Industry News
Chemical Industry News
China and US agree on rare earth, tariffs in Xi-Trump meeting
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Top leaders of the world’s two biggest economies held an in-person meeting in South Korea Thursday morning and reached consensus on many fronts, including the high-stakes rare...
Swiss Clariant Q3 EBITDA rises on performance improvement, price and cost measures
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Swiss specialty chemical firm Clariant on Thursday reported a 5% year on year increase in core group earnings for the third quarter, driven by rigorous cost control and efficiency...
Plant status: S Korea’s Kumho to overhaul two phenol/acetone units in Apr ‘26
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Kumho P&B Chemicals Location: Yeosu, South Korea Product: Phenol; acetone Capacity (tonnes/year): No 3 unit - 270,000 (phenol); 165,000...
China Sept 2025 SM exports surge on rising overseas demand
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China exported 31,547 tonnes of styrene monomer (SM) in September 2025 amid rising demand outside China, showing a sharp increase month on month and year on year, according to the...
Weak spot prices and strong discount to key power markets to enable France to maintain a strong net exporting position
France to maintain a net exporting position through the remainder of winter Traders eye a weak spot, strong nuclear as key drivers behind strong exports ICIS power foresight shows a wide French...
Refinery transformation costs, competition preventing investments – execs
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Refineries find it difficult to transform due to prohibitive costs, competitiveness from China, and current technologies being energy-intensive, which necessitate the use of newer...
Plant status: China’s PetroChina Fushun restarts SM plant
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: PetroChina Fushun Petrochemical Location: Liaoning, China Product: Styrene monomer (SM) Capacity (tonnes/year): 60,000 Event start: 15 August...
Thailand’s SCGC Q3 net loss widens amid challenging industry margins
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Thai producer SCG Chemicals' (SCGC) Q3 net loss widened to Thai baht (Bt) 4 billion as it continues to grapple with challenging industry margins and one-off costs associated with...
Plant status: China’s PetroChina Guangdong shuts No 1 SM plant
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: PetroChina Guangdong Petrochemical Location: Guangdong, China Product: Styrene monomer (SM) Capacity (tonnes/year): 800,000 Event start: Around...
East China xylene port inventories rise on more arrivals
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Xylene inventories at east China ports increased to 22,800 tonnes in the reporting period ended 30 October on more arrivals, according to ICIS data. The inventories were up by about...
Plant status: S Korea’s HTC to run cracker at 91% in November
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Hanwha Totalenergies Petrochemical (HTC) Location: Daesan, South Korea Product: Ethylene, propylene Capacity (tonnes/year): 1,550,000(ethylene),...
East China toluene port inventory down on fewer arrivals
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Toluene inventory at east China ports decreased to 44,300 tonnes in the reporting period ended 30 October on fewer arrivals, according to ICIS data. The inventory was down by around...
Saudi Arabia imposes ADDs on China TiO2
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Foreign Trade has imposed anti-dumping duties (ADDs) on titanium dioxide (TiO2) imports from China on 27 October. It covers TiO2 used in...
Mideast polyol offers edge higher on seller optimism over seasonal demand
Singapore (ICIS)--Spot offers for Middle East (Mideast) polyol imports showed a slightly firmer trend in the week ending 30 October, with sellers cautiously upbeat about a potential seasonal lift in...
Researchers at the University of Magdeburg discover new class of materials
Physicists at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg have developed a new class of materials: so-called multiferroic liquids. These materials combine ferromagnetic and ferroelectric properties in a liquid state for the first time - a behavior
New Structure for the Electron Highway
Topological insulators could form the basis for revolutionary electronic components. However, as they generally only function at very low temperatures, their practical application has been severely limited to date. Researchers at the University of Würzburg
Faster and more reliable crystal structure prediction of organic molecules
Prediction of crystal structures of organic molecules is a critical task in many industries, especially in pharmaceuticals and design of functional materials. In pharmaceuticals, crystal structures directly influence a drug’s solubility and stability. In functional
Mideast isocyanate offers steady on subdued demand
Singapore (ICIS)--Spot offers for Middle East isocyanate imports held steady in the week ending 30 October, as sellers continued to face muted buying momentum and maintained pricing levels from the...
Asia LAS demand eases amid Q4 lull while Chinese enquiries rise
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Demand for linear alkylbenzene sulphonate (LAS) in Asia remains dull amid the current slower Q4 season. Some suppliers in the region are mulling cutting back output on concerns that...
China’s Sinopec Q3 net profits increase 3.5% on cost-cutting
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Sinopec announced on Thursday that its net profits in the third quarter had increased 3.5% year on year, as it stepped up efforts in slashing costs. million yuan (CNY) Q3 2025...