Updated to mid-August 2009
US market review by Heather McGuire Doyle, ICIS pricing
US cumene formula prices for August have moved up 20% on the back of a surge in feedstock benzene and propylene prices. August formula-based prices moved to 49-51 cents/lb ($1,080-1,124/tonne) FOB (free on board) USG (US Gulf). The August range is 8 cents higher than the July price of 41-43 cents/lb FOB USG.
The cumene formula price is based on feedstock benzene and refinery grade propylene (RGP) costs. The US August benzene contract settled at $3.65/gal, marking the fifth increase of 23% or greater for 2009.
Prices of RGP for August traded at 43.00 cents/lb during the first week of August, up from 37.00 and 38.00 cents/lb in July.
The Latest
Cumene
Price Reports
Cumene
price reports from ICIS pricing give you immediate access to the latest price movements
and critical market commentary.
Register for your FREE trial today.
Cumene
Uses and Outlook
Around 98% of cumene is used to produce phenol and its co-product acetone. However, the outlook for cumene is largely dependent on the performance of phenol’s derivatives which have resulted in healthy growth rates for cumene.
More about Cumene Uses and Outlook
Cumene
Process Technologies
The original process to manufacture cumene was propyl alkylation of benzene using sulphuric acid as the catalyst. However, this process suffered from complicated neutralisation and recycle steps as well as corrosion problems.
More about Cumene Process Technologies
Search for
Cumene
Suppliers
If you are sourcing
Cumene
products and services, use ICIS search for fast and accurate results. ICIS search
is the search engine dedicated to the chemical industry – we show you only relevant
results -
search now.