Happy New Year! Tecnon OrbiChem’s first Biomaterials issue for 2019 just came out today and my special report for this month focuses on last year’s industry restructuring and project investment overview.
My key takeaway for 2018 is that the renewable chemicals industry definitely continues to struggle especially when it comes to financing the commercialization phase of their projects. Small companies are shifting further away from commodity-type (and even semi-commodity type) products to specialty/fine chemicals. However, investments in synthetic biology companies continue to rise and some of these companies are increasingly crossing the fibers/textiles as well as food sectors.
There are still pockets of investments for renewable chemical building blocks and we at Tecnon OrbiChem continue to monitor this industry’s commercialization developments. I will give my annual update of some of these chemical building blocks at Nova Institute’s 12th International Conference on Bio-based Materials in May 2019.
So before I wrap this up, I just want to share this interesting video from Resinate Materials Group about their bio-based polyols for polyurethane coatings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=72&v=l523wUi6HSs
Also, we just received this job opening news from P2 Science. The company opened its first new manufacturing facility last year in Connecticut. If you’re looking for job opportunities and at the same time promoting sustainability within the chemical industry, come check the company out!
Finally, Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals) has officially launched the third edition of its Imagine Chemistry collaborative innovation challenge. Through this program, the company invites startups, scale-ups, university spin-outs, and other potential partners to tackle chemistry-related challenges and uncover new ways to create value for customers.
The 2019 edition calls for solutions within the following areas:
- Sustainable bio-based surfactants for everyone (in partnership with Unilever): Novel bio-based, non-hazardous surfactants, as well as building blocks for new surfactants
- Performance-boosting nanoparticles: Small-particle solutions that can make customers’ products more sustainable, durable, and/or functional
- Sensing in demanding chemical environments: Innovative sensing solutions to help Nouryon’s chemical processes approach 100% resource efficiency
- Label-free chemistries: Products with ingredients that require no chemical warning labeling that can safely and simultaneously control interface and fluid properties
- Pushing the frontiers of chemical innovation: An open challenge for innovative ideas on developing more sustainable chemistry
