Industry News
Chemical Industry News
Global base oils cargo flows: Week of 8 September
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Global base oils cargo flows: Week of 8 September Large cargo of Group II base oils set to load from Taiwan early this week before heading to India. Cargo mostly of heavy grades...
Global base oils arb outlook: Week of 8 September
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Global base oils arb outlook: Week of 8 September FOB Asia Group II base oils prices hold unusually firm versus US export prices so far in Q3 2025. Source: ICIS Asia’s firm prices...
Asia base oils demand outlook: Week of 8 September
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia base oils demand outlook: Week of 8 September Asia’s base oils demand could be more cautious amid expectations of healthy availability of supply within the region and in...
Asia base oils supply outlook: Week of 8 September
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia base oils supply outlook: Week of 8 September Asia’s base oils prices hold relatively firm vs Singapore gasoil even as they edge lower. Light-grade margins slip even amid...
Europe September PA contract price falls slightly on lower OX price
LONDON (ICIS)--The European phthalic anhydride (PA) contract price for September has declined slightly following the feedstock orthoxylene (OX) contract price. Following this settlement, the new OX...
Europe xylenes demand sees no improvement over summer
LONDON (ICIS)--European xylene spot premiums were assessed as stable in the week ending 5 September. Demand is still reported as being lower than expected for this time of year, and market players...
Europe toluene spot premiums firm following improvements in demand
LONDON (ICIS)--Spot premiums for European toluene were assessed firm on the higher end in the week ending 5 September, following a slight improvement in demand seen by market participants. Date...
Europe ACN spot prices roll over in depressed market
LONDON (ICIS)--Prices in the European acrylonitrile (ACN) spot market rolled over in the week ending Friday, 5 September amid dull demand and good supply. Prices plateaued at $990-1200/tonne CIF...
Europe MPG prices were steady in the first week of September
LONDON (ICIS)--Monopropylene glycol (MPG) spot prices in Europe remained stable in the week ending 5 September. Dipropylene glycol (DPG) spot pricing held at stable levels during this period. The...
Brazil turns Saudi Arabia for MAP in January-August 2025 as Russia’s share drops
LONDON (ICIS)--Brazil’s monoammonium phosphate (MAP) imports dropped 17% year-on-year in the first eight months of 2025, falling from 2,889,381 tonnes in January-August 2024 to 2,405,587 tonnes in...
Europe DEG, TEG spot prices stable to soft on disappointing demand
LONDON (ICIS)-- Prices in the European diethylene glycol (DEG) and triethylene glycol (TEG) spot markets were assessed stable to soft in the week ended Friday, 5 August as supply outstripped poor...
GRAPHIC DETAIL: Russian LNG exports and sanctions
LONDON (ICIS)--The LNG market is looking out for any US reaction to the arrival of sanctioned Russian cargoes in China, just as a recent military parade in Beijing included leaders from importers...
Europe MEG spot prices stable to soft on dull demand
LONDON (ICIS)--Prices in the European monoethylene glycol (MEG) spot market were assessed stable to decreasing in the week ending 5 September on balanced supply and dull demand. MEG bulk prices were...
European naphtha steady as cracks strengthen, Asia arbitrage supports sentiment
LONDON(ICIS)--European open-spec naphtha (OSN) spot quotations held broadly steady last week, underpinned by stronger crack spreads, healthy blending demand and supportive arbitrage flows to Asia,...
Iupac wants its new responsible chemistry principles in undergrad textbooks
Leaders of responsible chemistry initiative argue that the ethical aspects of chemistry belong in university chemistry classrooms alongside green chemistry principles
From flying ointments to healing herbs: the forgotten chemistry behind historical witchcraft practices
The unusual concoctions of village witches have historically been dismissed as nonsense hocus pocus – but is this the whole story? Victoria Atkinson investigates the chemistry behind the myth and whether there was more to
PFAS in honey bees: Insects enable pollutant monitoring in the environment
PFAS - perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances - have increasingly come into focus in recent years as so-called "eternity chemicals". These artificially produced substances are used in the production of many everyday products. They are
Magnetic Cooling for efficient Hydrogen Liquefaction
The EU-funded HyLICAL project has reached a major milestone with the launch of Europe’s first magnetocaloric pilot plant for hydrogen liquefaction. Developed within HyLICAL by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and start-up MAGNOTHERM, the demonstrator represents
Sustainable menthol from a by-product of the paper industry
During paper production, considerable quantities of turpentine oil are produced, which were previously mainly burned to generate energy. A research project at Cologne University of Applied Sciences has now developed a new synthesis method that
SHIPPING: Asia-US container rates mixed as 1 September carrier hikes gain traction
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Rates for shipping containers from east Asia and China to the US were mixed this week, suggesting that general rate increases (GRIs) for 1 September have gained traction. Rates from...