This report reviews the ortho-xylene and naphthalene routes to phthalic anhydride (PAN) production as well as details the separation of ortho-xylene from mixed xylenes and the naphthalene distillation from coal tar.  The PAN cost of production via those two routes for plants located in the United States, Western Europe, South Korea, and China has been estimated for the first quarter of 2016.  Nexant also commented on the motivations behind the recent capacity additions and closures and provided a high-level analysis of the business and strategic considerations, as well as the technology availability from the perspective of a company entering or expanding into the PAN market.  This analysis is underpinned by a review of end-use sector consumption as well as regional market dynamics. 

The purpose of this report is to analyze developments in bio-based isobutylene technologies.  Isobutylene derived from bio-based materials or processes can be converted into a number of chemical products—potentially improving the GHG profile of the process, including everything from rubber, to personal care products, to flavors and fragrances.  The purpose of this study is to assess the technical, commercial, and economic aspects of producing isobutylene.

This report provides a detailed analysis of the alpha olefins industry including butene-1, hexene-1 and octene-1; supply, demand and trade analysis is presented for all major geographies and countries.  An evaluation of the higher alpha olefins is also included, along with a review of the chemistry and process technology.

This report covers the global assumptions as of June 2016.  A summary containing key trends in the data is also provided.