Industry News
Chemical Industry News
South Korea benzene exports see slowdown as end-Oct looms
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--South Korea exported some 115,101 tonnes of benzene in the first 20 days of October, based on sources familiar with the market. South Korea had exported a total of 280,671 tonnes of...
Asia isocyanates under pressure from soft demand, MMDI sentiment lifts
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Poor end-use demand weighed on polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) and toluene diisocyanate (TDI) in the Chinese domestic market, but anticipated run rate cuts lifted...
China’s September toluene exports hit yearly high on domestic supply pressure
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s toluene exports in September rose to a record high for the year amid domestic supply pressure, according to data from ICIS Supply and Demand Database. The exports in...
Asia polyols weighed on by China declines; SE Asia supply tightens
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Despite firmness in upstream costs, polyols spot prices declined in the Chinese domestic market, weighing on exports for several grades. Local supply tightened in southeast Asia as...
Asia capro demand stays soft, despite downstream expansion
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Demand for Asia spot caprolactam (capro) was sluggish despite recent expansions in nylon capacities in China. Supply continues to outpace demand, with upstream weakness weighing on...
Asia PX markets supported by healthy gasoline, but downstream demand growth lags
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Stronger than expected demand from gasoline markets could provide some short-term support for paraxylene (PX) prices in Asia. Healthy demand from gasoline provides better...
Plant status: S Korea Hanwha Impact to shut Ulsan No 1 PTA unit maintenance
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Hanwha Impact Corporation Location: Ulsan, South Korea Product: Purified terephthalic acid (PTA) Capacity (tonnes/year): 400,000 Event start: H2...
Plant status: China’s Zhongjing and Zhongjiang Petrochemical shut PP units
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Zhongjing Petrochemical & Zhongjiang Petrochemical Location: Fuqing, China Product: Polypropylene (PP) Capacity (tonnes/year): 700,000 (two...
Plant status: China’s Sinopec Henan Refining and Chemical shuts PP line 2
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Sinopec Henan Refining and Chemical Location: Luoyang, China Product: Polypropylene (PP) Capacity (tonnes/year): 140,000 Event start: 19...
China Q3 BPA imports rally from Q2; exports fall on weak overseas demand
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s bisphenol A (BPA) imports in the third quarter of 2025 surged by 95.4% from the second quarter to 3,233 tonnes, according to the ICIS Supply & Demand Database....
Isomer MX S Korea export prices rise on upstream, downstream gains
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--South Korea’s export prices for isomer grade mixed xylenes (MX) were higher day on day as of 22 October, reflecting upstream and downstream gains. Oil prices climbed in early...
Mideast polyether polyol offers mixed with muted buying sentiment
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Spot offers and selling indications for polyol exports to the Middle East were mixed in the week ending 23 October as sellers adjusted prices in response to persistently sluggish...
Asia PME biodiesel prices diverge amid shifting CPO and demand
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Palm methyl ester (PME) biodiesel export prices in southeast Asia diverged in the week ending 23 October, as weaker crude palm oil (CPO) benchmarks and futures, pressured by softer...
Asia nylon pressured by new capacities, muted post-holiday demand
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia nylon prices are under pressure as post-Golden Week restocking failed to materialize, with new capacities adding supply-side pressure to spot prices. Demand in both the Chinese...
Invisible secret codes from the 3D printer
3D printing is extremely practical if you want to produce customized components in small quantities. However, the technology has always had one major problem: 3D printers can only ever process a single material. Objects that
BASF and IFF announce strategic collaboration to drive next-generation enzyme and polymer innovation
BASF, one of the world’s largest chemical companies and leader in sustainable product innovation, announced a strategic collaboration with International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF), a global leader in bioscience innovation, to accelerate the development
BESSY II: Phosphor chains – a 1D material with 1D electronic properties
For the first time, BESSY II has succeeded in experimentally demonstrating one-dimensional electronic properties in a material. The samples consisted of short chains of phosphorus atoms that form on a silver substrate in a self-organized
China’s CNOOC Daxie Petrochemical plans POE project at Ningbo
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s CNOOC Daxie Petrochemical is planning to construct a 100,000 tonne/year polyolefin elastomer (POE) project at Ningbo in Zhejiang province, a source familiar with the...
Mideast isocyanate offers largely steady amid weak buying momentum
Singapore (ICIS)--Spot offers and selling indications for isocyanate exports to the Middle East (Mideast) were mostly stable ending 23 October, as most sellers maintained prices while facing...
China remains a net exporter for OX in Sept, down 1.34% on month
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China export of orthoxylene (OX) in September fell by 1.34% month on month to 18,979 tonnes, according to ICIS Supply & Demand data base. India remains the country’s top...