August 31, 2021 Acetic Acid and derivatives have been dogged by persistent short supply since the unexpected freeze up along the Gulf Coast last February. Force Majeures have dragged on for months, and some domestic producers are still on Force Majeure. It was hoped that the challenges would begin to ease by the third quarter […]
U.S. Thirsty for Citric Acid Imports
August 18, 2021 It’s peak demand season for Citric Acid, and the U.S. is short on supply. There are only four Citric Acid producers in North America, which have the ability to supply 60 – 65% of our total need. The remaining 35-40% is, under normal circumstances, primarily met with imported product from Thailand. Due […]
Prices Rise as Supply Chains Continue to Struggle
July 20, 2021 Around the world, supply chains are in turmoil. As a result of many factors, lead times for goods have continued to increase during the year, and prices have continued to rise. While we don’t know yet how long this will last, we do know that we likely have not yet seen the […]
Sodium Hydroxide Weathers Another Storm
July 2, 2021 The historic Gulf Freeze in February disrupted supply of many chemicals for months to come. Long-lasting plant outages had major repercussions in the US Sodium Hydroxide market (as well as many others). Rebuilding depleted inventories has been a months-long effort, as production capacities lost continue to be restored. Then, another major weather […]
Polar Storms Paralyze Chemicals
February 19, 2021 MANY chemicals have been severely affected by the winter storms Uri and Viola that rocked the Gulf Coast region this week, including Propylene Oxide, Propylene Glycol, Hydrocarbons, Acetone, Isopropyl Alcohol, P-series Glycol Ethers, E-series Glycol Ethers, Chlorine, Caustic Soda, and Hydrochloric Acid, to name a few. The weather crisis has caused dozens […]
Rising Propylene Shifts Market for IPA, Other Chemicals
February 10, 2021 The US Isopropyl Alcohol market has been a sideshow of its own against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. Commonly used for sanitization, IPA’s initial extraordinary price leap left market players staggered. Then, just as suddenly, a dramatic slide as the need was met, that brought pricing nearly back to pre-pandemic levels. […]
Hydrochloric Acid Makes a Comeback
December 1, 2020 For the past eight months, the US Hydrochloric Acid market has been plagued by soft demand, plentiful supply, and 4-year-low prices. Now, with the return of cooler temperatures, the market has shifted. Hydrochloric Acid is a corrosive mineral acid, and one of the cheapest and most widely used commodity chemicals due to […]
Plant Issues Cause Propylene Glycol Hike
October 29, 2020 Earlier this month, a leak developed in a Propylene Oxide refining column at LyondellBasell. Force Majeure has been declared by LyondellBasell on all Propylene Oxide derivatives as they have been forced to significantly cut production as a result. As Propylene Oxide is a precursor to Propylene Glycol, this plant issue has had […]
Acetone Enjoys Pandemic Popularity
July 1, 2020 Pandemic-related products are all receiving a tremendous amount of popularity right now, for obvious reasons. Who knew that Acetone is an essential ingredient for several of them? That’s right. Hand sanitizer, face shields, and protective barriers all require this ketone solvent for production. “Hand sanitizer made with Acetone??!!??” No, Acetone is not […]
Wholesale IPA Prices Soften Dramatically
June 4, 2020 Notice to Isopropyl Alcohol Customers: In an ongoing effort to keep our customers informed, we are pleased to share that wholesale prices for Isopropyl Alcohol 99% have steadily softened over the past few weeks and recent supply/demand changes have only increased the rate of change. While we are making every effort to […]
