Chemicals
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Natureworks opens 75,000 t/yr PLA site in Thailand
Natureworks opens 75,000 t/yr PLA site in Thailand
Singapore, 30 April (Argus) — Polylactic acid (PLA) producer Natureworks has opened its second site with a 75,000 t/yr capacity project in Nakhon Sawan, Thailand, that uses sugarcane as a feedstock. The site will use locally sourced sugarcane to produce lactide monomer that can then be polymerised on site to PLA, according to the company. The product will be used across different sectors such as packaging, fibres and consumer applications, it added. The company is jointly owned by US-based Cargill and Thailand-based PTT Global Chemical. Natureworks also operates a 150,000 t/yr plant in Blair, Nebraska, in the US. With both sites, Natureworks is now the first company to have more than one PLA production facility globally, it said. By George Barsted Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Divisions deepen over carbon pricing ahead of IMO talks
Divisions deepen over carbon pricing ahead of IMO talks
Dubai, 27 April (Argus) — Shipping industry groups and governments enter a critical round of talks at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) this week facing deepening divisions over how to cut emissions, with no clear consensus on the design or cost of decarbonisation. The 84th meeting of the IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), being held in London, follows a previous meeting in October that ended without agreement on a global emissions framework. IMO secretary=general Arsenio Dominguez later described the outcome as a "small setback", while stressing that the sector's decarbonisation efforts remain on track. At the centre of the dispute is the proposed net-zero framework (NZF), which includes a carbon pricing mechanism intended to accelerate the shift to low-emission fuels. Supporters see the framework as a necessary investment signal, while critics warn it would impose costs the sector is not yet equipped to absorb. A coalition spanning shipowners, shipping companies and ship registries — including Liberia, Panama and the Marshall Islands, which together account for a large share of the global fleet — has called for alternative approaches to be considered. The group has warned that support for the NZF "in its current form" has eroded. It is pushing for a more flexible, technology-neutral framework that would allow continued use of transitional fuels such as LNG and biofuels, while avoiding penalty-based mechanisms that could raise costs for operators and consumers. In contrast, a separate coalition of ports, logistics firms and clean fuel developers has urged governments to adopt the NZF, arguing that further delays would undermine investment in alternative fuels and slow the energy transition. The divergence highlights a deeper split within the shipping ecosystem. Shipowners and flag states are prioritising cost, fuel availability and operational feasibility at a time of heightened disruption in energy markets caused by the Iran war, while fuel suppliers and infrastructure developers are seeking regulatory certainty to underpin long-term investments. EU countries are expected to continue backing a carbon levy. The US has opposed such measures, which contributed to the postponement of a decision at last year's IMO meeting. Dominguez has also pointed to the current geopolitical environment — including disruptions to energy markets and shipping routes — as reinforcing the need to balance energy security, affordability and sustainability, a dynamic increasingly shaping the sector's approach to decarbonisation. Industry sources aligned with developing countries within the IMO told Argus that proposals based on carbon pricing or penalty mechanisms risk distorting trade flows and placing a disproportionate burden on emerging economies. They instead favour a more "pragmatic" and technology-neutral approach that reflects differing levels of fuel availability, infrastructure and economic capacity. The sources added that support from major flag states is procedurally significant, noting that backing from countries representing a large share of the global fleet will be critical to reaching any agreement. The result is a negotiation that is as much about cost allocation and regulatory design as it is about climate ambition. With no final decision expected at this week's meeting, discussions are likely to extend through the year, leaving shipowners, fuel producers and investors facing continued uncertainty over the future regulatory framework. Shipping accounts for around 3pc of global emissions and carries roughly 80pc of world trade, underscoring the importance of the IMO process for global energy markets and supply chains. By Bachar Halabi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Costly fertiliser could weigh on Polish power use
Costly fertiliser could weigh on Polish power use
London, 23 April (Argus) — The higher cost of natural gas due to the US-Iran war could limit production of fertilisers and chemicals in Poland, weighing on the industry's power consumption. Polish chemicals company Grupa Azoty — which has a 48pc share of the Polish fertiliser market — is still running at capacity, unlike during the energy crisis of 2022, the firm told Argus . But high gas prices could eventually weigh on production. Chemical industry power use Poland's chemical industry — covering fertilisers, oil products, petrochemicals and other products — consumed 7.3TWh of electricity in 2024, accounting for 4.42pc of Polish demand, according to the latest data from Statistics Poland. Consumption rose by 2pc/yr in 2014-21, reaching 8.27TWh in 2021. But production dropped in 2022, when the energy crisis hit, falling by 5pc and then by a further 13pc in 2023. And while consumption increased in 2024, it only recovered to 2016 levels. The increase in oil and gas prices because of the Middle East conflict since late February has pushed up producers' fuel and raw material costs. Energy can account for 50–80pc of chemical sector production costs, according to