Global production/demand

PS is a global product, of which North America, Western Europe, and Southeast Asia are the principal consumers (Fig. 33). Global PS production capacity generally parallels the demand for the material (Fig. 34). However, the trend siace early 1980s has been toward narrowiag the gap between capacity and demand ia an effort to maximize the profitabiUty of the busiaess. 

Overall, the clash between an increased number of players and a boost of global production capacity on one hand and an overall sluggish demand on the other hand has created a highly competitive environment. In order to avoid plant closures, hne-chemical companies accepted prices that covered only variable costs, in some cases even only part of them. 

Lakes see below. Differences in the production and use of the penta-BDE product versus the octa-BDE product may account for these differences. Table 5 lists the demand for the three major PBDE commercial products in the global and North American markets. In 1990, the ratio of the penta-BDE product to the octa-BDE product demand was 0.7, but this ratio increased to 2 in 1999 and 2001. In other words, more of the octa-BDE product, which is relatively high in BDE-153 and -154, was used in the 1980s relative to the penta-BDE product, which is high in BDE-47, but now the opposite is true. This shift toward more of the penta-BDE product in the marketplace is mirrored by an increase in the ratios (R—see Eq. 1) over the same time period. The increase in R over the last 10 years has been about 50%, but the increase in the penta to octa ratio has been about 200%. This difference may be explained by the higher bio-availability of the less-brominated congeners compared with to the more-brominated ones. 

Hexabromocyclododecanes are additive BFRs used in polystyrene. In 2001 the global market demand for HBCD was 16 700 metric tons [29]. Of this amount, 2800 tons (17%) were used in North America, and 9500 tones (57%) were used in Europe [29]. The commercial product contains three isomers, among which the y isomer is the most predominant at 75-90% of the total. The a isomer is 10-13% of the total, and the p isomer is < 0.5-12% of the total [56]. The structures of these compounds are given here, but because there has been some confusion about their exact three-dimensional structures, their Chemical Abstracts Registry numbers are also given. Incidentally, these compounds are chiral. 

Phillips, Qatar Petroleum, and Total is investing in a 1.3 mmt/year cracker in Ras Laffan, Qatar. However, because ethane production is linked to gas and oil production, the Middle East ethane supply will be able to meet only around 17 percent of global ethylene demand, which is expected to be 135 mmt/year by 2010 (Fig. 7.6). 

PBDEs have been called one of the emerging pollutants . They are extensively used as flame retardants (FRs) in various polymers and especially in electronic equipment such as computers and television sets. Similar to PCBs, there are 209 congeners of PBDEs, and the nomenclature system is also based on the same IUPAC scheme used for PCBs. But unlike PCBs, for which large-scale production has been banned for many years, PBDEs are still widely used and their transport and transformation in the environment are still poorly understood. The global demand for PBDEs has increased rapidly since the 1970s. In 1992, the global production of PBDEs was 40,0001, but in 1999 this had increased to approximately 70,0001 (Renner, 2000). 

Aniline s global production capacity in 1999 was 2.9 million tonnes, and demand in 2000 was estimated to be 2.68 million tonnes per year. The capacity in 1999 was found in these regions Western Europe - 47%, North America -30% and Asia / Pacific -19%140,256. In 2000 China had over 20 aniline producers with a total capacity that exceeded 200,000 tonnes per year. Aniline production in 1999 in China was 142,700 for a utilization rate of around 70%. Historical production in the United States is summarized in Table 20.2255. 

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