Business Roundup

Eastman Chemical says it will “significantly” increase its capacity to make tertiary amines at its site in Ghent, Belgium, by the end of 2021. Tertiary amines are used in a range of applications, including hand sanitizer and household cleaning products.

Shell Chemicals has signed an agreement to buy 60,000 metric tons of pyrolysis liquid over the next 4 years from Nexus Fuels, which operates a plant in Atlanta that uses pyrolysis to break down postconsumer plastic waste. Shell will use the liquid to make chemicals in Norco, Louisiana.

Elementis has rejected a second takeover offer from Minerals Technologies Inc., this one a 9% increase over the offer MTI made Nov. 5 and a 43% premium to Elementis’s earlier stock price. MTI says the Elementis board has declined talks.

H&M is using Eastman Chemical’s Naia Renew yarn in its Conscious Exclusive autumn-winter 2020 clothing collection, launching Dec. 1. Naia is made from 60% wood fibers and 40% recycled plastic. Eastman says it is biodegradable.

Aleph Farms, an Israeli cultured-meat start-up, has unveiled its first prototype steak grown from cow cells. The company has begun construction of one of its BioFarms and plans a pilot product launch in 2022.

Genomatica, a developer of biobased chemicals, and the nylon producer Aquafil will build a demonstration-scale facility in Slovenia to produce 100% renewable nylon 6. The firms teamed up in January to produce a nylon intermediate via fermentation with modified microbes.

WuXi Advanced Therapies has expanded its cell and gene therapy testing facility at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The firm, a unit of WuXi AppTec, says the expansion will help alleviate testing bottlenecks in the advanced therapies field.

Particles for Humanity has received a $5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The firm will use the funds to evaluate its single-injection vaccine technology, intended to deliver all the doses required for full immunization in one shot.