1-Decene is a key raw material for the production of PAO. my country’s demand depends on imports.

1-Decene, with the chemical formula C10H20, also known as n-decene, is a high-carbon α-olefin. 1-Decene is an organic compound that appears as a colorless and transparent liquid. It is insoluble in water and soluble in some organic solvents such as ethanol and ether. It is flammable and can burn when exposed to high temperatures, open flames, and strong oxidants.

1-Decene can be produced by oligomerization and cracking methods. Cracking method, paraffin cracking method, uses refined wax produced in the petroleum fractionation process as raw material. It is thermally or catalytically cracked to obtain the C9-C10 fraction, which is then separated. The product contains a variety of impurities and has poor purity, and has been gradually eliminated. ; Oligomerization method, ethylene oligomerization method, uses ethylene as raw material and carries out carbon chain growth reaction under the action of a catalyst. The product is of high quality and is currently the mainstream preparation process of 1-decene.

1-Decene can be used as a raw material for the production of plasticizers, lubricants, fatty acids, flavors and fragrances, dyes, pharmaceuticals and other products; it can be used as a polyethylene comonomer to produce high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Among them, lubricating oil is an important application field of 1-decene.

According to the “China 1-Decene Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report 2023-2028” released by the Industrial Research Center , 1-Decene is a key raw material for polyalpha olefin base oil (PAO), which is one of the most common lubricant base oils and can be used to manufacture high-end lubricants. Poly-alpha olefin base oil can use C8-C12 high-carbon alpha-olefins as raw materials, among which 1-decene is the most common, accounting for more than 85% of applications. In my country, the demand for 1-decene from polyalphaolefin base oil accounts for about 98% of the total demand for 1-decene.

In 2022, the global 1-decene market size will be approximately 6.33 billion yuan; it is expected that the global 1-decene market will continue to grow at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 8.7% from 2022 to 2027, and the market size will reach 104.3 by 2028 billion.

In the global market, the main manufacturers of 1-decene include Chevron Phillips Chemical, Shell Chemicals, BP, SABIC, INEOS ), Sasol, Idemitsu Kosan, etc.

Industry analysts said that lubricants are widely used in various mechanical equipment to reduce wear and extend service life. As my country’s industrial scale continues to expand and the number of automobiles continues to increase, the market’s demand for lubricants continues to grow. Especially as the proportion of precision machinery and high-end automobiles continues to increase, the demand for high-end lubricants is growing faster. Polyalphaolefin base oil as A high-end lubricant with broad market prospects, driving the demand for 1-decene to continue to rise.

The production of 1-decene by the ethylene oligomerization method is technically difficult. The quality of my country’s 1-decene products is poor and the production capacity is insufficient. Demand mainly relies on imports. The price of imported products is high, which limits the development of my country’s polyalphaolefin base oil industry. Against the backdrop of the ever-changing international political and economic situation, relying on imports for supply stability of 1-decene is risky. In order to avoid being stuck, my country’s independent production strength of 1-decene needs to be improved urgently.