Methanol is a versatile chemical traditionally used to produce a wide range of other commodity chemicals like formaldehyde, acetic acid, and MTBE. Formaldehyde, acetic acid, and MTBE are the three primary chemicals that make up around 85% of methanol’s use in chemical applications. Formaldehyde is used to make urea-formaldehyde and phenol-formaldehyde resins, which are widely…
After a few good years, outperforming broader markets in the past decade, the chemicals industry currently faces significant challenges moving forward. Feedstock cost competitiveness and new markets, two of the more significant market drivers, have a positive outlook. However, other drivers are negative, such as the current direction of interest rates, or neutral, such as…
After a tumultuous recovery in 2021, the global chemical industry was expecting a strong rebound in 2022. Feedstock supply constraints, high energy prices, and slowing economic conditions, however, dampened the industry’s performance in 2022. A number of these challenges will persist and likely intensify in 2023 and continue to challenge the industry. Key trends with…
The global chemical industry saw a steep but tumultuous recovery in 2021 following the pandemic with expectations that it will stabilize in 2022. Key trends to look out for in 2022 are as follows: 1. Global chemical industry drivers will grow at a stable pace in 2022 after a tumultuous recovery in 2021 Global GDP…
ADI Chemical Market Resources is introducing Chemical Shorts, a new podcast hosted by our analyst, Jacqueline Unzueta. Tune in every month to gain quick insights from our analyst team on polymers, plastics, chemicals, petrochemicals, and more. For our first podcast episode, analysts Swati Singh and Jacqueline Unzueta discussed mining chemicals. What are mining chemicals? What will…
In July this year, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill designating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Under the PFAS Action Act the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be required to add perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluoroactanesulfonic acid (PFOS) to…
Chemical Industry Summary After trading in a stable range of US$5/Bbl. for several months, the last week has seen global crude oil prices soften roughly 10% with WTI prices now trading belowUS$48/Bbl. The current weakness of pricing is related to recent inventory and production data that have cast doubt on the potential for global crude…
Under the Biden administration, the U.S. has re-enrolled in the Paris Agreement, while announcing a new target of cutting 50-52% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 2005 levels by 2030. Sustainability has become a top priority for governments and corporations worldwide, with significant support from consumers looking to remove single-use plastics and non-biodegradable materials from…
The Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global warming to well below 2 °C compared to pre-industrial levels will be challenged by decarbonization of several hard-to-abate sectors. The chemical industry along with cement, iron and steel, shipping, and aviation are among the hard-to-abate sectors. Hard-to-abate sectors are highly energy-intensive sectors where fossil fuels serve as the…
Research and development on chemical recycling with emphasis on pyrolysis is rapidly advancing towards commercialization. Chemical recycling is dominated by pyrolysis or monomer recycling. Pyrolysis is heating plastic waste at high temperature in the absence of oxygen and converting it into a liquid known as pyrolysis oil. Pyrolysis oil can be used in various applications…