Epichlorohydrin Market Trends

Growth Drivers

• Use of epichlorohydrin-based resins in textiles is expanding quickly - In the textile industry, epichlorohydrin is used to change the carboxyl groups in wool. The end outcome is a product that is more and more resistant to moths. Another application for epichlorohydrin is the synthesis of wool-like, protein-modified fibers that are resistant to mold and insects and prefer acid coloring.
  
  Epichlorohydrin is also used to create polyolefin, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl chloride, and dye-capable polypropylene fibers, among other fibers. In addition, it's employed to prepare textile sizes, anti-static agents, and wrinkle resistance. Derivatives of epichlorohydrin show promise as agents for lowering, dispersion, softening, emulsifying, and washing.
  
  With USD 941 billion in overall trade in 2022, textiles ranked as the seventh most traded product worldwide. Textile exports increased 6.8% between 2021 and 2022, from USD 881 billion to USD 941 billion. The percentage of global trade in textiles is 3.97%.
• Utilizing more bio-based feedstock - Glycerol is the basis of a sophisticated, proprietary technique used to create bio-based feedstock. As a byproduct of the production of oleo chemicals and biodiesel, glycerol is a sustainable feedstock. It offers significant environmental benefits over fossil fuel-based propylene-based ECH. A bio-based feedstock reduces greenhouse gas emissions and uses less energy since it is made entirely of renewable carbon.
  
  These characteristics make it useful in a variety of applications, including the electronics industry, paper chemicals, water treatment chemicals, optical lens monomers, and synthetic rubbers. As a result, customers are growing increasingly conscious of the advantages of utilizing bio-based products as well as the harmful environmental effects of propylene. Bio-based feedstocks accounted for 36.7 million metric tons of the 498.9 million metric tons of polymers produced globally as of 2022, or 7% of the total.
• Increasing epoxy resin demand - Epoxy resins find use in paint, electronics, adhesives, automotive, and construction, among other industries. This is propelling the epoxy resin industry's growth, which is fueling the epichlorohydrin global epichlorohydrin market's expansion.
  
  The industries that produce epoxy resin are the main epichlorohydrin users, and thus growth in the global epichlorohydrin market is mostly due to these businesses. By 2026, it is anticipated that the automotive and transportation sectors will account for more than 10.5% of the global epichlorodydrin market.

Challenges

• Harmful effects - Because epichlorohydrin is caustic and poisonous, it is categorized as a hazardous chemical. Unintentional emissions that occur during production, transit, or use can have a negative impact on the environment, contaminating the land and water. Epichlorohydrin synthesis and usage may release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere. Adherence to rules and prevention of environmental pollution are contingent upon the implementation of appropriate waste management procedures. The ephichlorohydrin market will increase less due to the aforementioned issues.
• Availability of alternative products and strict regulations - New, technologically sophisticated methods like the Epicerol process, which eliminates environmental restrictions inhibiting the growth of the global epichlorohydrin market, are replacing the traditional epichlorohydrin production process. This factor will present a significant obstacle to the market growth rate for epichlorohydrin. The government's strict emission requirements and restrictions pertaining to the production of epichlorohydrin would impede the expansion of the ephichlorohydrin market for this product.