ExxonMobil has postponed two chemical waste treatment projects in Europe

ExxonMobil, opens new tab is pausing 100 million euros ($118.4 million) of investment in European plastic recycling because of draft EU rules that determine the recycled content in a final product. as per Reuters.

The U.S. energy producer has two projects for chemical recycling at existing plants in Rotterdam and Antwerp to process 80,000 metric tons of plastic waste per year.

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However, Senior Vice President Jack Williams told Reuters in an interview the two projects had now been paused because of the draft EU rules he said discriminated against using existing petrochemicals sites versus standalone facilities.

"Everything else is on track. We've had local support," he said. "We want to make these investments... The only thing standing between us and doing this project is EU policy."
At issue is a draft law to calculate the recycled content based on the mass of waste going into the system and the mass of the output.

ExxonMobil says it significantly favours standalone technologies where the path from plastic waste to output is clearer and penalises more complex integrated facilities into which fossil feedstocks are fed.

Williams said that, based on the draft law, its facilities would get less than half of the credits due.

The draft has been the subject of a public consultation that ended a month ago. Industry groups and companies, including Finland's Neste, share Exxon's view.

The EU has targets to increase plastic recycling rates, such as 30% recycled content in plastic bottles by 2030.
The industry says it needs to combine mechanical recycling that reprocesses waste without changing its chemical structure and chemical recycling, which can process more complex plastics by breaking them down into basic chemicals.

Williams also said that although U.S. import tariffs were not a significant problem for the company, EU regulation was.

He specifically urged the EU to repeal the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) that requires larger companies to check if their supply chains use forced labour or cause environmental damage. Williams said it was complex, bureaucratic, costly, in some cases unachievable and applied beyond the EU. The EU has already eased the rules and delayed its implementation.

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LBB Specialties (LBBS; Norwalk, Connecticut), a specialty chemicals and ingredient distribution company, has announced a partnership with Imerys SA (Paris) to make LBBS the preferred distributor for the Imerys ImerCare product line in personal care and minerals serving the food and nutrition markets across the US and Canada, as per Chemweek.

LBBS will support customers in the personal care, life sciences, and food and nutrition markets with mineral solutions tailored to customers’ unique formulation needs. This partnership enhances LBBS’ portfolio, expanding access to innovative, sustainability-driven mineral technologies, the company said.

“LBBS’ market knowledge, technical expertise and strong customer relationships make them an ideal partner to help us expand our reach and deliver innovative mineral solutions for key segments across North America,” Matthew Centa, Imerys vice president of filtration, ceramics and life sciences, said.

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On Wednesday, propylene prices fell in China while remaining stable in Korea, as per Polymerupdate.

CFR China propylene prices on Wednesday were assessed at the USD 795-805/mt levels, a day on day drop of USD (-5/mt). An industry source in Asia informed a Polymerupdate team member, "Price quoted lower on the back of bearish regional buying sentiments."

Meanwhile, FOB Korea propylene prices on Wednesday were assessed at the USD 765-775/mt levels, rolled over from Tuesday.

In plant news, Hebei Haiwei Group has restarted its propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant around September 15, 2025, following a shutdown for maintenance at the end of August 2025. However, no official confirmation has been obtained. Located in Hebei, China, the plant has a propylene production capacity of 500,000 mt/year.

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Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co., Inc. has announced that its affiliate, MGC Specialty Chemicals Netherlands BV (Botlek Rotterdam, Netherlands), will temporarily suspend construction of its meta-xylenediamine (MXDA) production facility at Rotterdam, as per Chemweek.

This decision comes in response to significant construction delays, rising costs and shifts in the market environment. The facility was supposed to support growing demand in the epoxy, polyamide and isocyanate sectors, with a targeted production capacity of 25,000 metric tons per year.

The MXDA production facility was intended to establish a new production site in Europe, the largest market for MXDA, with plans to commence operations by July 2024. However, the project faced several hurdles, including a change in one of the contractors mid-construction, which contributed to delays. Additionally, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict led to substantial increases in construction and labor costs, said the company.

Given these challenges, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical expressed concerns that the commercial feasibility of the project may deteriorate from its initial projections. As a result, the company decided to halt construction work temporarily to conduct a thorough review of the business plan and assess the future of the project.

The company is evaluating the impact of this suspension on its consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026. It has committed to providing timely updates if any significant developments arise that require disclosure.

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NewMarket Corp. (Richmond, Virginia) is acquiring Calca Solutions LLC (Lake Charles, Louisiana), a producer of hydrazine and derivatives, from AE Industrial Partners LP (Boca Raton, Florida), as per Chemweek.

NewMarket expects to close the deal, which entails the purchase of Calca’s parent Mars TopCo LLC, by the end of this year. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Calca is “the leading US manufacturer of ultrapure and high-purity hydrazine,” NewMarket said in a Sept. 17 press release. The company has been supplying high-purity hydrazine, which is used for the propulsion of satellites and other space vehicles, to the US Department of Defense for over 70 years. Hydrazine and its derivatives are also used in the manufacture of agricultural, pharmaceutical, water treatment and industrial products.

“Calca is our second recent acquisition in the defense and aerospace industries, and we intend to use our technological capability, financial strength, and ultra long-term investment horizon to be the right long-term partner for our defense, aerospace, and all other customers,” said Thomas E. Gottwald, NewMarket’s chairman and CEO.

NewMarket acquired American Pacific Corp. (Ampac; Cedar City, Utah), a producer of the rocket fuel ammonium perchlorate, for approximately USD700 million in 2024. In April 2025, Ampac announced plans for a USD100 million ammonium perchlorate expansion.

AE Industrial Partners acquired Calca from Arxada, a spin-off from Lonza, in 2024.

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