Industry News
Chemical Industry News
China interactive fertilizer trade flow map 2025
LONDON (ICIS)--Fertilizer import and export data for 2025 has been released by China Customs...
Europe glycerine spot prices rise on supply limitations
LONDON (ICIS)--Ongoing supply constraints sent European crude 80% and refined glycerine spot prices higher this week, as suppliers opted to prioritize existing volumes into contractual arrangements...
MOVES: Nobian appoints new CFO
LONDON (ICIS)--Nobian has appointed Thorsten Krekels as its new chief financial officer (CFO), effective 1 February, the Netherlands-based chlor-alkali producer and salt supplier said in a statement...
China’s average PTA plants’ run rate flat on stable operations
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plants have posted an unchanged average operating rate of 77% during the week ended 23 January, due to stable unit operations. Sichuan...
Europe January PX contract price up €30/tonne on stronger Asian market
LONDON (ICIS)--The European paraxylene (PX) contract price for January has risen by €30/tonne month on month amid higher prices in the influential Asian market. The increase has been partly...
China’s average PX plants’ run rate drops on ZPC’s operation cuts
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s para-xylene (PX) plants have posted a lower average operating rate, because Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical (ZPC) trimmed operations due to upstream maintenance. In the...
China acetic acid run rate up on plant restart
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China acetic acid plants’ average run rate rose as Yaraco restarted its plant and Kingboard resumed normal production at No 2 plant. The average run rate stood at 82% in the week...
HCl prices across Europe edge downwards
LONDON (ICIS)--Hydrochloric acid (HCl) prices across Europe have fallen slightly on both the upper and lower ends in January, on the back of lengthy supply. HCl availability tightened from mid-2025...
China’s December phenol imports fall on decreased arrivals from Saudi Arabia
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China imported a total of 19,217 tonnes of phenol in December 2025, down by 11.6% month on month, according to the ICIS Supply & Demand Database, due to decreased arrivals from...
Was the ‘Baghdad battery’ really two cells?
A new study suggests it had an ‘outer’ cell that reacted with air to supply a higher voltage. But was it a battery at all?
AI research tools benefit individual scientists but may slow scientific progress
There may be a conflict between personal and collective gain in the sciences
Researchers use failed batteries to fight “forever chemicals”
Researchers in the lab of Asst. Prof. Chibueze Amanchukwu at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) have spent three years looking for failure, scouring the academic literature for tales of battery breakdowns
New AI Method Revolutionises the Design of Enzymes
Researchers at TU Graz and the University of Graz can use the technology to construct artificial biocatalysts. These new enzymes are significantly faster, more stable and more versatile than previous artificial biocatalysts. Enzymes with specific
Catalyst selectivity as a “balancing act”
Researchers from the Inorganic Chemistry Departments of the Fritz Haber Institute revealed how structural changes on the surface and in the bulk region of the cobalt oxide catalyst Co3O4 influence its selectivity in the production
US Q3 GDP growth revised to 4.4% annual rate, from 4.3%
HOUSTON (ICIS)--US real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 4.4% in Q3 - up from an initial estimate of 4.3%, and up from a 3.8% rate in Q2, the Bureau of
LNG Weekly Market Report: TTF holds big premium over Asia while US Henry Hub surges on weather
OUTLOOK Expected cold weather has caused US natural gas prices to surge this week, with the market closely watching any impacts to either US natural gas or LNG production The ICIS TTF February...
Europe AA market weak and below typical January expectations
LONDON (ICIS)--The Europe acrylic acid (AA) market has seen the sluggish start to 2026 continue, with activity below the typical expectations for the month. Demand has remained underwhelming, with...
US gas futures skyrocket 56% on cold blast
Henry Hub futures soar this week on frigid cold weather Upcoming weekend forecasts indicate widespread below freezing temperatures Storage data shows inventories increased to 6.1% above the five-year...
Plant status: Dow to shut down Seadrift, Texas EO and derivatives plants ahead of freeze event
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Dow Chemical Location: Seadrift, Texas, US Products: Ethylene oxide (EO), ethanolamines, glycol ethers Capacity (tonnes/year): 430,000 EO, 213,000...
Germany likely to face more negative power prices in 2026, but with less extreme average negative prices
Additional reporting by Ellie Chambers Rapid renewable expansion and insufficient battery capacity is likely to push negative power prices to new records in 2026 German negative hourly power prices...