The operating rate of pivalic acid enterprises is low, and the gap between domestic supply and demand continues to expand.

Pivalic acid, also known as tert-valeric acid and pivalic acid, is an important chemical raw material and reagent. Pivalic acid appears as a colorless solid with a special odor. It is slightly soluble in water, easily soluble in alcohol ethers, and has certain corrosive properties. Pivalic acid is one of the most widely used alkyl carboxylic acids. As an organic intermediate, pivalic acid is widely used in medicine, coatings, lubricants, pesticides, dyes and other fields.

Pivalic acid has a special structure and complex preparation processes. Currently, the preparation processes for pivalic acid include the reaction method of isobutanol and formic acid, the haloform reaction method of methyl tert-butyl ketone, the isobutylene synthesis method, the Reppe method, etc. Among them, the isobutylene synthesis method is It is made from isobutylene, carbon monoxide and water as raw materials and reacted under a certain pressure. The isobutylene synthesis method is the current mainstream preparation process. Each preparation process of pivalic acid has advantages and disadvantages. Among them, the Koch method has high purity and high yield, but the related catalyst performance is insufficient; the raw materials of the isobutanol and formic acid and sulfuric acid methods are easy to store and transport, but the production cost is high and the environment is harmful; The by-products of the Reppe method have certain value, but the product yield is extremely low.

According to the “2021-2026 China Pivalic Acid Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report released by the Industrial Research Center, In recent years, thanks to the increase in downstream market demand, my country’s pivalic acid consumption has been in a rapid growth trend. By 2020, my country’s pivalic acid consumption has reached 16,500 tons. However, due to factors such as environmental protection policies and production costs, the operating rate of pivalic acid production companies in my country has been low in recent years, and most companies have been in a state of long-term shutdown.

At this stage, my country’s pivalic acid production companies include Shandong Minji Chemical Co., Ltd., Tianjin Siyou Technology Co., Ltd., Hebei Fude Chemical Technology Co., Ltd. and other companies. In the short term, there are few new domestic pivalic acid projects, mainly including the pivalic acid recovery production line expanded by Zhuhai United Laboratories Co., Ltd. After the project expansion, the annual output of pivalic acid will be 1,000 tons; the renovation project of Hebei Guochen Chemical Co., Ltd. Newly added 5,000 tons of pivalic acid annually.

Pivalic acid is mainly used to synthesize pivaloyl chloride and pivalate ester. Pivaloyl chloride has a wide range of applications. In the pharmaceutical field, pivaloyl chloride can be used to synthesize semi-synthetic antibiotics, such as ampicillin trimethyl; in the daily chemical field, pivaloyl chloride It can be used to produce scented soaps, shampoos and other products. With the continuous development of new application scenarios for pivalic acid downstream products, the pivalic acid market still has certain room for development.

Industry analysts said that the production cost of pivalic acid is high and it is easy to cause environmental pollution during the production process. In recent years, with the increase of environmental protection supervision With the increasingly stringent regulations, the operating rate of pivalic acid companies is low, and in the short term, there will be fewer new pivalic acid projects. As an organic intermediate, pivalic acid has a wide range of applications. Driven by the development of terminal industries, the market demand for pivalic acid will grow rapidly. Against this background, the gap between my country’s supply and demand for pivalic acid will gradually expand.