earth compounds and rare earth metals and alloys. Two bar graphs show Chinese exports of rare earth products to the EU by volume and by value. Industrial Minerals, Apr 2002, (415), 52-61 Catalyst shipments up: oil refining use expands According to the Japanese Catalyst Manufacturers Association, demand for oil refining catalysts rose 30% in value in 2001. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is to reduce the permitted sulfur content of diesel fuel from 500 ppm to 50 ppm from Apr 2003. The use of low-sulfur diesel in vehicles will be extended throughout Japan from Jan 2005. Replacement demand from conventional catalysts to highperformance ultra-deep desulfurization catalysts is forecast at 3000 tonnes. A table gives a breakdown of the 2001 catalyst business. Japan Chemical Week, 4 Apr 2002, 43 (2166), 3 Asian players step up PU R&D to keep up Asian polyurethane manufacturers are trying to increase market share in a very competitive market by developing customised technologies. R&D expenditure by Mitsui Takeda Chemicals is 4-5% of net sales. A new polyols technology is being developed by the company that can lower costs and improve quality. In Feb 2002, a new Yen 300 M R&D centre was opened in Caojing, Shanghai, China by Nippon Polyurethane Industry. A new catalyst that enables the production of propylene oxide without MTBE and styrene co-products (sic) has been developed by Sumitomo Chemical. New automotive polyols have been introduced by Asahi Glass. Parcassio, a leather-imitating product for athletic footwear applications, has been launched by Kuraray.