Chemicals Industry

Polyethylene (PE)

The Week in Chemistry: US spot PE prices steady in first half of April, prime PP down US$0.01/lb; green methanol popularity grows as companies move to cut emissions, Chinese propane dehydrogenation operators boost production amid rising propylene margins
Industry Intelligence Inc. (04/21)

California-based Clover Sonoma Dairy launches in Q2 2022 a 1-gallon jug made of 30% rHDPE for its organic milk; Clover worked with a Rogue Zebra consultant and with Altium Packaging and its Envision Plastics business, which supplied the rHDPE resin
Packaging World (04/21)

Polypropylene (PP)

Indorama Ventures showcases hygiene fibers, nonwovens at Index23 in Geneva; displays include Deja carbon-neutral PP staple fibers, Biotransformation Technology for biodegradable polyolefin nonwovens co-developed with Polymateria
Nonwovens Industry -Rodman Media (04/24)

Middle East PP demand fluctuates amid maintenance, weak Asian prices, earthquake in Turkey; meanwhile, prices increased in East Mediterranean and GCC markets during February and March as buyers restock ahead of Ramadan season: ICIS
ICIS Chemical Business (CBNB Abstracts) (04/21)

Polyesters / Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

Contaminated cotton damages India's textile exports as spinning companies combine viscose, polyester to reduce costs; nation's textile exports fell by 23% during FY2022, with quality issues persisting in FY2023 despite falling cotton prices
Textile Value Chain (04/24)

Indian textile manufacturers are moving to viscose, polyester fabrics amid high cotton prices; Diamond Textile Mills managing director says company has completely shifted to alternative fibers after using only cotton for nearly five decades
KNN (Knowledge & News Network) (04/24)

Terephthalic Acid (PTA)

China's petrochemical price index up 1.35% in March 2023 but demand recovery remains slower than projected; PTA prices surge 14% on limited supply and cost support, but downstream buyers resist further hikes in April: ICIS
ICIS Chemical Business (CBNB Abstracts) (04/21)

Propylene

Sinochem Tianchen Quanzhou holds promotion, celebrating new 600,000-ton/year propylene oxide project
China Business News (04/21)

Polymers / Resins

ACC responds to EPA Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution, noting some components align with federal policy proposal from US plastic makers; however, ACC cautions over capping production of plastics, limiting new recycling technologies
American Chemistry Council (04/21)

Evonik's VESTAKEEP i4 3DF PEEK filament biomaterial used in first US surgeries involving 3D-printed implant by Curiteva; product is world's first interconnected porous polyether ether ketone implanted structure approved for commercial use, company says
Evonik Industries AG (04/21)

Polyamide (PA) / Nylon

Engineers create insulating fabric inspired by polar bear fur, which conducts sunlight and traps heat in bear's dark-colored skin; textile is made of nylon coated with a dark material called PEDOT, is 30% lighter, maintains warmth 10°C lower than cotton
University of Massachusetts (04/24)

Thermoplastics Elastomer (TPE)

Qosina to market DuPont Liveo Healthcare Solutions' Liveo tubing for ultra-pure fluid transfer applications in pharmaceutical and biotechnological manufacturing processes; tubing available in platinum-cured silicone or thermoplastic elastomer options
Business Wire (04/21)

Benzene

BioBTX and Agilyx explore scale-up of BioBTX technology at commercial demonstration plant for production of renewable benzene, toluene, xylene; partnership uses Agilyx pyrolysis technology for difficult-to-recycle plastics with BioBTX catalytic technology
PR Newswire (04/24)

Agilyx and Netherlands-based renewable chemicals company BioBTX to produce circular aromatic chemicals; partnership to bring Agilyx's plastics pyrolysis technology into BioBTX's first commercial plant, to convert pyrolysis vapors into aromatic chemicals
Cision Ltd. (04/24)

Polymer Additives

Study reviews recent trends in natural additives for bioactive, multilayer food packaging films; researchers propose viable production routes to improve market competitiveness of biopolymer materials against synthetic materials
MDPI Journal: Foods (04/21)

Coatings

Tech vs. Trees: Shellac-based coating can strengthen molded pulp’s barrier properties, Los Angeles-based company turns wood waste into textile pigments, era of US computer print magazines comes to an end
Industry Intelligence Inc. (04/21)

North Carolina approves grants supporting rural economic development; recipients include 237,000-sq.-ft. facility which occupied by ACTEGA North America, which will invest more than US$8.5M
Targeted News Service (Press Releases) (04/21)

Films / Sheets

Researchers create new active food packaging film made with Konjac glucomannan, a fiber from Konjac root; film contains TEMPO-oxidized chitin nanocrystal stabilized oregano essential oil, is antimicrobial, shows water vapor, light barrier properties
Industry Intelligence Inc. (04/24)

Dow receives nine 2023 Edison Awards recognizing innovation and business success; featured achievements include development of collation shrink film made with post-consumer recycled plastics
Dow Chemical Co. (04/21)

