Chemicals

INSIGHTS

Asahi Kasei Exits Polyethylene Business

Japan's Asahi Kasei will cease production of polyethylene resins by March 2030. Currently, the company manufactures low-density polyethylene (LDPE), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) under the Suntec-LD and Suntec-EVA, and Suntec-HD and Creolex brands. Creolex HDPE is produced using metallocene catalyst technology. Creolex metallocene HDPE grades exhibit excellent thermal stability and are additive-free in certain formulations. The materials co

May 152 min read

Renewable Montan Waxes Push Sustainability in Auto, Electronics, Medical Device Sectors

Non-edible rice bran touted as an alternative sustainable raw material in place of lignite for these engineering plastics lubricants and nucleators. Montan waxes, extracted from lignite, are a key additive input for engineering plastic compounds widely used in the automotive, electronics, and medical device industries and much more. They function as lubricants and nucleators in the processing of engineering plastics. With lignite being resources being rapidly depleted in in G

Apr 93 min read

CO2 to Cellulose Startup Secures Funding

Rubi, the company behind pioneering enzyme-based technology that transforms carbon dioxide (CO2) into cellulose fibers for use in apparel and other industries, has announced a $7.5 million funding round and significant commercial traction, including multi-year offtake term sheets worth over $60 million with leading fashion brands and manufacturers, eight new commercial partnerships, and moving pilots into larger-scale production testing. The funding announcement follows a br

Mar 232 min read

Indium Route to Methanol from CO2, Hydrogen

Methanol is a key starting material for chemical products. Researchers from ETH Zurich can now Chemists from ETH Zurich have achieved a breakthrough in catalysis research on multiple levels. They have developed a catalyst that significantly lowers the energy barrier for the production of methanol from the greenhouse gas CO 2 and hydrogen. In the catalyst, the metal indium in an extremely efficient manner in the sense that each individual indium atom behaves as an active si

Mar 173 min read

Chemical Recycling Gets Boost in Japan

Chemical Recycling Japan, a subsidiary of oil refiner Idemitsu Kosan, has completed construction of a chemical recycling plant for converting post-consumer and post-industrial recovered plastics into oil; at a site in Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The plant has aplastic processing capacity of 20,000 tonnes annual and is scheduled to commence commercial operations in April 2026. The company’s proprietary chemical recycling technology is centered on a catalyst-based c

Jan 201 min read

SABIC Exits Polyolefins, Engineering Plastics in Europe, Americas

SABIC has the signed two strategic transactions to divest its European Petrochemicals (EP) business to AEQUITA and its Engineering Thermoplastics (ETP) business in the Americas and Europe to MUTARES, for a total combined enterprise value of $950 million. SABIC’s EP business produces and markets various petrochemical and plastic products: ethylene, propylene, low- and high-density polyethylene (LDPE, LLDPE, and HDPE), polypropylene (PP), and value-added polymer compounds, and

Jan 91 min read

Start-up Seeks Funding for Sustainable Circuit Board Material

UK start-up Jiva Materials is seeking funding to further commercialization of a circuit board material made from natural fibers and a hot water-soluble, biodegradable resin. Soluboard cuts lifecycle emissions by 68% versus standard FR‑4 glass fiber/epoxy resin PCBs, makes devices lighter and allows efficient recovery of valuable metals. Soluboard combines natural fibers such as flax or jute with a non‑hazardous, water‑soluble biopolymer and a halogen‑free phosphorous flame r

Nov 24, 20251 min read

U.S. Plastics Pact Releases Position Paper on Physical and Chemical Recycling

The U.S. Plastics Pact (USPP) today released a new position paper on the role of physical and chemical recycling in a circular economy, offering science-based, consensus-driven guidance to policymakers and industry leaders. Developed with input from the full plastics value chain, the position provides clarity on how these technologies can help address hard-to-recycle plastics, while ensuring that they do not displace reduction, reuse, or mechanical recycling efforts. “Too of

Nov 20, 20252 min read

Wind Turbine Blade Recycling Receives a Boost

Owens Corning and Gjenkraft AS have signed a letter of intent (LoI) to advance circular solutions for composite waste. The initiative aims to close the loop for glass fiber materials by integrating recycled glass fibers recovered via Gjenkraft’s thermolysis-based process back into Owens Corning’s production of new glass fibers. In practice, this means composite waste will be converted into high-quality secondary raw materials — and then reintroduced into the value chain as

Oct 24, 20252 min read

New POE Supplier Starts Up Plant in China

Liaoning Dingjide Petrochemical has told MLT Analytics (MLTA) that it is in the "troubleshooting phase" of startup of its 200,000-tonnes/year polyolefin elastomer and plastomer (POE/POP) plant located in the Dalian Changxing Island National Petrochemical Industrial Park, Liaoning Province, China, with commercial operation slated for by the end of October 2025. Speaking to MLTA at the K Show in Dusseldorf, Germany, Head of Overseas Marketing Jason Sun noted that his company ha

Oct 22, 20252 min read