Firms working in the chemicals manufacturing sector are developing strong links with biotech companies, it is claimed.
There are an increasing number of collaborative partnerships between the sectors, Engineer magazine reports, with firms striving to find new, sustainable solutions for the plastics and energy industries.
One of the collaborations, between Total Petrochemicals, IFP Energies Nouvelles and its subsidiary Axens, will strive to develop a new optimised technology for the production of bio-ethylene by dehydration of ethanol.
Meanwhile, BASF and Evolva Holding will look at optimised biosynthesis routes for selected natural products with crop protection potential.
"The collaboration with Evolva underlines BASF's approach to employ cutting edge biotechnology for the development of new specialty products," Harald Lauke, president of specialty chemicals research at BASF, told the publication.
Earlier this week, New Jersey firm Green Waste Technologies revealed that it has developed a technique using black soldier flies to turn waste food into oil.
Typical Guttridge equipment used in the chemicals manufacturing industry includes:
