Chemicals

Two Iranians nabbed with over 200 kg chemical substance off Gujarat coast

The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and the Coast Guard have apprehended two Iranian nationals with more than 200 kg of a chemical substance in the high seas off the Gujarat coast, an official said on Tuesday. The ATS received a tip-off regarding a suspected chemical being brought within Indian waters near the international maritime boundary line (IMBL), around 140 nautical miles from the Porbandar coast, ATS Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sunil Joshi said. In a joint operation with the Coast Guard lasting eight to 10 hours, two Iranian nationals were apprehended with 203 packets of suspected chemicals around 8 pm on Monday, he said. The suspected chemical substance was being bought on a speed boat, prima facie, from Iran, and was to be handed over to a person from Punjab, the official said. The speed boat was seized, and packets containing white powder were brought to the Porbandar coast guard station for further forensic analysis, he said. In April last year, the ATS and the

Rajasthan govt announces ₹3 lakh aid for victims of Bhiwadi fire tragedy

Seven people were burnt alive and two were critically injured in an illegal firecracker-manufacturing factory in the Bhiwadi town of Rajasthan's Khairthal-Tijara district on Monday, officials said. The incident occurred in the Khushkhera-Karoli industrial area in Bhiwadi. Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma announced Rs 3 lakh financial aid for each of the family of the seven deceased. In a post on X, he said, "In this hour of grief, the state government stands in complete solidarity with the bereaved families. Instructions have been issued to provide financial assistance of Rs 3 lakh from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund to the dependents of the deceased." "Seven persons have died in the incident. It was a garment factory but firecrackers were being manufactured inside it illegally," Sumitra Pareek, Additional District Magistrate, said. She said that two people trapped in the factory were rescued. They were admitted to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital in a critical condition. Earlier, ...

From autos to chemicals: Which sectors are set to gain from India–US trade deal?

After months of uncertainty, the India–US trade deal is finally in place. Tariffs on Indian goods entering the US have been sharply reduced, markets have surged

PFAS in pregnant women's drinking water puts their babies at risk: Study

Most current knowledge about the reproductive effects of PFAS comes from laboratory studies on animals such as rats, or from correlations between PFAS levels in human blood and health outcomes

Tata Chemicals shares rise on winning ₹783-crore land rate dispute in Kenya

Tata Chemicals shares rose 2 per cent after a Nairobi court ruled in favour of its unit, terming the ₹783 crore land rate demand arbitrary and illegal

LTIMindtree inks $100 mn multi-year deal with US-based chemicals major

The partnership aims to enhance operational efficiency using artificial intelligence, automation, and process optimisation

Kitchen to bloodstream: 'Forever chemicals' may raise your diabetes risk

Mount Sinai findings link PFAS exposure to type 2 diabetes as the global numbers continue to surge at alarming levels

Godrej Industries to invest ₹750 cr on capacity expansion of chemicals biz

Godrej Industries on Thursday said it will invest more than Rs 750 crore over the next few years to expand capacities of its chemicals business and achieve higher annual revenue. In a regulatory filing, Godrej Industries informed that its chemical business will undertake significant capacity expansions as part of its growth plan to become a USD 1 billion global business before 2030. "With a total capital outlay for expansions to exceed Rs 750 crore over the next few years, the company has already kicked off several projects," it said. Godrej Industries (Chemicals) will double its fatty alcohol and uric acid capacities with an addition of 35,000 tonnes per annum and 20,000 tonnes per annum respectively. It has tripled its specialities capacity with an addition of 21,000 tonnes per annum, while the glycerine capacity will be doubled with an addition of 24,000 tonnes per annum. The fermentation capacity will also see a threefold increase with an addition of 1,500 tonnes per annum. I

India imposes anti-dumping duty on four Chinese chemicals this month

India has imposed anti-dumping duty on four Chinese chemicals so far this month to guard domestic players from unfairly priced imports from the neighbouring country. These duties were imposed on -- PEDA (used in herbicide); Acetonitrile (used in pharma sector); Vitamin -A Palmitate; and and Insoluble Sulphur. In separate notifications, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, Department of Revenue, said that the duty imposed will be levied for a period of five years on imports of these chemicals. The duties were imposed following recommendations for the same from the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), an arm of the commerce ministry. While on PEDA, the duty will range from USD 1,305.6 to USD 2017.9 per tonne, a duty of up to USD 481 per tonne has been imposed on Acetonitrile imported from China, Russia and Taiwan. Similarly, the government has imposed a duty of up to USD 20.87 per Kg duty on Vitamin -A Palmitate imported from China, European Union and Switzerla

Aditya Birla Group buys Cargill's speciality chemical facility in US

The Dalton plant will see capacity more than double in two years as Aditya Birla Group integrates advanced materials tech and eyes expansion across strategic sectors

SRF Q4 net profit rises 24% to ₹526 crore on strong chemical sales

SRF reports ₹526 crore net profit in Q4 FY25, a 24 per cent rise driven by strong growth in chemicals, fluorochemicals, and performance films amid global volatility

