Across the industry

Syngenta acquires DuPont Professional Products

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Syngenta has acquired the DuPont Professional Products insecticide business.

Under the terms of the agreement, Syngenta will acquire established pest control brands Advion and Acelepryn and other intellectual property, as well as a number of employees, according to a press release. Syngenta will also access the related active ingredients and formulated products from DuPont through exclusive supply and licensing agreements. The $125 million transaction, which still must be approved by regulators, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2012.

“We intend to give further R&D investment to these products, to take what we think is a great potential today even further into the marketplace. They are patent-protected products, and I’m sure we’ll have R&D investment in each product in the future,” says Scott Reasons, head of Syngenta’s turf and landscape business.

Under the terms of the deal, Syngenta will receive the rights to Advion, Acelepryn, Altriset, Calteryx, Provaunt and Arilon-branded products and end-use registrations, and a license under DuPont’s patents and know-how for indoxacarb,chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole related to their use in the professional product market. 

Mitsubishi releases Tier 4 schedule

ADDISON, Ill. –duction in 2013, wher Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has announced its production schedule for three new small diesel engines in response to approaching EPA Tier 4 regulations. The new D03CJ, D04CJ and D04EG models provide regulation compliant solutions in the 19kW (25 hp) to 74 kW (99 hp) output range. The Tier 4 compliant D03CJ and D04CJ will begin proeas the Tier 4 interim D04EG is currently available, and the Tier 4 final version will be available in 2015.

Featuring a three-cylinder design, the D03CJ (1.655L) produces a maximum output of 41kW (55 hp) and a maximum torque of 165 Nm at 1,800 rpm.

The four-cylinder equivalent of this engine, the D04CJ (2.207L), produces a maximum output of 55kW (74 hp) and a maximum torque of 230 Nm at 1,800 rpm. The power densities of the D03CJ and D04CJ are 0.24 and 0.27kW/L, respectively.

Both engines feature an optimized common rail system with a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) for Tier 4 compliance. Common MHI goals when developing new engines are to achieve a more compact design without sacrificing power, while also lowering fuel consumption.

Appropriately, compared to the previous Tier 3 compliant models being replaced, the D03CJ and D04CJ offer a smaller displacement, while output has been increased. Fuel efficiency is also 16-percent better than the previous engines.

The new Tier 4 interim, four-cylinder D04EG (3.331L) delivers a maximum output of 74kW (99 hp) and a maximum torque of 375 Nm at 1,600 rpm, with a power density of 0.22 kW/L. The engine utilizes a common rail system including an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system and a DPF and DOC for Tier 4 interim compliance.

Compared with the Tier 3 engine it replaces, the D04EG offers 12-percent improved fuel economy.
 

 

Court upholds higher blend of ethanol in gasoline

WASHINGTON – A U.S. appeals court upheld government approval for a higher blend of corn ethanol into gasoline in a ruling that may help the biofuels industry in the longer term but have little immediate impact on sales, Reuters reported.

In a 2-1 ruling, the court said foodmakers, automakers and oil refiners failed to show they were harmed by approval of a 15 percent blend of ethanol, up from the usual 10 percent. Foodmakers said the approved blend could mean higher corn prices and automakers said they might be sued if the fuel leads to engine malfunctions.

OPEI and other partner groups who sued EPA maintain that EPA’s weak labeling effort is inadequate to protect consumers and avoid potential misfueling and damage to millions of legacy products not designed to run on any ethanol fuel higher than E10.

In March 2011, auto, marine, motorcycle, outdoor power equipment, personal watercraft and snowmobile groups filed a petition for rulemaking asking the EPA to ensure the continued sale and availability of gasoline blends of no greater than 10 percent ethanol (E10) for the 400 million engine products used by tens of millions of people every day in the U.S.

“OPEI is deeply disappointed by the decision, but we are heartened by the dissenting opinion of Judge Kavanaugh who wrote in his strong dissent, that ‘in granting the E15 partial waiver, EPA ran roughshod over the relevant statutory limits.’ This premise and many of the themes in the dissent on the merits were briefed by OPEI and the other engine manufacturers,” said Kris Kiser, OPEI CEO in a statement.

“While the other two judges ultimately denied the position, the chief judge denied each of the petitions based on standing, and therefore the court was unable to address the merits of the case due to a procedural issue.”

Kiser says OPEI will likely appeal.