Industry News
Chemical Industry News
German chemical industry faces massive hit from Iran war – VCI economist
LONDON (ICIS)--Germany’s chemical industry is facing “massive” impacts from the US-Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Christiane Kellermann, an economist at chemical producers’...
No Ukrainian gas capacity bookings for April as interest across CEE falls
No Ukrainian bookings at any interconnection point for April Current price levels give no incentive to import, flows could fall No extra Russian gas capacity booked, despite notable HU-SK allocation...
Near-Earth asteroid samples contain all five nucleobases key to life
Meteorites rich in chemicals used to build nucleic acids may have helped kick-start life on early Earth
Self-healing polymers emerge from the first use of pnictogen bond crosslinks
Antimony–nitrogen interactions yield materials with enhanced stability and the ability to self-heal in aqueous environments
New studies highlight emerging potential of aluminium(I) chemistry
Aluminium redox catalysis and reactive aluminium clusters showcase main-group element’s transition-metal-like reactivity
Neste launches world’s largest chemical plastic recycling plant
Neste has successfully commissioned its new upgrading facility for liquefied waste plastic (LWP) at its Porvoo refinery in Finland. This EUR 111 million investment marks a major milestone in the scale-up of chemical recycling, enabling
CO2 to E-Methanol, Aviation Fuels and Speciality Chemicals
The CO2-based Fuels and Chemicals Conference 2026 taking place in Cologne (Germany) and online on 28-29 April 2026 offers a central stage for technologies that convert CO2 into fuels, chemical intermediates and materials. Six companies
Molecular chains with bite: breakthrough achieved in polymer research
The longest chains of the conductive polymer poly(p-phenylene) (PPP) produced to date are almost one micrometre (thousandth of a millimetre) long - almost an order of magnitude longer than previously possible. A research team from
NYMEX: US gas futures lower despite bullish demand
Front-month US natural gas futures lowered on 16 March on strong gas production The April 2026 Henry Hub contract on NYMEX settled at $3.023/MMBtu, down more than 3% from the previous session Gas...
Westlake Epoxy seeks April price increases for Americas BPA
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Westlake Epoxy is seeking price increases on its bisphenol A (BPA) in the Americas, effective 1 April, according to a customer letter seen by ICIS. The company is seeking to raise...
Westlake Epoxy seeks second April price increases for Americas epoxy resins
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Westlake Epoxy is seeking second price increases on its liquid epoxy resins (LER) and solid epoxy resins (SER) in the Americas, effective 1 April, according to a customer letter seen...
CRUDE SUMMARY: Crude price rally paused as reports of some ships traversing Strait of Hormuz
President Trump threatens further attacks on highly strategic Kharg Island US ‘fine’ with Iranian, Chinese and Indian vessels traversing Strait of Hormuz Washington’s pleas for allies to...
Mexico’s Alpek faces long leverage squeeze as petchems oversupply, weak demand cloud recovery – Fitch
SAO PAULO (ICIS)--Mexican petrochemicals major Alpek faces an extended period of elevated debt and subdued profitability as global oversupply in key product markets and sluggish demand recovery weigh...
Brazil chemicals producers push back on war supply fears, cite 40% spare capacity
SAO PAULO (ICIS)--Despite the war in the Middle East there is no risk of supply disruption to the Brazilian petrochemicals market, according to producers’ trade group Abiquim, a statement that...
FORTNIGHTLY MARKET COMMENT: Spanish PVB volatile amid global supply risk
LONDON (ICIS)--Spanish PVB contracts surged in line with European hubs in the period between 27 February and 15 March on the back of the Iran war. The closure of the strait of Hormuz and the
FORTNIGHTLY MARKET COMMENT: CEE gas prices surge on Middle East conflict, Ukraine flips to net injections
Additional reporting by Brendan A' Hearn LONDON (ICIS)-- Prompt gas prices across Central and Eastern Europe jumped sharply between the close on 27 February and the close on 2 March after the...
Europe butadiene export spot prices up by largest weekly rise in 12 months
LONDON (ICIS)--European Butadiene (BD) export spot prices registered a triple digit increase week on week, the biggest weekly rise in the last 12 months. Average European BD spot prices surged to...
Alpek pursues $200/tonne PET surcharge in Argentina
SAO PAULO (ICIS)--Alpek Polyester announced it is seeking a temporary $200/tonne price surcharge on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in Argentina for all orders from 16 March. The company attributed...
UK government to bring CFD auction Round 8 forward to help energy security
UK government brings forward next CFD auction to open in July 2026 Clean power projects could be commissioned sooner, aiding the UK’s energy security UK unlikely to meet its 2030 targets for solar,...
Europe E&P series glycol ethers prices surge as market reacts to new global supply realities
LONDON (ICIS)--European spot prices for E&P series glycol ethers saw another week of consecutive gains into mid-March as the fallout of the ongoing Middle East conflict continues to weigh on...