Isooctanoic acid is a relatively unpopular product, but at the same time, it is a new chemical raw material with new advantages and wide application.
1. Production Process of Isooctanoic Acid
At present, the production technology of isooctanoic acid is relatively mature, and there are two processes of isooctyl alcohol oxidation and butyraldehyde condensation dehydration. From the perspective of global production, these two processes have already met the conditions for industrial production, but each has advantages and disadvantages.
At present, butanal condensation is mostly used in the world to produce isooctanoic acid, and the process accounts for more than 80%. Most of the isooctanoic acid enterprises in Europe, America and China use the production process of butyraldehyde condensation. Among the Chinese research institutions, Jilin Chemical Research Institute and Qilu Petrochemical Research Institute have the production units of isooctanoic acid.
2. The supply of isooctanoic acid
At present, China has nearly 10 isooctanoic acid production enterprises, all of which are small and medium-sized production facilities. The annual total production capacity is about 10,000 tons per year, and the output is 10,000 tons. Among them, Shenyang Zhangming Chemical Co., Ltd. is China's largest isooctanoic acid production company, with a production capacity of 10,000 tons per year. Dancheng Kaijie Technology Co., Ltd. has an annual production capacity of approximately 20,000 tons, ranking second.
All other isooctanoic acid production enterprises are small-scale enterprises, and the scale of the equipment ranges from several hundred tons to 1,000 tons. Due to its small size, the quality and stability of isooctanoic acid are greatly reduced. The particularity of isooctanoic acid production and the instability of raw material supply limit the production scale of these enterprises. At present, only isooctanoic acid produced by Shenyang Zhangming Chemical Industry and Kaijie Technology has begun to take shape, and the product quality, specifications and performance are relatively ideal.
In recent years, the downstream scale of isooctanoic acid in China has continued to expand, resulting in a growing demand for isooctanoic acid, and some products are dependent on imports. Each year, the import scale of isooctanoic acid in China is X tons, mainly from Japan and Germany, and a small amount comes from other countries such as South Korea.
3. Demand of isooctanoic acid
The main downstream of Chinese isooctanoic acid is used in coatings, inks and other industries, as a drier, accelerator, etc., which is the largest application in coatings, accounting for about XX% and above. In 2016, the total demand for isooctanoic acid in China was about 10,000 tons, and it grew at a rapid rate of about XX% per year. For the global market, based on the global production of paints and inks and the proportion of additions, the global annual consumption of isooctanoic acid exceeds XX million tons, and the average annual demand growth rate is about X%.
4. Analysis of supply and demand balance of isooctanoic acid and forecast of future development
On the whole, isooctanoic acid, especially high-end isooctanoic acid, has a high degree of external dependence, a small market size, and an average industrial chain balance.
However, from the perspective of future development trends, isooctanoic acid has the opportunity for rapid development. The downstream isooctanoate is a fine chemical product with high practical value, which is used as a drier. Compared with traditional drier (such as cobalt, zinc, calcium and manganese naphthenate) The advantage of isooctanoate instead of naphthenate as a drier is the general trend. The growth of China's coating production is expected to increase the demand for isooctanoic acid, which will become the driving force for the future demand of isooctanoic acid. According to preliminary estimates, in the next five years, China's demand for isooctanoic acid will exceed 70,000 tons. From the supply side, the scale of isooctanoic acid projects under construction and planned in the future is 40,000 to 50,000 tons, and can basically meet the domestic demand when the projects are expected to be put into production.
In addition, China's consumption upgrade is surging, and the high-end market will definitely rise. In the future, high-end coatings, high-end inks, catalysts, and unsaturated resins will greatly drive the demand for high-end isooctanoic acid products. It is expected that China's high-end isooctanoic acid products will multiply in the future, and the situation of supply shortage will be more serious.
