Indian benzaldehyde prices advanced sharply in March as tight Chinese export flows met demand and higher logistics costs. March saw Shanghai-JNPT container traffic subdued; mid-month the lane rose as spring maintenance in Jiangsu curtailed outbound volumes. Buyers across fragrances, agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals front-loaded purchases to the fiscal-year close, accepting higher landed offers. The confluence of constrained exports, elevated logistics and resilient downstream demand underpinned a solid monthly gain. Downstream activity was robust: flavor-and-fragrance formulators increased output, while agrochemical buyers replenished pipelines ahead of the kharif season. Flavour-and-fragrance volumes rose year-on-year and pesticide technical production also advanced, underscoring active buying. On the supply side, bottlenecks and higher conversion costs persisted amid maintenance and rising chlorine costs. Geopolitical risk to refinery streams added tension to feedstock sourcing, as logistics kept landed costs elevated. Outlook calls for continued gains into spring, with Apr up about 11%, May around 8%, Jun around 4%, Jul around 3%, easing in Aug and Sep (down 2% and 1%).
Selenis has effectively manufactured recycled PET chips using terephthalic acid sourced from Circ®, a textile-to-textile recycler based in Virginia. The chip production took place through a series of batches at Selenis' pilot plant in San-Giorgio, Italy. By utilizing inputs recovered from polycotton textile waste, Selenis has created high-quality PET chip, which has been further processed into DTY yarn. This yarn will play a crucial role in product development as Circ prepares for additional capsule launches. Selenis is leveraging the success of this initial collaboration phase and is committed to advancing towards an offtake partnership to support Circ's inaugural industrial facility.
Eduardo Santos, Head of Corporate Strategy at Selenis, remarked that the monomer synthesis showed a performance comparable to virgin terephthalic acid. He expressed optimism about the consistent quality of Circ's monomer output and anticipated future commercial success. Santos pointed out that the Circ partnership complements Selenis's existing mission and goals for a more sustainable textile industry. He further stated their anticipation of expanding upon this collaboration and providing support for Circ's forthcoming commercial production trials.
