Isopropyl alcohol has a wide range of applications and the phenomenon of overcapacity is gradually emerging.

Isopropyl alcohol is also called dimethylmethanol, 2-propanol, and fire wine. Its chemical formula is C3H8O and it is an isomer of n-propyl alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol appears as a colorless and transparent liquid. It is easily soluble in organic solvents such as ether, alcohol, and benzene, but is insoluble in salt-containing solutions. Isopropyl alcohol is an important chemical raw material and is widely used in the production and manufacturing of plastics, cosmetics, medicines and coatings.

The preparation methods of isopropyl alcohol include isopropyl acetate hydrogenation method, propylene hydration method and acetone hydrogenation method. The propylene hydration method can be divided into direct propylene hydration method and indirect propylene hydration method. The direct propylene hydration method uses low-concentration propylene as raw material and has a conversion rate of over 90.0%, but it is easy to cause environmental pollution. The isopropyl acetate hydrogenation method uses propylene and acetate to esterify to produce an intermediate product, isopropyl acetate, which is then hydrogenated and refined to finally obtain isopropyl alcohol and ethanol. The isopropyl acetate hydrogenation method is an isopropyl alcohol preparation method independently developed in my country. It has the advantages of low energy consumption and environmental protection, and is suitable for large-scale production.

According to the “2022-2026 China Isopropyl Alcohol Product Market Analysis Feasibility Research Report released by the Industrial Research Center, in terms of technology Driven by innovation and other positive factors, my country’s isopropyl alcohol production capacity is constantly improving. In 2021, my country’s isopropyl alcohol production capacity will reach 2.136 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 90.0%. Isopropyl alcohol has a wide range of applications. Currently, the pharmaceutical and pesticide fields are the largest demand side for isopropyl alcohol in my country, accounting for 40.0% of the demand. In the medical field, isopropyl alcohol has sterilization, disinfection and other properties and can be used to produce medical disinfectants. However, at present, ethanol disinfectant is the mainstream medical disinfectant product in my country, and the market penetration rate of isopropyl alcohol disinfectant is low.

In terms of import and export, due to insufficient market demand in my country, the problem of overcapacity of isopropyl alcohol is becoming increasingly serious. For a long time, my country has relied heavily on export trade to digest the surplus in the isopropyl alcohol market. However, affected by the epidemic, the demand for isopropyl alcohol in overseas markets has not recovered as expected, and my country’s exports have fallen sharply. According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs of China, my country’s isopropyl alcohol exports reached 119,000 tons in 2021, a year-on-year decrease of 52.3%. Southeast Asia is my country’s main export region for isopropyl alcohol, accounting for nearly 90.0% of the total export volume.

There are many isopropyl alcohol manufacturers in my country, including Jinzhou Petrochemical, Kailing Chemical (Zhangjiagang), Shandong Dadi Supu Chemical, Shandong Dongying Haike New Energy Chemical, Lihua Yiweiyuan Chemical, etc. The annual production capacity of isopropyl alcohol of the above enterprises exceeds 80,000 tons, and they are the main suppliers of isopropyl alcohol in my country.

Industry analysts said that isopropyl alcohol, as a basic chemical raw material, has a wide range of applications. However, it is affected by the macroeconomic situation and insufficient application development. Affected by other factors, my country’s isopropyl alcohol market demand is insufficient, leading to the problem of overcapacity. As the severe situation of the COVID-19 epidemic is gradually brought under control, overseas market demand rebounds, which will drive the development trend of my country’s isopropyl alcohol industry to continue to improve.