Oleon opens new plant in Belgium

Leading European oleochemicals producer Oleon has opened a new enzymatic esterification plant in Oelegem, near Antwerp (pictured).

Part of the French agro-industrial group Avril, Oleon produces a range of oleochemical products including fatty acids, glycerine, esters, dimers, technical oils and biodiesel.

Oleon said on 15 June that enzymatic esterification reduced working temperature during processing while improving product quality.

“This will enable us to greatly reduce CO₂ emissions from the production of enzymatic esters for the food and cosmetics industries, amongst other sectors, while … producing significantly less waste,” said Jeroen Dirckx, Oleon managing director, derivatives.

A total of €17.4M (US$19M) had been invest- ed in the project, including €13.3M (US$14.5M) in European subsidies.

With its location along the Albert Canal, the plant is directly connected to the Port of Antwerp.

Meanwhile, the Kerfoot Group – acquired by Avril in 2015 – announced on 22 June that it would begin its transition to the Oleon brand, set to be completed by first quarter 2024.

The UK firm produces natural and organic oils for the food, personal care, pharmaceutical, animal care and industrial sectors, exporting some 100,000 tonnes/year of product to over 40 countries from its four sites in Yorkshire.

Solvay announces plan to split into two separate companies

Belgian chemical company Solvay has announced plans on 20 June to split into two independent publicly traded companies.

The division was expected to be completed in December pending customary conditions. Solvay would be the new name of EssentialCo, supplying essential products in housing, health, nutrition and mobility such as soda ash, peroxides, silica, and similar products.

Syensqo would be the new name of

SpecialityCo, which would include highly innovative businesses including speciality polymers, composites, technology solutions, oil and gas, as well as growth platforms in batteries, green hydrogen, thermoplastic composites, renewable materials and biotechnology, the company said. The businesses with Syensqo generated sales of around €7.9bn (US$8.6bn) last year.

Products currently offered by Solvay include oil dispersion formulations based on vegetable oil for crop protection and a personal care range based on natural feedstocks. The company’s Naternal brand of bio-based biodegradable polymers – derived from guar and other natural feedstocks – has been developed for hair and skin care solutions.

Solvay said it was working on bio-mimetic cosmetic ingredients, sustainable solutions for crop protection and bio-based polymers, along with other products.

USA: Grain terminal operator EGT has invested more than US$200M to improve handling capabilities at its Port of Longview facility in Washington, including tripling soyabean meal storage capacity, World Grain wrote on 11 July.

The terminal – with a throughput capacity of about 9M tonnes/year – handled wheat, corn, soyabeans, soyabean meal, and dried distiller’s grains and the works were due for completion in second quarter 2025.

EGT is a joint venture between global agribusiness giant Bunge; Pan Ocean America, an affiliate of Harim, an integrated Korean company that operates agri-trading and logistics business; and farmer-owned co-operative Agtegra.

NIGERIA: Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food and the Lagos Free Zone Company – a venture of Singapore’s Tolaram Group – have agreed to work together on a grain terminal project at Nigeria’s Lekki deep seaport, World Grain reported on 27June.

The co-operation aimed to create the necessary infrastructure to ensure uninterrupted supply of Ukrainian agricultural products to Nigeria and the African continent.

The US$1.5bn Lekki Deep Sea Port was operational but still partly under construction, the report said.