Page 163 - CW E-Magazine (26-12-2023)

News from Abroad

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
Agrivalle and Ginkgo Bioworks to accelerate

next-gen ag biological products

Agrivalle, a leading Brazilian agri- across the globe. Growers continue to
cultural biologicals company, has have an increased need for effective
announced a new partnership with and sustainable alternatives to pest
Ginkgo Bioworks, which is building the control products. Brazil has been home
leading platform for cell programming, to massive growth in biologicals,
for building cutting edge technologies thanks in part to regulatory frameworks
to advance Agrivalle’s biological pro- that encourage innovation in the deve-
ducts, including next-gen fertilisers and lopment of biologicals for sustainable
biocontrol agents. agriculture.

Ginkgo will leverage its Strain tion, and to engineer organisms that The Brazilian government has also
Optimisation Services to improve the can make compounds to specifically made it easier for start-ups to finance
efficacy of Agrivalle’s biocontrol pro- target certain pests. This, in turn, could manufacturing plants and to register
ducts. In planned future projects, Ginkgo help Agrivalle enhance the breadth and biological products. This has led the
intends to work with Agrivalle to dis- efficacy of their novel biological pro- country to become the largest bio-
cover and optimise plant-compatible ducts and enable them to sell and license logicals market for agriculture, growing
microbes that can provide crop nutri- products to major players in agriculture over 30% a year.

MINORITY STAKE
Livent invests in direct lithium extraction technology

firm, ILiAD Technologies

Livent Corporation, the US-based In connection with its investment in
lithium focussed firm spun off from ILiAD Technologies, Livent will have
FMC, has acquired has acquired a the right to license ILiAD technology
minority stake in the parent company for anticipated deployment at its lithium
of ILiAD Technologies, a private direct brine resource in Argentina (Salar del
lithium extraction (DLE) technology Hombre Muerto), and is evaluating
company. opportunities for future production use
across its portfolio.
ILiAD Technologies’ parent com-
pany is a subsidiary of EnergySource “The ILiAD solution is comple-
Minerals (ESM), a developer of lithi- mentary to Livent’s proprietary process
um projects in the Salton Sea Known technology developed over seven years technologies and readily fits into the
Geothermal Resource Area in California of research and pilot testing by ESM. company’s existing plant designs and
(USA). ILiAD Technologies will seek This highly efficient and flexible flowsheet. Additionally, ILiAD offers
to commercialise and continue to extraction technology can be used to the potential for significant improve-
develop the ILiAD (Integrated Lithium recover high-purity lithium chloride ments in Livent’s energy usage and
Adsorption Desorption) technology from lithium-laden brine resources carbon footprint as well as continued
platform. around the world, including brine from improvements in water use,” Livent
salars, produced water, geothermal brine said. Commercial utilisation of ILiAD
ILiAD uses an innovative DLE operations, and other lithium resources. at Livent could begin as early as 2025.

Chemical Weekly December 26, 2023 163

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