LANXESS expands Lewatit range

Specialty chemicals company LANXESS has grouped together 16 new ion exchange resins and absorbents for the pharmaceutical and bioprocessing industries under its trusted umbrella brand Lewatit, said the company.

They are used in various pharmaceutical and bioprocessing applications to separate and purify biomolecules. Applications of these end products range from food and animal feeds to active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) that are used in medicinal products.

“Typically, our products support the separation of biomolecules from complex biomass mixtures and play a key role in their further purification or stabilization,” explained Dr. Jenny Boettger, Technical Marketing Manager in the Liquid Purification Technologies (LPT) business unit at LANXESS. “As one of the leading manufacturers of ion exchange resins, we are hoping that this innovative product range will attract new customers from the pharmaceutical and bioprocessing industries and further strengthen our market position,” added the chemist.

The production of biomolecules derived from natural extracts and biological fermentation processes is strongly supported by a wide range of Lewatit ion exchange and adsorber resins. This resin technology opens up a variety of separation and purification options for all kinds of operation scales. The new types are specifically designed to be used in downstream processing for production of various biomolecules, including products from animal- and plant-sourced natural extracts. All resins are based on hydrophobic (polystyrene-divinylbenzene) or medium hydrophilic (polyacrylic) polymers. They were specifically developed to meet the high demands in industries such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, biopharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and food production in order to detoxify, convert, decolorize, or demineralize the respective molecules more easily.

Through ion exchange or adsorption processes, biomolecules such as peptides, antibiotics, vitamins, amino acids, and polysaccharides can be separated and purified more effectively. All these biomolecules are indispensable in today’s world. Antibiotics are essential for the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases. The intake of vitamins and numerous amino acids and proteins supports vital functions of the body. Diverse polysaccharides are found in part in everyday use. In the form of heparin and structure-like polysaccharides, for example, they are used to prevent venous thrombosis. In cosmetics, hyaluronic acid acts as a humectant due to its high water-binding capacity.

We remind, Advent and LANXESS announced the envisaged establishment of an Advent controlled, leading global engineering materials joint venture company with sales of around EUR 3 billion, combining the DSM Engineering Materials business with LANXESS’ High Performance Materials business.

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Five Phillips 66 refineries have been honored by the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers for outstanding safety performance in 2022, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The Sweeny Refinery on the Texas Gulf Coast captured AFPM’s Distinguished Safety Award – the industry’s top safety honor – for a second consecutive year. Bayway Refinery in New Jersey, Borger Refinery in West Texas and the San Francisco Refinery’s Santa Maria Plant notched Elite Gold awards, and Ponca City Refinery in Oklahoma took home Elite Silver honors.

“Safety is at the core of everything we do at Phillips 66,” said Todd Denton, Phillips 66 Senior Vice President of Health, Safety and Environment and Field Operations Support. “Congratulations to our five safety award winners and their employees and contractors. The recognition by AFPM is a testament to their and the company’s steadfast commitment to the safety of our people and safe operation of our assets in our communities each and every day."

Sweeny, which is located approximately 65 miles southwest of Houston, also garnered AFPM’s Innovation Award for the refinery’s Maintenance Area Safety Team’s work to design, test and commercialize the GrateIt No-Touch Hand Safety Tool, which helps users avoid hand- and ergonomics-related injuries.

The Distinguished Safety Award is presented to eligible U.S.-based sites that demonstrate exemplary, long-term safety performance, program innovation and leadership. The Elite Gold Award is AFPM’s second-highest safety honor, and it recognizes facilities with safety performance in the top 5 percentile. The Elite Silver Award recognizes facilities with safety performance in the top 10 percentile.

Sweeny was one of only three sites to earn a Distinguished Safety Award for 2022. Nearly 250 AFPM-member refining and petrochemical facilities were eligible to apply for the safety awards.

Chevron Phillips Chemical, the joint venture between Phillips 66 and Chevron, picked up Elite Gold awards for its Borger and Orange, Texas, sites, as well as Elite Silver honors for its Port Arthur, Texas, and Sweeny operations.

AFPM is a leading trade association for U.S. refiners and chemical manufacturers. The awards are part of a program developed by the AFPM Safety and Health Committee to promote safe operations in the refining and petrochemical industries.

Sweeny’s award marks the seventh year in a row that a Phillips 66 refinery has captured the industry’s top honor.

We remind, in the oldest refining town in the American West, Phillips 66 is promising a greener future as it moves to halt crude-oil processing and build a massive renewable diesel plant, leading a global trend. That plan, announced in 2020, was initially welcomed by residents weary from a history of pollution and toxic leaks. But some have grown skeptical as the project’s details cast doubt on the environmental benefits of revamping the 127-year-old complex on 1,100 acres in Rodeo, California.

