Industry News
Chemical Industry News
Plant status: Taiwan’s Chang Chun to run phenol/acetone unit at 50% in early ‘26
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Chang Chun Plastics Location: Kaohsiung, Taiwan Product: Phenol and acetone Capacity (tonnes/year): 300,000 for phenol; 185,000 for acetone...
New hybrid aggregate state discovered: material can be solid and liquid at the same time
Solid, liquid and gaseous - these are the known main forms of matter. Scientists at Ulm University and the University of Nottingham have now demonstrated a completely new state of matter in which matter has
Formic acid in focus
Formate, the salt of formic acid, is seen as an important future pivot for sustainable biotechnologies. A team at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology has developed an enzyme that efficiently converts formate to
Mix of methods makes nanomaterials safer
The safe use of nanomaterials and their optimal performance depends largely on their surfaces. However, these have been difficult to characterize reliably up to now. Two new studies by the Federal Institute for Materials Research
China November acetic acid output drops on plants shutdown
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s overall production of acetic acid in November declined sharply, mainly due to shutdowns at Anhui Huayi, Xinjiang Zhonghe Hezhong and Guangxi Huayi’s No 2 plant. Domestic...
Mideast polyol offers stable amid muted year-end sentiment
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Spot offers for Middle East polyol imports were stable in the week ending 18 December, with muted buying and minimal offers being discussed towards the end of the year....
S Korea’s LG Energy Solution shares slump after Ford scraps $6.5bn EV battery deal
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--South Korean producer LG Energy Solution’s (LGES) shares listed in Seoul tumbled by 8.4% on Thursday morning after US automaker Ford Motor cancelled its won (W) 9.6 trillion ($6.5...
Mideast isocyanate offers firmer amid year-end supply concerns
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Spot prices for Middle East isocyanate imports were firmer in the week ending 18 December, with deals and offers trending higher, mainly due to year-end price increases by major...
Indian rupee hits record lows amid delays in US trade deal
MUMBAI (ICIS)--The Indian rupee (Rs) tumbled to record lows in December, raising the cost of imports for the south Asian country, while exporters expect limited benefits amid prolonged delays in...
Vietnam LLDPE offers mostly rangebound but running into lower bids
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Spot import offers for some January shipments of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) in Vietnam were announced mostly rangebound, although bids and buying indications remained...
Plant status: Gulf Farabi delays Jubail LAB line restart to Jan ‘26
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Gulf Farabi PC Location: Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia Product: Linear alkylbenzene (LAB) Capacity (tonnes/year): 100,000 Event start: Mid-November...
Public inquiry into death of Dawn Sturgess from Novichok poisoning concludes
Report makes numerous findings on how nerve agent concealed in perfume bottle lead to tragedy
Chemistry department woes, Trump, Gen AI and pollution capture headlines in 2025
The stories that dominated the news this year
Higher, faster, further with solid-state batteries
In the future, solid-state batteries could store electricity more efficiently and safely than today's batteries with liquid electrolytes. Space charges that form in solid-state batteries have so far impaired their performance. * Space charges form
Thin intermediate layers strengthen multilayer materials: cool satellites and flexible electronics
Super-light, super-flexible, super-insulating: an aluminum-coated polymer film is used to protect satellites from temperature extremes. Researchers at Empa Thun are making the material even more resistant by using a wafer-thin intermediate layer. Flexible electronics and
Molecules as switches for sustainable light-driven technologies
Metal nanostructures can concentrate light so strongly that they can trigger chemical reactions. The key players in this process are plasmons - collective oscillations of free electrons in the metal that concentrate energy into extremely
What could the future of nanoscience look like?
Nanotechnologists think the next 25 years will bring advances in quantum computing, novel materials and medicine
MARGINS: European MEG naphtha-based plants see gains in contract margins
LONDON (ICIS)--Margins at naphtha-based monoethylene glycols (MEG) plants in Europe increased week on week on the back of softer feedstock costs, while operators based on liquefied petroleum gas...
SABIC utilising AI tools in 42% of manufacturing facilities – executive
LONDON (ICIS)--SABIC currently utilises AI-powered tools across 42% of its manufacturing facilities, said Abdulaziz Al-Oudan, the company’s executive vice-president for shared services, as the...
US ammonia imports down by 6% in January-September 2025 year on year
LONDON (ICIS)--US ammonia imports decreased by 6% in January-September 2025 compared with the same period a year ago, according to customs data. The main exporter was Canada, followed by Trinidad and...