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Solvay opens biotechnology laboratory in Brazil to boost innovation in sustainable chemistry from biomass
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ON
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Original Source: Chemistry World, Mar 2015, 12 (3), (Website: http://www.rsc.org/ chemistryworld) © Royal Society of Chemistry 2015
external partners including public and private institutions. Research programmes in place include notably projects in flavours, fragrances, surfactants, cellulose derivatives and solvents.
Novozymes plans Danish innovation campus
Original Source: Solvay International Chemical Group, 2 Jun 2015 (Website: http://www. solvay.com) © Solvay 2015.
division would make it manage the businesses more efficiently.
Industrial enzymes major Novozymes intends to build a new research centre in a recently acquired 140,000 sq m site in Lyngby, the Netherlands. Expected to open in 2018, the centre will focus on biotechnology research and business development. It will employ 800 people in R&D and other areas during the first phase of 30,000 sq m, which will support the company's anticipated space needs until 2023. The centre may undergo further expansion that would bring in additional 2000-2500 employees. The firm's global workforce is currently 6500, of which 2700 is in Denmark and over 20% works in R&D. The centre is included in Novozyme's recently announced long-term CAPEX guidance, which is around 8% of turnover. The company's total investment for 2015 is estimated to be around €135 M. Original Source: Speciality Chemicals Magazine, Jun 2015, 35 (6), (Website: http:// www.specchemonline.com) © Quartz Chemicals Ltd 2015
Solvay opens biotechnology laboratory in Brazil to boost innovation in sustainable chemistry from biomass Solvay has opened in Brazil its first fully dedicated industrial biotechnology laboratory (IBL) to boost the development of innovations and solutions based on sustainable chemistry, used in a growing range of end-markets. The fully integrated laboratory in Paulinia will chiefly focus on researching new processes and molecules derived from biomass, which is mostly plant or vegetable based and abundantly available in Brazil with its favourable climate and vast surface. The laboratory's highly qualified researchers will work jointly with the group's global business units in Solvay's research and innovation centres worldwide as well as with
4
Repsol agrees technology link-up for biodegradable polyolefins Repsol Chemicals has collaborated with Advanced Enzyme Science of Mumbai India, in developing a new line of biodegradable polyolefins for use in agriculture. Original Source: Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 11 Jun 2015 (Website: http://www.prw.com/) © Crain Communications Inc 2015
Genomatica Inc advances the commercial readiness of biomass feedstocks for chemicals On 17 Jun 2015, Genomatica announced significant progress in harnessing cellulosic biomass for commercial production of high-quality chemicals rather than just fuels. Genomatica's work sets the stage to increase the range of feedstock choices for making chemicals using biotechnology. Through advances in strain engineering and process design, Genomatica has developed clear guidance for biomass pretreatment technology developers to enable their technologies to work better with commercial bioprocesses for chemicals. An extended series of trials by Genomatica confirmed major improvements in process performance and the qualification of multiple types of biomass sugars as suitable feedstock. The results advance the prospects for economical production of polymergrade chemicals from biomass as pre-treatment technologies mature toward reaching their cost targets. As part of the current work, Genomatica developed a 'sugar specification' for biomass pre-treatment technologies to produce sugars compatible with commercially proven GENO processes; assessed ten technologies against that standard; and demonstrated that at least four
can currently produce sugars suitable for commercial production of chemicals from a quality standpoint. Original Source: BioSpace.com, 17 Jun 2015 (Website: http://www.biospace.com)
Honeywell UOP to power Europe’s largest production unit for plastics building block On 11 Jun 2015, UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced that its C3 Oleflex process technology will be used by Poland's Grupa Azoty to produce propylene. The propylene will be used to make resins and plastics that replace metal automobile parts, decreasing automobile weight and improving fuel efficiency. The facility will produce 400,000 tonnes/y of high-quality propylene, enough to support the production of nearly 11 M cars/y. The new unit in Police, in the Szczecin region of Poland, is slated to come online in 2019. The resulting propylene shortage has sparked investment in technology to create on-purpose propylene from propane, which is either derived from natural gas or produced from petroleum refining. By 2020, 20% of the world's propylene production is expected to come from on-purpose propylene production technologies such as Honeywell UOP's Oleflex technology. For more than 20 years, Oleflex has been a leading technology worldwide for converting propane to propylene. Since the Oleflex process was developed, Honeywell UOP has continually improved the technology and the catalyst it uses. Compared with competing dehydrogenation processes, Oleflex technology provides the lowest cash cost of production, the highest return on investment and the smallest environmental footprint. This superior performance is characterized by low capital cost, high propylene yields, low energy consumption, and use of a fully recyclable platinum aluminabased catalyst system. In addition to the C3 Oleflex process to convert propane to propylene, Honeywell UOP also licenses its C4 Oleflex technology, a butane dehydrogenation process to convert isobutane to isobutylene. In addition to technology licensing, Honeywell UOP and local affiliates will provide engineering design, catalysts, July 2015
ON
C ATA LY S T S
Original Source: Chemistry World, Mar 2015, 12 (3), (Website: http://www.rsc.org/ chemistryworld) © Royal Society of Chemistry 2015
external partners including public and private institutions. Research programmes in place include notably projects in flavours, fragrances, surfactants, cellulose derivatives and solvents.
