Specialty chemicals
Latest insight
Monosodium glutamate: Asia to remain center of production, consumption, and growth
Worldwide consumption of monosodium glutamate (MSG) was 3.1 million metric tons (MMt) in 2018, with an estimated value of $4.3 billion, according to a recent report by IHS Markit.
Chemicals from renewables set to grow
Market forecast to reach almost $90 billion by 2020
ACC specialty chemicals index rises by 1.9% YOY in May
ACC's specialty chemicals index gained 1.9% in May compared with the year-ago period.
Hexion exits bankruptcy protection
Hexion Inc. (Columbus, Ohio) emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on 1 July, shedding more than $2 billion in debt.
Standard Lithium breaks ground on demonstration plant in Arkansas
Standard Lithium (El Dorado, Arkansas) says it has broken ground on its direct lithium extraction demonstration plant at El Dorado, Arkansas.
JSR further invests in US-based 3D printing firm
JSR announced that it has made an additional $15-million investment in Carbon Inc. (Redwood City, California), a company launched in 2013 to deliver innovative 3D printing technology.
Report: Petronas Chemicals budgets $6 billion for specialty portfolio deals
Petronas Chemicals Group (PCG; Kuala Lumpur) plans to spend approximately $6 billion over the next 15–20 years expanding its specialty chemicals portfolio through acquisitions and partnerships, says its chief executive, according to a Reuters report.
Australia-based Neometals forms JV with Indian firm on lithium refinery
Neometals (Western Australia, Australia) announced that it has signed an agreement with Manikaran Power Ltd. (New Delhi, India) to jointly fund the evaluation of developing the first lithium refinery in India. Manikaran is a leading power trading and diversified renewable energy company in India.
Featured data
US specialty chemicals volumes increased in 2018
Sales volumes by the US specialty chemical industry grew steadily last year
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Earnings season closes on positive note for specialties firms
Specialty chemical earnings were mostly positive as a mixed fourth-quarter earnings season wound down in late February. Prices and volumes grew for Albemarle, Ecolab, and Stepan, with Ecolab largely recouping higher delivered product costs and Albemarle continuing to ride a wave of strong demand in lithium.
Organic pigments: Colors run to Asia
The largest market for organic pigments is printing inks, which makes up 45–50% of demand based on volume, according to a recent report by IHS Markit. Coatings consume about 25%, plastics about 10%, and other industries, including textiles, account for the rest.
Flavors and fragrances scent growth
The flavors and fragrances (F&F) market includes numerous smaller players, many of them family-owned, that operate in a single region and with a focus on a specific niche, such as savory flavors or sports drinks.