News

Titanium Dioxide Market: Subdued Demand & Possible Responses

January 25, 2017

Titanium, which is obtained from different titanium-containing minerals, like ilmenite, rutile or anatase, is used in the production of pigments, paints, coatings, plastics, paper cosmetics, food additives, ceramics, textiles, titanium metal, welding electrodes, as well as in a number of …

Growing Environmental & Health Concerns Overshadow Arsenic Market Prospects

January 13, 2017

Arsenic and its compounds are firmly associated with toxicity and environmental risks. Detrimental impact of arsenic is a well-known fact. Its dangerous concentrations have been found in many parts of the world, while numerous remediation technologies and approaches combatting arsenic …

Varied Dynamics of Global Urea Market Leads to Uncertainty and Overcapacity

January 6, 2017

The current situation on the global urea market can be characterised by a fairly large degree of uncertainty, which might be typical for end-of-the-year seasonal fluctuations when players are apprehensive on the verge of a new crop-sowing season and unsure …

Bio-Acetic Acid May Substitute Petroleum-Based Analogue in Future

December 22, 2016

Bioplastics could become viable substitutes for petroleum-based products, and bio-acetic acid may be a good example of such substation. Of course, the capacity to substitute petroleum-based products by ‘green’ alternatives depends on multiple factors, including their production costs, oil prices, …

Possible Reinvigoration on the US PVC Market May Be Adversely Impacted

December 15, 2016

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) acts as a generic name for a group of PVC compounds manufactured by transforming vinyl chlorine monomer (VCM) into PVC resins with the help of additives to easily mold them and optimize their qualities with respect to …

Multiple Ethylene Expansion Projects are Underway

December 6, 2016

Ethylene is one of the most versatile and important chemical components and intermediates used for downstream chemical processing in order to obtain a wide range of consumer and industrial products. Ethylene economics and market are enormous in size and complexity. …

Construction of New Integrated Petrochemical Complexes in Underway on Toluene Market

November 28, 2016

Toluene is an aromatic hydrocarbon used in various applications. It is involved in production chains of multiple chemicals as an intermediate or precursor. In such role, toluene is often associated with the operation on integrated petrochemical complexes or chemical hubs, …

Mixed Sentiments on Purified Terephthalic Acid Market

November 17, 2016

Purified terephthalic acid (PTA) is a raw material used to make polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and PET-based products (fibres, films, etc.), which in turn find application in versatile downstream products, like clothing, carpets, car parts, food containers, engineering plastics, to name …

Strategic Partnerships Present Rising Trend within Feldspar Sector

November 10, 2016

Feldspars are mainly used in industrial applications, including production of glass containers, ceramics (incl. tiles and sanitary ware), fillers, glass fibre insulation, fillers, extenders and other commodities. Relative content of feldspar in some feldspar-consuming product groups, % The current trends …

Controlled Release Urea Fertilizers Form New Trend of Fertilizer Industry

October 27, 2016

The market for controlled release fertilizers (CRF) is expected to demonstrate a robust growth as the demand for them will continue to rise due to their enhanced efficiency, high flexibility, improved transportability and reduced environmental impact. Products like Agrium’s XCU® …

Tight Supply and Market Uncertainty Drive Ethyl Acetate Prices Up in Europe

October 20, 2016

Ethyl acetate (ETAC), an ether of acetic acid and ethyl alcohol, finds application in various products and industries. Such versatility makes prediction of ETAC market behaviour a complex task, which might foster a feeling of uncertainty for its manufacturers and …

Support from Lawmakers Has Major Impact on Biodiesel Market

October 12, 2016

Policy making and regulation play a central role in the future development of biodiesel market in many regions of the world. It is also quite common that public opinion, at least in democracies, is instrumental in shaping the national and …

