The DOTP preparation process has basically matured and the output has declined.

Dioctyl phthalate (DOTP) is a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plasticizer with excellent performance. It is insoluble in water, but soluble in general organic solvents. It mostly appears as a transparent oily liquid under normal temperature and pressure. Compared with diisooctyl phthalate (DOP), DOTP has the advantages of being difficult to volatilize, heat-resistant, resistant to extraction, cold-resistant, good flexibility, good electrical insulation, and environmentally friendly.

At present, the preparation process of DOTP has been basically mature and can be roughly divided into transesterification method, direct esterification method, etc. Among them, the raw materials used in the transesterification method are relatively abundant, and waste polyesters such as film and PET boards can be used as production raw materials, but the production process is more complex and the production cost is relatively high; while the direct esterification method has a simpler production process and lower product quality. High, it has become the mainstream production process of DOTP.

From the upstream of the industrial chain, DOTP raw materials mainly include octanol, terephthalic acid, dioctyl adipate, adipic acid, etc. Among them, octanol has become the raw material accounting for the largest proportion of DOTP production costs. At present, the application fields of octanol in my country are very wide, and the market demand is relatively stable. In recent years, my country’s octanol companies have continued to expand their production scale, large-scale production equipment has gradually been implemented, and output has gradually increased. In 2022, my country’s octanol production will reach 2.078 million tons. my country’s octanol production is gradually increasing, providing sufficient raw materials for the rapid development of the DOTP market.

According to the“2023-2027 Global DOTP (Dioctyl Terephthalate) Industry In-depth Market Research and Key Area Research Report” released by the Industrial Research Center It shows that DOTP has low production cost and excellent performance, so it is widely used in many fields. For example, due to its low volatility, DOTP is mostly used to produce cable materials, artificial leather films and other PVC soft products. In addition, DOTP can also serve as precision instrument lubricant, coating additive, paper softener, lubricant additive, synthetic rubber plasticizer, etc. Coupled with the gradual implementation of my country’s environmental protection policies, DOTP, as an environmentally friendly plasticizer, has gradually become a mainstream product in the industry, and market demand continues to increase. However, affected by repeated epidemics, the operating rate of my country’s DOTP companies has gradually declined, and output has declined. In 2022, my country’s DOTP output will be 3.015 million tons.

Industry analysts said that the larger DOTP companies mainly include LG Chem, BASF, Harma Group, Oxea, Eastman, Aijing Chemical, Guansheng Chemical, Xiangfeng Co., Ltd., Liancheng Chemical Technology, Yuanli Group, Jiaao Environmental Protection, Lanfan Group, Hongxin Chemical, Runtai Co., Ltd., etc. Among them, Jiaao Environmental Protection has gradually become a leading enterprise in the industry by virtue of its complete industrial chain and complete varieties. In addition, there are still a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Chinese market. These enterprises have small production scales, relatively backward production technologies, and insufficient market competitiveness. As large companies gradually expand, small and medium-sized DOTP companies are gradually eliminated, and the DOTP market concentration is expected to further increase in the future.