Industry News
Chemical Industry News
East China’s SM inventory rises 0.3% with less arrivals from last week
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Styrene monomer (SM) stocks in east China increased by 0.3% week on week, ICIS data showed on Wednesday. Total inventories were 172,300 tonnes, increasing by 500 tonnes from the...
SE Asia MLLDPE prices under pressure with some suppliers keen to destock
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Spot prices of metallocene linear low-density polyethylene (MLLDPE) in southeast Asia are seeing pressure, as suppliers look to relieve inventory pressure amid weak demand. Some...
ICIS TTF Early Day assessments: 3 December 2025
- Planned and unplanned maintenance has rendered 50.4mcm/day offline on 3 December, with process problems at the Norwegian gas asset at Troll amounting to 8mcm/day - Gassco - LNG storage at major...
UKRI opens up grant proposal data to explore using AI to smooth peer review
Surging applications has led the UK’s main funder to look at ways to reduce the burden on reviewers
GAS ALERT: The European Council and European parliament reach provisional agreement on Russian gas phase out
The European Council presidency and representatives of the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on regulations to phase out imports of Russian natural gas, including LNG, according to...
Plant status: China’s Sinopec Great Wall to shut acetic acid plant
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Sinopec Great Wall Energy and Chemical Location: Ningdong, Ningxia, China Product: Acetic acid Capacity (tonnes/year): 410,000 Event start:...
China average BDO plants’ run rate down on plant maintenance
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--The average run rate of butanediol (BDO) plants in China fell as Xinjiang Xinye shut No 2 plant for catalyst change. While Inner Mongolia Huaheng restarted No 3 line and Xinjiang...
Plant status: China’s Sinochem Quanzhou shuts HDPE unit for maintenance
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Sinochem Quanzhou Petrochemical Location: Quanzhou, Fujian, China Product: High density polyethylene (HDPE) Capacity (tonnes/year): 400,000...
Plant status: China Datang Duolun to restart PP units
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: China Datang Duolun Location: Inner Mongolia, China Product: Polypropylene (PP) Capacity (tonnes/year): 460,000 (two in total) Event start: 30...
Malaysia-UAE trade deal to eliminate tariffs on plastics by 2030
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the UAE and Malaysia has entered into force, immediately initiating the phased elimination of tariffs on key plastic...
Plant status: Malaysia’s PETRONAS shuts butac plant; feedstock-related
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Petronas Chemicals Location: Kerteh, Terengganu, Malaysia Product: Butyl acetate (butac) Capacity (tonnes/year): 50,000 Event start:...
Asia MEG lull market sustains, trade to be subdued until year-end
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia’s spot monoethylene glycol (MEG) market is set to end 2025 on a dull note as weak fundamentals continue to weigh on discussions. Spot MEG prices returned to below $500/tonne...
China Nov PP output falls on unplanned plant shutdowns
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s polypropylene (PP) output in November fell by 1.9% month on month to around 3.31 million tonnes amid unplanned plant shutdowns, ICIS data showed. On a year-on-year basis,...
China Nov PE output falls slightly on plant shutdowns
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s polyethylene (PE) output in November fell by 0.5% month on month to around 2.78 million tonnes, as some plants were shut down, ICIS data showed. On a year-on-year basis,...
Plant status: China’s Shenma Group begins ADA unit turnaround
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Shenma Group Location: Pingdingshan, China Product: Adipic acid (ADA) Capacity (tonnes/year): 150,000 Event start: 2 December Event finish: 8...
S Korea’s YNCC cuts November BD contracts
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--South Korea’s Yeochun NCC (YNCC) has settled its November butadiene (BD) contracts at $790/tonne, $190/tonne below October, a company source said. YNCC’s contracts for October...
Plant status: China’s Anhui Haoyuan Chemical lowers adipic acid operations
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Anhui Haoyuan Chemical Location: Fuyang, Anhui, China Product: Adipic acid (ADA) Capacity (tonnes/year): 160,000 Event start: 1 December 2025...
Water molecules in motion: Surprising dynamics on 2D materials
In a study published in Nature Communications , researchers from Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) and the University of Surrey tested two ultra-thin, sheet-like materials with a honeycomb structure – graphene and hexagonal boron
Toxic metals in wheat grain: do they come from the soil or the fertilizer?
Plants not only absorb nutrients through their roots, but also toxic metals. It was previously unclear whether they came from the soil or the fertilizers applied. Under the leadership of the UFZ and Duke University
Clean biogas – universally measurable
Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have developed a new analysis method that detects even the smallest amounts of critical impurities in biogas. Even small biogas plants can use the method without major investment