DATE : 2017-07-17
Evonik has implemented a lead time requirement for all orders or releases of US methyl methacrylate (MMA) and methacrylic acid, according to a customer letter obtained by ICIS on Monday.
The company is requiring a minimum lead time of 15 business days in advance of shipment. Transit time will be in addition to this.
The company has cited ongoing market shortages for the two products, along with the need to manage current demand and ensure reliable delivery commitments, as reasons for implementing this requirement.
The letter did not state how long the requirement would last.
Source Icis News
DATE : 2017-07-13
US acrylic acid imports nearly evaporated in May, compared with the same month of 2016, according to the most recent data from the US International Trade Commission (ITC).
The exponential decline stemmed mostly from the absence of May imports from Brazil and only 30 tonnes of acrylic acid from Belgium, countries that shipped more than 12,000 tonnes of acrylic acid to the US in May of 2016.
May imports saw a similarly significant drop from April, due primarily to fewer or no shipments from China, Germany, Brazil and Malaysia.
On the export front, May volumes increased by 82% from the same month last year. Fractionally smaller May export volumes were shipped mostly to Thailand, Brazil and Mexico.
Source Icis News
DATE : 2017-07-14
China’s Wanhua Chemical is scheduled to complete construction of a 50,000 tonne/year methyl methacrylate (MMA) and an 80,000 tonne/year polymethyl MMA (PMMA) plants in Yantai in the second half of 2018, the company said on Friday.
It is investing an estimated Chinese yuan (CNY) 1bn ($147m) for the MMA and CNY400m for the PMMA plant, it said in a filing to the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
Meanwhile, the company has finished construction of the first phase of a polycarbonate (PC) project and is currently testing the 70,000 tonne/year unit. The second phase with a capacity of 130,000 tonne/year is now under construction and slated to come on stream by the end of 2018.
Besides, construction of a 300,000 tonne/year toluene diisocyanate (TDI) plant is expected to complete in the second half of 2018.
All the plants are located at the company’s Yantai industry park in Shandong province.
Source Icis News
DATE : 2017-07-05
Germany-based BASF confirmed on Wednesday that its butyl acrylate (butyl-A) unit at Freeport, Texas, has restarted after repairs were completed following a mid-May outage.
The company said the unit is operating normally. BASF also lifted its force majeure on butyl-A, which was implemented on 15 May after an equipment failure at the unit.
Sources said the butyl-A outage had not strained supply of that product, and that tightness seen in the market in the first and second quarters has eased.
“The market is relatively well-balanced right now,” a customer said. “Buyers can get what they want, but demand is not sluggish enough to cause sellers to discount to secure volume.”
In June, falling propylene inventories and stronger spot pricing slowed the feedstock’s downward price momentum.
In the meantime, July free-market price talks were just getting underway for some, but rollovers were beginning to surface.
The development tracks predominant market sentiment, given the rollover in upstream June propylene and some talk this week that strong demand seen during the first half of 2017 was perhaps beginning to soften.
Only Dow Chemical announced an effort to increase acrylates prices in July. The company is seeking gains of 5 cents/lb ($110/tonne), citing some current and imminent snugness as it anticipates some planned maintenance this quarter.
The company also cited the possibility of higher near-term propylene. Several sources have suggested propylene will settle flat to higher for July.
June declines took butyl-A free-market prices to a new range of 91-95 cents/lb FD (free delivered), as assessed by ICIS, for smaller-volume buyers.
Acrylates are commonly used to make products including paint and coatings, plastics and construction and pressure-sensitive adhesives.
Other US acrylates suppliers include Arkema and Sasol.
Source Icis News
DATE : 2017-06-30
By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health & Medicine Week -- Data detailed on Antioxidants have been presented. According to news originating from Kalamazoo, Michigan, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, "The following work is a review on the antioxidant capacity of rosemary extract. Rosemary extract is one of the most popular naturally sourced antioxidants that has been used in the food industry around the world."
Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research, "It is widely used in multiple food applications including frying oils, fish oils, snacks, roasted nuts, meat products, and many others. The extraction methods that were used to purify antioxidant compounds from rosemary were introduced. The analytical test results on rosemary extract showed that it has high levels of phenolic compounds. The major active compounds were identified as carnosic acid, carnosol, and rosmarinic acid. In food application tests, rosemary extract was found to reduce lipid autoxidation and photo-oxidation significantly. Oxidation products/markers like peroxide value, p-Anisidine value, TBARS value, and hexanal were measured, and the readings were observed lower in the samples dosed with rosemary extract. Besides, rosemary extract was also found to have a positive impact on reducing the sensation of rancidity notes in foods and protecting them from color loss. In some applications, the performance of rosemary extract is comparable to synthetic antioxidants like BHA, BHT, and TBHQ. It was also found that when rosemary extract was combined with ascorbic acid, citric acid, or other naturally sourced antioxidants, synergistic effects were formed to provide superior antioxidant performance. This is a review paper on rosemary extract's processing methods and related application in the food industry for its antioxidant function. The major active compounds in rosemary extract are found to be carnosic acid, carnosol, and rosmarinic acid. These compounds could be selectively extracted by controlling the solvents' polarity. Greener extraction methods are also introduced to support the demanding clean label food trend."
According to the news editors, the research concluded: "Finally, the applications of rosemary in different food matrices are reviewed to show the overall performance on reducing the oxidation of lipids and improving food products' shelf-life."
For more information on this research see: A review on rosemary as a natural antioxidation solution. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology, 2017;119(6):184-193.
The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from X.Q. Yang, Kalsec Inc, Kalamazoo, MI, United States. Additional authors for this research include P. VanAlstyne, A. Uhlir and J. Xie.
Source Health & Medicine Week