Global Epichlorohydrin Consumption to Grow at 4.8% Annually till 2017, Expects MarketsandMarkets

The increasing demand of Epichlorohydrin in China and growth in the end-user segments such as paint and electronic industry are key factors to drive the global market. Epoxy resin is the main application which consumes a large part of ECH. Properties of epoxy resin make it suitable for wide variety of applications such as paints, electrical & electronics, construction, wind turbine, composites, adhesives, and others. Since, epoxies have the largest share in applications; growth of the epoxy resin industry will ultimately contribute to the growth of the industry.

Most of the companies are the captive producers of Epichlorohydrin and utilize entire market produced for epoxy resin manufacturing. Top players such as Dow Chemical Company (U.S.) Formosa Plastics, and Momentive Performance Materials Inc. are captive producers.

The ECH consumption is estimated to be 1,520 kilo tons in 2012 and will grow by 4.8% annually till 2017. It has wide range of applications from epoxy resins, synthetic glycerin, water treatment resins, pharmaceuticals and others (epichlorohydrin-based rubber, textiles, papers, inks, dyes, ion exchange resins, agricultural products such as insecticides, bactericides, and fungicides).

Traditionally, epichlorohydrin (ECH) is being produced through petro-based feedstock, i.e. from propylene. However, companies have started using glycerin which is slowly replacing propylene. Glycerin is a bio-based feedstock and can be obtained easily as byproduct from biodiesel production. The increasing availability of bio-based glycerin from biodiesel production makes it possible to produce bio-based epichlorohydrin.

Highest growth can be seen in China where most of the companies either have already established or planning to set up their manufacturing plants. Growing domestic markets of Asia-Pacific region, low cost of raw material and labor are attracting companies towards China. By 2017, China will become the largest producer as well as exporter of ECH.

The Epichlorohydrin market report studies and forecasts the ECH market till 2017. The market is further segmented and forecasted for major regions such as: Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World that include key growth regions such as China, U.S., and Taiwan. Major countries with the volumes and revenues are covered for each of the region. Market estimations have been provided in terms of consumption volume (kilo tons) and market revenue (USD). The global as well as regional markets have been segmented by applications such as epoxy resins, synthetic glycerin, water treatment resins, pharmaceuticals, and others. The Epichlorohydrin market report also analyzes various manufacturing process and feedstock for ECH production.