Chemicals News Today

Toluene prices in India increased due to short-term port tightness, while China saw marginal gains driven by steady demand and stable refinery output. Crude oil weakened globally, affecting sentiment across aromatics. Despite softer crude cues, local shortages will support Indian prices in the near term, keeping the overall outlook stable to slightly soft.

China experiences multiple petrochemical shutdowns for maintenance. Sinochem's PX plant (800,000 t/y), Celanese's VAM plant (300,000 t/y), and Sinopec's BD units (150,000 t/y) are offline, impacting production.

Marjan and Sabalan Petrochemical plants in Iran, each with 1.65 million tons/year methanol capacity, have shut down due to gas shortages. Sabalan's shutdown occurred in late November 2025.

Lotte Chemical and HD Hyundai plan to merge Daesan naphtha crackers (1.1 MMt/y and 850,000 MMt/y) under a restructuring plan. This aims to rationalize ethylene capacity and reduce total capacity by 2.7-3.7 MMt/y in South Korea.

TotalEnergies maintains Antwerp toluene production due to persistent 2026 supply concerns. Buyers anticipate limited imports from China and Israel next year, despite weak demand, highlighting future supply worries.

RIL has announced Price Protection on PE effective from 26th November 2025, valid until 3rd December 2025 (06:00 hrs on 4th December). Additionally, the company has introduced an incentive scheme for HD/LL grades for November 2025, offering: X: ₹2,000/MT Y: ₹2,500/MT Meanwhile, RIL has rolled over PVC prices, with no change announced effective 27th November 2025.

Asian Paints' UAE arm invests Rs. 340 crore for a second 55,800 KL paint facility. Rossari Biotech's subsidiary secured 12,608 sq. mt. land in Gujarat for industrial chemicals expansion, effective Nov 2025.

Asia's naphtha market weakened for a second consecutive session after two South Korean producers announced restructuring plans, traders said.

IIT Guwahati researchers developed an advanced epoxy coating combining reduced graphene oxide, zinc oxide, and polyaniline. This novel nanocomposite offers enhanced corrosion resistance for steel in harsh marine environments, improving the longevity of critical infrastructure.

GNFC approved a ₹450 crore AN Melt-II project, adding 163,000 MTPA capacity, a 94% expansion. Total capacity will reach 338,000 MTPA by July 2027, boosting explosives supply for mining and infrastructure.