. The product’s new formulations are biodegradable and is free from the common plasticizer DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate). The new Tygon S3 formulations include Tygon S3 E-3603 general laboratory tubing and Tygon S3 E-LFL Long Flexible Life Tubing.
Darling International acquires Vion Ingredients
Animal fats producer Darling International has acquired shares of the Netherlands-based Vion Ingredients, a division of Vion Holding NV for (Eur)1.6 billion in cash. Vion Ingredients is a leader in the development and production of specialty ingredients from animal origin for applications in pharmaceuticals, food, feed, pet food, fertilizer and bio-energy.
Technip, Shell in Carbon Capture Tech
Technip and Shell Cansolv will leverage their expertise in marketing and an end-to-end solution for carbon capture and sequestration projects. The deal will enable the companies to offer a full chain of engineering, procurement and construction services for a post-combustion CO2 capture project to the power generation industry.
Arkema, Addiplast in bio-polyamide supply
France-based specialty chemicals firm Arkema and Addiplast have signed an agreement where Arkema will supply its polyamides 10, 11 and 12 to Addiplast, which will process them into technical compounds and materials. PA10 and PA11 are derived from castor oil. Addiplast will develop a new range of bio-based high-end materials and compounds for injection molding under the brand Addibio Renew, which will serve several applications for the European market such as automotive, electronics, sports and leisure, new energies and new technologies.
Skyonic’s CO2 capture and mineralization plant
Skyonic Corporation has started construction of its Capitol SkyMine plant in San Antonio, Texas, which once fully operational in 2014, will capture 300,000 tons/year of CO2 through the direct capture of 75,000 tons and additional 225,000 tons that will be offset by the production of green products. Skyonic’s electrolytic carbon capture technology SkyMine will selectively capture CO2 acid gases and heavy metals from the flue gas of the Capitol Aggregates Cement plant where the SkyMine plant will be retrofitted. The captured pollutants will be mineralized into products such as sodium bicarbonate. Hydrochloric acid and bleach is also produced and will be sold at a profit.
Heliae starts algae facility
US algae tech developer Heliae has begun operations at its first commercial facility in Gilbert, Arizona, that will initially produce high-value algae products for nutraceutical and personal care. Further expansion is slated for late 2014. The company uses its Volaris platform, which is a mixotrophic algae production platform — a hybrid of known phototrophic and heterotrophic models, which reportedly decreases capital costs, improves contamination control and increases productivity and product optionality.
McDonalds to phase out PS foam cups
McDonald’s has confirmed to environmental group, As You Sow, that it will replace all polystyrene beverage cups with paper cups at its 14,000 US outlets. In 2012, the company reportedly agreed to test replacement of its foam cups with a double-walled paper hot cup at 2,000 restaurants primarily on the West Coast. The company deemed the pilots successful and the paper cup will now become the standard hot beverage cup at all US outlets. As You Sow is also in dialogue with Dunkin Donuts to replace its PS hot beverage cups.
Novozymes acquired Allopartis
CalCEF Clean Energy Angel Fund has successfully sold its portfolio company Allopartis Biotechnologies Inc. to Novozymes for an undisclosed amount. Allopartis was founded in 2008 to screen new and optimized enzymes for industrial use. Allopartis’ founding team has transitioned to the Novozymes A/D organization and remains located in the San Francisco Mission Bay Innovation Corridor.
Plentex to acquire Biovite
Plentex Ltd. plans to acquire the Biovite business from Biovite Australia Pty. Ltd., a science-based biotechnology company. Biovite’s present activities are based upon the discovery and development of a bioactive derived from microalgae which has applications for a variety of dermatological conditions of the nails and skin in humans. The bioactive also has patented applications in animal health and agriculture. Plentex’s current business model revolves around the identification, sourcing and planned production and marketing of high-value products from both micro and macro algae.
