Swiss speciality chemicals company Clariant’s biggest pilot plant for cellulose ethanol from agricultural waste is now on stream. The EUR28 million plant is located in Straubing, Bavaria, and will produce up to 1,000 tonnes of cellulose ethanol from around 4,500 tonnes of wheat straw based on the sunliquid technology developed by Clariant.

Studies show that Germany potentially has around 22 million tonnes of straw that could be used for energy production without compromising essential soil regeneration. This would be sufficient to cover around 25% of Germany’s current gasoline requirements.

The plant is right next to the Donau harbour and will procure its raw materials largely from the Straubing region. The sunliquid process is an innovative biotechnological method that turns plant waste products such as grain straw and corn straw into second-generation cellulose ethanol.

The firm has been developing the sunliquid technology since 2006 and has been testing the method on a pilot scale since 2009. In an area encompassing approximately 2,500 sq m, all the process steps will be performed that will later be used in an industrial-scale plant; the aim of which is to confirm the technological feasibility of the sunliquid technique. The results obtained in Straubing will enable the firm to plan industrial production plants.

US firm Huntsman Corp. has acquired the remaining stake of Huntsman NMG, its Russian PU joint venture with NMG, the manufacturer of PU in Russia and other areas of the former Soviet Union.

Shanghai Sinopec Mitsui Elastomers, a 50:50 joint-venture between Chinese firm Sinopec and Japan-based Mitsui Chemicals, will build an ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPT) production plant in Shanghai Chemical Industry Park

Swiss speciality chemicals group Clariant is acquiring the remaining 40% share of a joint venture between Alvigo and Chemie.

Belgian firm Solvay has started up its EUR21 million speciality polymers compounding plant at Changshu, targeting the electronics, automotive, consumer and industrial applications markets.

German automotive Tier 1 supplier Faurecia has opened a major R&D centre in Pune, India. Employing 800 automotive engineers, the facility will serve interior systems, automotive seating and automotive exteriors.

US international aerospace and industrial manufacturing and service provider Barnes Group will acquire privately held hot runner maker Synventive Molding Solutions for US$335 million.

US firms Bermis has tied up with Norwegian Thin Film Electronics to develop the Bemis Intelligent Packaging Platform for the commercial development of functional sensor labels manufactured from new and emerging printed electronic technology made from Thin Film’s propriety read/writable printed memory and programme logic

Not only did German robot maker Krauss-Maffei Automation celebrate its 30th anniversary since its foundation, it also marked it with its 1,000th robot delivery from the “robot wharf” of its branch in Schwerin.