Business Roundup

Ineos is mothballing a purified terephthalic unit in Geel, Belgium, that has been offline since 2022. The company says that the plant, one of two on the site that makes the polyester raw material, has been increasingly uncompetitive against imports from Asia.

Borealis has agreed to acquire Integra Plastics, a plastics recycler based in Bulgaria. Integra’s facility, which mechanically processes polyolefins, was built in 2019.

Sika is increasing capacity in Sealy, Texas, for polymers used in concrete admixtures. The investment is the company’s second in Texas in the last 5 years.

BASF will receive a $136 million subsidy from the German government for a water electrolyzer at the its site at Ludwigshafen. The plant will draw 54 MW of power and yield 8,000 metric tons of hydrogen per year when it opens in 2025.

Kemira will add 70,000 metric tons of capacity for ferric sulfate at its site in Goole, England. Fe₂( SO₄) ₃ and its hydrates are used as coagulants to remove suspended solids in wastewater treatment.

Lhyfe has won the contract for a 210 MW water electrolyzer installation at a port on France’s Atlantic coast. The hydrogen project will also include distribution infrastructure.

Ginkgo Bioworks will help ingredient start-up Vivici develop microbial strains that produce dairy proteins. Vivici, which spun out of DSM-Firmenich’s venture arm and Fonterra, hopes to start selling a fermentation-derived whey protein next year.

Vink Chemicals has begun construction on a $33 million production facility in Schwerin, Germany. The new plant will provide raw materials for the manufacture of biocides at Vink’s headquarters in Kakenstorf, Germany.