Novozymes plans Danish innovation campus
Original Source: Solvay International Chemical Group, 2 Jun 2015 (Website: http://www. solvay.com) © Solvay 2015.
division would make it manage the businesses more efficiently.
Industrial enzymes major Novozymes intends to build a new research centre in a recently acquired 140,000 sq m site in Lyngby, the Netherlands. Expected to open in 2018, the centre will focus on biotechnology research and business development. It will employ 800 people in R&D and other areas during the first phase of 30,000 sq m, which will support the company's anticipated space needs until 2023. The centre may undergo further expansion that would bring in additional 2000-2500 employees. The firm's global workforce is currently 6500, of which 2700 is in Denmark and over 20% works in R&D. The centre is included in Novozyme's recently announced long-term CAPEX guidance, which is around 8% of turnover. The company's total investment for 2015 is estimated to be around €135 M. Original Source: Speciality Chemicals Magazine, Jun 2015, 35 (6), (Website: http:// www.specchemonline.com) © Quartz Chemicals Ltd 2015
Solvay opens biotechnology laboratory in Brazil to boost innovation in sustainable chemistry from biomass Solvay has opened in Brazil its first fully dedicated industrial biotechnology laboratory (IBL) to boost the development of innovations and solutions based on sustainable chemistry, used in a growing range of end-markets. The fully integrated laboratory in Paulinia will chiefly focus on researching new processes and molecules derived from biomass, which is mostly plant or vegetable based and abundantly available in Brazil with its favourable climate and vast surface. The laboratory's highly qualified researchers will work jointly with the group's global business units in Solvay's research and innovation centres worldwide as well as with
4
Repsol agrees technology link-up for biodegradable polyolefins Repsol Chemicals has collaborated with Advanced Enzyme Science of Mumbai India, in developing a new line of biodegradable polyolefins for use in agriculture. Original Source: Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 11 Jun 2015 (Website: http://www.prw.com/) © Crain Communications Inc 2015
Genomatica Inc advances the commercial readiness of biomass feedstocks for chemicals On 17 Jun 2015, Genomatica announced significant progress in harnessing cellulosic biomass for commercial production of high-quality chemicals rather than just fuels. Genomatica's work sets the stage to increase the range of feedstock choices for making chemicals using biotechnology. Through advances in strain engineering and process design, Genomatica has developed clear guidance for biomass pretreatment technology developers to enable their technologies to work better with commercial bioprocesses for chemicals. An extended series of trials by Genomatica confirmed major improvements in process performance and the qualification of multiple types of biomass sugars as suitable feedstock. The results advance the prospects for economical production of polymergrade chemicals from biomass as pre-treatment technologies mature toward reaching their cost targets. As part of the current work, Genomatica developed a 'sugar specification' for biomass pre-treatment technologies to produce sugars compatible with commercially proven GENO processes; assessed ten technologies against that standard; and demonstrated that at least four
can currently produce sugars suitable for commercial production of chemicals from a quality standpoint. Original Source: BioSpace.com, 17 Jun 2015 (Website: http://www.biospace.com)
Honeywell UOP to power Europe’s largest production unit for plastics building block On 11 Jun 2015, UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced that its C3 Oleflex process technology will be used by Poland's Grupa Azoty to produce propylene. The propylene will be used to make resins and plastics that replace metal automobile parts, decreasing automobile weight and improving fuel efficiency. The facility will produce 400,000 tonnes/y of high-quality propylene, enough to support the production of nearly 11 M cars/y. The new unit in Police, in the Szczecin region of Poland, is slated to come online in 2019. The resulting propylene shortage has sparked investment in technology to create on-purpose propylene from propane, which is either derived from natural gas or produced from petroleum refining. By 2020, 20% of the world's propylene production is expected to come from on-purpose propylene production technologies such as Honeywell UOP's Oleflex technology. For more than 20 years, Oleflex has been a leading technology worldwide for converting propane to propylene. Since the Oleflex process was developed, Honeywell UOP has continually improved the technology and the catalyst it uses. Compared with competing dehydrogenation processes, Oleflex technology provides the lowest cash cost of production, the highest return on investment and the smallest environmental footprint. This superior performance is characterized by low capital cost, high propylene yields, low energy consumption, and use of a fully recyclable platinum aluminabased catalyst system. In addition to the C3 Oleflex process to convert propane to propylene, Honeywell UOP also licenses its C4 Oleflex technology, a butane dehydrogenation process to convert isobutane to isobutylene. In addition to technology licensing, Honeywell UOP and local affiliates will provide engineering design, catalysts, July 2015