GlyEco completes $7.1m funding
Waste management systems innovator GlyEco has closed on $7.1m private placement, which will be used to accelerate growth and the roll-out of the company’s GlyEco technology that will include capital equipment for facility upgrades, capital equipment to increase processing capacity, and purchase of additional facilities. GlyEco Technology improves recycled glycol quality to meet ASTM Type 1 standards, indistinguishable from refinery-grade glycol.
FMC partners with Chr. Hansen
FMC Corp. has signed an exclusive and global collaboration deal with bioscience company Chr. Hansen to develop and commercialize biological crop protection products. The companies’ existing collaboration has yielded the Brazilian launch of the Nemix C product for use in sugarcane in late 2013. Nemix C increases growth and yield through enhanced root development and protection and is a purely biological product. In another news, FMC also acquired the Center for Agricultural and Environmental Biosolutions (CAEB), a division of North Carolina-based RTI International, which specializes in sustainable agriculture research.
Chempolis teams up with ONGC
Chempolis Ltd., a Finland-based biorefining technology has signed a memorandum of understanding with ONGC, India’s leading oil and gas exploration company. The MoU acts as a roadmap for the first biorefinery project in India. Chempolis and ONGC are also targeting at larger production of sustainable biofuels in India.
Emery Oleochemicals’ organic glycerine
Emery Oleochemicals’ EMEREEN 3916 glycerine 99.7% USP and EMEREEN 3912 glycerine 96% USP has been approved by the Organic Material Review Institute for use in certified organic production and in food processing and handling. The products are reportedly the first commercially produced organic glycerine solutions of the agricultural industry. The products are commonly used as humectants, suspending agents, solvents, seed treatments formulations and animal feeds.
DuPont, Huntsman in sustainable textile processing
DuPont Industrial Biosciences and Huntsman have demonstrated the sustainability properties of DuPont’s enzymatic bleaching technology DuPont PrimaGreen EcoWhite in combination with Huntsman’s AVITERA tri-active dye in textile cotton processing. In a study conducted between 2006 and 2012, the enzyme technology allows for low-temperature bleaching of textiles at 65 degree Celsius in a neutral pH range with less water and energy consumed.
Federal grant for auto bio-based materials
The Center for Automotive Research based in Michigan and its partners, the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, Macomb/St. Clair Workforce Development Board, and National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, collectively known as the Biotech Partnership, has been granted a $1,471,800 federal grant. The funding will enable further development of a bio-based product manufacturing cluster as well as build potential ties and enhance existing relationships with the automotive manufacturing sector.
BIOTEC’s new bioplastic resins
BIOTEC GmbH has launched its new BIOPLAST 500 biodegradable bioplastic resins for blown film extrusion applications such as short life packaging, multi-use bags, single-use bags, agricultural film. Biodegradable bags using the resins are ready to meet the challenges of European waste disposal regulations that now require more than 40% biobased contents.
Innovia Films’ NatureFlex in protective suit
Alabama, US-based Kappler has launched its latest product Lantex 300, a National Fire Protection Association 1994 Class 3 certified Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) breathable protective suit that uses Innovia Films’ NatureFlex within its construction. The breathable properties of NatureFlex have enabled Kappler to develop an improved lighter fabric while maintaining essential chemical and gas barriers. NatureFlex’s raw amterials is made from wood pulp-based cellulose.
RheTech’s bio-fiber reinforced PP compounds
RheTech, a thermoplastics compounder supplying the transportation, construction, electronics and consumer markets, has selected B&P Process Equipment’s TriVolution next generation compounding system to process its RheVision family of bio-fiber reinforced polypropylene compounds. RheVision is a line of bio-fiber reinforced PP using bio-waste products that replace traditional compound minerals such as talc. The compounding system is expected to be ready by the summer of 2014 installed at RheTech’s Whitmore, Lake Michigan facility.
Evonik starts organic specialty surfactants in China
Evonik Industries has opened a new production facility for organic specialty surfactants in the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park in Shanghai, China. The 80 ktpy facility will include specialty surfactants from renewable resources focusing on key product groups such as amphoteric surfactants, amidoamines, esters, alkoxylates and quats that are used in personal care and hygiene products, household cleaning agents, and industrial applications.
