Limited by production technology, domestic azelaic acid market is in short supply

Azelaic acid is an organic dibasic acid with medium chain length and has high use value. It can prepare polymer nylon 9 and nylon 69; it can synthesize dioctyl azelate and isobutyl azelate; it can be used In pharmaceutical production, it is used to treat hyperpigmentation and melanoma. It can also be used to treat acne in clinical practice. In addition, azelaic acid can also be used in the production of corrosion inhibitors, solvents, cosmetics and other products.

In industrial production, azelaic acid is usually produced by oxidative cracking of unsaturated fatty acids. The raw material required for production is industrial oleic acid. In addition to azelaic acid, the by-product azelaic acid also has high use value. In actual production, according to different oxidants, the oleic acid oxidation cracking process is divided into ozone oxidation, hydrogen peroxide oxidation, molecular oxygen oxidation, potassium permanganate oxidation, hypochlorite oxidation, and nitric acid oxidation. There are many methods including ozone oxidation method, among which ozone oxidation method is currently the most important industrial production method.

Although the ozone oxidation method is the preferred process, it has many shortcomings in actual production, such as a lack of understanding of the reaction process, excessive solvent usage, difficulty in obtaining heat, and product purity that needs to be improved. Therefore, companies have begun to develop new processes. Instead, the hydrogen oxidation method is currently the most studied production process. Although the hydrogen oxide oxidation method has the characteristics of high product yield and high reaction selectivity, it is limited by shortcomings such as unstable peroxide and difficult mass transfer in the reaction. Therefore, industrial production has not yet been achieved.

The molecular oxygen oxidation method is an environmentally friendly production process that is in line with the general trend of environmental protection in my country and the world, so it has good future development prospects. However, under normal pressure conditions, the yield of azelaic acid produced by molecular oxygen oxidation is low. Therefore, the current research direction is how to improve the yield of azelaic acid in a high-pressure environment.

In terms of market competition, Emery in the United States and Matrica Spa in Italy are currently the main manufacturers of azelaic acid and are relatively influential in the global and domestic markets. Crodacep is the largest azelaic acid manufacturer in China, with a production capacity of 3,000 tons/year. In addition, spices and flavor manufacturers such as Hangzhou AIA also produce azelaic acid in small quantities.

According to the “Azelaic Acid Industry Development Status and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report in 2021” released by the Industrial Research Center, in terms of overall market supply and demand It seems that the domestic market demand for azelaic acid is showing a growth trend. In 2020, my country’s demand for azelaic acid will reach 2.5 tons. Azelaic acid products can be divided into industrial grade, capacitor grade, pharmaceutical and cosmetic grade. Among them, the price of industrial grade products is relatively low, and the price of other products is stable at 300,000 yuan/ton.

Industrial analysts said that due to production technology limitations, the current domestic production capacity and output of azelaic acid are low, and product prices remain high. Restrict industry development. Azelaic acid has a wide range of applications, and my country’s market is currently in short supply, so the industry has good development prospects.