February 3rd News — As of the end of January, the 600,000-ton-per-year caprolactam industrial chain relocation and upgrading project of Hunan Petrochemical has been operating safely and stably for 25 months. It has cumulatively utilized 900,000 tons of caprolactam waste liquid as resources, simultaneously saving 900,000 tons of fresh water and recovering 1,000 tons of pure benzene, significantly reducing waste liquid treatment costs. Chempricehub Analysis: Caprolactam, Bull-Bear Score: -1 Hunan Petrochemical’s project has utilized 900,000 tons of caprolactam waste liquid as resources, reducing the demand for new raw materials and increasing supply, which exerts a bearish impact on spot prices. Reason: The recycling of waste liquid lowers production costs and reduces new procurement demand, leading to relative oversupply in the market and downward pressure on prices. Pure Benzene, Bull-Bear Score: -1 The recovery of 1,000 tons of pure benzene increases market supply, exerting a bearish impact on spot prices. Combined with the general decline in near-term pure benzene futures contracts (e.g., the settlement price of the 2603 contract fell by 120 yuan to 6,117 yuan/ton), the recovery activity may exacerbate the downward trend in futures prices. Reason: Increased supply coupled with weakness in the futures market reinforces downward pressure on prices.