The global market for acrylic acid is expected to have a significant rise in its CAGR till the year 2020. The acrylic market is segmented by acrylic acid derivates such as acrylic esters- methyl, 2-Ethylhexyl acrylate, butyl, WTP, polymers–acrylic elastomers, SAPs, and ethyl. On the basis of how acrylic acid is used in industries that manufacture products, its market can further be categorized into production activities of surface coatings, textile, plastic additives, training paints, water treatment products, adhesives & solvents, adult continence; and diapers. The place and population of the acrylic acid market is also highly dependant on the geography and the extent of urbanization of the region the chemical is being manufactured and supplied to. By region, the acrylic acid market can be segmented into Asia Pacific, Europe, and the rest of the world with varying acrylic acid prices.
Global Acrylic Acid Market Scenario
Acrylic acid’s value chain ranges from identifying the source of deriving its raw materials (such as propene) to the industry where it is manufactured and finally delivering it to the end-user consumer or the industry. The industry that it is exported to makes use of acrylic acid to produce acrylic acid derivatives that get employed in manufacturing surface coatings, surfactants, adhesives & sealants, and plastic additives to name a few.
A majority of all market giants that dominate the production of acrylic acid and its derivatives are looking forward to integrating the global and local supply chain of the chemical to boost market integration and profits. Acrylic acid industries in North America and Europe are currently dominating the market sphere. The European and American acrylic acid manufacturing giants are identified as key exporters in the Asia-Pacific region. However, it is observed that every country has local acrylic acid producing industries that cater to a significant chunk of the target audience of the international suppliers. The key target audience for the acrylic acid manufacturers include the raw materials suppliers, acrylic acid derivative manufacturers, acrylic acid manufacturers, investment research firms and the governmental and regional agencies alongside research organizations.
Major global players of Acrylic acid in the Asia Pacific region are Nippon Shokubai Co. Ltd. (Japan), LG Chem Ltd. (South Korea) and Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation (Japan). Apart from these, France’s Arkema, Germany’s BASF SE and Evonik Industries, and the American Dow Chemical Company are major players in the acrylic industry. Most of these are cutting edge competitors and use acrylic acid for the production of derivatives that are used in manufacturing Super Absorbent Product (SAP) commodities.
Trends in Acrylic Acid Production, Supply and End-user Consumption
The three main acrylic acid chemical derivatives governing the demand and supply trends of the acrylic acid market include acrylic polymers, ammonium polyacrylate, and acrylic esters. There is a shift from acrylic acid being used in the waterborne coating products to it being used in the solvent-borne coating products. This can be achieved when universal solvents such as water are replaced by something more structurally complex and volatile.
Additionally, an increase in the industrialization and urbanization is also driving the acrylic acid market. An improvement in lifestyle and way of living in developing economies is causing more and more people to opt for consumer goods that are rich in SAP properties. The APAC market is driving the demand for surface coating solutions that are rich in acrylic acid component. Along with this, North America is also expected to expand with a considerable market size because of the increase in the end-user demand and a growing American and Canadian geriatric population.
Stern and stringent health and environmental laws are keenly observed to hinder the acrylic acid market as the disposal of the products manufactured through acrylic acid is cumbersome and have a high carbon footprint. Also, restraining factors in the growth of the acrylic acid market are the lack of enough bandwidth of research and development activities and the oversupply of the primitive and simplistic form of acrylic acid derivatives. With the existing capacity of acrylic acid, companies have been expanding their business thereby increasing the global supply-demand gap of acrylic acid. This is causing the acrylic acid prices to fluctuate and companies to halt their acrylic acid manufacturing seasonally. Germany’s BASF – a major acrylic acid manufacturing company is conducting extensive research and development in finding newer ways of application of acrylic acid and its derivatives in consumer products. Companies across the globe are focusing on developing newer technologies to harness uses of acrylic acid at the same doing so in an environmentally sustainable manner.
North America is the second largest producer as well as a consumer of acrylic acid and is foreseen to further grow its global acrylic market influence. The main reason for the global industry growth of this chemical is the increased demand for diapers, paper coatings, and adhesives. Similarly, acrylic acid is also used in sanitary pads for females. Super Absorbent Product properties of acrylic acid make it a popular choice in the various end-use application in developing and developed countries.