Aashi Mishra shares some highlights from a recent Research Nester study

Oleochemicals are chemicals that are obtained from fats and oils, both vegetable and animal. They find use across diverse industries and are gaining popularity owing to their eco-friendly and sustainable characteristics.

Oleochemicals have a range of qualities, including being biodegradable, low toxicity levels and being derived from renewable sources. Moreover, they can be customised to exhibit attributes like enhanced lubrication or increased solubility.

At its latest Capital Markets Day on 27 September 2023, Arkema revealed its plans to strengthen its decarbonisation initiatives as well as its financial targets. This followed the recent validation of Arkema’s emissions reduction plan by the Science-Based Targets Initiatives.

Orion has opened its new Battery Innovation Centre at it main innovation hub in Cologne. The facility includes a full array of production, testing and diagnostic equipment. The focus of its work will be to “accelerate Orion’s tailor-made product and process development in close cooperation with customers”, the company said.

Sona Dadhania, senior technology analyst at IDTechEx, shares some highlights from a new report

Under a new deal, BASF is to produce cathode active materials (CAMs) from recycled metals from its site at Battle Creek, Michigan, for use in Li-ion battery cells produced by Nanotech Energy, a US specialist in graphene-based energy storage products.  The two will also partner with American Battery Technology (ABTC), a Li-ion battery recycling company in Nevada, and Toda Advanced Materials, an Ontario firm which produces CAM precursors (pCAMs) and metal hydroxide material, to establish a battery value chain for the North American consumer electronics and automotive industries.

ICL has held the groundbreaking ceremony for a $400 million, 13,000 m², 30,000 tones/year battery materials manufacturing facility at its Carondolet site at St Louis, Missouri. Present at the event on 8 August were Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, whose department granted $197 million towards building the facility under the Investing in America agenda, and Missouri governor Mike Parson.

Gains in biologicals are helping to offset huge market share for generics. Gregory Morris reports from Savannah

It was all business at the Specialty & Agro Chemicals America conference on 19-22 June, in the new venue of Savannah, Georgia. Exhibitors said that there was “a high level of energy at the show,” and this extended to the programme presentations.