industry chamber PIPC. Nitrogenous fertilisers — which made up 75pc of Polish fertiliser production in 2021-25 — use gas as a feedstock and a fuel. The TTF everyday price has risen by 37pc since the start of the conflict and was 23pc up on the year in March. And the price of German CAN fertiliser — indicative of nitrogenous fertiliser prices in the region — has risen by €95/t to €437.50/t since 26 February . Continued disruption could curb demand if farmers use less fertiliser on crops in the face of rising costs, Grupa Azoty said. In 2022, Polish fertiliser output fell because of surging energy prices. Nitrogenous fertiliser production fell by 17pc in 2022 and by 15pc in 2023. But Polish producers might now be in a stronger position, as they face less competition from imports made with cheaper gas owing to new EU tariffs. And since the start of 2026, the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism adds a carbon charge to imports of fertilisers. Poland's fertiliser output was up by 2pc on the year to 411,000t in January-February, although output is still lower than pre-2022 levels. March figures have yet to be released. Little change in production methods Electricity demand in energy-intensive sectors, such as the manufacture of fertilisers and basic chemicals, is "expected to increase" in the longer term, driven by electrification and hydrogen production, PIPC told Argus, although it noted that Poland is constrained by a lack of "affordable renewable electricity and supporting infrastructure". So far, Grupa Azoty says there have have been no changes to production that would "materially" increase its electricity consumption. For now, it is focusing on efficiency improvements that could reduce gas use. Grupa Azoty is "analysing" the viability of partial electrification and adoption of low-emission and green ammonia in operations, but stressed that changes are contingent on "competitively priced" renewable energy. Wind and solar accounted for a combined 27pc of Polish generation last year. But 68pc was from gas, coal or lignite. Outlook for hydrogen in Polish fertilisers Hydrogen — a key component in ammonia — can be produced from natural gas or by electrolysis. Producing ammonia with hydrogen from electrolysis increases power input requirements to 9–12MWh per tonne, compared with roughly 1MWh needed for natural gas-based hydrogen, according to IEA estimates. Poland aims to build 2GW of electrolysis capacity by 2030. But none of Poland's industrial sectors has adopted electrolysis at scale yet, the climate and environment ministry has told Argus . Electrolysis capacity currently stands at 7.5MW. National development bank BGK agreed subsidies in October for five projects with a combined electrolysis capacity of 343MW. But no renewable hydrogen project has reached a final investment decision in Poland to date. Renewable power supply, grid infrastructure and storage capacity might not be sufficient to meet existing targets, PIPC told Argus . And the higher cost of renewable hydrogen relative to fossil-based hydrogen could further "weaken the competitiveness" of Poland's chemical industry. By Jessamy Guest Chemical power, gas use TWh (power LHS, gas RHS) Power consumption, fertiliser output TWh, mn t Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
BioBTX picks BlueAlp as pyrolysis partner
BioBTX picks BlueAlp as pyrolysis partner
London, 22 April (Argus) — Dutch pyrolysis technology provider BlueAlp will provide a pyrolysis unit to serve as part of BioBTX's planned facility at Delfzijl in the Netherlands, which is intended to produce aromatic petrochemical intermediates from non-fossil feedstock. An investment decision has been taken on the pyrolysis unit, which is under construction, and is expected to be transported and integrated into the Delfzijl site from December this year, BlueAlp chief executive Valentijn De Neve told Argus . Start-up is planned for 2028. The unit will have an input capacity of around 20,000 t/yr. The primary feedstock will be plastic waste, which will be pyrolysed in the BlueAlp unit. The output from the pyrolysis unit will then be fed into a catalytic unit developed by BioBTX to be converted into a benzene, toluene and xylene (BTX) mixture. This mixture contains "key chemical building blocks used in industries such as automotive and advanced materials", the companies said. The use of BioBTX's technology to produce aromatics, bypassing the steam cracker step of the petrochemical chain, may allow increased flexibility to pyrolyse organic biomass feedstocks, De Neve said, although plastic waste will be the main feedstock used. Organic feedstocks are typically avoided by pyrolysis producers, because they lead to more oxygenates and nitrogenates in the pyrolysis oil that are undesirable in material destined for further processing in steam crackers, he said. The main focus of pyrolysis chemical recycling industry has been on supplying circular plastics for packaging, particularly polyolefins. But there are specific "niches" of demand for circular aromatics, particularly xylene and toluene, De Neve said. He attributed this partly to the EU's End-of-life Vehicles Regulation (ELVR), which will mandate recycled content in automotive plastics from six years after its expected official adoption this year, as well as voluntary commitments from other industries, including pharmaceuticals. The BioBTX approach is a "low-capex, low-energy" way of producing circular aromatics, as it avoids the need for cooling and reheating of pyrolysis oil, De Neve said. And, as an on-purpose route, it has a higher yield of circular aromatics than processing pyrolysis oil through a steam cracker. The pyrolysis technology for Delfzijl matches that which BlueAlp licensed to Italian waste management company Recupero Etico Sostenibile, which is being installed at the firm's site in Pettoranello del Molise, Italy. Construction of the plant is progressing, with start-up expected by the end of this year, De Neve said. By Will Collins Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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