Daily Chemical News Recommendation ( Sept. 7 2018)

ECHEMI will recommend you several daily chemical news. If you want to know more, please go to our News Section.

>> Salt: A possible constraint to growth of Indian chlor-alkali industry?

For the chlor-alkali industry – manufacturing caustic/chlorine or soda ash – salt is one of the most important raw materials, ranking only behind electric power (for caustic/chlorine) and limestone (for soda ash). What matters to them are not just salt’s availability and price, but also its quality.

This is particularly so for caustic soda, which is almost exclusively made in India by the membrane process. The life of the membrane and the reliability of operations crucially hinges on the quality of salt – its purity, and, just as importantly, its impurity profile.

Much of the salt in India is produced in the unorganised sector, through the solar evaporation route, using rudimentary, labour-intensive techniques. Getting the industry to invest in upgrading quality to suit exacting quality norms remains a challenge. [More] 

 >> Aside crude, sharp rise in non-oil imports too contributing to trade imbalance: ASSOCHAM

It is not only crude oil that is exerting pressure on India’s import bill and consequently on the current account deficit and the rupee. A host of other non-oil items like coal, electronics, chemicals, leather & leather products, and fruits & vegetables are witnessing rising imports and becoming a drag on the country’s overall balance of trade situation, an ASSOCHAM analysis has noted.

“While there is no alternative to crude oil and gold imports, domestic supply constraints have led to an increase in imports by well over the double digit in as many as 22 (other than crude and gold) out of 30 top import items,” the chamber noted from the latest July data.[More]