Cepsa Química has introduced the first products in its new line of sustainable chemicals. Both are derived from biomass and contain at least 68% sustainable or alternative carbon sources using the mass balance approach, with equivalent performance to existing products based on fossil sources.

These are NextLAB, which is a fossil-free linear alkylbenzene (LAB) for use in the production of biodegradable household laundry and cleaning products; and NextPhenol, which will replace phenol in automotive, construction and pharmaceutical applications.

The European Commission has revised certain information requirements for registering chemicals under REACH. It advised companies to start preparing as the changes will start to apply in October. Further advice will be issued in 2H and changes will be made accordingly in Iuclid.

The main changes concern requirements and specific rules for the adaptation of:

* In vitro and in vivo studies, when further studies are needed based on mutagenicity concerns

Sumitomo Chemical has announced plans to build a new plant for APIs and intermediates to come onstream in September 2024 at its Oita works on the southern tip of Honshu. This comes in response to growing demand from the small molecule sector. No financial details were given.

Oita, the company said, “can manufacture a wide variety of APIs and intermediates that require complex chemical reactions and also flexibly scale from development to commercialisation”. It is also compliant with EU, US and Japanese GMP standards.

Kurita has established a new R&D base called the Kurita Innovation Hub (KIH) at Akishima city in Tokyo. Covering about 38,400 m2 and employing 400, this comprises two buildings: the Technology Innovation Centre and the Technical Education Centre.

Following negotiations begun in September 2021, PharmaZell, a German-based supplier of speciality APIs, and Novasep, a CDMO focused on complex small molecules and ADCs, have closed their merger under the majority ownership of Bridgepoint Group. Former PharmaZell CEO Dr Sylke Hassel (pictured) will be CEO, while former Novasep CEO Michel Spagnol has joined the board of directors.

Perstorp plans to roughly double its carboxylic acids capacity by 2024, by adding a second 70,000 tonnes/year facility at its main site in Stenungsund, Sweden. Like the original unit, this will produce acids from C3 to C9 chemistry and will be fully integrated into the company’s oxo production platform.

In collaboration with Johannes Kepler University Linz, Heraeus Precious Metals has developed and applied for a patent on an industrial precious metal catalyst for efficient lignin conversion. This is described as “highly suitable for the conversion of lignin to phenolic components on an industrial scale”.