Clariant to sell 50% stake in

RENEWABLE NEWS Clariant to sell 50% stake in Scientific Design

Swiss speciality chemicals company Clariant announced on 2 February that it had agreed to sell its 50% stake in ‘green’ ethylene producer Scientific Design Company to Saudi Basics Industries Corporation (SABIC), its joint venture partner in the firm.

The acquisition by the Saudi chemical firm is expected to be finalised in mid2022, subject to regulatory approval.

Scientific Design offers both the process technology and catalyst for the dehydration of ethanol to ethylene, which includes ethylene oxide (EO), ethylene glycol (EO/ EG), bio-ethylene, bio-EO, bio-EG, EO derivatives, polyols and maleic anhydride. The company said its ‘green’ ethylene could be used to make other major downstream derivatives such as polyethylene, ethylene dichloride, styrene, and ethyl benzene. ● Clariant has announced the launch of a range of 100% bio-based surfactants and polyethylene glycols (PEGs).

The range of more than 70 surfactants and PEGs was based on bio-ethanol derived from sugarcane or corn and significantly expanded Clariant’s Vita range of ingredients, based on renewable feedstocks, the company said on 1 February.

The new Vita products were suitable for use in consumer goods such as detergents, hair and body shampoo, paint, industrial lubricants, and crop formulations, Clariant said.

IN BRIEF

JAPAN: Japanese chemical manufacturing firm Kaneka Corp said on 7 February that it is expanding its production of biodegradable polymer with a new plant at its Takasago manufacturing site.

Combined with the existing plant’s 5,000 tonnes/ year capacity, total production capacity would be 20,000 tonnes/year, when the new capacity became operational in January 2024.

Kaneka said its Green Planet biomass polymer – poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate (PHBH) – was produced by micro-organism bio-synthesis using plant oils. It could be used to make straws, cutlery, coffee capsules, bags, films and other products.

CANADA: Canadian bioplastics company TerraVerdae Bioworks said on 25 January that it will acquire thermoplastic elastomer developer PolyFerm Canada, Globe Newswire reported.

PolyFerm’s portfolio includes a range of biobased and bio-degradable elastomeric polymers known as medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoate (MCLPHAs), which are made from renewable sources such as sugars and vegetable oils.

TerraVerdae, which has product development facilities in Edmonton, said the deal would strengthen its ability to produce biopolymers and resins for a wider range of applications.

Surfactants from fish by-products

Scottish start-up Eco Clean is undertaking a research project with experts from the University of St Andrews to develop a new process using fish farming by-products to produce surfactants, according to the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC).

Eco Clean’s approach uses waste from the Scottish aquaculture sector to create chemical compounds, with a specific focus on fish oils rich in fatty acids.

“We have already proved the feasibility in a previous [2020] study and hope that, by the end of this project, we will find ourselves closer to full-scale commercialisation and seeing the surfactant used in a range of industrial and selected household products,” Eco Clean director

Eco Clean is focusing on fish farming by-products to produce surfactants

Mark Hamilton said.

“I was already using fish oil waste to produce biofuel, so decided to explore a similar process and feedstock to produce a bio-based surfactant and we were pleased to see success from the initial feasibility study,” Dr Alfredo Damiano Bonaccorso, senior research fellow at the University of St Andrews, added.

LANXESS partnership in bio-preservatives

German speciality chemicals firm LANXESS has announced a partnership to produce sustainable preservatives from vegetable oils with Matrìca – a joint venture between Italy’s Eni’s chemical company Versalis and bioplastics and biochemicals leader Novamont.

The Matrìca plant at Porto Torres, Sardinia, Italy, is supplying LANXESS with raw materials from vegetable oils which LANXESS will use to manufacture a new series of industrial preservatives, extending its Preventol range, according to the company’s 31 January statement.

LANXESS said the new Preventol preservatives were designed for consumer products such as household cleaners, laundry care and dishwashing products, as well as paints and coatings.

The company’s Material Protection Products business unit develops and markets biocides, preservatives and disinfectants for a wide range of microbial control applications. These products protected materials against spoilage by microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts, fungi, viruses and algae, LANXESS said.

Under the Preventol brand name, the business unit sells active ingredients and formulations for paints and coatings, wood protection, construction products, process control, disinfection and other application areas.

Matrìca manufactures the Matrilox range of bioproducts – mono and dicarboxylic acids and esters – for high value-added applications such as paints and inks, bio-plastics, bio-lubricants and bio-herbicides) at the Porto Torres site.