US custom manufacturing firm MFG Chemical has acquired Masters Company from private ownership. Terms were not disclosed and the deal has already been completed. Masters is based in Chicago and is active in the water treatment market, mainly in North America, though it has some international customers. It supplies reagents and test kits, carries out custom blending and manufacturing, makes private label products and offers analytical services for industrial water treatment.

Matt Allen, product manager for elemental analysers at SciMed, explains why testing water for halogen species will be a serious consideration in the near future

Industry has come a long way towards sustainability in the last century. Gone are the days when processing plants would belch unfiltered arsenic and sulphurous fumes into the skies and pour black, smoking waste into rivers.

Solenis has completed the acquisition of Lima-based Grand Invest Group, including all its production assets. This is the fifth add-on acquisition since Platinum Equity acquired Solenis itself in 2021, with more potentially to come. Terms were not disclosed.

Adeel Hassan, product manager at Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions, shares some examples of how accurate chemical dosing can save costs in multiple industries

Companies in the process industries sector — from wastewater treatment providers to metal and mining or pulp and paper plants — face an extremely challenging operating climate in 2022 and beyond. Around the world, authorities are tightening the environmental regulations that govern chemical usage and disposal in process and wastewater treatment.

A registration statement has been filed with the US Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) concerning the previously announced merger of two North American biotechs, Lygos and Flexible Solutions International (FSI). The two announced a definitive merger agreement in April to form “a leading sustainable specialty ingredient company for agricultural, industrial, and consumer applications”.

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.

Kemira has started full-scale production of its newly developed polyacrylamide polymer based on biobased feedstock. The first commercial volumes are shipped to one of the wastewater treatment plants of the Helsinki Region Environmental Services for trials.

The polymer is water-soluble and offers the same technical specifications as its conventional equivalent, the company stated. As well as water treatment and other water-intensive sectors, it can be used in the energy industry, and potentially also in particularly demanding papermaking applications.