Demand for aluminum diethyl hypophosphite continues to grow, but environmental risks still require focus

Aluminum diethyl hypophosphite is a type of phosphorus-based environmentally friendly halogen-free flame retardant. It has the advantages of high-efficiency flame retardancy, non-toxic and low smoke, and good compatibility. It is an excellent substitute for halogen-based flame retardants. With the increasing awareness of fire safety and environmental protection in my country and the increasingly stringent flame retardant regulations, the development of halogen-free flame retardants has become a research hotspot.

There are certain technical barriers to the production of aluminum diethyl hypophosphite. There are not many companies at home and abroad that can supply aluminum diethyl hypophosphite (ADP). The key companies include Clariant of the United States, Zhejiang Chuanfa, Qingdao Opuri, and Weihai Hai. Run, Zhejiang Xinhua, etc. Among them, Clariant in the United States is one of the largest aluminum diethyl hypophosphite manufacturers in the world. It has brand, scale, and technical advantages. The export scope of its aluminum diethyl hypophosphite is relatively wide, covering many regions around the world. In China, It also occupies a major market share.

In terms of production technology, the preparation technology of aluminum diethyl hypophosphinate includes Grignard reagent method, AlCl3 catalytic reaction method and free radical addition method. The Grignard reagent method has a complex process flow and raw material configuration. The AlCl3 catalytic method has a low yield, difficult product separation, and is easy to corrode equipment. Both methods are not conducive to large-scale production; the free radical addition method has a relatively simple process and a high yield. , suitable for large-scale production. At present, there are not many literature reports on the synthesis process and methods of aluminum diethyl hypophosphite in my country. In the industrial production of aluminum diethyl hypophosphite, the lower the concentration, the better the thermal stability of the corresponding product, but the higher the water consumption. It is large, increases production costs and also increases the amount of wastewater, which is not conducive to the protection of the ecological environment. There is still much room for improvement in the future.

According to the “In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report on the Aluminum Diethyl Phosphite Industry 2023-2027” released by the Industrial Research Center It shows that aluminum diethyl hypophosphite is widely used, and its downstream involves engineering plastics, thermosetting epoxy resins, TPE elastomers, coatings, adhesives, fabrics and other fields. In recent years, my country’s aluminum diethylphosphinate downstream industry has developed steadily, and domestic demand for aluminum diethylphosphinate continues to grow. The demand in 2022 will be approximately 20,000 tons.

Judging from the current usage, powdered aluminum diethyl hypophosphite is suitable for twin-screw extrusion granulation. Granular aluminum diethyl hypophosphate has better dispersion and is suitable for direct extrusion of products with a single-screw extruder or injection molding. Machine direct injection molding parts, and similar situations where a single screw is the main processing equipment, but granular aluminum diethyl hypophosphinate increases the processing cost compared to powdered aluminum diethyl hypophosphite, and the price is higher than powdered aluminum diethyl hypophosphinate. Aluminum phosphate is 2-5 yuan/kg higher. For customers with higher cost requirements, powdered aluminum diethyl hypophosphite is more suitable.

Industry analysts said that the production of aluminum diethyl hypophosphite faces environmental protection risks. During its production process, a large amount of Refractory organic wastewater. Generally speaking, the production of 1 ton of aluminum diethyl hypophosphite will produce about 15-20 tons of organic wastewater. With the continuous expansion of the production scale of diethyl aluminum hypophosphite enterprises, the emissions of “three wastes” will also increase accordingly. If the discharge of “three wastes” is not handled properly, it may cause certain pollution to the environment, thus causing a serious problem for diethyl aluminum hypophosphite. The normal production and operation of aluminum phosphate enterprises will be affected.