Plastics

South Texas activist wins Goldman Environmental Prize after achieving US$50M settlement with Formosa Plastics over company's pollution of bays near Point Comfort, Texas; state regulators had not halted the pollution, which violated wastewater stipulations
DeSmogBlog (04/24)

Waitrose removes plastic, foil sleeves from four wine bottle lines within its Loved & Found range as part of a trial aimed at reducing unnecessary packaging; if trial is a success, Waitrose to extend switch across entire 10-bottle range by end of year
Grocer (UK) (04/24)

Plastic Packaging

Mauser Packaging Solutions invests in equipment to manufacture UN-certified tight-head plastic drums at its Tuas, Singapore, facility; the line also enables Mauser to expand availability of its Infinity Series portfolio, which contains recycled material
Contify Retail News (04/24)

ASR group launches recyclable and refillable easy baking tub for its Domino and C&H sugar brands; the reinvented packaging uses 28% less plastic than previous round canister design, includes instructions on how to recycle, features a click-to-close hinge
PR Newswire (04/24)

Cosmetic & Personal Care Ingredients

Sustainability Spotlight: In FY22, Coty reported 68% of palm oil purchases for production were RSPO-certified, up from 36% in FY21, with 100% of Indian mica sourced from RMI members; Coty assessed 487 suppliers under EcoVadis, saw average score of 57.5
Industry Intelligence Inc. (04/21)

Colgate-Palmolive lists Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate efficacy of Meridol Base Mouthwash compared to a control mouthwash in reducing dental plaque and gum issues; mouthwash contains 0.2% zinc lactate, 0.17% amine fluoride, 0.0275% sodium fluoride
Contify Life Science News (04/21)

Food & Beverage Ingredients

Ingredion launches five-part video series aimed at helping food and beverage manufacturers harness the potential of stevia sweeteners and functional build-back ingredients in sugar reduction formulations
Food & Beverage News (India) (04/24)

Fazer launches initiative to develop 'sustainable' ingredients from upcycled materials; the initiative is scheduled to last for three years
MarketLine (04/21)

Flavors, Fragrances & Scents

Scent Beauty and Sparti Scents announce global distribution launch with Amazon; Sparti Scents will offer its glide-on, gel-based and alcohol-free fragrance technology, which aims to appeal to Gen Z consumers seeking non-liquid fragrances
Business Wire (04/24)

See's Candies launches first scented candle, Chocolate Shop, featuring notes of vanilla, caramel and cacao using natural fragrances; candle uses vegan soy wax and cotton wicks, comes in See's bespoke black and white box
PR Newswire (04/24)

Paints

Up Paint, an upcycled paint company, launches Up Box service for recycling post-consumer water-based paint; company named among 'Most Innovative Companies' by Fast Company
PR Newswire (04/24)

Pigments & Dyes

Global market for organic pigments projected to reach US$9.82B by 2032 compared to US$5.86B in 2022; growing shift toward more environmentally friendly products across cosmetics, food and other industries will drive growth: report
Indian Manufacturing News (04/21)

Carbon Fibers

DITF develops Cellun--a cellulose-based fiber composite material--with partners CG TEC, Cordenka, ElringKlinger, Fiber Engineering, Technikum Laubholz; renewable material to replace glass or carbon fibers in industrial molded parts, lightweight composites
Deutsche Institute für Textil- und Faserforschung Denkendorf (DITF) (04/21)

Synthetic Fibers

Scientists develop self-healing chitin fibers derived from mushrooms; fibers in glucan matrix can repair their original shape, tensile properties within 30 seconds by adding water, with no solvents such as ethanol or acetone required: Yonsei University
ACS Sustainable Chemical Engineering (04/21)

US researchers create synthetic spider silk for sustainable apparel production; bi-terminal Mfp fused silks are made from engineered bacterial proteins, are at least twice as strong as recombinant spider silk: Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis (04/21)

Nonwoven

Global antimicrobial medical textiles market to grow by US$1.26B from 2022-2027, after rising at 7.11% CAGR, particularly among nonwovens segment; growth to be driven by increasing healthcare spending worldwide, especially in China, India: Technavio
PR Newswire (04/24)

India's Welspun is looking at new uses for spunlace nonwovens in household products, says company's president, global head of home textiles; company uses recycled water from sewage treatment facility for its operations, instead of fresh or drinking water
Nonwovens Industry -Rodman Media (04/21)

Fabrics / Textiles

Estonia-based startup Woola uses waste sheep wool to produce packaging products; the firm sources wool locally and transforms it into envelopes, bubble wraps and bottle sleeves
Innovation Origins (Netherlands) (04/24)

Vedanta Aluminium augments its 2400 MW thermal power plant with Industrial Internet of Things devices in fabric filters to improve emissions control; filters are special bag filters to trap, prevent boiler hot gas particles from escaping into atmosphere
Indian Manufacturing News (04/21)

Latest: Apr, 24 2023