my country’s phthalic anhydride production capacity and output continue to grow, and plasticizers are the largest application field

Phthalic anhydride, also known as phthalic anhydride, is a cyclic acid anhydride produced by dehydration of phthalic acid molecules. Phthalic anhydride mostly appears as white crystalline powder under normal temperature and pressure. It is insoluble in cold water, but soluble in hot water, pyridine solvent, ethanol solvent, and ether solvent. Compared with other chemical materials, phthalic anhydride has the advantages of good water absorption, high content of benzene ring structure, and excellent foaming performance. At present, the preparation process of phthalic anhydride has been basically mature and can be roughly divided into o-xylene method, naphthalene oxidation method, etc. Among them, the o-xylene method has become the mainstream preparation process in the industry due to its advantages such as high environmental protection and sufficient supply of raw materials.

At present, my country’s phthalic anhydride industry chain has basically been formed. The upstream of the industrial chain is mainly raw material companies, providing o-xylene, naphthalene and other raw materials; the midstream is mainly phthalic anhydride production companies, responsible for the production and manufacturing of phthalic anhydride; the downstream is mainly application fields, and phthalic anhydride is mostly used to produce coatings, unsaturated polyester resins, Alkyd resins, plasticizers, paints, pesticides, dyes and other products are widely used in fine chemicals, medicine, electronics, industry and other fields. Among them, plasticizers have become the largest application field of phthalic anhydride, with a market share of 41.8%; followed by unsaturated polyester resin, with a market share of 37.2%.

According to the “In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report on Phthalic Anhydride Industry 2023-2027” released by the Industrial Research Center, in recent years , my country’s industrialization level is gradually improving, and the markets for plasticizers, pesticides, dyes, and coatings are developing rapidly. As a very important chemical intermediate, phthalic anhydride has seen steady growth in market demand. With the continuous advancement of production technology, the performance of phthalic anhydride has been greatly improved, the application fields have gradually expanded, and the market demand has further increased. Against this background, my country’s phthalic anhydride companies have gradually expanded their production scale, and their production capacity and output have continued to grow. In 2022, my country’s phthalic anhydride production capacity will increase by 1.5% year-on-year, and output will increase by 10.3% year-on-year.

From the perspective of production capacity distribution, my country’s phthalic anhydride production areas mainly include Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Shandong, Shanghai and other provinces and cities. Among them, Shandong Province has become the region with the largest production capacity of phthalic anhydride, accounting for 23.2% of the production capacity; followed by Jiangsu Province, accounting for 21.8% of the production capacity.

At present, my country has become one of the largest producers and exporters of phthalic anhydride, and the export volume is far greater than the import volume. According to data released by the General Administration of Customs, in 2022, my country’s phthalic anhydride export volume will be 55.34 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 3.9%; the export value will be 415 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 35.9%. From the perspective of export destination countries, my country’s main exporting countries for phthalic anhydride include India, Philippines, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Peru, etc. Among them, India has become my country’s largest exporter of phthalic anhydride, accounting for 54.8% of the export volume.

Industry analysts said that there are a large number of companies in the phthalic anhydride market, and the larger companies mainly include Hongxin Chemical, Xuyang Chemical, and Asia Bangbang Chemical, Qinghong Chemical, Xielian Zhongda, Jinling Petrochemical, Anqing Chemical, Chenxi Petrochemical, Trinity Chemical, etc. As the production capacity structure gradually upgrades, some phthalic anhydride companies are gradually eliminated, and the market concentration of phthalic anhydride is expected to increase in the future.