The lactic acid market is highly concentrated. The expansion of polylactic acid production capacity drives the growth of lactic acid demand.

Lactic acid, also known as 2-hydroxypropionic acid, is the most widespread hydroxy acid in nature. It was first discovered by Swedish scientist Scheele in 1780. Lactic acid is the smallest chiral molecule in nature. It exists in nature in the form of two stereoisomers, namely left-handed L-lactic acid and right-handed D-lactic acid. L-lactic acid and D-lactic acid are mixed in equal proportions to form a lactic acid. Spin DL-lactic acid.

From the perspective of market demand, lactic acid is widely used in traditional and emerging fields. In traditional fields, lactic acid is widely used in food, cosmetics, feed, pesticides, medicine, chemical and other industries; at the same time, lactic acid is the main raw material for the synthesis of emerging materials polylactic acid. With the development of downstream markets, China’s lactic acid market demand is showing a rapid growth trend. According to the“China Lactic Acid Industry Market Monitoring and Future Development Prospects Research Report 2022-2026” released by the Industrial Research Center in 2021 , China’s lactic acid demand reached 111,700 tons, with a growth rate of 18.1%.

From a production perspective, currently, fermentation is commonly used to produce lactic acid. The raw materials used in the fermentation method are corn, sugar cane, sweet potato, etc. Among them, corn is the raw material used most by lactic acid production companies, so the supply and price stability of corn are important. important for the production of lactic acid. Although China is a major corn producer, the regional nature of its output has made major producing provinces such as Henan and Shandong major lactic acid production bases, which has placed certain restrictions on lactic acid production and investment.

After long-term development and market competition, China has become an important lactic acid producer in the world. In the process of survival of the fittest in the market, the number of enterprises in China’s lactic acid industry has decreased, and industry production capacity has gradually gathered towards leading enterprises. Subject to factors such as raw material supply, process technology stability, and sales channels, China’s lactic acid production capacity is mainly in the hands of leading companies represented by Jindan Technology, Parkson Technology, and Henan Xinghan. The production capacity of other companies is relatively small. As the largest lactic acid manufacturer in China, Jindan Technology has an annual production capacity of more than 120,000 tons, far behind other domestic companies. Coupled with its multi-faceted layout in the field of lactic acid derivatives, it has become the most competitive manufacturer in China. enterprise.

Industry researchers said that thanks to the development of China’s food and beverage, polylactic acid, medicine, industry and other fields, the size of China’s lactic acid market has increased. Continued expansion, especially the growing demand for polylactic acid as a degradable material in disposable plastic products, medical and other fields, will drive the rapid growth of demand for lactic acid in the field of polylactic acid. As an emerging material that is degradable, recyclable, low-carbon and environmentally friendly, polylactic acid has received great attention for its application in disposable plastic products, medical and other fields. Against the background of stricter plastic restriction policies, the degradable plastic market has expanded rapidly, driving the demand for polylactic acid to continue to grow. The expansion of polylactic acid production capacity and huge market potential have provided new impetus for the development of the lactic acid market.