CNCET Industry Report: Isooctanoic Acid
Brief introduction
Isooctanoic acid, Chinese alias isooctanoic acid; suberic acid; ethylnonanoic acid; 3-heptanecarboxylic acid; butyl ethylacetic acid; 2-ethylhexanoic acid; 2-ethylvaleric acid; heptane-3-carboxylic acid; 2-ethyl suberic acid. (English name: 2-ethylhexanoic acid), can be abbreviated as 2-EHA. CAS No. 149-57-5, molecular formula: C8H16O2, molecular weight 144.21. isooctanoic acid is a colorless and slightly odorless liquid, slightly soluble in cold water, soluble in hot water and ether, slightly soluble in ethanol.
In the pharmaceutical industry, isooctanoic acid is the raw material for the manufacture of sodium isooctanoate and potassium isooctanoate. In the paint industry, the cobalt, manganese, lead, zinc, calcium, zirconium, aluminum, rare earth and other salts of isooctanoic acid are used as paint drying agent and unsaturated polyester resin accelerator, catalyst, and ink thickening agent. In the plastics industry, the salts of iso-octanoic acid are excellent heat stabilizers, and its tin salt is an additive for plastic pipes; its barium, zinc, calcium and cadmium salts are stabilizers for plastic molding and calendering products; and its glycerol ester is a plasticizer of excellent quality. In daily-use chemical industry, iso-octanoic acid and its esters are used in the production of fungicides, antiseptics, used in tanning, cosmetics, spices, biological growth agents and so on. In the food industry, isooctanoic acid is used to make food additives and feed additives (sorbitol, potassium sorbitol, etc.).
Isooctanoic acid is also used in the production of oil additives, metal lubricants; used in the production of hydrocarbon gelling agent, a new type of antifoam agent, rust remover; used in non-fluorine air conditioning, refrigeration, pesticides and aerospace, military and other industries, fields; but also a complete replacement of naphthenic acid, but also can be used in combination with naphthenic acid.
World supply and demand
In 2011, the global capacity of isooctanoic acid was estimated to be about 280,000 tons/year, and in 2012, Sweden Berstow expanded capacity by 10,000 tons/year in 2012; in 2013, OXEA GmbH expanded capacity by 20,000 tons/year, and China’s Dancheng Kaijie Science and Technology Co. Ltd. put into production with 10,000 tons/year plant; at the end of 2016, the 30,000 tons/year plant built by BASF and Petronas in Malaysia as a joint venture was put into production ; there is no new production capacity in the world during 2017~2018. Meanwhile, several sets of backward small units have been closed in China in recent years. At present, the world’s total capacity of iso-octanoic acid is about 366,000 tons/year, and the average start-up rate in 2018 is estimated to be around 68%.
It is estimated that there will be no new isooctanoic acid capacity in the world before 2020. New projects in China are estimated to be delayed to be implemented or put into production after 2020. Therefore, it is estimated that the world’s total capacity of isooctanoic acid will remain unchanged by 2020, and the production will be increased to 260,000 tons, with a global average start rate of 72.2%.
In terms of the world market, isooctanoic acid is mainly used in the production of isooctanoates, used as paint drying agent, accounting for about 37% of the total demand; 25% used in the production of triethylene glycol diisooctanoate (3GO); 20% used in the production of plastics auxiliaries (the new polyols isooctanoate); and other areas accounted for 18%.
Demand growth in other areas, including pharmaceutical synthesis, is expected to accelerate in the future.
Supply and demand in China
Before 2011, there were nearly 10 isooctanoic acid producers in China, most of which were around 1,000 tons in size, with overall low level, lagging product development, and the market consumption mainly relying on imports. in the years after 2011, the small units were all eliminated, and 10,000 tons/year capacity of Dancheng Kaijie Technology was added. At present, there are three isooctanoic acid manufacturers in China, namely Shenyang Zhangming Chemical, Henan Qing’an Chemical and Dancheng Kaijie Science and Technology, with a total production capacity of 50,000 tons/year, and the start rate in 2018 is about 50%.
The production technology and product quality of domestic companies are still difficult to compete with imports, thus the start rate has been low. As domestic imports have been imported, some companies plan to introduce advanced technology to replace imports, such as Shandong Dadi Sopo Chemical, but due to the strict review of new projects in the country in the last 2 years, the start rate of the existing unit has been relatively low, and the new construction plan has to be postponed, and it is possible that it will be launched only after 2020.
Isooctanoic acid replaces naphthenic acid to produce paint drying agent. Isooctanoic acid production of drying agent color clear, more stable quality, the use of cheaper costs, can significantly improve the paint technical indicators and performance.
At present, China’s isooctanoic acid consumption structure for the paint drying agent accounted for 46%; 3GO accounted for 26%; plastic additives accounted for 12.5%; medicine and pesticide accounted for 11.5%; and others accounted for 4%. With China’s automobile production entering the platform period, it is expected that the future demand for 3GO will be steady decline.
It is expected that China’s iso-octanoic acid production technology will continue to progress in the future, to promote the opening rate and market share, the domestic demand will also maintain a steady growth in the next few years, the demand growth rate will remain above 5%.
Production process
There are two main routes for industrialized synthesis of isooctanoic acid: one with isooctanol as raw material,
