Industry News
Chemical Industry News
Polar air and tea: TUW invention makes environmental pollutants measurable
Years of work have led to the development of an unusual new measuring technique at TU Wien: Nanomembranes and infrared rays are used to detect tiny quantities of different substances. Now it has been demonstrated:
Efficiently destroy short-chain PFAS
Short-chain perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds (PFAS) such as perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) are increasingly entering the environment via various pathways and polluting groundwater and drinking water. Because they are very mobile, they have so far
Nanofiltration: effectively removing glyphosate from water
Membranes with nanometer-sized pores can filter the herbicide glyphosate and its degradation product AMPA from water. How well this works depends not only on the size and charge of the molecules, but also on their
China March benzene imports up by 11.6% from February on more arrivals from S Korea
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China's imports of benzene (HS code 29022000 and 27071000) reached 485,927 tonnes in March 2026, up by 11.6% month on month, according to the ICIS Supply & Demand Database, due...
US corn at 25% sowed with soybeans at 23%
HOUSTON (ICIS)--The US corn crop is now 25% planted with soybeans at 23% according to latest US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Crop Progress Report. The current pace of the corn crop is ahead...
NYMEX: US gas futures edge up as heating demand gains on colder temperatures
Front-month US natural gas futures gained on 27 April as colder temperatures raise regional heat demand The May 2026 Henry Hub contract on NYMEX settled at $2.55/MMBtu, up nearly 1.1% from the...
Congress mulls higher year-round US ethanol blending in farm bill
HOUSTON (ICIS)--US legislators may consider this week an amendment to the farm bill that allows gasoline to contain up to 15% ethanol for the full year. The ethanol blend rate is usually capped at...
No safe passage through Strait of Hormuz – IMO Secretary General
HOUSTON (ICIS)--International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez said in an informal briefing to member states and industry representatives on 24 April that “there is...
CRUDE SUMMARY: Benchmark crude prices supported as US-Iran peace talks stall
US-Iran talks stall, raising prices as crude supply remains tight However, reports indicate that efforts to bridge tensions between US-Iran have not stopped US Federal Reserve likely to hold US...
Turkey PE and PP down as Chinese inventories counter ME’s outages and hampered logistics
LONDON (ICIS)--Last week polyolefins prices started softening for the first time since the beginning of the year for PE and since November for PP as the arbitrage to China widened and more converters...
Europe MTBE average prices increase in alignment with firmer Eurobob values
LONDON (ICIS)--The European methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) market saw average prices increase in the week ending 24 April in tandem with firmer average Eurobob gasoline values. The factor to...
Europe PA spot prices stable for both grades on steady fundamentals
LONDON (ICIS) -- European phthalic anhydride (PA) spot prices were assessed stable in the week ending 24 April for both grades amid largely consistent market fundamentals. Supply conditions remain...
GAS ALERT: Hungarian gas grid operator to offer Q3’26 capacity towards Ukraine, reversing government ban
LONDON (ICIS)--Hungarian transmission system operator FGSZ issued an urgent market message saying it would go ahead with offering Q3’26 capacity towards Ukraine, reversing a previous decision to...
Europe MA spot prices roll over for both grades, supply and demand fundamentals unchanged
LONDON (ICIS)--The European maleic anhydride (MA) market saw spot prices for both grades assessed stable in the week ending 24 April as deals and offers were reported within the published range....
German caustic soda ECU contract margins and caustic soda contract prices rise
LONDON (ICIS)--Average German membrane electrochemical unit (ECU) contract margins rose in the week ending 24 April, as caustic soda contract prices rose compared to the previous assessment. The...
Johnson Matthey secures second green methanol licence win in China
LONDON (ICIS)--Johnson Matthey (JM) has been selected by Guangdong Liquid Sunshine to be the technology provider for a commercial-scale biomethanol plant planned in Tiandong County, Guangxi province,...
Transatlantic westbound chemical tanker spot ranges narrow
LONDON (ICIS)--Chemical tanker spot freight rates on transatlantic (TA) westbound routes softened slightly in the week ending 24 April, narrowing the overall ICIS price ranges at the high ends of the...
Plant status: Radici lifts FM on adipic acid plant in Italy
LONDON (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Radici Group Location: Novara, Italy Product: Adipic acid (ADA) Capacity (tonnes/year): 90,000 Event start: 5 March 2026 Event finish: 27 April...
Asia-Europe and Europe-Asia chemical tanker spot rates edge down
LONDON (ICIS)--Chemical tanker spot freight rates on the Asia-to-Europe and the reverse Europe-to-Asia routes softened in the week ending 24 April, but overall remain at elevated levels. All ICIS...
Europe January 2026 chemicals flows
LONDON (ICIS)--EU and UK chemicals import and export data for January 2026 has been updated from the ICIS Supply & Demand Database. Select a commodity from the drop-down menu below: Interactive...