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Supply deficit pushes up zircon prices
F O C US companies have been promoting the use of silica/silane systems since the early 1990s. It is now fairly well accepted that “green tyres” offer numerous benefits. They offer better traction, which reduces stopping distances on wet and icy surfaces by 15%. Overall winter driving performance is improved by 10-15%. Tyre-rolling resistance is reduced by up to 20% compared to an equivalent standard tyre and as a result vehicle fuel consumption can be cut by as much as 5%. They also help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. However, the higher manufacturing cost of using silane coupling agents to produce silica-reinforced treads meant consumers were being asked to pay higher prices for “green tyres” and this hindered widespread acceptance. Researchers at Barry have developed a “phase-transfer catalysis” (PTC) method, which accelerates the reaction time needed for making silanes, thus reducing both manufacturing costs and the amount of materials needed. In addition, the improved PTC technology requires no salt filtration, hazardous solvents, or solvent recovery – moving the “green” philosophy down the supply chain. Reg Adams 1)
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Akzo Nobel News and Views (Available from: Akzo Nobel, PO Box 9300, 6800 SB Arnhem, Netherlands) (1 Sep 2004) New Scientist – UK Edition, 11 Sep 2004, 183 (2464), 20 Press release from Dow Corning, Website: http://www.dowcorning.com (24 Mar 2004)
MARKETS Antimony trioxide prices raised again GLCC Laurel LLC will increase the price for all grades of antimony trioxide by $0.25 per pound in the Americas and by $550 per tonne in Europe and the Asia/Pacific region, where contracts allow, for shipments after 1 September 2004. The price for other antimony derivatives will also increase, dependent upon antimony content. The new pricing for antimony trioxide reflects recent major increases in the London Metal Bulletin value for antimony metal and its impact on the cost of finished antimony derivatives. Further
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tightening of raw material supply and, therefore, additional price increases are anticipated through the balance of 2004. Additionally, the company announced that it reserves the right to adjust prices weekly if expected increases in the London Metal Bulletin price for antimony metal materialise. Press release from: GLCC Laurel LLC, USA, Website: http://www.greatlakeschem.com (19 Aug 2004)
Supply deficit pushes up zircon prices The deficit in zircon supply is forecast to reach over 100,000 tonnes in 2005, according to Roskill Information Services Ltd. The shortfall is blamed on the production of mineral sands, where zircon is being extracted as coproduct or by- product of titanium minerals. The global consumption of zircon was pegged at around 1.0 M tonnes in 2003, excluding the former Soviet Union. Of the figure, 35% is accounted for by Europe, which has been a major consumer of zircon due to huge ceramic industries in Turkey, Italy and Spain. China is expected to compete with Europe in terms of future consumption of the product. China posted a rise of more than 20% in the production of tiles in 2003. Chinese demand is certainly helping aggravate a tight zircon market, with recent Australian shipments to Japan showing spot zircon prices have climbed above $600. Bulk zircon shipments from Australia still fall in the $450-500 fob range, but reports indicate an increasing number of one-off shipments as producers reduce allocations of contract clients to increase volume for their spot basis transactions. Opacifier prices are expected to benefit from the spike, with analysts saying that a $10 hike in zircon would result in a $25 increase in opacifier prices. Fused zirconia refractory abrasive product rose from $2600-2725/tonne to $26152800/tonne, while ceramic pigment grade rose from $2725-340 to $27653500/tonne. Asian Ceramics, Jul/Aug 2004, 7 & Industrial Minerals, Aug 2004, (443), 12
South Korea levies anti-dumping duties on Chinese anatase TiO2 The Korean Trade Commission (KTC) has asked the country’s Finance
Ministry to impose preliminary antidumping duties on imports of anatase titanium dioxide from China. The duties range from 4.98% to 23.08%, and will be applied until the end of November 2004. In the meantime, KTC will investigate whether it needs to make the duties permanent. The announcement follows a complaint last March filed by Cosmos Chemicals, a local supplier of anatase TiO2. During full-year 2003, imports accounted for almost 42% of South Korea’s anatase TiO2 market, worth Won 26.2 bn/y ($23 M) in total. Chemical Week, 8 Sep 2004, 166 (29)
Indian Government urged to cut excise duty on dyes The Marwar Chamber of Commerce & Industry has urged the Government of India to reduce the central excise duty on dyestuffs from the current level of 16% to 4% as soon as practicable. The Chamber said that such a reduction would check the emerging grey market for the supply of dyestuffs to the textile processors, and it would also enable the Indian textile industry to compete against cheap imports. Total Indian demand for textile processing dyes is estimated at about 80,000 tonnes/y. Chemical Weekly, 7 Sep 2004, 50 (3), 115
