Heptanal industry has high barriers and industry investment potential is average

Heptaldehyde CAS number is 111-71-4, also known as heptaldehyde, n-heptaldehyde, etc., with a relative molecular mass of 114.19 and a molecular formula of C₇H₁₄O, it is a colorless to slightly yellow oily liquid with a fruity aroma and low toxicity. Heptanal is miscible with ethanol and ether, soluble in 60% ethanol, and slightly soluble in water. Heptanal exists in castor oil and can be reduced to n-heptanol and oxidized to n-heptanoic acid. Heptanal is an important raw material for the synthesis of flavors and fragrances, pharmaceuticals, organic synthesis and rubber products. The main global heptanal production processes include ricinoleate methyl ester cracking, aldehyde catalytic oxidation, 1-hexene carbonyl synthesis, etc. Among them, the high-temperature cracking method of methyl ricinoleate is the main method, but heptanal contains many impurities and has a pungent smell, so it cannot be directly used in the production of flavors and fragrances. Heptanal must be purified; the olefin oxo synthesis reaction method has a wide range of raw materials and low production costs. Low is the current focus of research on the production process.

Due to the wide range of potential applications of heptanal products, many countries around the world are currently conducting research and development of heptanal products. The production technology of heptanal products is constantly improving, and heptanal products for different application fields are constantly being developed. Among them, developed countries such as France, Germany, and the United States started research on heptanal products earlier. These countries have mastered the core technology for the production of heptanal products, and their technical level in the production and application of heptanal products is ahead of other countries. For example, Arco, France Ma holds the advanced technology of heptanal and has strong market competitiveness, leading the development of the global heptanal industry. The manufacturers of heptanal-based rubber vulcanization accelerators are mainly located in the United States.

In recent years, the heptanal industry in China, India and other countries has also achieved certain development, and has made progress in terms of product production capacity and production technology. However, there is still a certain gap compared with France, Germany, the United States and other countries, and there is still a certain gap. It is necessary to increase independent innovation efforts. Other countries have weaker heptanal production capabilities and less competitiveness. In short, at present, the global market is a competitive situation dominated by companies from the United States, Germany, France, China, India and other countries. Heptanal is a niche chemical product. Although it has a wide range of applications, its actual market demand is not large and is mainly concentrated in the field of flavors and fragrances. Therefore, the number of manufacturing companies in the industry is small. In addition, there is environmental pollution in the production process of products, and due to the influence of stricter environmental protection supervision, the number of enterprises is small. At present, there are only a few manufacturers in the heptanal industry in China, such as Huangshan Bashui Chemical Additives Co., Ltd., Juye Zhongyue Flavors and Fragrances Co., Ltd., and their industry market concentration is high. According to the “China Heptanal Industry Market Monitoring and Future Development Prospects Research Report 2023-2028” released by the Industrial Research Center, Huangshan Bashui Chemical Additives Co., Ltd. has a heptanal production capacity of 600 tons and is the largest heptanal production enterprise in China.

Industrial analysts said that heptanal is mainly derived from the by-product of castor oil cracking to produce nylon-11, and the production equipment and process are complex and complicated. The route is long, the operation requirements are high, the technology is difficult, and the technical barriers to the industry are high. At the same time, the production process used by heptanal production companies will produce waste liquid, waste water and other pollutants, causing certain harm to the environment and putting great pressure on environmental protection. In addition, the downstream demand for heptanal is limited, and there are not many existing manufacturers in the industry. A relatively stable market competition has been formed, with relatively stable downstream sales channels and key customers. Therefore, new entrants face high technical, environmental and customer barriers, and the investment potential in the heptanal industry is average.