Neopentyl glycol demand growth and rising prices stimulate industry capacity expansion

Neopentyl glycol (NPG) is a white crystalline solid, odorless and hygroscopic. It is mainly used in the production of polyester resins, unsaturated resins, oil-free alkyd resins, polyurethane foams and plasticizers for elastomers. Surfactants, pharmaceutical intermediates, insulation materials, printing inks, polymerization inhibitors, synthetic aviation lubricant oil additives, etc. At the same time, neopentyl glycol is also an excellent solvent and can be used for the selective separation of aromatic hydrocarbons and cycloalkyl hydrocarbons.

There are two industrial production routes for neopentyl glycol: disproportionation method and hydrogenation method. The disproportionation method means that isobutyraldehyde and formaldehyde are first condensed into HPA under the catalysis of liquid alkali, and then under strong alkali conditions, HPA and formaldehyde are disproportionated. Reaction to generate NPG. The hydrogenation method uses triethylamine to catalyze condensation, and then catalytically hydrogenates under medium or high pressure to reduce HPA to NPG. Among them, the disproportionation method is gradually being replaced by the hydrogenation method due to high production costs, a large number of side reactions affecting product quality, and low process yield. At present, the disproportionation method accounts for about 40% of the production capacity, and the hydrogenation method accounts for about 60%.

At present, the number of major enterprises in the domestic neopentyl glycol industry is relatively small, and the market concentration is high. Among them, companies with larger scale and larger production capacity include Shandong Fufeng Pasto Chemical Co., Ltd., Wanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd., Yangzi Petrochemical-BASF Co., Ltd., BASF Jihua Neopentyl Glycol Co., Ltd., and Dongying Pusen Chemical Co., Ltd., etc. These companies occupy a high market share in the country. In addition, apart from the competition among domestic neopentyl glycol companies, imported brands have been targeting the Chinese market in recent years and continue to seize market share. Domestic neopentyl glycol importers are mainly South Korea, Japan and Singapore. According to the released “2021-2025 China Neopentyl Glycol Industry Market Supply and Demand Status and Development Trend Forecast Report“, in 2020 , China’s neopentyl glycol industry produces nearly 400,000 tons of neopentyl glycol, and imports nearly 100,000 tons of neopentyl glycol.

Neopentyl glycol has a relatively wide range of applications. Most of it is used in the production of polyester resins for powder coatings and saturated polyester resins for coil steel. It is also used in chemical products such as unsaturated polyester resins and alkyd resins. Analysts believe that although demand in the polyester field has slowed down in recent years, thanks to the neopentyl glycol terminal With the development of the coating market in the field, the neopentyl glycol market is showing a good growth trend. With the development of downstream industries and the deepening of the understanding of neopentyl glycol, the uses of neopentyl glycol will be further expanded, and its market size will also show growth trend. Stimulated by good market performance, especially the recent surge in chemical raw materials, which has driven up the price of neopentyl glycol, the production capacity of China’s neopentyl glycol industry has expanded, and the prosperity of the neopentyl glycol industry has increased.