Industry News
Chemical Industry News
Asia FAE spot demand to remain tepid despite declining feedstock costs
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia fatty alcohol ethoxylates (FAE) spot demand is expected to remain tepid and sporadic in the near term despite declining feedstock fatty alcohol mid-cuts and ethylene oxide...
Plant status: PetroChina Guangxi Petrochemical starts up cracker
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: PetroChina Guangxi Petrochemical Location: Qinzhou, Guangxi Product: Cracker Capacity (tonnes/year): ethylene 1.2 million, propylene 616,000...
Cyclone Montha to hit southeast India, ports on alert
MUMBAI (ICIS)--Cyclone Montha is set make landfall on Tuesday along the coast of India's eastern Andhra Pradesh and Odisha states, potentially bringing heavy rains and powerful winds, which may...
Plant status: China’s Sichuan Zhengdakai New Materials to shut MEG unit in Nov
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Sichuan Zhengdakai New Materials Location: Dazhou, Sichuan, China Product: Monoethylene glycol (MEG) Capacity (tonnes/year): 600,000 Event...
China BPA average plant run rate down to 69.5% on plant maintenance
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s bisphenol A (BPA) plants posted an average run rate at 69.5% in the week ended 24 October 2025, down by 1.1 percentage points from the last reporting period, ICIS data...
Plant status: China’s Jiangsu Ruiheng shuts its No 1 BPA unit
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Jiangsu Ruiheng New Material Technology Location: Lianyungang, Jiangsu, China Product: Bisphenol A (BPA) Capacity (tonnes/year): 240,000 Event...
China’s average run rate of PO plants inches up to 62.5% on plant restart
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s propylene oxide (PO) plants posted an average run rate at 62.5% in the week ended 24 October 2025, up by 0.4 percentage points from the last reporting period, ICIS data...
China Wanhua Chemical’s Q3 profits rise 4% on higher sales
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s Wanhua Chemical registered a net profit increase of nearly 4% in the third quarter, driven by sales expansion in the period, the company announced over the weekend. -mil...
Arkema continues to decarbonize its Lacq/Mourenx site
Arkema has completed the modernization and decarbonization project for its Lacq/Mourenx site, which specializes in specialty sulfur derivatives used in particular in agrochemicals, refining, petrochemicals, and renewable fuels. Arkema is advancing the decarbonization of its
The key to civet coffee is in the chemistry
Coffee beans harvested from the faeces of the Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) may have higher levels of fats and other key flavour-enhancing compounds than traditionally harvested beans. The results, published in Scientific Reports, may
Supersolid spins into synchrony
Supersolids, a state of matter that combines the rigidity of a solid with the frictionless flow of a superfluid, exhibit surprising synchronization when rotated. Innsbruck researchers found that quantum vortices—tiny whirlpools in the quantum fluid—
Asia MX might see tailwinds from sanctions-driven upstream gains, demand pick-up
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Mixed xylenes (MX) in Asia are poised to receive support in consumption going forward in November, as healthier-than-expected gasoline demand drives appetite for octane-boosting...
Plant status: China’s Shanghai Huayi shuts etac plant for turnaround
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Shanghai Huayi Chemical Location: Wuwei, Anhui, China Product: Ethyl acetate (etac) Capacity (tonnes/year): 200,000 Event start: 26 October 2025...
US signs trade deals with four ASEAN countries
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--The US on 26 October signed trade and critical mineral cooperation agreements with four southeast Asian partners - Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam - in an effort to...
Asian PC demand to stay slow; oversupply weighs on market
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia's polycarbonate (PC) market will remain weak due to ample supplies and economic uncertainty from US tariffs. Taiwan's import price of optical-grade PC at over five-year low...
China’s average PX plants’ run rate flat on stable operations
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s para-xylene (PX) plants posted an unchanged average operating rate on stable operations at online plants. In the week ended 24 October, the plants’ average run rate...
China’s average PTA plants’ run rate rises further on operation hikes
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plants posted a higher average operating rate, because a few plants were running at slightly higher rates. In the week ended 24 October,...
Plant status: China’s Fujian Refining & Petrochemical restarts MEG unit
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Fujian Refining & Petrochemical (FREP) Location: Quanzhou, Fujian, China Product: Monoethylene glycol (MEG) Capacity (tonnes/year): 400,000...
India rescinds BIS implementation for ACN, SM and MA
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--The Quality Control Order under the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for acrylonitrile (ACN), styrene monomer (SM) and maleic anhydride (MA) has been retracted on 24 October 2025...
Oil prices rise on US-China trade deal framework
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Oil prices rose on Monday after US and Chinese economic officials established a framework for a trade deal that eased global economic growth concerns. in $/barrel (at 01:57 GMT)...