Itaconic Acid: A Versatile Platform Chemical for the Global Market
Production and Applications of Itaconic Acid
Itaconic acid is mainly produced through the fermentation process of certain fungi strains. Aspergillus itaconicus and Aspergillus terreus are the most commonly used fungal strains for industrial-scale production of itaconic acid through fermentation. The fermentation process involves growing the fungal culture in a growth medium containing various nutrients under controlled conditions. Glucose is predominantly used as the primary carbon source in the growth medium. After several days of fermentation, itaconic acid is extracted from the fermentation broth using various separation technologies.
The global production of itaconic acid reached over 25,000 tons in 2021. China is currently the leading producer with over 60% share of global capacity. Other major producers include South Korea, Italy, Germany, and the United States. However, the demand is growing steadily at over 5% each year due to its wide range of applications. Major application areas of itaconic acid include polymers & resins, adhesives, sealants & coatings, and detergents & cleaners among others.
Polymer and Resins Industry Remains Largest End-user
The polymer and resins sector accounts for nearly 45% of the total itaconic acid consumption globally. Itaconic acid acts as an excellent comonomer for producing various specialty polymers like acrylic latexes, polyesters, and polyurethanes. It enhances various properties of polymers like adhesion, toughness, heat stability, and degradation resistance. Some key polymers where itaconic acid finds major usage include vinyl itaconate latexes, polyitaconates, and polyitaconate esters.
Itaconic acid is also widely used in the production of unsaturated polyester resins (UPRs). As a co-monomer, it improves various properties of UPRs such as hydrolytic stability, weather resistance, and toughness. UPRs produced using itaconic acid exhibit superior water resistance, high strength, and resistance to cracking. They are extensively used in the manufacturing of fiberglass products, baths & showers, pipes & tanks, and other industrial applications.
Adhesives Industry Offers Lucrative Opportunities
The adhesives industry has emerged as another prominent end-user industry for itaconic acid, accounting for over 20% of global consumption. Itaconic acid acts both as a reactive diluent and co-monomer in improving the overall performance of adhesive formulations. When used as a co-monomer, it improves the adhesion strength of acrylic adhesives along with their heat resistance and aging properties.
Some common adhesives applications where itaconic acid helps to boost properties include hot melt adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs), reactive adhesives, and specialty structural adhesives. With the increasing usage of itaconic acid-based adhesives in various bonding applications across industries like automotive, construction, electronics, packaging and other consumer goods, the demand from this segment is projected to grow at a high single-digit rate in the coming years.
Detergents Industry Offers New Avenues for Growth
Rising usage of itaconic acid as a co-monomer in the production of various detergent polymers is opening new growth areas. When copolymerized with acrylic acid, itaconate-based detergent polymers exhibit exceptional cleaning efficiency along with other properties like dispersibility and thickening ability. They are suitable for versatile applications in laundry detergents, automatic dishwasher detergents, industrial & institutional cleaners and hard surface cleaners.
With the expanding detergent industry driven by factors like increasing disposable income, urbanization and changing consumer lifestyle in developing regions, the demand for high-performance detergent polymers is on the rise. This provides a massive opportunity to drive the adoption of itaconic acid-based detergent polymers offering multiple advantages. Manufacturers are escalating R&D efforts to develop novel detergent formulations leveraging the unique attributes of itaconic acid.
Regulatory Approvals and Capacity Expansions
To tap growing opportunities, major itaconic acid producers are actively pursuing capacity expansions and new plant investments globally. In 2021, several large projects were announced in Asia and Europe expanding total annual capacity to beyond 50,000 tons by 2024. Besides, regulatory approvals are enabling new applications. For example, FDA approval of itaconic acid as an indirect food additive in polymers used in food packaging applications opened sizeable opportunities.
Also, approval for usage in personal care products helped penetrate new markets. With its renewable and sustainable production via fermentation, itaconic acid is gaining preference over petrochemical-based alternatives. If favorable regulatory, economic and market conditions persist, analysts project global itaconic acid capacity to double and surpass 10 billion by 2030. The future certainly looks promising for itaconic acid to establish itself as a critical platform chemical globally.
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