Asia
28 October 2026
Written by Natalie Noor-Drugan
JFE Steel, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical and Mitsubishi Chemical have begun a demonstration project in Japan that converts steelmaking by-product gas into methanol and then propylene.
The three-company supply chain started operating in September 2026 at the Mizushima industrial complex in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture. Announced on 22 October, the start-up follows a demonstration plan outlined in March 2025.
A 32,000 t sulphuric acid cargo from China arrived in Mejillones, Chile at the end of September, marking the first shipment since China’s export ban took effect in May.
The continuing conflict in the Middle East is leading to heightened concerns of food shortages on the back of a sharp reduction in fertilizer shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, with poorer countries that struggle to diversify supplies most exposed to the risk.
INPEX Corp says that it has begun ammonia production at its demonstration project in Kashiwazaki City, Niigata, and has also begun supplying the ammonia to Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. (MGC).
The Board of Directors (BoD) of Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd (GSFC) approved the construction of a 600 t/d phosphoric acid plant and a 1,800 t/d sulphuric acid plant at the company's Sikka unit in Jamnagar, Gujarat, India,