Page 162 - CW E-Magazine (2-1-2024)

News from Abroad News from Abroad

PROJECT PROGRESS BIOTECH UNION
Ineos Phenol starts up Europe’s largest cumene Novozymes-Chr. Hansen merger gets conditional EU nod;

facility in Germany future combined company to be named Novonesis

Ineos Phenol has started production dentures and dental fi llings, as well as The European Commission (EC)
at Europe’s largest cumene facility in many other applications. Ineos lays has conditionally approved the merger
Marl, Germany. claim to being the world’s largest pro- between Danish biotechnology com-
ducer of phenol and acetone, and the panies Novozymes and Chr. Hansen,
According to the company, the largest consumer of cumene. subject to some key divestments.
world-scale 750-ktpa facility produces
up to 50% lower CO emissions per The plant was constructed in asso- The executive arm of the European
2
tonne of product, enabled by the use of ciation with CAC Engineering GmbH, Union said that, as part of the merger,
the company’s cumene technology in who managed the project under an Chr. Hansen has offered to divest its
combination with unique heat integra- EPCM model. CAC work included lactase distribution business, while
tion at the Marl Chemical Park. heat from the plant is used for a district FEED verifi cation, detail engineering, Novozymes would let go of its lactase
heating circle further reducing the procurement, construction and pre- production facility. In addition, Chr.
The plant will use existing pipeline carbon footprint of the site. commissioning of the plant. Hansen would divest its project to manu-
connections between Ineos’ phenol and facture lactase, the commission said.
acetone production sites in Gladbeck, Cumene is an essential raw mate- The unit strengthens our European
the Evonik Chempark in Marl, and rial in the production of phenol and phenol position in terms of feedstock Ireland-based food & beverages
the BP refi nery and cracker complex acetone, which are used in a wide va- supply. At the same time, it helps to major, Kerry Group, has entered into
in Gelsenkirchen. The site also bene- riety of applications including medical reduce the carbon footprint of the busi- a defi nitive agreement to acquire the
fi ts from the nearby Marl harbour wa- applications. Their derivatives are also ness,” said Mr. Hans-Juergen Bister, lactase enzyme business of the two
terway connection. Most of the waste used in contact lenses, artifi cial joints, Operations Director for Ineos Phenol. companies on a carve-out basis. Kerry’s
acquisition is subject to EC approval.
REUSING RESOURCES This business is assessed at a total
SK Ecoplant sets up second battery recycling plant consideration of €150-mn, subject to
routine closing adjustments.
in China Novozymes, which makes enzymes

for household products, food & beve-
SK Ecoplant Co., the construction into green businesses. The company rages and biofuels, and Chr. Hansen, This is a concentrated area in which together. We are dedicated to harness-
arm of South Korea’s chip-to-battery currently operates 50 battery recycling an enzyme maker for the food sector, Chr. Hansen is an imminent competitor. ing the transformative potential of bio-
conglomerate. SK Group, has comple- plants in 23 countries, including the agreed to merge in December last year The divestiture of Chr. Hansen’s lactase logy. Building on our legacy of deve-
ted its second battery recycling plant in US, Singapore, China, Germany and in an all-share $22-bn tie-up. The EC activities together with production as- loping innovative BioSolutions, we
China in an effort to meet rising battery the Netherlands. found that the companies’ plan as origi- sets will ensure that its pipeline project stand ready to unlock unprecedented
demand in the automobile industry. nally intended would have reduced can come to market and preserve com- opportunities. We are here to start an era
The company is also pushing to competition in the lactase enzyme market. petition in the highly innovative bio- of BioSolutions. That is why we have
The second plant, located in sign deals with automakers to obtain tech sector.” chosen to call our new company Novo-
Yancheng, Jiangsu province, is capable used batteries and recycle them into The deal, the largest merger in nesis which means ‘A new beginning’.”
of processing used batteries into 2,000- black mass, which is largely sold to Denmark, would create a global ingre- With the clearance from the Euro-
tpa of black mass, the company said in like lithium, manganese, cobalt and materials-processing companies. dients giant. pean Commission, Novozymes and “The new name will be used and
a statement. The fi rst plant in China is nickel. Those minerals can be extracted Chr. Hansen have announced their new gradually implemented once the pro-
located in Shanghai. from the black mass for reuse in new SK Ecoplant plans to build a third Ms. Margrethe Vestager, Executive name as a merged business: Novonesis. posed combination is completed. Until
battery production. battery recycling plant in China by the Vice-President in charge of competition final merger control approvals are
Black mass refers to electronic end of 2024. The third plant with an policy of the European Commission, Ms. Ester Baiget, President and received, and the proposed combination
waste consisting of shredded end- SK Ecoplant sees the waste re- output capacity of 2,000-tpa of black said, “Novozymes is an established CEO of Novozymes, said, “Novonesis completes, Novozymes and Chr.
of-life battery cells. It contains high cycling solutions as a new growth mass will be located near the second biotech player, which manufactures refl ects where we came from, what we Hansen operate as completely separate
amounts of critical battery materials, engine as it accelerates its transition plant. industrial enzymes, including lactase. can achieve, and what we will become companies,” the companies informed.

162 Chemical Weekly January 2, 2024 Chemical Weekly January 2, 2024 163

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