BASF converts European amines portfolio to renewable electricity

BASF SE said its intermediates division is converting its entire European amines portfolio to renewable electricity. The transition starts in May and will apply to all amines produced at the company’s production sites at Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Antwerp, Belgium, the company said.

BASF’s intermediates division is one of the world’s largest amines producers, the company said, adding that the conversion to renewable electricity of the European production will result in the annual reduction of about 188,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalents as of 2025 compared with 2020.

This corresponds to an average product carbon footprint (PCF) reduction of about 8% across the entire amines portfolio, BASF said. This is an important milestone in the intermediates division’s efforts to contribute to BASF’s sustainability goal to cut Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 25% by 2030 versus 2018, it said.

In addition, the PCF reduction will support customers’ Scope 3 targets, the company said. “The switch to the new standard portfolio using renewable electricity will be seamless, without requiring product recertification or changes to the order process,” it added.

BASF said the shift to renewable electricity for the entire European amines portfolio marks a further step within a broader initiative to incorporate more sustainable practices across its global intermediates portfolio in the years to come.

“The option of using low-emission steam and procuring of key raw materials with a reduced PCF, such as methanol or ammonia, are constantly being evaluated based on customer feedback,” the company said.

BASF supports this ambition through ongoing investment in new processes and technologies, such as heat pumps as well as by its renewable carbon unit, which is dedicated to optimizing renewable feedstock sourcing, it said.

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Celanese Corp. (Dallas, Texas) plans to divest its Micromax electronic inks and pastes business, the company said on May 5. Celanese expects the business to generate over $300 million in revenue this year, as per Chemweek.

“Our primary focus continues to be aggressively and prudently deleveraging our balance sheet, and this strategy includes regularly reviewing our assets,” said Scott Richardson, Celanese’s president and CEO.

Celanese is pursuing multiple divestiture opportunities targeting a total of about $1.0 billion over the next 2.5 years, according to Chuck Kyrish, senior vice president and CFO.

Celanese, which released its first quarter results on May 5, is holding its earnings call on May 6.

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Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. (CPChem; The Woodlands, Texas) has sold its affiliate Chevron Phillips Singapore Chemicals (CPSC) to Aster Chemicals and Energy Pte. Ltd. (Singapore) through its affiliate PT Chandra Asri Pacific Tbk (Jakarta), as per Chemweek.

Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions. Aster is a joint venture company between Chandra Asri and Glencore PLC (Baar, Switzerland).

CPSC operates a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) manufacturing facility on Jurong Island with an annual production capacity of 400,000 metric tons per year. CPSC is a JV between CPChem, EDB Investments Pte. Ltd. and Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.

CPChem said its Asia headquarters, responsible for the sales and marketing of products throughout the region, will remain in Singapore.

Aster has a fully integrated refinery capacity of 237,000 b/d alongside a 1.1 million metric ton ethylene cracker on Bukom Island and downstream chemical assets on Jurong Island.

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Avient Corporation reported a first-quarter net loss of $20.2 million, compared with net income of $49.4 million in the year-ago quarter, on net sales down 0.2% year over year, to $826.6 million, as per Chemweek.

The loss was due mainly to an impairment charge related to the cancelled implementation of a software system. Excluding this, adjusted earnings totaled 76 cents/share, up 4% and matching analysts’ consensus estimate, as reported by S&P Capital IQ.

The company reaffirmed its full-year and second-quarter adjusted earnings guidance, of $2.70/share-$2.94/share and 79 cents/share, respectively. “Looking ahead to the second quarter, we expect continued volatility in demand as consumers and businesses assess the changing economic landscape,” said Avient senior vice president and CFO Jamie Beggs. “While we anticipate weakness in consumer and transportation end markets, we see opportunities for growth in our largest end market, packaging.”

For the full-year, the outlook “is less certain and highly dependent on global economic growth, which is currently hard to predict,” Beggs added. Current performance is in-line with Avient’s expectations, she added.

”The evolving trade policy has led to uncertainty impacting demand in certain markets and geographies, particularly in the US,” noted Avient president and CEO Ashish Khandpur.

Colors, additives and inks segment sales increased 0.9% year over year, to $519.7 million, while segment operating income was up 5.1%, to $78.6 million. Specialty engineered materials segment sales were down 1.9%, to $308.4 million, while segment operating income declined 11.8%, to $47.1 million.

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The Mosaic Company (Tampa, FL) reported first quarter net income of $238 million, 428.9% higher year over year, as per Chemweek.

The 2025 quarter includes positive after-tax impact of notable items totaling $82 million, partially offset by the mark-to-market unrealized loss on the value of Ma’aden shares in the quarter. Adjusted EBITDA in the first quarter of 2025 was $544 million, down from $576 million in the first quarter of 2024, primarily driven by lower potash prices and phosphate sales volumes, partially offset by higher phosphate stripping margins and lower production unit costs in Mosaic Fertilizantes.

Adjusted earnings per share of $0.49 was 24.6% lower year over year but beat the analysts’ consensus estimate by 8.9%, as reported by S&P Capital IQ. Net sales declined 3.7% year over year, to $2.7 billion.

The company expects sales volumes to be about 30% higher in the second quarter, which is typically seasonally stronger than the first. Normalizing distribution margin, elevated stripping margin, and cost reduction initiatives are expected to “significantly” increase second quarter EBITDA. With expanding market access in Brazil, Mosaic expects Mosaic Fertilizantes sales volumes to grow approximately 15%. Mosaic also raised its 2025 potash production volume outlook.

Potash operating earnings declined 20% year over year, to $157 million. The Potash segment reported net sales of $570 million in the first quarter of 2025, down from $643 million in the same quarter of the prior year, driven primarily by lower selling prices which continued to recover from low levels in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Phosphate operating earnings increased 347%, to $139 million. Net sales in the Phosphate segment decreased slightly to $1.1 billion in the first quarter of 2025, from $1.2 billion in the first quarter of 2024, as lower sales volumes were nearly offset by higher prices.

Mosaic Fertilizantes operating earnings grew 133% year over year, to $98 million. The segment reported net sales of $934 million in the first quarter of 2025, up from $886 million in the first quarter of 2024, reflecting higher sales volumes.

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