Industry News
Chemical Industry News
Stable PE prices in Pakistan ahead of Ramadan season’s beginning
DUBAI (ICIS)--Polyethylene (PE) prices were stable across all grades during the week ended 13 February 2026, amid little to no trade activity or offers in the market ahead of the Ramadan seasonal...
Self-synthesising RNA strand offers clues to life’s origins
RNA strand, made of just 45 nucleotides, performs two key reactions required for self-replication
GAS ALERT: Adverse weather conditions could delay unloading at Italy’s Livorno LNG terminal
LONDON (ICIS)--Ongoing adverse weather conditions could persist until 19 February near Italy’s Offshore LNG Toscana (OLT), according to the latest weather forecast, the terminal’s operator OLT...
Serbia, Azerbaijan to jointly build 500MW gas-fired plant by 2029 aiding Serbian power grid
Serbia, Azerbaijan to build 500MW gas-fired power plant in Nis, south-east Serbia The plant is set to support local gas demand, aid Serbian power grid Aims to be operational by 2029 LONDON...
India secures phosphoric acid rollover, Brazil faces phosphate demand erosion
LONDON (ICIS)--India’s phosphoric acid settlement offers visibility for producers and traders, but Brazil’s high-cost environment is raising concerns for upcoming soybean and corn yields....
EU chems production rises in December despite industrial decline
LONDON (ICIS)--EU chemicals productivity increased month on month in December 2025 despite output declines for the sector in most of the bloc’s largest economies – and a wider fall for the...
French PPE3 plan trims renewable targets, supporting Cal ’27 power contract
PPE3 energy plan trims French renewable targets for 2030, 2035 French Cal ’27, ’28, ’29 power contracts supported by the target cut French renewable lobbies warn onshore wind targets...
MARGINS: Europe naphtha-based MEG contract margins down, LPG-based margins firm
LONDON (ICIS)--Contract margins at naphtha-based monoethylene glycols (MEG) plants in Europe decreased on the back of firmer feedstock costs, but increased for operators using liquefied petroleum gas...
MARGINS: Europe naphtha-based cracker contract margins fall amid higher feedstock costs
LONDON (ICIS)--Naphtha-based cracker contract margins in Europe fell week on week on the back of firmer feedstock costs, ICIS Margin Analysis showed on Monday. Conversely, operators using liquefied...
Unlocking the power of plasma for chemistry
Scientists are using non-thermal plasma to produce fertiliser and long-chain hydrocarbons. Mason Wakley talks to the chemists harnessing the fourth state of matter
BASF to further strengthen Global Business Services through global Hub setup
BASF advances the transformation of its Global Business Services organization, aiming to take the next step to secure long-term cost competitiveness, resilience, and consistent service delivery for its businesses worldwide. To better meet the evolving
From research to spinoff
The Paul Scherrer Institute PSI is awarding PSI Founder Fellowships to Mohsen Sadr and Mohammadhossein Montazerian. The fellowships will support two business ideas based on PSI technologies: an AI-based platform for the development of fusion
Recyclable ink for 3D printing
Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon recently introduced a fully recyclable ink for 3D printing that is made from the abundant industrial byproduct lignin. This ink, presented in a paper published in the Journal ACS Sustainable
RWTH spin-off wins second place at the RWTH Innovation Award for revolutionary insulation fibers
On 30 January, RWTH spin-off Solid Air Dynamics was awarded second place in the RWTH Innovation Awards for its research in the field of aerogel fibres. Manufactured from renewable raw materials, aerogel fibres offer outstanding
Plant status: China’s CNOOC Huizhou restarts AA, butyl-A, 2-EHA plants
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: China National Offshore Oil Co (CNOOC) Location: Huizhou, Guangdong province, China Product: Acrylic acid (AA), butyl acrylate (butyl-A),...
China average BDO plants’ run rate down on operational cutback
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--The average run rate of butanediol (BDO) plants in China slightly fell due to minor operational cutback at Shaanxi Yanchang. The average run rate stood at 61.3%, down by 0.3...
China’s average run rate of PO plants rises to 68.5% on plant restarts
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s propylene oxide (PO) plants posted an average run rate at 68.5% in the week ended 13 February 2026, up by 3.3 percentage points from the last reporting period, ICIS data...
China BPA average plant run rate inches up to 74.4% on plant restarts
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--The average run rate of China’s bisphenol A (BPA) plants was at around 74.4% in the week ended 13 February 2026, up by 0.5 percentage points from the last reporting period, ICIS...
Asia-US container rates steady to softer on low volume despite increased blank sailings
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Rates for shipping containers from east Asia and China to the US edged lower this week on low volume even as carriers increased the number of blank sailings. Supply chain advisors...
NYMEX: US gas futures edge higher on end-February bullish weather
Front-month US natural gas futures increased on 13 February, on bullish heat demand for the northeast region The March 2026 Henry Hub contract on NYMEX settled at $3.243/MMBtu, up less than 1% from...