Novopor acquires Pressure Chemical to boost specialty chemical scale

Novopor's acquisition of US-based PCC strengthens its specialty chemical platform with expanded technical capabilities, pilot-scale to large-scale manufacturing access

Govt studying impact of US tariffs on chemicals, petrochemicals sector

The government is still assessing the impact of US tariffs on the country's chemicals and petrochemicals industry, a senior official said on Thursday. "We are still studying. We are in touch with the industry and trying to assess how it will impact our industry," Chemicals and Petrochemicals Secretary Nivedita Shukla Verma told PTI on the sidelines of a brainstorming session here. US President Donald Trump on April 9 reduced a planned 26 per cent reciprocal tariff to 10 per cent, just one week after announcing the higher rate on April 2. The government will determine measures after discussions with industry players, Verma added. According to industry data, chemicals constitute about 18 per cent of India's total exports to the US, with FY24 exports valued at around USD 5.7 billion. India Ratings and Research estimates the tariff hike could reduce chemical exports by USD 2-7 billion in FY26. Industry experts said the tariff increase substantially raises costs for Indian chemical ex

Gujarat CM inaugurates India's 'largest' Chlorotoluene Plant at Dahej

With this initiative by the Gujarat government, the new plant will utilize chlorine to manufacture value-added chlorine-based products

Lubrizol pumps nearly Rs 3,000 crore into India, eyes 2 times growth

Lubrizol, which has had a presence in India for nearly 60 years, is now establishing an innovation centre in Maharashtra

Epigral targets 20% annual growth, more than double revenue by FY28

Specialty chemicals major Epigral Ltd aims to grow at an annual growth rate of 20 per cent and is poised to more than double its revenue by FY2028, a top company official said on Saturday. Sustained demand for derivative and specialty products as well as doubling of production capacity will act as key catalysts for the overall revenue growth, Epigral's Chairman and Managing Director, Maulik Patel said in a statement. The company's consolidated revenue for 2023-24 stood at Rs 1936 crore. Epigral reported a little over 37 per cent jump in consolidated revenue to Rs 1,934.31 crore in the first nine months of 2024-25 compared to Rs 1,409.55 crore in the year-ago period, according to exchange filings. Derivatives & specialty business contributed 54 per cent to the topline. As per a research report by Sunidhi, Epigral's revenue is expected to be over Rs 3,500 crore by FY27. Another research firm Emkay in its report states that it expects revenue to be Rs 3,800 crore by FY27 with an ...

Coca-Cola recalls some soft drinks in Europe over safety concerns

Coca-Cola has recalled some of its soft drinks in Europe after higher-than-normal levels of a chemical called chlorate were detected in bottles and cans at a production plant in Belgium. Batches of Coca Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Minute Maid and Fuze Tea were among the products recalled in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, the company said on Tuesday. The recall concerns drinks with production codes 328 GE to 338 GE. We are also in contact with authorities in a very small number of European markets France, Germany and Great Britain where a very limited quantity of stock was also shipped, the company said. No produce was recalled in those countries. Health authorities in Denmark, Portugal and Romania were notified by the European Union's rapid alert system to investigate whether shop shelves or vending machines had been stocked with potentially contaminated soft drinks. It designated the risk as serious. Chlorate comes from chlorine disinfectants which are used in the treatment o

Exporters: Know when you can claim duty drawback and Rodtep benefits

Drawback and Rodtep will be available only against export of goods. At the time of export of goods, one must declare the value of the goods in the shipping bill

IREL, Kazakh firm to form JV to harness India's titanium potential

Indian Rare Earth Limited (IREL) has signed an agreement with a Kazakhstan-based company to develop the titanium value chain in India by harnessing the potential of rare-earth minerals in the coastal parts of the country. The joint venture between IREL (India) Limited and Ust-Kamenogorsk Titanium and Magnesium Plant JSC (UKTMP JSC) proposes to convert low titanium oxide (TiO2) ilmenite produced in Odisha to titanium slag, which is in great demand in the aerospace and defence sectors. "The setting up of this JV plant is expected to catalyse the establishment of chloride pigment/Ti Slag/sponge manufacturing industry, which has been hindered by non-availability of high TiO2 feedstock," Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply to a question. Titanium is highly corrosion-resistant and remains unaffected by most acids, bases, environmental conditions, and has a low density paired with high strength. These qualities make

Bio-E3 policy to bring bio-revolution in India, says Jitendra Singh

The government's Bio-E3 policy marks a crucial step in positioning India as a global bio-economy leader and is set to spark a "bio-revolution" in India similar to the IT revolution in the western world, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday. The BioE3 policy was formally launched last month and aims to facilitate sustainable and efficient utilisation of biological resources for innovation, scaling-up and bio-manufacturing of specialty chemicals, enzymes, bio-polymers, functional foods, smart proteins, veterinary products, precision bio-therapeutics and services. Speaking at the Global Bio-India Summit 2024, Singh said the policy marks a crucial step in positioning India as a global bio-economy leader. The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology also highlighted the importance of the Global Biotech platform, which brings together a diverse range of stakeholders, including start ups, SMEs, large industries, research institutes, and international ...