2 min read
500-Issue Milestone: Monitoring Polyester and Polyamides for Over 40 Years
It doesn't stretch back to the 1939 unveiling of ladies’ stockings at the World's Fair in New York, nor to the time when Mancunian chemists spun out...
4 min read
Chlor-Alkali: What's Driving Chinese Markets?
Domestic caustic soda supply was sufficient for the Chinese market in H1 2021 thanks to the country's chlor-alkali producers’ stable operating rates....
5 min read
Chlor-Alkali: 2021 Review and Outlook for 2022
This year has been a very turbulent year for the chlor-alkali industry with several weather-related and supply chain issues. They have affected the...
5 min read
Unsaturated Polyester Resins: Road to Recovery
Both European and US unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) prices saw back-to-back monthly increases throughout the first half of 2021. The market...
1 min read
New Quick Access ChemFocus Report Tool: Step-by-Step User Guide
Tecnon OrbiChem has added a new feature to the OrbiChem360 business information platform aimed at improving access to information our subscribers...
6 min read
Polyurethanes & Intermediates: Healthy Demand Keeps Isocyanates Markets Strong
Demand for polyurethane (PU) feedstocks is high as construction projects ramp up requirements. That, and the increased consumer focus on comfort at...
2 min read
Innovation in pyrolysis picks up pace in Q4 2021
The potential for pyrolysis to tackle waste and increase circularity in plastics industries moved closer to reality yesterday (23 November). Shell...
4 min read
Renewable Materials and the Future of Plastics
As COP26 delegates dissected the detail on decarbonising our world, chemical innovators ushered in sustainable solutions of their own. Late 2021 saw...
2 min read
Ammonia Shortage Triggers Supply Chain Ripple Effect
South Korea’s urea supply crunch is a stark reminder of the value in supply chain diversification. With very little means of meeting its own urea...
1 min read
Maleic Anhydride - New entrants to market set to cause disruption
Global maleic anhydride markets have experienced a sharp upturn in late 2020 and 2021 following the negative growth seen in 2020 as markets continued...
1 min read
Who is making money in the polyester chain? Changes and challenges in 2022
Depending on the origin and destination, the cost of freight today represents almost one-third of the cfr value/price of exports imports by America...
2 min read
The natural gas price surge and its impact on chemical markets
Global natural gas prices surged throughout 2021 due to a combination of key maintenance works, fire outages at extraction and processing sites,...