Isophorone Features Bright Market Prospect

As one of the important acetone-processed products, isophorone has compatibility with many organic solvents. It is therefore an important solvent with high boiling point and can be extensively used in polyurethane elastomer, pharmaceutical, coatings and adhesive sectors.   The isophorone production in foreign countries was developed in the 1960s and the first commercial unit in the world was also constructed at that time. With the rapid development of the chemical industry, the synthetic resin industry in particular, the demand of isophorone has made a considerable growth in recent years and the development was more rapid in the early 1990s. The production and consumption of isophorone in the world is concentrated in western advanced countries and regions. Major producers include Rohm and Haas and Dow Chemical of the United States, BP of Britain, and Daicel of Japan. The total capacity is around 100 000 t/a.   In China only a few enterprises such as Shanghai Experimental Reagent Co., Ltd. and PetroChina Jilin Petrochemical Co., Ltd. have constructed small-scale isophorone units in recent years. The major synthesis technology used in the production is the acetone liquid-phase condensation process. Due to small production scale, low product output and outdated production technology, the isophorone industry in China is not developed and the domestic demand is mainly satisfied by imports. The technical route with development prospect is the acetone solid catalyst multiphase catalytic condensation process. The Research Institute of Jinlin Petrochemical Co., Ltd. and Shenyang University of Technology have already conducted research on the technology. The import amount of isophorone in China was around 3 500 tons in 2003 and the import price was around US$1 500 per ton. Import was mostly made from the United States, Germany and France. In terms of environmental protection and production safety, the use of isophorone as solvent with high boiling point in the production of nitrocellulose and polyester resin is superior to acetone and methylisobutyl ketone commonly used today. Besides, isophorone also has some applications in pharmaceuticals, high-performance epoxy resin curing agents, pesticides and polymer modifiers. The demand of isophorone in the domestic market is expected to be around 5 000 tons in 2006. The development and production of isophorone therefore has a bright market prospect.