As part of its program "Sustainable Bio-production," Germany's Federal Ministry of Education & Research has awarded a consortium a grant to study the feasibility of oxynitrilase technologies as a more efficient method to manufacture chiral building block chemicals currently required by the world's pharmaceutical industry. The 2 million EURO project specifically allows Clariant and JFC- Jülich Fine Chemicals to consider oxynitrilases as biocatalysts that open a broader set of optically highly pure chiral building blocks to more economic manufacturing. The major objective of this research is to leverage the success of oxynitrilase technologies as a method for the manufacture of chiral building block chemicals into other chiral product classes. As partners in the research project, both Clariant and Jülich Fine Chemicals have elected to combine efforts in broadening the commercial production and application of oxynitrilase technologies as they apply to stereoselective addition of hydrocyanic acid to carbonyl compounds. Included in the research team are professionals from several disciplines. Prof. Kragl of the University of Rostock will support specific areas of biochemical engineering and help to identify bottlenecks. Dr. Pohl of Heinrich-Heine-University (Düsseldorf) will consider evolutionary methods to develop special enzymatic catalysts and Prof. Wajant (University of Würzburg) will look at targeted mutagenesis as another method for developing innovative solutions. All of the research team members bring to the table significant expertise in bioscience, process engineering, chemistry, analysis and technical marketing.
Clariant will create a second production line at its new CHF 60 million state of the art facility for Exolit OP halogen-free flame retardants currently under construction in Daya Bay, China. This additional CHF 40 million investment will further expand access to innovative and sustainable f ... more
The Heubach Group and SK Capital Partners Close Acquisition of Global Colorants Business of Clariant
The Heubach Group and SK Capital Partners announced the completion of the acquisition of Clariant’s Global Colorants Business (“Clariant Pigments”). The combined business will operate under the Heubach brand, creating a global pigment technology and industry leader. The newly combined Heuba ... more
Clariant developing next-gen ammonia cracking catalysts to support the global hydrogen revolution
Clariant Catalysts’ role in the so-called “green hydrogen revolution” continues to grow. The company is now participating in Germany’s prestigious TransHyDE project AmmoRef, which is tasked to develop process technologies and catalysts for ammonia cracking to facilitate future hydrogen tran ... more
Clariant is a global leader in the field of specialty chemicals. Strong business relationships, commitment to outstanding service and wide-ranging application know-how make Clariant a preferred partner for its customers. Clariant, which is represented on five continents with over 100 group ... more
As one of the world’s leading specialty chemical companies, Clariant contributes to value creation with innovative and sustainable solutions for customers from many industries. Our portfolio is designed to meet very specific needs with as much precision as possible. At the same time, our re ... more
JFC - Jülich Fine Chemicals GmbH and Prokaria ehf today announced the signing of a partnership agreement. This strategic move brings together one of the world´s most diverse extreme ecosystems and the most interesting growth segment of chiral selective biosynthesis. Under the terms of the ... more
How Spheres Become Worms: Breakthrough with NMR spectroscopy
Hydrogels? Many people use these substances without knowing it. As superabsorbents in nappies, for example, hydrogels absorb a lot of liquid. In the process, the initially dry material becomes Jelly-like, but it does not wet. Some people place the swellable material on their eyeballs – soft ... more
Exciton fission – one photon in, two electrons out
Photovoltaics, the conversion of light to electricity, is a key technology for sustainable energy. Since the days of Max Planck and Albert Einstein, we know that light as well as electricity are quantized, meaning they come in tiny packets called photons and electrons. In a solar cell, the ... more
Magnetic topological insulators are an exotic class of materials that conduct electrons without any resistance at all and so are regarded as a promising breakthrough in materials science. Researchers from the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat in Würzburg and Dresden have achieved a significant ... more
“Screw this!” – Spiral dislocation gives 3D topological photonics a robust edge
Researchers from the University of Rostock and Technion Haifa have created the first three-dimensional topological insulator for light. A judiciously placed screw dislocation allows optical signals to wind around the surface of a synthetic lattice while keeping it protected from scattering. ... more
Fractal Drive – A Lack of Bulk Gives Photons an Edge
Researchers from the University of Rostock have developed a novel type of micro-structured material that enhances the speed of light signals while keeping them protected from scattering. Their discovery will be published online by the journal “Science” on Thursday, 12 May, 2022. Photonic to ... more
Laser takes pictures of electrons in crystals
Microscopes of visible light allow us to see tiny objects such living cells and their interior. Yet, they cannot discern how electrons are distributed among atoms in solids. Now researchers around Prof. Eleftherios Goulielmakis of the Extreme Photonics Labs at the University of Rostock and ... more
Tiny sensors for major advances
An international research team involving the working group of biophysicist Dr. Manuel Etzkorn from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) has developed an approach for using NMR spectrometry to analyse important molecules that have not been accessible before now. In the journal Angewand ... more
Developing a nanoscale 'clutch'
A model microscopic system to demonstrate the transmission of torque in the presence of thermal fluctuations - necessary for the creation of a tiny 'clutch' operating at the nanoscale - has been assembled at the University of Bristol as part of an international collaboration. When driving a ... more
The search for sustainable ways of producing energy is currently a very popular and important topic of investigation. Water adsorption/desorption is a process that can be used for the transformation of energy. Porous solids enable larger amounts of adsorption/desorption, as they provide a g ... more
