Chemical Industry Innovation News Round-up, September 2

10:14 AM MDT | September 16, 2011 | By ALEX SCOTT

Innovation news this week is dominated by DuPont’s $919.9 million award in damages in a lawsuit against Kolon Industries (Gyeonggi-Do, Korea) over the theft of trade secrets and confidential information related to DuPont's Kevlar aramid fiber technology. Kolon says it will appeal. Meanwhile, DuPont has described it as one of the words cases of its kind in recent history.

In another major development Bayer says it will refocus R&D activities at its CropScience division.

Also this week contract fine chemicals firm SAFC has predicted that its Zinc Finger (ZFN) technology will be a game changer in the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals. ZFN enables the easy deletion of unwanted genes in a cell line which can then lead to enhanced productivity and therapeutic protein quality.

Gevo received two patents related to its yeast-based isobutanol production process.

Beyond Chemical Week...

Battery storage could get a boost from seaweed according to MIT Technology Review.

In Physorg.com, Millions of molecules are screened in search for the ideal organic solar cell material.

in this issue