Chemical start-up, Origin Materials, has announced that it expects to complete its pending merger with Artius Acquisition by this Friday.

A little background:

Origin is looking to convert cellulosic biomass into chloromethyl furfural (and a couple other molecules) with the primary goal of producing paraxylene and its derivatives. Paraxylene is typically produced by refineries, so the switch to woody biomass could help companies with lofty carbon-neutral goals achieve their objective.

What's next?

The public listing, initially announced in February, is expected to fully fund Origin until it becomes EBITDA positive. That could be a while from now—the company's initial demonstration plant in Ontario is currently under construction, so we're probably 2-3 years (that's a guess) from seeing full-scale production elsewhere.

Read the press release here.

French chemical company, Arkema, has announced the launch of renewable polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) intended for the electric vehicle (EV) market.

What's going on here?

Arkema traditionally produces PVDF by the free radical polymerization of vinylidene fluoride. The haloalkane precursor required to make vinylidene fluoride can be produced in many different ways, but with Arkema's patent-pending it's not immediately obvious where renewable crude tall oil (CTO) enters the picture. That being said, we do know that the CTO (or a derivative of CTO) will be blended into an existing process through a mass-balance approach.

What does PVDF do for EVs?

PVDF, specifically Arkema's Kynar brand, has found itself most useful as an electrode binder or separator coating in lithium-ion batteries. The company actually has a helpful video you can check out here.

Read the press release here.

Japanese tire manufacturer, Bridgestone, has announced the sale of its synthetic rubber plant in Huizhou, China to Taipei-based chemical company LCY Chemical.

Straight facts:

Bridgestone's plant in Huizhou employs about 130 people and is responsible for roughly $60 million in sales annually. The synthetic rubber that plant pumps out will now add to LCY's current offering of various styrene/butadiene and styrene/isoprene elastomers.

Why the sale?

According to Bridgestone, the decision follows the company's intent to rebuild the "earning power of its core business". Bridgestone's vertical integration from synthetic rubber production to final consumer product appears not to be worth the trouble—keep in mind that the sales from the plant ($60M) hardly compare to the company's total sales ($28B).

Read the press release here.