Business Roundup

Evonik Industries has made a second investment in HPNow, a Danish start-up developing an electrochemical process that converts water and oxygen from the air into hydrogen peroxide. Among other applications, HPNow’s technology should halve the cleaning time of domestic dishwashers, Evonik says.

Methanex subsidiary Waterfront Shipping has added to its fleet of eight vessels that can run on methanol or traditional marine fuels. Methanex, which makes methanol, already has 11 methanol-fueled ships.

MOL Group has opened a polyol R&D center near Budapest, Hungary, for up to 19 R&D employees. The company is building a 200,000-metric-ton-per-year polyol plant in Tiszaújváros, Hungary.

BASF has opened a plant in Pontecchio Marconi, Italy, for additives that stabilize the light and thermal properties of plastics used in agricultural applications such as greenhouse covers. The plant features digital technology that allows even maintenance to be done remotely.

WeylChem will expand production at its aromatic ring chlorination operation in Frankfurt-Höchst, Germany. The project, which will enhance side-chain chlorination capabilities, is set to go into production early in 2022.

Codexis, an enzyme specialist, and the life sciences investor Casdin Capital have launched the SynBio Innovation Accelerator to fund and guide early-stage companies. Casdin plans to invest roughly $50 million in companies like Arzeda, a protein-design firm that the accelerator has backed with $1.75 million.

Tallac Therapeutics has raised $62 million in series A financing from several venture capital firms. The California-based biotech is developing toll-like receptor agonist-antibody conjugates for solid tumor treatment.

Biohaven Pharmaceuticals will pay Sosei Heptares $10 million for rights to develop CGRP receptor agonists, including its lead candidate, HTL0022562. Biohaven won approval for a CGRP receptor agonist, rimegepant, as a migraine treatment earlier this year.