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Dow turns to AI to accelerate chemical search

CIO

With several million compounds to choose from, chemists often must resort to intuition when trying to solve complex problems around chemical processes. US multinational Dow Chemical was working with a pulp and paper manufacturer to improve inefficiencies in its chemical process with a goal of producing a better, safer pulp yield.

Chemicals 174
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Forsaking funding at a $1 billion valuation, Solugen preps a new green chemical product and a big 2021

TechCrunch

Late last year, Solugen , a startup using synthetic biology to take hydrocarbons out of the chemicals industry, decided against pursuing a new round of funding that would have valued the company at over $1 billion, TechCrunch has learned. Chemicals are everywhere and they’re a huge business.

Chemicals 230
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Katakem’s ‘robot chef’ speeds up drug development with reliable chemistry

TechCrunch

It occurred to him that automation and robotics could make the drug development process more predictable, and so he founded Katakem , one of the startups in the TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield 200. “The production of a chemical product is strictly regulated and standardized. Food and Drug Administration. Image Credits: Katakem.

Chemicals 211
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Novoloop says it’s worked out how to upcycle plastic waste, raises $11M Series A

TechCrunch

Upcycling polyethylene (the normal ubiquitous plastic we are all familiar with) into high-value plastics that can compete with “virgin” plastic (meaning plastics made directly from petro-chemicals) is a fiendish problem to solve. Novoloop is setting out to transform plastic waste into high-performance chemicals and materials.

Chemicals 222
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Oxyle’s tech uses water movement to remove pollutants

TechCrunch

The startup’s customers include companies in the pesticide, chemical, textile pigments, electronics and pharmaceutical sectors that are regulated by strict discharge limits. Oxyle’s wastewater treatment was developed five years ago by co-founder and CEO Dr. Fajer Mushtaq during her doctoral research at ETH Zurich.

Chemicals 207
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UniSieve’s filters use special crystals to reduce industrial emissions

TechCrunch

The energy-intensive process of separating and purifying chemicals and gases is a big reason why industries like plastic manufacturing cause so much pollution. During the course of their work, they developed a way to integrate porous crystals called zeolitic materials into polymeric membranes and use them for high-precision filters.

Industry 202
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With a €43M EU grant and €1.2M from a VC, this startup plans to turn CO2 emissions into gold

TechCrunch

It claims to be able to capture CO 2 from industrial emitters at the point of emission using “synthetic biology” to develop biocatalysts (bacteria). These then convert the carbon dioxide into chemical compounds that are sold back to industry. If it can be scaled-up, this could turn even emissions into a revenue opportunity.

Chemicals 241