TOKYO -- The market for caustic soda, used in a variety of fields from making paper diapers to treating wastewater, finds itself at the mercy of China. Authorities there have been imposing environmental regulations on chemical plants since October, when the twice-a-decade national congress was held.
Prices of Asia-bound exports of the chemical, also known as lye, rose roughly 10% in late November from a month prior. They were nearly double their year-earlier level that same month, and supplies remain tight globally.
