Markets, worldwide polyurethane

To properly assess the impact of these factors would be far beyond the scope of this paper. Nevertheless, a good market researcher enjoys facing up to the challenge, and I shall endeavor to forecast the 1990 worldwide polyurethane markets. 

Manno, P. J. "Outlook for Worldwide Polyurethane Markets," ACS Symposium on Urethane Chemistry and Applications, Las Vegas, NE, Aug. 24-29, 1980. 

Adipic acid is a very large volume organic chemical. Worldwide production in 1986 reached 1.6 x 10 t (3.5 x 10 lb) (158) and in 1989 was estimated at more than 1.9 x 10 t (Table 7). It is one of the top fifty (159) chemicals produced in the United States in terms of volume, with 1989 production estimated at 745,000 t (160). Growth rate in demand in the United States for the period 1988—1993 is estimated at 2.5% per year based on 1987—1989 (160). Table 7 provides individual capacities for U.S. manufacturers. Western European capacity is essentially equivalent to that in the United States at 800,000 t/yr. Demand is highly cycHc (161), reflecting the automotive and housing markets especially. Prices usually foUow the variabiUty in cmde oil prices. Adipic acid for nylon takes about 60% of U.S. cyclohexane production the remainder goes to caprolactam for nylon-6, export, and miscellaneous uses (162). In 1989 about 88% of U.S. adipic acid production was used in nylon-6,6 (77% fiber and 11% resin), 3% in polyurethanes, 2.5% in plasticizers, 2.7% miscellaneous, and 4.5% exported (160). 

In 1993, a total of over 6 x 10 t of polyurethanes were consumed worldwide (Table 8). The flexible foam market in the United States totaled 932,000 tons in 1994. Flexible slab foam is used predominantly in furniture, carpet underlay, and bedding molded foam is used extensively in transportation. Carpet underlay is manufactured from either virgin or scrap polyurethane foam, which is combined with a binder adhesive. The consumption of flexible polyurethane foam in the various U.S. markets in 1994 is shown in Table 9. 

Global consumption of thermoplastic rubbers of all types is estimated at about 600,000 t/yr (51). Of this, 42% was estimated to be consumed in the United States, 39% in Western Europe, and 19% in Japan. At present, the worldwide market is estimated to be divided as follows styrenic block copolymers, 48% hard polymer/elastomer combinations, 26% thermoplastic polyurethanes, 12% thermoplastic polyesters, 4% and others, 9%. The three largest end uses were transportation, 23% footwear, 18% and adhesives, coatings, etc, 16%. The ranges of the hardness values, prices, and specific gravities of commercially available materials are given in Table 4. 

Although these new lightweight porous materials were envisioned as supportive materials as well as insulative materials in the base patents [3,4] their market development remained slow. This can be seen by the fact that even in 1952 polyisocyanates, mainly toluene diisocyanate (TDI), were available worldwide in quantities of less than 100 tonnes. After this rather hesitant start of polyurethane history and the first major switch from solid materials to porous foamed plastics, the industry has been characterised by significant changes in concept and the resulting industrial application of these switches. 

The worldwide annual production of thermoplastic elastomers of all types is estimated at about 2,500,000 metric tons in 2005 [47] with a value of almost 12 billion. Production is expected to rise to about 4,200,000 metric tons in 2014 [48]. This is equivalent to an annual growth rate of about 5.3%. In 2009, North America consumed about 25% of this amount. Western Europe about 20%, and China about 33%. Japan and other Asia/Pacific countries accounted for most of the rest. The styrenic block copolymers represented about 45% of the total market and polypropylene/EPDM or EPR combinations (including thermoplastic vulcanizates) about another 30%. The thermoplastic polyurethanes and the thermoplastic polyesters together made up another 20% [48]. Major end uses are transportation, footwear, industrial goods, wire insulation, medical (growing very rapidly), adhesives, coatings, and so on. 

There are presently about 100 different plasticizers produced worldwide, although only about 50 of these are classified as commercially important. Of these 50 products, just 7 plasticizers comprise more than 80% of the global plasticizer market. Approximately 90% of all plasticizers are used in the production of plasticized or flexible PVC materials. For this reason, the majority of the information discussed in this chapter will focus on PVC plasticizers. Other polymer systems that use small amounts of plasticizers include poly (vinyl butyral) or PVB, acrylic polymers, poly(vinylidene chloride), nylon, polyolefins, polyurethanes, and certain fluoroplastics. The estimated worldwide production of plasticizers in 2014 was about 14 billion pounds [6] with the majority of the plasticizer consumption taking place in Asia Pacific, predominately China. About 75% of this volume is phthalate ester plasticizers. 

Thermoplastic polyurethanes are growing in use worldwide growth was about 6% in 2010. Much of this growth is driven by new uses in the automotive and sporting goods markets. Approximately 500 million pounds per year of TPU are consumed worldwide. 

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