Polyisobutylene Market Demonstrates Strong Positive Dynamics

October 4, 2016

The market for conventional and highly reactive polyisobutylene (PIB) demonstrates quite positive and upwards trends, which results in capacity expansion, construction and debottlenecking. For instance, TPC Group, which is one of the largest polyisobutylene producers in the USA (the US …

Bisphenol A Market Demonstrates Mixed Dynamics

September 26, 2016

The global bisphenol A (BPA) market is currently demonstrating a mixed dynamics. BPA prices in two main BPA-producing regions, Europe and Asia, are moving upwards thanks to various factors. These factors include the increase in feedstock prices; tightening of the …

Current Rise in Butadiene Prices Adversely Affects Margins of SBR Producers

September 16, 2016

Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) is a mixture of butadiene and styrene, in which the amount of butadiene exceeds that of styrene by roughly three times. As such, SBR market behaviour is very sensitive to the fluctuations of prices for butadiene and …

Current Precarious Macroeconomic Situation Affects Steel Markets

September 9, 2016

Steel supply and demand reflect, though with some time lag, global and regional macroeconomic trends. These macroeconomic trends may vary in its temporal dimension since, for instance, the curtailments in the US steel industry of the 1980ies, caused by growing …

Health and Environmental Concerns Restrains Talc & Pyrophyllite Market Growth

September 2, 2016

Talc and pyrophyllite are two monoclinic minerals with similar physical properties and respective magnesium-based and aluminium-based composition, each belonging to the same sub-class of phyllosilicates. The products made on their basis are quite versatile and applicable in various areas. The …

Chemicals Industry Leads Global Salt Consumption

August 26, 2016

Production of industrial chemicals accounts for about 63% of the total consumption of salt, and as such, it is the biggest single application segment for salt. The whole branches of the chemical industry, like the chlor-alkali industry, are associated with …

Polystyrene End-Use Sectors Exhibit Different Dynamics

August 19, 2016

Polystyrene application sectors exhibit different dynamics, both temporarily and geographically. This dynamics is governed by various factors. Packaging industry is a major outlet for global polystyrene production, especially in Asia, which might be considered a world leader in packaging. However, …

Innovation as Indispensible Component of Polypropylene Market

August 9, 2016

Polypropylene is a highly sustainable and versatile thermoplastic polymer, which is being utilized in a wide range of applications thanks to its unique features. Polypropylene enjoys well-deserved popularity in many industries, including food packaging, electrical appliances, equipment, consumer goods, automotive …

High-density Polyethylene Market is Vibrant, Volatile and Bullish

July 25, 2016

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is one of the most commonly used plastics found in multiple products in different applications. Physical, chemical and safety-related properties of high-density polyethylene make it a highly durable, chemically non-reactive and environmentally safe material. Its versatility, wide …

Uncertainty as a New Trend of European Expandable Polystyrene Market

July 13, 2016

Building and construction applications are the largest outlet for expandable polystyrene (EPS), accounting for around two-thirds of its demand, though construction-related EPS application grows faster than EPS use in packaging. Other promising expandable polystyrene applications include furniture and sports accessories. …

Brexit to Impact Regional Potassium Sulphate Markets

July 7, 2016

Britain’s vote to leave the European Union has already rendered certain detrimental effect on the European and primarily UK fertilizer markets. The British fertilizer market is not particularly big, with clear predominance of NPK fertilizers and just a very small …

Bromine Market Monopolization Increases Vulnerability

June 30, 2016

The market for bromine and its derivatives may be defined as relatively oligopolistic with just a few countries controlling the bulk of the market. There are three major bromine-producing areas: North America (the United States), Middle East (Israel and Jordan) …

Demand for Bismuth may Run Counter to China’s Export Policies on Strategic and Critical Materials

June 21, 2016

Bismuth application areas are diverse but the bulk of the metal is used in metallurgical (metallurgical additives, alloys), pharmaceutical and chemical (incl. pigments and cosmetics) industries. Other uses include electronics, ammunition, ceramics, catalysts, recycling of uranium nuclear fuels, to name …