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Latest market news

Borealis acquires 10pc stake in recycler Renasci

  • Market: Petrochemicals
  • 01/07/21

Austria-based petrochemicals producer Borealis has acquired a 10pc stake in Belgium-based recycler Renasci.

Renasci has its plant in Oostende, Belgium, where it sorts mixed-waste feedstocks and then recycles plastic wastes, mechanically at first with the remnants then being chemically recycled to produce circular pyrolysis oil.

Borealis said that it plans to procure mechanically recycled polymers from Rensaci in the future, and to collaborate with Rensaci on developing new recycling facilities. No details on volumes nor timeline were disclosed.

Borealis' plans to supply 350,000t of recycled polymers by 2025. In June, it signed an agreement to offtake the entire annual renewable feedstock production of Renasci, totalling 20,000 t/yr.

Borealis will process the bio-feedstock supplied by Renasci at its Porvoo cracker in Finland, to produce its circular polymers range that it markets as Borcycle C.

In April, US-based packaging company Berry Global Group signed an agreement to offtake Borealis' first circular polypropylene produced using exclusively chemically-recycled resins.

Sam Hashmi

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30/04/26

UAE's Borouge starts up Al Ruwais polymers project

UAE's Borouge starts up Al Ruwais polymers project

Singapore, 30 April (Argus) — UAE-based Borouge has started polymer production at its 1.4mn t/yr Borouge 4 megaproject in Abu Dhabi's Al Ruwais Industrial city from early April. The XLPE 2 unit, which produces cross-linked polyethylene, was the first to start production, the company said today in a filing to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange. Output at Borouge 4 will be ramped up through 2026 as the remaining units are commissioned. Once fully online, Borouge 4 is expected to lift the company's total polymers capacity by 28pc to 6.4mn t/yr, making the Al Ruwais complex one of the world's largest single-site polyolefins facilities. Output from the project will primarily target India and China — Asia's largest petrochemical markets. The start-up comes as Borouge works to normalise operations after halting production at some units following damage caused by falling debris from drone attacks. The initial repairs have been completed on affected lines and, following a phased restart, most units are now online, with utilisation increasing. The company's sales volumes over January-March fell by 13pc year on year, partly due to the closure of the strait of Hormuz, Borouge said. It was able to export 61pc of its March production volumes via alternative routes, it added. By Sourasis Bose Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Natureworks opens 75,000 t/yr PLA site in Thailand

30/04/26
News
30/04/26

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.

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Divisions deepen over carbon pricing ahead of IMO talks

27/04/26
News
27/04/26

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.

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BioBTX picks BlueAlp as pyrolysis partner

22/04/26
News
22/04/26

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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US PVC sales rise to record in March: ACC

15/04/26
News
15/04/26

US PVC sales rise to record in March: ACC

Houston, 15 April (Argus) — US polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sales volumes climbed to an all-time high in March as surging export demand following the outbreak of war in the Middle East outweighed lower domestic demand. US PVC sales rose to 1.53bn lbs in March, up by 1.1pc from March 2025 and up by 17pc from February this year, according to American Chemistry Council (ACC) data compiled by Vault Consulting. This was the highest monthly sales volumes in ACC data stretching back to early 2013. US producers exported 553.93mn lbs of PVC in March, up by 7.3pc from a year earlier and up by 20pc from February. Global demand has surged after producers in Asia experienced war-related supply chain disruptions that also pushed US PVC export prices to three-year highs. Domestic PVC sales volumes fell by 3.2pc from March last year to 971.9mn lbs. US PVC producers ran plants at 81.4pc of capacity in March, up from 76.8 in March 2025 but down from 87.8pc in February, with ACC production estimates for March falling by 1.3pc year-over-year to 1.31bn lbs. Utilization has been on average higher this year after Westlake closed its 450,000 metric tonnes (t)/yr (992mn lbs) PVC plant in Aberdeen, Mississippi, at the end of 2025. Shintech's 1.44mn t/yr (3.17bn lbs/yr) Freeport, Texas, plant and Formosa's 653,000 t/yr (1.43bn lbs/yr) Baton Rouge, Louisiana plant were both undergoing turnarounds in March. Other scheduled plant turnarounds in March were delayed after the start of the war. By Gordon Pollock Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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