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LyondellBasell published its annual sustainability report titled, Unlocking Possibilities, said the company

The publication offers an in-depth review of the company's 2022 sustainability performance, focused on progress toward ending plastic waste in the environment, taking climate action and supporting a thriving society.

Ramping up circular and low carbon solutions through initiatives including growing the company's plastics recycling footprint globally to meet customer demand for more sustainable products and solutions.

Accelerating interim greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets for 2030, in line with science-based guidance and the Paris Agreement, by increasing scope 1 and 2 emissions reduction target to 42% and establishing a scope 3 emissions reduction target of 30%, relative to a 2020 baseline.

Contributing to a thriving society, including focusing on safety, advancing commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion, and continuing to contribute to and engage with the communities in which the company operates.

"The need to address climate and circularity has never been greater, and during my first year with LyondellBasell, we took decisive action to advance our sustainability goals and accelerate progress on existing commitments. We see opportunities to capture value from our actions and we are primed to unlock possibilities toward a more sustainable, low carbon future," said Peter Vanacker, CEO of LyondellBasell.

We remind, LyondellBasell NV said it was exploring strategic options for its U.S. Gulf Coast-based ethylene oxide & derivatives (EO&D) business. The company said it was analyzing the potential to retrofit the Houston refinery to build up its Circular and Low Carbon Solutions (CLCS) business.

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Aekyung Chemical, an affiliate of South Korea's Aekyung Group, has begun mass-producing eco-friendly plasticizers derived from recycled waste plastics, marking a first in South Korea, said Kedglobal.

The company succeeded in developing the plasticizers and built specialized production facilities. As an essential additive for softening polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics, the eco-friendly alternative has the potential to lower carbon emissions compared to traditional petrochemical-based production methods.

Aekyung Chemical's product has received the international "ISCC PLUS" certification, recognizing its contribution to a circular economy in the entire production process.

"Our eco-friendly plasticizer offers a sustainable solution for addressing climate change in the widespread use of PVC materials in daily life," the company said.

We remind, Aekyung Chemical plans to expand its surfactant plant in Vietnam, with the aim of targeting global markets in Southeast Asia. The expansion of the plant, operated by the company's subsidiary AK VINA, will include the addition of high-value-added production lines for eco-friendly, low-stimulus, and natural surfactants.

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Trinseo has added a new grade to its Magnum ABS family. Complementing the bio formulations of the material made with 60 and 80 percent bio-attributed content made available in late 2022, the company has now launched a version with 95 percent mass-balanced renewably sourced content, said Sustainableplastics.

“As customers focus on sustainable solutions, Trinseo continues to invest in technologies that offer an alternative to materials based on traditional feedstocks,” said Romulo Bouzas, product manager, Copolymers EMEA. Equivalent to their fossil-based counterparts with identical physical properties, Trinseo’s bio ABS materials can serve as drop in replacements and can be used with existing tooling and equipment under the same processing conditions, requiring no adjustments.

During polymerisation, fossil-based polymers are combined with renewable raw materials - an approach that has now enabled the creation of the new Magnum Bio ABS resin with 95 percent bio-attributed content, based on the ISCC mass balance approach. As a result, the material offers a 92% lower product carbon footprint (PCF). In the Bio 60 and Bio 80 formulations, fewer feedstocks are replaced, and the PCF reduction is 58% and 77% respectively.

Trinseo’s family of bio-attributed ABS are part of the new Trinseo CO2NET portfolio established earlier this year. These products all undergo a Product Carbon Footprint Assessment, a systematic cradle-to-gate analysis of the product’s potential environmental impact and ensures that their carbon footprint can be gauged correctly. Materials qualifying for the CO2NET product portfolio are required to generate at least 50% fewer carbon emissions compared to their fossil-derived counterparts, with the goal of lowering emissions to net zero carbon. The company’s Tyril CO2NET bio SAN also belongs to the portfolio, which, said Trinseo will continue to expand in the future.

We remind, Trinseo reported a Q4 net loss of USD365.3m largely because of a pre-tax, non-cash goodwill impairment charge of USD297m related to its PMMA business and Aristech Surfaces reporting units. The company saw Q4 sales fall by almost 25% compared with the same quarter a year go while costs fell at a slower pace. The following table shows the company's Q4 financial performance. Figures are in millions of dollars.

Trinseo, a specialty material solutions provider, partners with companies to bring ideas to life in an imaginative, smart and sustainably focused manner by combining its premier expertise, forward-looking innovations and best-in-class materials to unlock value for companies and consumers.
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