Chemical and Metal Shortage Alert – January 2018

The purpose of this blog is to identify chemical and metal shortages reported on the Internet.  The sources of the information reported here are primarily news releases issued on the Internet.  The issue period of the news releases is January 2018.

Section I below lists those chemicals and metals that were on the previous month’s Chemical and Metal Shortage Alert list and continue to have news releases indicating they are in short supply. Click here to read the December 2017 Chemical and Metal Shortage Alert list.

Section II lists the new chemicals and metals (not on the December alert).  Also provided is some explanation for the shortage and geographical information.  This blog attempts to list only actual shortage situations – those shortages that are being experienced during the period covered by the news releases.  Chemicals and metals identified in news releases as only being in danger of being in short supply status are not listed.

Section I.   Natural gas: China; supply not keeping up with demand

      

Section II.   Shortages Reported in January not found on the Previous Month’s List

Citral derivatives: Europe; production not keeping up with demand.

Cobalt: Japan; sources no longer available

Fracking Sand: Texas; mining not keeping up with demand

Iron ore: Odisha, India; mining not keeping up with demand

Palladium: global; supply not keeping up with demand

Vitamin A and E: global; production not keeping up with demand

Reasons for Section II shortages can be broadly categorized as: 

1.  Mining not keeping up with demand: fracking sand; iron ore

2.  Production not keeping up with demand:  citral derivatives; vitamin A and E

3.  Government regulations: none

4.  Sources no longer available: cobalt

5.  Insufficient imports:  none

6.  Supply not keeping up with demand:  palladium