Industry: Chemicals & Plastics

Uday Turaga, Founder & CEO of ADI Analytics, shared results from ADI’s work on monetizing shale gas via small-scale methanol technologies at the U.S. Energy Association on October 22, 2015. Turaga explored the potential of small-scale methanol plants in North America, citing an in-depth study done by ADI’s diligent team of analysts. The study in […]

Chemical industry summary The deflation of global chemical prices continues following declining feedstock and oil/gas prices. Key olefins in the US are now hitting levels not seen since 2009 in some cases, not seen since 2003. Ethylene margins are starting to ease for US shale gas-based chemical producers as lower international prices have resulted from […]

Chemical industry summary Reflecting a lower cost basis, global commodity chemical prices continue to wilt as the global chemical industry adjusts to lower crude oil prices. Spot ethylene in Asia has recently traded near US$800 per MT, down from US$1,400 in July. Margins have eased for producers in all regions. The Asian ethylene/naphtha spread has […]

Chemical industry summary US and global commodity chemical companies generally reported favorable financial results in the Q2 earnings season, with several companies reporting record results. Commodity chemical prices proved to be relatively stable despite ongoing feedstock price erosion. Demand for polyolefins in all regions was relatively firm and producers’ inventories at the end of Q2 […]

Chemical industry summary  Heading into Q2 earnings season, chemical margins generally look positive for most chemical sectors with olefins/polyolefins leading and the chlor-alkali chain less profitable.  Macroeconomics and geopolitics The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reports Q1 global GDP growth at 2.2%, 0.8% below the April forecast. The year 2015 now looks to be at 3.3% […]

Low natural gas prices have helped in driving new attention and interest to natural gas monetization options, which will play an important role in spurring natural gas demand. One promising gas monetization option is the production of methanol using small-scale plants.  Conceptually, small-scale methanol plants offer a number of advantages. The first advantage is that […]

Abundant, low-cost North American natural gas is incentivizing its monetization as LNG for marine fuel, driven by price advantages over diesel and the benefit of meeting environmental regulations.

AMERICAS  Hexpol to boost synthetic rubber compounding capacity in Mexico  Hexpol plans to expand synthetic rubber compounding capacity in Mexico. The expansion will add a new advanced 135 L rubber compounding line into its Querétaro facility, Mexico, which will increase overall capacity to 70 KTA. Comments: Sweden-headquartered Hexpol A.B. supplies advanced rubber and plastic compounding […]

At the Methanol Conference in 2015, the presentation “Natural Gas Utilization via Small-Scale Methanol Technologies” explored growing interest in North American natural gas monetization. An abundant supply of cheap natural gas drives this interest. It highlights key factors. Gas flaring, favorable pricing, mature product markets, and diverse end-uses propel interest in small-scale methanol. The discussion […]

ADI Chemical Market Resources has completed a detailed analysis of high melt-strength polypropylene (HMS PP) technologies, designed to enhance PP’s processability in applications like extrusion foaming, thermoforming, and blow molding. HMS PP is produced through techniques such as long-chain branching and molecular modification, making it competitive with polystyrene and polyethylene in performance-demanding uses. Key applications […]

ADI Chemical Market Resources (ADI CMR) conducted a strategic study of global styrene block copolymer (SBC) markets, including SBS, SEBS, and SIS. These thermoplastic elastomers offer outstanding mechanical, elastic, and processing properties and are widely used as polymer modifiers and in adhesives, films, wire and cable, roofing, and automotive parts. The report analyzes supply-demand dynamics, […]

AMERICAS Dunkin’ Donuts seeking replacement of EPS cup Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc. has looked for alternatives to expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam cups for its coffee cups. Currently, polypropylene foam cups from Berry Plastics Group have been considered the best alternative to EPS foam cups. Dunkin’ Donuts also seeks a new and recyclable lid to be […]