As an important raw material for fine chemicals, the prosperity of the isopropanolamine industry continues to increase

Isopropanolamine, also known as 1-amino-2-propanol and 2-hydroxypropanamine, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C3H9ON. Isopropanolamine appears as a transparent to light yellow liquid with a slight ammonia smell and is soluble in ethanol and water. Isopropanolamine has optical activity and weak alkalinity, and is widely used in fiber wetting agents, cosmetic lubricants, surfactants, plasticizers and other fields. Isopropanolamines include monoisopropanolamine (MIPA), diisopropanolamine (DIPA) and triisopropanolamine (TIPA).

The preparation methods of isopropanolamine include calcium cyanamide method and propylene oxide method. The calcium cyanamide method refers to using propylene oxide and calcium cyanamide as the main raw materials, and reacting to produce calcium carbonate and 2-amino-3-(2-hydroxypropyl)-5methyl-1,3-dioxan oxazolidine, and finally mixed with potassium hydroxide to prepare isopropanolamine; the propylene oxide method uses ammonia and propylene oxide as raw materials, and undergoes ring-opening reaction, dehydrogenation, distillation and other steps to produce a finished product. This method is isopropanolamine. Mainstream preparation methods of propanolamine.

Propylene oxide is the main raw material of isopropanolamine. In recent years, benefiting from the increasingly strong market demand, my country’s propylene oxide production, as an important raw material for organic compounds, has shown a substantial growth trend. In 2021, my country’s propylene oxide production reached 3.576 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 32.7%. Although the supply of raw materials is sufficient, due to factors such as high technical barriers, my country’s isopropanolamine production capacity is low and the output cannot meet market demand.

According to the “2023-2028 China Isopropanolamine Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report released by the Industrial Research Center , Isopropanolamine production capacity is mainly concentrated in a few countries in Europe and the United States. my country’s isopropanolamine industry started late, and there is only one enterprise with large-scale production capabilities. Major players in the global isopropanolamine market include BASF of Germany and Dow Chemical of the United States. Nanjing Hongbaoli Co., Ltd. focuses on the R&D, production and sales of isopropanolamine and polyurethane rigid foam combined polyether series products, and is the largest manufacturer of isopropanolamine in my country. According to Hongbaoli’s corporate financial report, the company achieved revenue of 3.43 billion yuan in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 31.3%.

Isopropanolamine is an important raw material for fine chemicals and has a wide range of applications, including fiber wetting agents, cosmetic lubricants, surfactants, plasticizers, etc. As a surfactant raw material, ethanolamine has a relatively high market share, but it can easily cause environmental pollution. In recent years, as the concept of green environmental protection continues to deepen, isopropanolamine has become a substitute for ethanolamine, and the industry’s prosperity has continued to increase.

           Industry analysts said that isopropanolamine has a wide range of applications and the industry has broad prospects for development. As technology continues to innovate and the concept of green environmental protection continues to deepen, isopropanolamine, as a substitute for ethanolamine, will continue to increase its market share. At present, only one company in my country, Hongbaoli, has the large-scale production capacity of isopropanolamine. In the future, as the industry’s prosperity continues to increase, competition in my country’s isopropanolamine market will become increasingly fierce.