Branched-Chain Higher Alcohols - Biotechnology in China: Biofuels and Bioenergy - page 106

After two expansions, in 1992 and 1999, the capacity reached 100,000 t/year.
Shandong Dongying Hi-Tech Spring Chemical Industrial Company constructed a
30,000 t/year isopropanol unit with the propylene direct hydration process developed
by Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, which was
put into operation in November 2005. Considering the shortage of supply of iso-
propanol in the domestic market, CNPC Jinzhou Petrochemical Company invested
CNY 418 million and constructed a 150,000 t/year isopropanol unit during the 11th
Five-Year Program (2006-2010), and this was put into operation in 2007. Although
isopropanol production in China has increased constantly in recent years, its market
demand still outpaces domestic production and the shortfall has to be supplied by
imports. In 2000, 55,000 t of isopropanol was imported, but imports increased to
112,000 t in 2005.
The most important application of isopropanol in China is as a solvent, which
accounts for about 70% of the total amount used, mainly in ink production and the
pharmaceutical and pesticide sectors. China has become the second largest pro-
ducer of coatings in the world. The distribution readjustment to the coatings sector
in China has been greatly accelerated in recent years and products are developing
toward high-grade varieties. Many well-known foreign producers have come to
China and invested in the construction of high-grade coatings units. The demand
for isopropanol in the coatings sector has therefore presented a trend of rapid
growth.
In contract to the situation in advanced countries, applications of isopropanol in
many sectors have not yet been explored in China. For example, isopropanol has
very strong sterilizing ability (more efficient than ethanol), and can be used in the
sterilization of skin, hands, and medical apparatuses as well as artificial limbs. In
some countries, isopropanol is the most popular antiseptic in public places such as
beauty parlors, but it is seldom used in China, even during the severe acute
respiratory syndrome epidemic in 2003. Domestic firms should highlight research
into applications of isopropanol, especially its applications in the production of
solvents for surface coatings, dewaxing solvents for lube oils, cleaning agents for
electronics, antiseptics for public places, chemicals in daily use, and resins so as to
promote growth in the consumption of isopropanol.
2.3 Isobutanol
Isobutanol is a bulk chemical and has many industrial applications, such as
solvents, paint additives, ink ingredients, and extractants for organic compounds.
Many isobutanol derivatives are used in the chemical industry. Isobutyl acetate is
one of them, and is used for production of lacquers and coatings. Isobutyl esters
such as diisobutyl phthalate are another category, and are used as plasticizer agents
in plastics, rubbers, and other dispersions. Isobutanol can also be dehydrated to
produce butenes, which are building blocks for the production of materials such as
lubricants, synthetic rubber, xylene, and polyester terephthalate [ 22 ].