China’s carbon black output approaching 1.4 M tonnes/y China’s output of carbon black in 2003 reached 1.0181 M tonnes, up 23.2% on 2002. Total output by the 29 major producers was 648,000 tonnes, up 47.9% on 2002, with sales growth of 49.6%. The carbon black market is growing rapidly in response to the growth in the automobile market in China. China’s carbon black capacity increased by about 385,000 tonnes in 2003. During 2004, five producers with a total capacity of 115,000 tonnes/y came onstream. In 2003 there were 60 new wet-process granulation production lines with a capacity of 1.083 M tonnes/y, accounting for 60% of the total. Shahe Caron Black raised capacity by 20,000 tonnes/y during 2003. In 4Q 2003, the 50,000 tonnes/y carbon black plant at Shanghai Cabot Co Ltd
SEPTEMBER 2004
2) 3)
Akzo Nobel News and Views (Available from: Akzo Nobel, PO Box 9300, 6800 SB Arnhem, Netherlands) (1 Sep 2004) New Scientist – UK Edition, 11 Sep 2004, 183 (2464), 20 Press release from Dow Corning, Website: http://www.dowcorning.com (24 Mar 2004)
MARKETS Antimony trioxide prices raised again GLCC Laurel LLC will increase the price for all grades of antimony trioxide by $0.25 per pound in the Americas and by $550 per tonne in Europe and the Asia/Pacific region, where contracts allow, for shipments after 1 September 2004. The price for other antimony derivatives will also increase, dependent upon antimony content. The new pricing for antimony trioxide reflects recent major increases in the London Metal Bulletin value for antimony metal and its impact on the cost of finished antimony derivatives. Further
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PIGMENTS
tightening of raw material supply and, therefore, additional price increases are anticipated through the balance of 2004. Additionally, the company announced that it reserves the right to adjust prices weekly if expected increases in the London Metal Bulletin price for antimony metal materialise. Press release from: GLCC Laurel LLC, USA, Website: http://www.greatlakeschem.com (19 Aug 2004)
Supply deficit pushes up zircon prices The deficit in zircon supply is forecast to reach over 100,000 tonnes in 2005, according to Roskill Information Services Ltd. The shortfall is blamed on the production of mineral sands, where zircon is being extracted as coproduct or by- product of titanium minerals. The global consumption of zircon was pegged at around 1.0 M tonnes in 2003, excluding the former Soviet Union. Of the figure, 35% is accounted for by Europe, which has been a major consumer of zircon due to huge ceramic industries in Turkey, Italy and Spain. China is expected to compete with Europe in terms of future consumption of the product. China posted a rise of more than 20% in the production of tiles in 2003. Chinese demand is certainly helping aggravate a tight zircon market, with recent Australian shipments to Japan showing spot zircon prices have climbed above $600. Bulk zircon shipments from Australia still fall in the $450-500 fob range, but reports indicate an increasing number of one-off shipments as producers reduce allocations of contract clients to increase volume for their spot basis transactions. Opacifier prices are expected to benefit from the spike, with analysts saying that a $10 hike in zircon would result in a $25 increase in opacifier prices. Fused zirconia refractory abrasive product rose from $2600-2725/tonne to $26152800/tonne, while ceramic pigment grade rose from $2725-340 to $27653500/tonne. Asian Ceramics, Jul/Aug 2004, 7 & Industrial Minerals, Aug 2004, (443), 12
South Korea levies anti-dumping duties on Chinese anatase TiO2 The Korean Trade Commission (KTC) has asked the country’s Finance
Ministry to impose preliminary antidumping duties on imports of anatase titanium dioxide from China. The duties range from 4.98% to 23.08%, and will be applied until the end of November 2004. In the meantime, KTC will investigate whether it needs to make the duties permanent. The announcement follows a complaint last March filed by Cosmos Chemicals, a local supplier of anatase TiO2. During full-year 2003, imports accounted for almost 42% of South Korea’s anatase TiO2 market, worth Won 26.2 bn/y ($23 M) in total. Chemical Week, 8 Sep 2004, 166 (29)
Indian Government urged to cut excise duty on dyes The Marwar Chamber of Commerce & Industry has urged the Government of India to reduce the central excise duty on dyestuffs from the current level of 16% to 4% as soon as practicable. The Chamber said that such a reduction would check the emerging grey market for the supply of dyestuffs to the textile processors, and it would also enable the Indian textile industry to compete against cheap imports. Total Indian demand for textile processing dyes is estimated at about 80,000 tonnes/y. Chemical Weekly, 7 Sep 2004, 50 (3), 115
China’s carbon black output approaching 1.4 M tonnes/y China’s output of carbon black in 2003 reached 1.0181 M tonnes, up 23.2% on 2002. Total output by the 29 major producers was 648,000 tonnes, up 47.9% on 2002, with sales growth of 49.6%. The carbon black market is growing rapidly in response to the growth in the automobile market in China. China’s carbon black capacity increased by about 385,000 tonnes in 2003. During 2004, five producers with a total capacity of 115,000 tonnes/y came onstream. In 2003 there were 60 new wet-process granulation production lines with a capacity of 1.083 M tonnes/y, accounting for 60% of the total. Shahe Caron Black raised capacity by 20,000 tonnes/y during 2003. In 4Q 2003, the 50,000 tonnes/y carbon black plant at Shanghai Cabot Co Ltd
SEPTEMBER 2004