Brazil Jan-Feb caustic soda consumption rises 0.3% year on year

15 March 2011 19:59  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS)--Brazil consumed 386,974 dry metric tons (dmt) of liquid caustic soda during the first two months of the year, up 0.3% from the 385,838 dmt consumed during the same period in 2010, the country’s association of chlor alkali industries, Abiclor, reported on Tuesday.

Brazil’s domestic production of liquid caustic soda for the months January and February was 196,806 dmt, 19.5% lower than the 244,537 dmt produced during the same period in 2010, Abiclor said.

Liquid caustic soda imports were 194,857 dmt for the first two months of the year, up 32.5% from 147,035 dmt imported in the same period in 2010. The US was Brazil’s principal source with 150,237 dmt exported there this year, corresponding to 77.1% share of imports into Brazil.

Brazil also exported 4,689 dmt during the first two months of the year.

Major markets consuming liquid caustic soda in Brazil were paper and cellulose with 46,142 dmt, chemical/petrochemical with 32,322 dmt and metallurgy with 25,579 dmt.

Demand for caustic soda in Brazil remained healthy in line with a robust economy and dynamic private and public construction, sources said. However, the power outage affecting large areas of Brazil in early February hurt production and drove the increase in imports.

Caustic soda producers in Brazil are Braskem, Carbocloro and Dow Brasil.

For more on caustic soda visit ICIS chemical intelligence

By: Ron Coifman
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