Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Sibur plans hexene unit at Nizhnemkamskneftekhim’s petchemical complex

Russian petrochemicals major, Sibur, is planning to build a facility to produce up to 50,000-tpa of hexene at the Nizhnemkamskneftekhim (NKNK) petrochemical plant’s olefins complex. NKNK located in the Republic of Tatarstan, operates eight core production units producing rubber, plastics, monomers and other petrochemicals, on two adjacent production sites. Sibur, via its subsidiary, JSC TAIF, holds majority stake in NKNK. “Development of the technology and its piloting have been successful, and a decision was made to build the hexene facility using in-house technology at Nizhnemkamskneftekhim,” said Sibur’s head, Mr. Mikhail Karisalov, at a petrochemical forum in Kazan, Tatarstan. “This covers 125-130% of Sibur’s immediate demand, and what we used to buy in the UK and Germany. We expect to start pilot operation of this capacity within 18-20 months, and have it in our portfolio as a product from the end of 2024,” Mr. Karisalov said. Hexene is used to produce polymers. It is not currently produced in the former USSR, including in Russia, Mr. Karisalov said.



Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Toray looking scale up bio-based adipic acid capabilities

 Toray looking scale up bio-based adipic acid capabilities

Japan-based Toray Industries announced that it has developed the “world’s first” 100% bio-based adipic acid, a raw material for nylon 66 (polyamide 66), from sugars derived from inedible biomass. This achievement came from using a proprietary synthesis technique combining the company’s microbial fermentation technology and chemical purification technology that harnesses separation membranes. The company has started to scale up its capabilities in this area. It will test polymerisation of nylon 66, develop production technology, conduct market research, and take steps to commercialise applications for this biobased adipic acid by around 2030. Nylon 66 has been used for many years in fibres, resins, and other applications due to its exceptionally durable, strong, and rigid properties. Pressures to develop eco-friendly nylon 66 have risen in recent years amid a growing awareness of the need to realise a sustainable society. One challenge is that conventional chemical synthesis for producing adipic acid, the raw material of nylon 66, generates a greenhouse gas called nitrous oxide. Toray was the first in the world to discover microorganisms that produce an adipic acid intermediate from sugars. 


The company reconfigured metabolic pathways within microorganisms to enhance production efficiency by applying genetic engineering technology, which artificially recombines genes to streamline synthesis in microorganisms. It also employed bioinformatics technologies to design optimal microbial fermentation pathways for synthesis. Quantity of the intermediate synthesised by microorganisms has increased more than 1,000-fold since the initial discovery, and the efficiency of synthesis has improved dramatically. Toray is using reverse osmosis separation membranes to concentrate the intermediate in the purification process. This approach is more energy efficient than other methods that do not use these membranes. This bio-adipic acid production technique is free of nitrous oxide emissions, unlike the manufacturing processes for petroleum-derived adipic acid, and is expected to help combat global warming

Sunday, October 2, 2022

DFE Pharma opens new Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad

 DFE Pharma opens new Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad

 DFE Pharma, the Germany-based pharma – and nutraceutical excipient solutions provider, recently opened its new Centre of Excellence –‘Closer to the Formulator’ (C2F) - in Hyderabad. The inauguration was attended by Mr. K.T. Rama Rao, Minister for IT, Industries & Commerce, Municipal Administration & Urban Departments of the Telangana government along with Mr. Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce, Government of Telangana, Mr. Shakthi Nagappan, Director (Life Sciences & Pharma), Government of Telangana and DFE Pharma’s leadership team and senior representatives of leading pharmaceutical companies. The centre is based in Genome Valley, the largest pharma and life sciences hub in Asia. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Rama Rao, said, “I fi rmly believe that C2F will further strengthen the potential for growth and support offered by Genome Valley. The Government of Telangana will work with DFE Pharma to ensure that life sciences companies in the state leverage from this facility.” DFE Pharma said the C2F will help pharmaceutical companies to shorten the time from concept to fi nished commercial product through its expertise in all phases of pharmaceutical development. The services offered by the new centre mainly focus on oral solid dosage (OSD) forms and comprise a range of pre-registration work including development, scale-up, and technology transfer. The capabilities also include effi ciency projects like conversions from wet granulation to direct compression. The centre works with active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), including innovative concepts as model APIs; and with a broad portfolio of all categories of excipients and their different grades. 




Mr. Martti Hedman, CEO of DFE Pharma commented, “With our C2F centre, based at a prime location in the pharma and life sciences hub Genome Valley, we can help pharmaceutical and nutraceutical companies progress their projects faster and further. Through our capabilities, we not only support our customers to develop high-quality products but also improve their effi - ciencies.” “We aim to closely work with our customers to help them develop new ideas, together we address their challenges using our expertise in the latest pharmaceutical trends” explained Dr. Anilkumar Gandhi, Director of the C2F Centre of Excellence. “The capabilities offered through this centre can reduce the time to launch a product, without compromising quality, while reducing the number of development assays and therefore decreasing formulation spending,” he added.

Sunday, September 25, 2022

PM calls for concerted efforts to make India global centre of research and innovation

PM calls for concerted efforts to make India global centre of research and innovation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for concerted efforts to make India a global centre of research and innovation, and urged state governments to frame modern policies in the fi elds of science and technology. Mr. Modi lamented that unlike the western countries, India failed to adequately celebrate the works of its scientists, which turned a large section of the society indifferent towards science. 

There is a need to celebrate the achievements of Indian scientists, he emphasised, while virtually addressing the inaugural session of the Centre-State Science Conclave organised recently in Ahmedabad.

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

Assam captivate 16 ethanol projects worth Rs. 3,290-crore

 Assam attracts 16 ethanol projects worth Rs. 3,290-crore 

Assam has attracted 16 ethanol projects worth Rs. 3,290-crore under its Ethanol Production Promotion Policy, 2021, the State’s Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed. He recently held a meeting with the promoters of seven ethanol manufacturing entities who had come forward under the policy to set up their plants. During the meet the promoters apprised the Chief Minister of their latest developments and issues. The seven entities are presently ready to commence construction and commercial production of bio-fuel by the middle of 2023. Six out of seven entities have been provided with land in Industrial Development Corporation Industrial Parks across various parts of the State including two units in IGC Matia, one unit each at Industrial Landbank in Sipajhar, ID Dhing, IGC Balipara and near Assam Plastic Park, Tinsukia. The proposed annual capacity of these seven units is 970-kld with planned investment of Rs. 1,154-crore.