Business Roundup

1PointFive has sold Microsoft carbon removal credits equivalent to 500,000 metric tons of CO₂. 1PointFive, part of Occidental Petroleum, says it will deliver the removals through the direct air capture plant it is building in West Texas.

Kuraray plans to cut methyl methacrylate output in half at its plant in Niigata, Japan, which has made the polymer intermediate since 1959. Kuraray will end external sales and make the chemical only for its own use.

Polystyvert, which is developing a technology to purify waste polystyrene using solvents, has completed a $16 million funding tranche on its way to raising $30 million in a series B financing round. The company plans to build a plant in Montreal by 2026.

Symrise has launched propanediol caprate as an active ingredient for deodorants. The firm says the molecule provides targeted antimicrobial activity for aluminum-free and biobased products combating underarm and foot odor.

CuspAI has raised $30 million to develop artificial intelligence that suggests new materials with sought-after properties. The firm says its system will help discover materials for carbon capture, energy storage, water purification, and other markets.

Debut Biotechnology has expanded its personal care ingredient deal with L’Oréal with a new multimillion-dollar agreement. Debut combines fermentation with cell-free enzymatic conversions to provide biobased versions of molecules normally made from petrochemicals.

Veranova will spend $30 million to increase production of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) at its facility in Devens, Massachusetts. The drug services firm says the investment will address growing US demand for ADCs and other potent small molecules.

Merck & Co. has acquired from Orion the rights to opevesostat, a drug candidate for metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer. Opevesostat is going through two Phase 3 trials. Orion may get up to $30 million in development milestone payments and more in regulatory and sales-based payments.