The titanium dioxide market began September with a mix of increased, stable and slight decrease across the global market. Chinese exports firmed in response to strong foreign demand, even amid continued port congestion at major terminals. The US Gulf Coast saw a small gain with healthy, diversified import flows, while Brazil’s Santos Port succumbed to a lack of buying interest. South Korea’s Busan market strengthened against solid export orders, and Japan’s Nakanoshima market ended a 12-weeks losing streak with a modest gain. As upstream prices remained firm and freight rates stayed relatively competitive, market sentiment for Q4 will be cautiously optimistic.
Selenis has effectively manufactured recycled PET chips using terephthalic acid sourced from Circ®, a textile-to-textile recycler based in Virginia. The chip production took place through a series of batches at Selenis' pilot plant in San-Giorgio, Italy. By utilizing inputs recovered from polycotton textile waste, Selenis has created high-quality PET chip, which has been further processed into DTY yarn. This yarn will play a crucial role in product development as Circ prepares for additional capsule launches. Selenis is leveraging the success of this initial collaboration phase and is committed to advancing towards an offtake partnership to support Circ's inaugural industrial facility.
Eduardo Santos, Head of Corporate Strategy at Selenis, remarked that the monomer synthesis showed a performance comparable to virgin terephthalic acid. He expressed optimism about the consistent quality of Circ's monomer output and anticipated future commercial success. Santos pointed out that the Circ partnership complements Selenis's existing mission and goals for a more sustainable textile industry. He further stated their anticipation of expanding upon this collaboration and providing support for Circ's forthcoming commercial production trials.
