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Archives |
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| Varsal Completes Phase I of JingTang
Expansion |
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Warminster, PA - (January 18, 2002)
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| Varsal Instruments has completed construction of Phase
I of a four-phase expansion in JingTang Port, TangShan, Hebei, China.
As previously reported in C&E News (Sept. 14, 2001), Phase I was designed
for the production of Varsal's Methanesulfonyl Chloride and Methanesulfonic
acid, and adds an additional 14,000 MT of capacity for these products,
bringing Varsal's total capacity to 26,000MT annually. |
| Phase II of the JingTang site is already in progress and will be
used to make 1-10 ton quantities of custom products. Varsal has been
making the methanesulfonyls since 1997 and a few years ago branched
out into custom synthesis of small to medium-scale fine chemicals.
Some of Varsal's core technologies, such as chlorination and sulfonation,
result from the methanesulfonyl production and have been used to make
several downstream products. But Varsal has also developed expertise
with fluorination, hydrogenation and nitration, and performs several
multi-step syntheses combining all of these technologies. |
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| Within the next three years, the 40-acre JingTang site
will also have production suites for advanced intermediates and a
cGMP suite for API production. Of particular interest is the planned
Chiral Center, which will be used to make catalysts for asymmetric
hydrogenation, as well as several building blocks. Varsal will use
technology licensed from Chiral Quest, of State College, PA, primarily
to make beta-amino acids and other unnatural amino acids. |
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| Varsal Expands Amino Acid Product Line |
| Warminster, PA - (October 25, 2001) |
| Varsal Instruments, in partnership with a Chinese producer, has
expanded the range of amino acid products they offer. In addition
to regular amino acids, Varsal now offers specialty amino acids and
derivatives. |
| Production of basic amino acids is located in a facility that specializes
in fermentation and enzyme technology. This plant offers economical
production of high quality amino acids through efficiency in design
and operations. The main fermentation products are L-Valine, L-Leucine,
and L-Isoleucine. Total capacity for these products exceeds 1500 MT
annually. |
| Other amino acids, such as L-Alanine, and L-Aspartic acid are made
through enzymatic processes. Annual capacity for products of enzyme
technology exceeds 5000 MT. Production is oriented to the neutraceutical
and pharmaceutical industries, and all products meet common American
and European quality standards. |
| The plant was built to maximize operating efficiency through many
passive design features. These features are an important factor in
keeping operating costs low without compromising quality. The plant
was also designed to be expandable. Extra production units can be
brought on-line quickly as demand increases. Additional capacity is
available for custom fermentation production. |
| Varsal uses amino acids produced in this facility to make derivatives
for pharmaceutical intermediates. This business unit is growing rapidly
for Varsal as the use of amino acids for chiral applications increases.
The derivative product line utilizes a number of proprietary technologies
to offer competitively priced, high quality products at full-scale
production levels. |
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| Varsal Enhances Purity of Methanesulfonic
Acid |
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Warminster, PA - (2001)
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| Varsal Instruments, a leading manufacturer of methanesulfonic acid
and methanesulfonyl chloride, announces further improvements in the
purity of their anhydrous MSA. This grade of MSA is produced in dedicated
reactors, resulting in a typical purity that now exceeds 99.5%. |
| The process by which the MSA is manufactured has not changed, and
Varsal can continue to guarantee the absence of the methyl ester of
MSA in the final product. Varsal's process was designed specifically
to avoid reaction conditions that could result in the creation of
the methyl ester, a critical issue for pharmaceutical manufacturers.
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| Varsal Expands Calcium Nitrite Production |
| Warminster, PA - (2001) |
| Varsal Instruments, a leading manufacturer of calcium nitrite, announces
the acquisition of a new plant dedicated to the production of this
chemical. The new facility is three times the size of the Varsal's
current site. Upon completion in March 2001, Varsal expects total
output at both sites to exceed 20,000 MT per year. |
| Varsal's current production of calcium nitrite is geared to the
needs of the concrete industry, which uses the chemical as a corrosion
inhibitor as well as a cold-weather accelerant. Varsal specifically
controls the purity and insolubles levels for optimal results in this
application. |
| The new production facility will give Varsal increased flexibility
to customize the manufacture of calcium nitrite to meet the needs
of other industries as well. Calcium nitrite has also been used as
a corrosion inhibitor in the lubricant industry, and new applications
are under development in other industries as well. |
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The concrete industry is, however, expected to remain the primary
market for calcium nitrite. Varsal will use the additional capacity
to meet heavy demand in China and other Asian markets. Varsal will
also begin production of calcium thiocyanate. This chemical is also
used by the concrete industry to significantly increase the strength
of the finished product.
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