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Five companies in Europe, Asia and the United States have built facilities for the production of succinic acid from agricultural feedstocks. Bioamber has built a demonstration plant in France. BASF has also started succinic acid production.

AgraQuest originally focused on serving organic farmers but they are now targeting the low chem approach where farmers reduce the chemical load on crops by synergistically combining tradtional pesticides and biopesticides. One analyst is bullish on the company but he says that the company's weakness is its limited lineup.

And they're at their very best when two or three nearby plants link in one way, but are quite different in another, for instance when three plants of similar flower colour present their flowers in three very different ways (one with big round saucers, one with upright spikes, and one with a mass of tiny flowers), or with three widely different foliage types. If the plant you're placing has strappy leaves, look for a companion with rounded leaves, or plant it next to a shrub with fine, dense foliage. FEATURES When placing plants for greatest effect in the garden, context is king. [Extracted from the article]

Classic plants in this category are the native hibiscus (Alyogyne huegelii) and the summer-flowering butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii). ANNUALS & BIENNIALS FOR SELF-SOWING larkspur (Consolida spp.) white lace flower (Orlaya grandiflora) california poppy (Eschscholzia californica) venus' navelwort (Omphalodes linifolia) foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) silver dollar (Lunaria annua) calendula (Calendula officinalis) nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) forget-me-not (Myosotis spp.) love in a mist (Nigella damascena) hollyhock (Alcea rosea) ANNUALS & PERENNIALS FOR INTERMINGLING spreading petunia (Petunia x hybrida) geranium (Geranium "Rozanne" and G. "Buxton's Blue") trailing nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus "Matucana") perennial sweet pea (Lathyrus latifolius) a vens (Geum spp.) horned pansy (Viola cornuta) spanish flag (Ipomoea lobata) purple queen (Tradescantia pallida) canary creeper (Tropaeolum peregrinum) TREES & SHRUBS FOR RESPROUTING & STOOLING wattle (Acacia spp.) gum (Eucalyptus spp., Corymbia spp. and Angophora spp.) native hibiscus (Alyogyne huegelii) butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) oleander (Nerium oleander) fuchsia (Fuchsia spp.) smoke bush (Cotinus spp.) spiraea (Spiraea spp.) rose (Rosa spp.) PHOTO (COLOR): Self-sown cream California poppies interweave and sparkle among purple Verbena rigida, blue Triteleia laxa and lime Euphorbia "Copton Ash" PHOTO (COLOR): Buddleja davidii, the butterfly bush, tolerates "stooling" back to stumps in late winter or spring when it outgrows its spot in the garden. [Extracted from the article]

IBM and Intel are experimenting with hafnium oxide for more advanced chips for use in computers. The future role of chemical companies for manufacturing these chips is discussed.

Chemical industry officials are hassled over the reasons for the sudden steep spurt in the prices of sulphuric acid which is a vital component of the chemical industry.

This article from Gardening Australia discusses the author's experience with planting trees and shrubs on their property boundaries. The author explains that they missed the ideal planting time due to various circumstances, but they have learned that planting in warmer seasons can still be successful as long as the plants receive enough water. The author emphasizes that gardening is not about rigidly following rules, but rather about finding a balance between ideal conditions and practical realities. Despite the challenges, the author remains optimistic and accepts that gardening often involves compromises. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the unrealistic expectation of creating a zero-maintenance garden. The author compares this request to asking for a zero-maintenance horse and highlights the amount of time and effort that goes into caring for a garden. While some people may genuinely not have the time or interest in maintaining a garden, the author suggests that often it is a result of feeling disempowered or fearful of not knowing how to care for plants. The author shares a personal experience of a couple who initially wanted a zero-maintenance garden but ended up enjoying the empowerment and connection that came with taking care of their garden. The article concludes by suggesting that while low-maintenance solutions can be helpful, the author personally prefers a combination of simple and high-intensity gardening. [Extracted from the article]

I do my best to overcome my dad's Depression-era whisperings calling me to be thrifty, and instead buy enough to make an immediate impact in my pots, which aren't as big as I'd like but are still about 50cm across at the top (and are not at all ornamental in themselves - the performance comes from the contents of the pots). It seemed like every Canadian hanging basket/display pot enthusiast knew that you couldn't get away with feeding container plants less than once every 10 days. REGULARS It's not too late to think about summer display pots. [Extracted from the article]

Albemarle, a specialty chemical company is on roll with profits tripling and annual sales doubling. Mark Rohr, Chief Executive of Albemarle believes that his company's good fortune can continue and he sees the sales doubling over the next five years.

General Electric's (GE) Advanced Materials, maker of silicones and specialty quartz, has left GE and has started as Momentive Performance Materials under the new owners, Apollo Management. The main aim of the company's chief executive officer Wayne M. Hewitt is to complete the transition in 2007 without any impact on customers.

A case is described, in which, a California-based biopharmaceutical firm, Ilypsia brought its second polymer drug, ILY105 to Phase II clinical trials in just four years in collaboration with a German custom manufacturer Saltigo. The two companies are looking forward to the product's final stage of clinical testing that would treat hyperkalemia, an elevated potassium condition faced by some kidney disease patients.

