The pricing of industrial chemicals has never been easy. It is a part of the chemical business that is clouded in secrecy, with the value of any chemical product varying from time and place, and from customer to customer. This has never been more true than during the chemical sector’s current, turbulent times of supply chain logjams, volatile energy prices, global competition, and geopolitical threats. During this unstable period, a number of chemical companies have taken considerable hits to their profit margins as their prices (drawn up only weeks or days before) no longer give an accurate ..read more

While the chemical industry is famed for its innovation, academics and business leaders are questioning the effectiveness of the research being conducted. Are chemical companies truly innovative, or is it just that the larger players have the money available to bring new chemical products and processes to market? Analysis conducted in the year 2000 by the Council for Chemical Research (CCR) found that chemical industry innovation was actually decreasing. Specifically, a study of the US patent database by Fran Narin and his colleagues at CHI Research found that, “During the 1980s, the technolo ..read more

It is a commonly held belief that the chemical industry is a research-focused hub of learning and technological advancement. Chemical company success is often seen as the result of innovation and the creation of new products based on research that solve basic needs. While in some areas, such as the pharmaceutical sector, huge funding has produced an array of new products which have improved life expectancies through advanced medical treatments. In other fields, such as fertilizer production, animal feed additives, and fossil fuel-based plastics, progress has been slow. This is despite an urge ..read more

Organizing logistics for the supply of industrial chemicals is one of the most challenging and under-valued roles in the sector. Firstly, the nature of industrial chemicals requires strict adherence to safety regulations and guidelines, which can complicate transportation and storage processes. Additionally, as demand for industrial chemicals can fluctuate based on geopolitics, exchange rates, customer needs, and industry innovation, it is essential to have a flexible supply chain that can quickly adapt to market changes. Furthermore, sourcing raw materials for the production of industrial ch ..read more

The Russian invasion of Ukraine was a massive wake up call to everyone on the primary importance of national defence. While the initial defence of Kyiv was successful and Western democracies have cooperated in supplying weapons and munitions to support the Ukrainian army, the shock waves from the war are still being felt across the arms manufacturing sector. Over two years later, and governments are still struggling to guarantee the supply of the industrial chemicals and raw materials needed to manufacture the explosives, ammunition, and military hardware. It is feared that without government ..read more

Due to the wide variety of applications, ammonia is a very important feedstock. Yet it is an industrial chemical which comes with a significant environmental price tag. That may change however, as chemical researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) believe that they have found a way to greatly reduce the climate change impact of manufacturing ammonia, while at the same time reducing its production cost. Ammonia feeds the world, as it is commonly used in the production of fertilizers providing a source of nitrogen for plants to promote growth. Ammonia is also used in the manufa ..read more

There is plenty of hype, there is plenty of investment, and there is plenty of activity on how AI is coming and what it will change. But how is it really being applied in the chemical industry and what are the greatest benefits? Despite the complexity of industrial chemical processes, the simple answer is in energy savings which are not only lowering costs but are also helping chemical manufacturers reduce carbon emissions. “The transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in the chemical industry is enabling significant energy efficiency improvements of 20% to 40%,” writ ..read more

Environmentalists have major problems with advanced chemical recycling. They see it as a greenwashing of the chemicals industry which is the third largest sector for pollution, producing 5% of global carbon emissions. “The major problem with chemical recycling is that it absolves the plastic industry of responsibility,” notes a recent Earth Day report. “By offering this ‘perfect’ solution, companies can continue to produce just as much plastic as ever or even scale up their operations. It does not change the bigger picture, which is that plastic is created from our highly pollutive dependence ..read more

Plastic is fantastic. It is versatile, strong, flexible, and widely used to manufacture everything from windows to packaging, and from furniture to clothing. However, it is also one of humankind’s greatest challenges – plastic waste. Each year, as much as 14 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the ocean and waterways, and a further 230 million tonnes end up in landfill. Resulting in nano-plastic particles being prevalent in almost every living organism on the planet. Knowing this has made the issue of sustainability a central pillar of the reform needed in the plastics industry. It is an ..read more

In a surprise move that will be seen as a major step towards sustainability for the plastics industry, the German toymaker Playmobil recently announced its intention to manufacture its toys using a minimum of 90% plant-based raw materials. Up until the announcement, the much-loved plastic figures were made from fossil-based acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic. However, manufacturing was switched last month (January 2024) to a new production process publicised as a major expansion of the toymaker's plant-based portfolio under the new brand of Playmobil Junior. “The new playsets are m ..read more