Undecylenic acid technology develops slowly and the overall market size continues to grow

Undecylenic acid, also known as undecene-9-acid and 10-undecene carbonic acid, is a monounsaturated fatty acid containing 11 C. It is an important pharmaceutical and spice intermediate and can be used to synthesize γ-11 ester, tridecanedioic acid, cycloethylene ester, 12-oxacetadecanolactone, cyclopentadecanolactone, undecanal and undecanol, etc., and due to its fungicidal ability, it has been widely used in medicine. use.

Since undecylenic acid only exists in human tears in nature, the undecylenic acid currently required in the market is synthesized from castor oil. Research on the process of preparing undecylenic acid from castor oil started in the 1930s and reached its climax in the 1950s and 1960s. In the mid-1950s, industrial-scale production of this project appeared, and was carried out in France, Japan, India, China and other countries. A series of studies have been carried out, but overall the research progress in the preparation of undecylenic acid from castor oil is slow, and there has been no major breakthrough so far.

At present, in terms of industrial production of undecylenic acid, the leading foreign company in the technology of preparing undecylenic acid from castor oil is mainly the French company Organico, which cracks methyl ricinoleate as raw material to obtain methyl undecylenate and heptane. The yields of aldehyde, heptanal and methyl undecenoate are 25.4% and 44.2% respectively. This technology is currently at the leading level in the world. The production scale of Chinese undecylenic acid enterprises is generally small, product quality stability is low, and industrial production technology needs to be improved.

Industrial Research Center released “China’s Ten-Year Plan 2022-2027” The “In-Depth Market Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report on the Undecylenic Acid Industry” shows that before 2020, with the development of the global flavor, fragrance and pharmaceutical industries, the global demand for undecylenic acid products will continue to rise. The market size of undecylenic acid continues to rise; however, in 2020, due to the impact of the new coronavirus pneumonia epidemic, global industrial production and supply chains have been greatly affected, both the supply and demand of undecylenic acid products have declined, and the market size has declined; In 2021, as Europe and the United States relax epidemic control policies, the global supply chain gradually recovers, global demand for undecylenic acid products rebounds, and the undecylenic acid market size resumes growth.

Europe and the United States have conducted relatively early research on chemical derivatives generated from castor oil, and research on undecylenic acid has started earlier and has a higher technical level. At the same time, Europe and the United States have relatively large industries such as medicine, spices, cosmetics, surfactants, and polymer materials. It is developed and has concentrated many of the world’s leading undecylenic acid downstream companies. It is currently the most important undecylenic acid demand market. In 2021, the demand for undecylenic acid in Europe and the United States will account for more than 60% of the world’s demand.

Although China’s undecylenic acid industry started late, it has developed rapidly. In recent years, China’s undecylenic acid output has maintained an average growth rate of more than 10%. At present, China has become one of the world’s major producers and consumers of undecylenic acid. 1. The main manufacturing companies include Guangxi Liangmianzhen Yikang Pharmaceutical, Dalian Ruiying Technology, Wuhan Nengren Pharmaceutical and Chemical Industry, etc.

In the future, China’s fragrance, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and other industries will continue to develop. At the same time, the application of undecylenic acid in surfactants and polymer materials will also gradually expand, adding impetus to the development of China’s undecylenic acid industry. Thanks to the growth in market demand in pharmaceuticals, fragrances, cosmetics, surfactants, polymer materials and other industries, as well as the increase in product prices, China’s undecylenic acid market size will continue to grow, and the demand growth rate will remain at around 5% .