Industry News
Chemical Industry News
Venator’s TiO2 Scarlino plant bought by Nuova Solmine; shuttered TiO2 ops to restart
LONDON (ICIS)--Venator’s titanium dioxide (TiO2) plant in Scarlino, in Italy has been acquired by Nuova Solmine - sulphuric acid producer at the site, with the long-idled TiO2 plant due to restart...
UK baseload prices could rise above January ’26 expiry
By Anna Coulson and Ethan Tillcock UK spot power prices through 1-7 January have delivered below the January ’26 expiry level This is despite increased gas and power demand amid a cold snap, mixed...
China’s sulphur port inventories down 174,000 tonnes on more trading
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s sulphur port inventories fell to around 1.96 million tonnes on 8 January because of more trading in the domestic market, ICIS data showed. This marks a decrease of 174,000...
Brazil AN imports grow 5% in 2025 led by shipments from Russia
LONDON (ICIS)--In Brazil, ammonium nitrate (AN) imports in 2025 rose 5.2% year on year to more than 1.2 million tonnes, led by an increase in shipments from Russia which helped buffer the drop in...
China’s DAP port inventories stable at 140,000 tonnes on no arrivals
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s diammonium phosphate (DAP) port inventories were around 140,000 tonnes on 8 January 2026, as there are no new volumes arriving at the ports, ICIS data showed. The...
Chinese demand for glycerine rises on downstream ECH plants restart
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Chinese demand for glycerine has picked up on restocking activities prior to the Lunar New Year holiday which falls in mid-February. Spot offers for crude and refined glycerine rise...
ICIS TTF Early Day assessments: 8 January 2026
- ICIS TTF Early Day dropped almost 4% on Thursday, returning to a discount to EAX for the February front month - Russia attacked two seaports in Ukraine's Odesa region on Wednesday, both important...
Building the future of separation science
Jennifer Kingston was awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Technical Excellence Prize, which honours the vital role of technical staff in the chemical sciences community
Plastic recycling is contracting when it needs to grow
High costs, oversupply of virgin polymers and complex political environment are challenging industry
Turning garden and crop waste into plastics
Turning green waste, hay and algae into fully biodegradable plastics for use in medical products, car components, insulation and packaging is the goal of a new Junior Research Group at the University of Oldenburg. Led
Electrons lag behind the nucleus
Researchers at ETH Zurich have shown, for the first time with very high time and spatial resolution, that electrons in certain two-dimensional materials only follow the motion of the atomic nuclei with a delay. This
Chemists develop smart plastic-like materials that use light or gentle heat to activate
Chemists at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have developed a “smart” polymer that could make industrial curing, 3D printing and repairs simpler, safer and more energy-efficient with materials whose properties may be tuned to match
Limited impact on US LNG flows as charter rates come under pressure
LNG charter rates lower, but limited trade flow impact Lower shipping costs could pressure Europe-Asia spreads Europe to retain premium position amid muted Asian LNG demand LONDON (ICIS)--European...
Plant status: Sarzyna Chemical’s Polish epoxy operations back online after holiday shutdown
LONDON (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Sarzyna Chemical Location: Nowa Sarzyna, Poland Product: Epoxy resins Capacity (tonnes/year): 30,000 Event start: Second week of December Event...
Europe MEK pricing stable, demand at seasonal low
LONDON (ICIS)--European spot pricing for methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) is stable at €1,040-1,110/tonne FD (free delivered) NWE (northwest Europe) as public holidays severely limit activity. Activity...
Summary of 2026 Americas Outlook Stories
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Here are the 2026 Americas Outlook stories which ran on ICIS news from 22 December 2025 to 2 January 2026. Click on a headline to read the full story. OUTLOOK ’26: US economy to
Europe OX contract price down €40/tonne in January amid lower upstream costs
LONDON (ICIS)--The Europe orthoxylene (OX) contract price for January has declined by €40/tonne month on month, mainly driven by softer feedstock mixed xylenes (MX) costs. The settlement agreed...
Europe IPA pricing stable, demand yet to rise from low season
LONDON (ICIS)--European spot pricing for isopropanol (IPA) is stable across assessed grades amid seasonally limited activity. Technical grade IPA pricing stands at €930-980/tonne FD (free...
India’s BPCL awards work for PP and butene-1 units at Bina refinery
LONDON (ICIS)--India’s Bharat Petroleum Corp Limited (BPCL) has awarded an engineering contract for new polypropylene (PP) and butene-1 units at its Bina refinery in Madhya Pradesh state, officials...
One year on, Trump’s second term has upended US science
Fears that the president’s return to the White House would seriously damage science agencies and universities have been borne out