Industry News
Chemical Industry News

Plant status: China’s Inner Mongolia Dongjing to shut BDO plants
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Inner Mongolia Dongjing Location: Inner Mongolia Product: 1,4-butanediol (BDO) Capacity (tonnes/year): 280,000 Event start: 25 February Event...
Plant status: China’s Fujian Gulei shuts MEG unit for maintenance
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Fujian Gulei Petrochemical Location: Fujian, China Product: Monoethylene glycol (MEG) Capacity (tonnes/year): 700,000 Event start: 18 February...
Asia ethyl acetate, butyl acetate find support from modest demand pick-up
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia-Pacific ethyl acetate (etac) markets are seeing improved demand, which is helping to absorb regional supply. Firmer upstream sector fuels spot discussions Production margins...
FCFC issues Mar/Apr PX buy tender for delivery into Ningbo
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corp (FCFC) had issued a tender for paraxylene (PX) for either March or April delivery, according to market sources. The tender did not specify the...
Reduced SE Asia PP supply opens door wider for China exports
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Polypropylene (PP) plant shutdowns in southeast Asia open up more export opportunities for China, which is currently beset with oversupply. SE Asia plants shut on margin issues...
East China benzene inventories fall on increased buying activities
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Benzene inventories at shore tanks along eastern China decreased to 166,000 tonnes on 18 February, as the increase in cargo pick-ups from the ports outpaced that in vessel arrivals,...
Kuwait Petroleum seals naphtha term premiums
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC) has set its April 2025 to March 2026 naphtha premiums at $19.75/tonne to Middle East quotes on a free-on-board (FOB) basis for full-range grade and...
Indonesia palm stocks relatively steady for Nov ‘24 on continued tight supplies
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Indonesia’s palm oil ending stocks in November 2024 increased by 3.24% from October 2024 levels but remain at multi-year lows, according to the latest press release from the...
Plant status: Formosa Plastics eyes Taiwan No 2 EVA plant restart late Feb ‘25
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Formosa Plastics Corp (FPC) Location: Mailiao, Taiwan Product: Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) Capacity (tonnes/year): 80,000 (No 2) Event start:...
Plant status: Taiwan’s Kaofu restarts PS plant from maintenance
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Kaofu Chemical Location: Kaohsiung, Taiwan Product: Polystyrene (PS) Capacity (tonnes/year): 100,000 Event start: 13 January 2025 Event finish:...
Plant status: China’s Sinopec Gaoqiao to shut phenol/acetone plant
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Sinopec Shanghai Gaoqiao Location: Shanghai, China Product: Phenol and acetone Capacity (tonnes/year): 135,000 and 85,000 respectively Event...
India Reliance H2 Feb MEG contract nomination remains unchanged
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--India’s Reliance Industries announced its nomination for the second half (H2) of February 2025 monoethylene glycol (MEG) contract price at $572/tonne, a company source said. The...
Japan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2035
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Japan has approved new targets for its climate policy through to 2040, including generating 40-50% of the country’s electricity from renewable sources such as solar and wind....
Atomic traffic control
UNESCO's International Year of Quantum Science and Technology begins with a success for TU researchers at the Institute of Applied Physics: Physical Review Research publishes results of their research on dichroic mirror pulses. These act
A 150-year-old problem resolved using AI
Combining concepts from statistical physics with machine learning, researchers at the University of Bayreuth have shown that highly accurate and efficient predictions can now be made as to whether a substance will be liquid or
Nanoplastics at lofty heights
Nanoplastics - plastic particles smaller than 1 µm - are widely dispersed because of their low weight. A research team coordinated by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) has now published an article in
China’s average MTBE plant run rate flat at 57.5%
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--The average run rate of China’s methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) plants stood at 57.5% in the week ended 14 February, unchanged week on week due to minor operation changes in...
US’ Huntsman Q4 net loss widens on poor margins
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Huntsman's Q4 net loss widened to $141 million as margins remained poor despite higher sales volumes, the US-based polyurethanes producer said on Monday. in $ million Q4 2024 Q4...
US Huntsman reviews strategic options for German MA plant
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Huntsman is reviewing strategic options for its maleic anhydride (MA) plant in Moers, Germany, the US-based producer said on Monday. Huntsman expects to announce a decision on the...
PODCAST: US sustainable plastics quiet but impact seen in latest earnings
HOUSTON (ICIS)--The latest corporate earnings calls from companies actively engaged in the US recycled plastics market show that the focus on sustainability, though slightly muted, is still top of...