Page 171 - CW E-Magazine (16-1-2024)

News from Abroad News from Abroad

RENEWABLE CHEMISTRY The emergency ordinance will pro- Monsanto’s well-known product Round- Organisation. No EU country has a
Australia’s Circa inks MoU to explore biochemicals vide interim legal protection, and it will up – bought by the German company, blanket ban on glyphosate, although
temporarily regulate existing application Bayer in 2018 – is very widely used some, including Austria, France, the
production in Finland restrictions for glyphosate. Correspond- around the world. In 2015, it was clas- Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg
ing sanctions will also continue to apply. sifi ed as a “probable carcinogen” for besides Germany, have rolled out partial
humans by the International Research bans by prohibiting its use in certain
Australian biotech fi rm, Circa Group, mill in Northern Finland, Glyphosate, the active substance of Centre on cancer via the World Health areas or by households.
has signed an MoU with Vataset Teol- the area has a long in-
lisuus Oy and Kemijarvi Biorefi nery to dustrial history with the ENHANCING SUPPLIES
evaluate the establishment of a Circa Fura- pulp and paper sector Cyclic Materials’ pilot plant demonstrates rare earth
cell production facility on the Kemijarvi and is close to the natural
Biopark in Northern Finland. The plant resources needed to sup- magnet recycling capacity
would manufacture platform chemical, ply a large and sustainable
levoglucosenone (LGO), biochar and industrial biopark deve-
bio-based solvent, Cyrene, from sustain- lopment. Canadian metals recycling company, major step forward for deve- ing products –including
able biomass feedstocks. Cyclic Materials, is looking to scale loping a domestic, circular sup- copper, aluminium and
Mr. Tony Duncan, up its magnet extraction and rare earth ply chain for critical materials steel – from end-of-life
Vataset is developing the Kemijarvi Circa’s CEO commented, “Finland has a Vataset CEO, Mr. Harri Vatanen processing operations after achieving at the scale needed to support products. These mate-
site as a comprehensive bio-park for long history in the forest-based industries added, “Technology like Circa’s is encouraging results from its new the clean energy transition and rials are critical to the
renewable materials, fuels and chemicals and the Kemijarvi site has the necessary essential for making the transition to Kingston, Ontario (Canada) pilot plant. technological innovation,” said development of electric
based on circular economy principles. skills, feedstock, logistics and infrastruc- renewable and more environmentally- Mr. Ahmad Ghahreman, vehicles, wind turbines,
Kemijarvi Biorefi nery specialises in ture to support Circa. Circa’s strategy friendly materials. Our activities and The company brings in end-of-life co-founder and CEO of Cyclic Mate- smartphones and other technologies.
biomass processing and the companies is to identify a small number of deve- Circa’s have clear synergistic advan- hard drives and a variety of other mag- rials. “Our magnet-agnostic recycling In addition to developing Mag-Xtract,
are seeking partners to effectively utilise lopment sites globally to serve adjacent tages. At Kemijarvi Biopark, we look net-containing products, extracts the technology produces one of the clean- Cyclic Materials is scaling its proprietary
all side streams. regional markets with levoglucosenone forward to exploring the potential of a magnets and uses a hydrometallurgical est and highest quality mixed rare earth hydrometallurgy technology to convert
derivatives including our green solvent, Circa renewable chemicals plant on our process to convert them into mixed rare oxide products available on the global magnet feedstock and manufacturing
Formerly the site of a Stora Enso pulp Cyrene.” site.” earth oxides and other substances. The market – an environmentally sustainable, waste into mixed rare earth oxide,
company’s proprietary magnet removal fi rst-of-its-kind solution to the limited cobalt-nickel hydroxide, and other
DIFFERING VIEWS technology called Mag-Xtract isolates international supply of critical magnet by-products.
Germany lifts total ban on glyphosate for six months magnets from recycled end-of-life pro- materials,” he added. The mixed rare Earlier, Cyclic Materials piloted its
ducts. The design capacity of the pilot earth oxide serves as the raw material to
plant is 1,000 kg/hour (8,000-tpa), and make a magnet again. hydrometallurgy technology at a capacity
Germany’s Federal Ministry of to be wrong, and I do not consider it as initial runs have processed several tonnes of 10-tpa. It is currently developing the
Food and Agriculture (BMEL) has, on being supported by the votes of of magnet feedstock per day. In 2022, Cyclic Materials completed fi rst commercial demonstration plant for
December 27, 2023, published emergency European Union (EU) states. German an initial proof-of-concept of Mag-Xtract, this technology in Kingston with a target
regulations on glyphosate, which sus- plant protection law must now be “The launch of our pilot plant is a processing 4,000-kg of magnet-contain- launch date in Q2 2024.
pends the total ban on the herbicide and adapted so farmers can have planning
regulates existing restrictions on its use. security, and impending damage to Brenntag opens new warehouse facility in Philippines
biodiversity can be averted”.
The regulation came into effect on Brenntag, the German chemicals and ing to various industries, such as food &
January 1, 2024 and remain in effect To monitor the emergency regula- ingredients distributor, has announced the nutrition, home & personal care, institu-
until June 30, 2024, when previous decision on the ten-year re-approval tion, the BMEL is drafting an amend- inauguration of a new warehouse facility tional & industrial cleaning (HI&I), water
restrictions and sanctions on the use of on its own after its earlier proposal for ment to the ‘Plant Protection Applica- in Mamplasan, Laguna, Philippines. treatment, pharma, material science, and
glyphosate will also expire. reapproval failed to receive a qualifi ed tion Ordinance’. Under this ordinance, Strategically located about 16-km away other process chemicals.
majority from EU member states, or the previous German Government had from the Brenntag offi ce in Alabang,
The move followed the November at least 15 member states representing mandated a complete ban on glypho- this new warehouse aims to enhance The facility also houses three Inno-
28, 2023, action by the European Com- some 65% of the bloc’s population. sate from January 1, 2024. The renewed accessibility for Brenntag’s customers. its dangerous goods (DG) area, and 3,000 vation & Application Centres for food &
mission to publish regulation extending approval for glyphosate would have made in its ambient warehouse. nutrition, personal care, HI&I, and water
the approval of glyphosate for ten years. Mr. Cem Özdemir, Federal Minister the German ban contrary to European Spanning 4,000 sqm of space, the treatment. These will provide vital tech-
The active ingredient is now approved of Food and Agriculture, said, “I con- law. Previous restrictions on the use of warehouse has a storage capacity of Brenntag said the facility will serve as nical application support, development
EU-wide until December 15, 2033. The sider the European Commission’s deci- glyphosate and their sanctions would 4,000 pallet positions, including 500 in a hub for storing and distributing a diverse of prototypes and product samples, and
Commission had decided to take the sion to approve glyphosate until 2033 also have expired on January 1, 2024. its temperature-controlled room, 500 in range of chemicals and ingredients cater- facilitation of testing and analysis.

170 Chemical Weekly January 16, 2024 Chemical Weekly January 16, 2024 171

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