Seventh Generation, Vermont formed in 1988 sells detergents and cleaners that are non-toxic and biodegradable, made from renewable ingredients. Its director of product and environmental technologies, Martin Wolf, was on a lookout for environmentally friendly innovative ingredients for his company's products, at the Soap and Detergent Association's annual meeting.

Consumers want their clothes to smell good after they are washed with the help of a detergent, however, delivering fragrance to washed clothes is difficult since the surfactant cannot distinguish between the stains and oily materials. Scientists and London's Unilever department have discovered low-cost antibodies with affinity for one or more molecular surfaces and they intend to add these to detergent so they can deliver perfume to laundry in the wash.

The market for chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) slurries is fragmenting, assert suppliers, as complexity within the CMP process increases and new materials used to fabricate semiconductors are introduced. The CMP market is growing faster than the chip market it serves, and the opportunity to become an indispensable part of the semiconductor fabrication process, through 'differentiated' slurries and pads, is attracting a wide number of companies.

The problems faced by Pfizer and other major companies have dragged down the performance of the US pharmaceutical sector in the third quarter of 2005. Nine of the major US drugmakers have reported a paltry 1.9% combined earnings gain in the third quarter and the aggregate US profit margin is 23.1%.

Perchloroethylene, which is used as the dry cleaning solvent other than water to lift dirt and stains off fabrics, has dominated the field in the US since the late 1930s. However, the chemical companies are coming up with a host of alternative solvents, including liquid carbon dioxide, silicones, propylene glycol ethers, and improved hydrocarbons.

The chemical companies at the Semicon West trade show, held in July 2005 at San Francisco, have highlighted their efforts to supply exotic materials for fast-growing markets such as chemical mechanical planarization and high-end stripping and cleaning chemicals. Honeywell Electronic Materials, Air Liquide, Air Products & Chemicals, Praxair and ATMI were some of the established precursor suppliers that were seen at Semicon.

Robert L. Wood, new president and chief executive officer of struggling Crompton Corp. announced a merger with a major competitor, Great Lakes Chemical, and the formation of a new company called Chemtura, just fourteen months after his appointment. His plan is to apply at Chemtura the same restructuring techniques he did at Crompton to create the world's best specialty chemicals company.

Intel's launch of its 45-nm generation of semiconductors in 2007 containing hafnium and hafnium-containing compounds are slated to become the latest in semiconductor materials called high-k dielectrics. High-k materials will function as gate-insulators in the transistor that might replace silicon dioxide and have already taken a place in the dynamic random access memory (DRAM) market.

Wacker Chemic, a private company owned 51% by the Wacker family and 49% by the Hoechst unit of Sanofi-Aventis invests some 6% of its annual sales into research and development (R&D). Private ownership allows the company to invest such large amounts on R&D, without having to fend off investor complaints of high spending and put the research into practice with expensive plant construction projects that public companies might shy away from.

Le Henaff, President and chief executive officer of Arkema, the newly named chemical arm of the oil giant 'Total' announces that by 2006, Total is set to spin Arkema as a separate company. Le Henaff is confident that Arkema will not fail as other chemical-spin-offs', which ran into trouble in the past, and that Total's spin-off will be a sure success.

Paclitaxel, the naturally derived cancer drug, requires a rare combination of farming and chemistry skills for its production. Although the competition to produce it is on rise, the demand for the drug is not following the increased production.

The truth is that there are quite a lot of blue-flowered plants although when they sit alongside some of the true, rich, sky-blues, such as the Caryopteris species (see page 29), you might find many lean towards lilac or mauve. The blue-flowered species Eryngium bourgatii, E. x oliverianum and E. planum look like they've been spray-painted, often from one side, with a light coat of metallic blue. RUSSIAN SAGE (Salvia yangii) The Russian sage, still most often known by its previous genus that naturally has you putting on an accent and rolling your 'r's - Perovskia - is now named, more prosaically, Salvia yangii. [Extracted from the article]

Drug companies are considering establishing research centers outside of the U.S. These areas include India and Russia where trained chemists exist and where research costs are less than in the U.S.

As far as major specialty chemical companies go, Cognis is prominent for its unusual origins and focus on renewable resources. The company, which just became independent and has a new CEO, Antonio Trius, wants to leverage its uniqueness into sales that are doubled and an IPO within the next couple of years.

Next generation semiconductors are forcing manufacturers to look for something to replace silicon dioxide as a dielectric (insulating material). Electronic chemical manufacturers are vying for dielectric business in a market predicted to be $300 million by 2005

Steen Riisgaard, president and CEO of Novozymes, plans on revitalizing the company's growth by concentrating on the full potential of enzymes. He feels that back when the company was Novo Nordisk, it spread its resources too thin by working on enzymes, insulin, and small molecule drugs.

Chemical companies may benefit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's effort to clean up nitrogen oxide emissions since many chemicals are needed for the operations. The government's operations, which are founded on the Clean Air Act, affects a large number of coal-fired power plants.

The article highlights the Latin American chemical industry, particularly Brasilia, Brazil, where later in December of 2000 Brazil's central bank will announce the winner of an auction of assets at the Copene ethylene cracker. The auction is the first step toward reorganizing the complicated ownership structure of Brazil's petrochemical industry, and make way for greater presence and more investment by giant multinational chemical firms.

Genencor, an 18 year joint venture between Genetech and Owens Corning, went public on August 2nd and is now aiming to be a global leader in biotechnology.