N-butanol or normal butanol is a primary alcohol with 4-carbon structure and molecular formula C4H9OH. It is a colorless liquid at room temperature. N-butanol is manufactured commercially by oxo synthesis of propylene with syngas, in the presence of catalyst, to give aldehydes. The intermediate aldehydes are further hydrogenated to give n-butanol and iso-butanol as by-products. It is a major feedstock for the industrial manufacturing of various chemicals including butyl acrylate, butyl acetate, glycol ethers, and plasticizers. These chemicals find a wide range of applications in water-based coatings, cosmetics, car care products, lacquers, pharmaceuticals, textiles, etc. N-butanol is also used as a direct solvent in paints, dyes, varnishes, coatings, and for other industrial purposes. Over exposure to n-butanol may cause irritation to human body. Hence, various health organizations are involved in continuously monitoring the exposure levels.
The global market for n-butanol has grown significantly during the past few years and is expected to grow at a more rapid pace in the next five years, mainly driven by the growing demand in the Asia-Pacific region. China consumed around 34.8% of the global n-butanol demand in 2012. Production facilities of n-butanol are majorly concentrated in Europe and North America, which are the key exporting regions. Middle East is expected to be a big market in the near future mainly due to focused efforts by their governments to attract various chemical and petrochemical companies.
This study basically aims to estimate the global market of n-butanol for 2013 and to project the expected demand of the same in 2018. This market research study provides detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of the global n-butanol market. It provides a comprehensive review of major market drivers, restraints, opportunities, winning imperatives, challenges, and key issues in the market. The market is further segmented and forecasted for major regions of North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World. Major countries with the market volumes and revenues are covered for each region.
We have used various secondary sources such as encyclopedia, directories, and databases to identify and collect information useful for this extensive commercial study of n-butanol market. The primary sources – experts from related industries and suppliers have been interviewed to obtain and verify critical information as well as to assess the future prospects of n-butanol.
Competitive scenario and market shares of the top players in the n-butanol market are discussed in detail. We have also profiled leading players of this industry with their recent developments and other strategic industry activities. These include : BASF SE (Germany), The DOW Chemical Company (U.S.), OXEA GmbH (Germany), Sasol Ltd (South Africa), Formosa Plastics Corp (Taiwan), KH Neochem Co Ltd (Japan), BASF-PETRONAS Chemicals Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia), Eastman Chemical Company (U.S.), CNPC (China), INEOS Oxide Ltd (U.S.), Perstorp Holding AB (Sweden), Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Japan), and Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Company (Saudi Arabia).
Scope of the report: This research report categorizes the global market for n-butanol on the basis of applications and geography; forecasting volumes and revenues and analyzing trends in each of the submarkets.
On the basis of applications: The n-butanol market is segmented on the basis of industry applications such as butyl acrylates, glycol ethers, butyl acetate, plasticizers, direct solvent application, and others. Each application is further described in detail in the report with the forecast of its volume and revenue.
On the basis of geography: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and ROW and the key countries in these regions.
