ICIS Blogs

Africa a green gold rush

The Big Biofuels Blog — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:41:13 GMT

Africa is becoming a the next battleground for biofuels, according to an article in Speigel on-line . The story was pointed out to me by David Benson, a regular commenter on the blog. To me it points out the need for informed free consent by the people...(read more)

What's it like to be a millionaire?

Asian Chemical Connections — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:40:42 GMT

....You might have to be to be able to afford this lot in a few years time (at least in some inflation-battered and collapsed local currency) Thanks to Mark Berggren of MMSA for pointing out this wonderful quote: "Foreign aid might be defined as...(read more)

Sinopec cuts back (a little) on petchems

Chemicals & The Economy — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:17:52 GMT

China's Sinopec has taken a lead in reviewing its petrochemical expansion plans. Speaking to employees last week , Wang Tianpu, CPC division President, noted that 'global crude prices may remain high and the petrochemical industry may become even...(read more)

Speed-dating for the chemical industry

ICIS Chemicals Confidential — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:31:33 GMT

Three weeks till EPCA in Monaco, and already everyone's agendas are full. From breakfast meetings with breakfast, pre-breakfast meetings, and standing breakfast meetings, each of the three core days is staked out with hourly or half-hourly meetings...(read more)

How to get rid of a computer

ICIS Chemicals Confidential — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:25:38 GMT

It's not often that I feel the need to smash something up with a hammer, but the old computer had been sitting unused for about two years, and it was time for it to go. Heeding all the scare stories about identity theft from unwiped hard drives, my...(read more)

Another major bailout

Chemicals & The Economy — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 09:46:46 GMT

The US government has finally decided to nationalise the two home loan giants, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Readers will remember I forecast this would be necessary a year ago, in a letter to the Financial Times . I argued then that 'a buyer of last...(read more)

'The price of all assets will go down'

Chemicals & The Economy — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 09:09:03 GMT

'Deleveraging' is an ugly word, and it has ugly implications. Bill Gross of Pimco, who manages the world's largest bond fund, has done us all a favour by trying to explain its impact, and why it is likely to continue for some time to come...(read more)

Singur saga spells trouble for India investments

India Chemicals Blog — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:54:39 GMT

I have yet to meet anyone who has not expressed disappointment at the drama unfolding outside Tata Motor's Nano plant site in Singur at West Bengal. They also concur that the episode will have serious implications for large investments in India. Violent...(read more)

Statistics, statistics

Chemicals & The Economy — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:13:33 GMT

The blog has worried in the past about the way that official statistics seem to be increasingly manipulated to provide a rosy view of the economy. Barrons, the leading US investment magazine, provides another example this week , in connection with the...(read more)

Sarah Palin gives Dow a plug

Asian Chemical Connections — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:34:21 GMT

Dow Chemical got a plug for one of their famous old products today - from none other than Sarah Palin. On the basis that no publicity is bad publicity, this could be a short in the arm for the beleaguered polystyrene industry. In a withering, brilliant...(read more)

BPA saga continues

Green Chemicals — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:54:10 GMT

Is bisphenol-A (BPA) in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resin safe for use or not? The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said there is no health risk associated with the chemical "although" further testing is required. The European Food...(read more)

How much stover to leave

The Big Biofuels Blog — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:46:15 GMT

Iowa Farmer Today (I should take out a subscription I'm quoting the publication so much at the moment) has a good piece looking at how much stover should be left on the fields after corn harvesting. Stover could be good source of cellulose for cellulosic...(read more)

How to grow more corn: Plant it closer together

The Big Biofuels Blog — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:34:54 GMT

You might have noticed that there are a couple of conversations chuntering on in earlier post s. Mostly these deal with the ability to plant enough corn to sustain the US ethanol business and keep people fed at a reasonable price. Here's breakthrough...(read more)

Indian Sugar cane to ethanol: a study

The Big Biofuels Blog — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:09:26 GMT

Thanks to Draka for this information on the state of ethanol production in India from Current Science . As Draka says, in a comment below, sugar cane takes a lot of water to grow. Read More......(read more)

Get off your backside!

Asian Chemical Connections — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:53:05 GMT

Click here for some positive thinking - Energy%20Carta%20Conference%20Executive%20Summary_general%20150808.pdf The Asian Energy Youth Summit - organised by the non-profit organisation Energy Carta - is an example of doing something about the climate-change...(read more)