Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) market in the US extended a firm stance through March as end-market demand outpaced merchant volumes. Early month rally driven by antiviral drug production and sanitizers, with momentum expanding into personal care and semiconductor cleaning. By late March, distributors and healthcare buyers intensified restocking amid a seasonal flu uptick, tightening spot availability and lengthening lead times. The overall tone remained firm, underpinned by healthy manufacturing activity and persistent sanitizer demand that kept merchant offers thin toward month-end. Demand was broad-based across sectors, with pharmaceutical consumption rising notably and personal-care sanitizer formulations and semiconductor cleaning showing meaningful gains, while industrial cleaning also supported offtake. The market’s March assessment pointed to continued firmness, supported by aggressive distributor buying and increased hospital and retail procurement, despite stable feedstock costs and limited domestic restarts. New regional capacity in Mexico and Brazil entered the market but remained insufficient to offset U.S. demand. Looking ahead, upside remains, contingent on freight flows and supply.
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.
