News

Diatomite Market: Current Trends, Strategies & Issues

January 23, 2020

Diatomite, also known as diatomaceous earth or kieselgur, is a naturally occurring mineral. It has a minimal detrimental effect upon humans and the environment, though the issue of diatomite waste disposal can be quite serious if protective measures are neglected. …

Global Polystyrene Market: New Developments & Projects in 2020

January 16, 2020

The global and regional polystyrene markets are directly influenced by the feedstock styrene monomer price fluctuations. Styrene monomer prices are in turn driven by oil prices. The present political instability in the Middle East was instrumental in raising the current …

Nafine Group Leads Global Sodium Sulphate Market

December 19, 2019

China is a leading player in the global market for sodium sulphate with respect to both consumption and production. China accounts for almost 60% and 64% of sodium sulphate production and consumption worldwide, respectively. Its sodium sulphate production significantly exceeds …

Global Potassium Sulphate Market: New Entrants and 4R Strategy

November 21, 2019

The market for potassium sulphate, also known as sulphate of potash (SOP), has been historically growing at an average rate of about 2% per year. The current demand for this type of fertilizer has been on the rise due to …

Vertical Integration as Viable Strategy in Silicon Market

October 10, 2019

Despite a highly oligopolistic character of the global silicon market, the silicon industry, including its mining, smelting, refining and manufacturing operations, consists of a wide range of multiple-scale entities with a very broad line of products, reaching out to various …

Key Manufacturers of Polymethyl Methacrylate Need to Adapt to Market Fluctuations

September 23, 2019

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is a multifunctional polymer commodity, involved in complex networks of chemical products, which are especially extensive in the upstream direction. These upstream products may involve benzene, propylene, acetone and methyl methacrylate (MMA), which themselves can have various …

Bismuth Market Variability and Potential

September 12, 2019

Bismuth has been gaining popularity due to its versatility, ecological friendliness, a remarkable degree of non-toxicity for heavy metal, noncarcinogenic character, and other useful properties. It should be also stated that, despite non-toxicity and small amounts in the environment (relative …

Versatility, Innovation and Environmental Friendliness as Key Indicators of Successful Calcium Chloride Market Performance

September 5, 2019

Application of calcium-containing solutions, like calcium chloride, to fruits and vegetables is known to extend shelf-life of horticultural products, as well as improve their quality and prevent rotting effects. Since horticultural products are indispensable sources of minerals and vitamins, the …

Melamine Market: Poor Demand amid Ample Supply

August 28, 2019

The global and regional melamine markets are known for their volatility coupled with seasonality. The summer of 2019 was not an exception. The Chinese melamine market is currently struggling with excessive supply and poor demand in an effort to stabilize …

New US Regulation of Beryllium Exposure Will Positively Affect Labour Safety

August 21, 2019

Beryllium is a lightweight and super-strong metal whose combination of unique properties safeguards its application in various sectors, associated with added value and high technologies. Despite its privileged status, it is characterised by a distinctive degree of toxicity and a …

Bentonite Market Drivers and Challenges in Corporate and Regional Dimensions

August 13, 2019

Bentonite-based products are known for their extra-wide functional versatility, non-toxicity, low degree of substitutability and a capacity to be integrated with highly innovative technical decisions. In some applications, bentonite importance is paramount. For instance, bentonite is a component of a …

Current Butadiene Rubbers Market Challenges

August 5, 2019

Butadiene rubbers are a part of an elastomer family, which comprises natural rubber (NR), styrene-butadiene rubbers (SBRs), polybutadiene rubber (PBR), butyl rubber (IIR) and ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer rubber (EPDM). The global market for butadiene rubbers is currently in transition. Since the bulk …

Mixed Dynamics of Regional Butyl Acetate Markets

July 25, 2019

The current dynamics of the regional butyl acetate markets is varied. In early July 2019, the European butyl acetate market was rather stable with ample supply and poor demand from the end-markets. Major butyl acetate manufacturers, like Oxea (a 140,000 …

US Aromatics Market: Volatility & Complex Dynamics

July 18, 2019

Seasonal factors are regularly instrumental in shaping much of the dynamics of the US market for octane-enhancing aromatics like benzene, toluene, and mixed xylenes. In accordance with this logic, summertime, when the automobility-enhanced demand for gasoline always increases, acts as …

Purified Terephthalic Acid Market Dynamics

July 11, 2019

Upstream feedstock paraxylene costs are among the key factors that affect purified terephthalic acid (PTA) prices. Currently, paraxylene prices at some regions are demonstrating a downward trend amidst robust supply and a decrease in the demand for its derivatives. This …

Recent Developments in Cyclohexane Markets

July 4, 2019

Cyclohexane is inextricably embedded into the sophisticated chemical, production and commercial chains which run from basic petrochemicals to end-products. Cyclohexane is derived via benzene hydrogenation to produce a cyclohexanol/cyclohexanone mixture, which later acts as a raw material for adipic acid …

Propylene Glycol Market Has Bright Prospects

June 20, 2019

The name of propylene glycol actually combines a family of chemical compounds. This family comprises the following chemicals: monopropylene glycol (it accounts for the largest production volume among all chemicals in this family), dipropylene glycol and tripropylene glycol. These are …

Adipic Acid Market Fundamentals Remain Strong

June 13, 2019

The global and regional markets for adipic acid (ADPA) are volatile, with supply-demand balance, seasonality, turnaround schedules, production disruptions, facility expansions and environmental regulation acting as major factors affecting the markets. However, the fundamentals of these markets remain strong. The …

Lanxess Takes Lead in Production of Elemental Bromine and Bromine-Based Flame Retardants

June 6, 2019

Bromine-based flame retardants remain one of the main bromine outlets. In general, the flame retardant additives market is expected to grow by 3-4 % per year. Many companies view this bromine application area as highly prospective. For this reason, in …

Mixed Picture of the Chinese Acetic Acid Market

May 30, 2019

The global acetic acid market behaviour is determined by complex dynamics of multiple factors, both endogenous and exogenous to this market. These factors primarily operate within extended commodity chains, which form an intricate network of acetic acid feedstocks, intermediates, and …

Caustic Soda Market Volatility & Dynamic Complexity

May 21, 2019

The current behaviour of the caustic soda market confirms its traditional volatility and proneness to quick fluctuations. Abrupt changes at the caustic soda market are a function of the dynamic complexity of the whole chlor-alkali chemical sector, where multiple factors …

Butanediol Market Demonstrates Excessive Supply and Flat Demand

May 10, 2019

Currently, the regional butanediol (BDO) markets demonstrate almost identical dynamics, though the expectations of their future behaviours might be different. The global BDO market is dominated by the Asia-Pacific region, the situation on which can provide a significant impact on …

Global and Chinese Markets for Boron Minerals: Oligopoly and Collaboration

May 2, 2019

Borates (e.g., borax, kernite, ulexite, tincal, colemanite, etc.) form a class of about 80 minerals that are actually boron-containing inorganic salts. The processing of these minerals and their utilization in many, often high-tech, applications make them an important element of …

Global Ammonium Sulphate Market Demonstrates Stability But Not Long-Term Sustainability

April 25, 2019

The global ammonium sulphate market is rather stable, which is substantiated by ample supply, wide geographic diversification of production capacity and strong demand for this type of fertilizers based on its properties. Today ammonium sulphate is one of the most …

Mixed Dynamics of Bisphenol A Markets and Health-Related Concerns

April 17, 2019

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an important industrial chemical that is used primarily to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Naturally, the magnitude of the application of the latter opens up a huge potential for BPA use in multiple areas, including …