Primarily used in manufacturing aniline, the demand for nitrobenzene has grown significantly in the past one decade. At present the developing economies in the APAC region hold a major share in the global market for nitrobenzene, and according to industry expert Chandrakumar, this trend will continue for the next five years as well. Growing demand for rubber in the automotive industry along with adoption of nitrobenzene as plant energizer are two major factors which have triggered the demand for this product.
The immense demand for aniline and other subsidiary products is the primary reason why major players in the nitrobenzene market have increased investments, and are encouraging research on its various applications. The top 10 vendors in the global nitrobenzene market, as identified by our industry experts are:
1) BASF
One of the largest chemical producers in the world, BASF offers chemicals and intermediates such as plasticizers, solvents, monomers, glues, and electronic chemicals. The company also offers raw materials for plastics, detergents, textile fibers, plant protection, pharmaceuticals, paints and coatings. Its end users include the automotive, construction, agriculture, oil, plastics, electrical and electronics, furniture, and paper industries. It also manufacturers nitrobenzene which is used for the synthesis of aniline and in rubber manufacturing.
Some of BASF’s key subsidiaries are BASF battery technology investment, BASF Argentina, BASF coatings, BASF SA, BASF construction chemicals Asia Pacific, and BASF AS.
2) Huntsman
An American multinational, Huntsman is a global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated chemicals. Huntsman operates through five business segments: polyurethanes, performance products, advanced materials, textile effects and pigments, and additives. The company serves industries such as chemicals, plastics, automotive, furniture, and packaging – BMW, Unilever, P&G, and GE, are some of its major clients. Recently the company entered into a joint venture with Chemtura Corporation to form Rubicon. Through this JV, the company offers products such as methylene diphenyl isocyanate (MDI), hydrochloric acid (HCI), maleic anhydride, polyols, aniline, nitrobenzene, and diphenylamine (DPA).
3) Chemours
A subsidiary of DuPont performance chemicals business, Chemours is a chemical company operating worldwide with expertise in fluoroproducts, titanium technologies, and chemical solutions. Since March 2016, the company has been meeting The Dow Chemical Company’s additional aniline requirements from its Pascagoula, Mississippi facility.
4) Wanhua Industrial Group
The Chinese chemicals company is the largest producer of isocyanate in terms of capacity. Wanhua Industrial Group holds core expertise in manufacturing downstream and upstream products based on polyurethane (PU) and MDI businesses. The company is focusing on expanding its business to five segments: petroleum and coal chemicals, construction, energy-saving materials, intra-group financing platform, and agricultural strawboard.
5) Covestro
The German company is a leading manufacturer of hi-tech polymer material. In February 2011, Bayer MaterialScience filed a patent for the process that aids in the continuous preparation of nitrobenzene. It is a process of manufacturing nitrobenzene by adiabatic nitration of benzene with a mixed acid consisting of nitric acid and sulfuric acid. The company is a prominent player in polyurethane manufacturing, globally. It produces nitrobenzene that is used in various applications, predominantly as rigid and flexible foams. It uses isocyanates such as toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and polyols to manufacture polyurethanes.
6) Connell Chemical Industry
The company is based in Jilin Economic & Technological Development Zone, China. Connell Chemical offers nitrobenzene, aniline, synthetic ammonia, and nitric acid. The company’s plant specializes in the production of 360 KTA aniline, 480 KTA nitrobenzene, 370 KTA nitric acid, and 120 KTA synthetic ammonia.
7) Aromsyn
Aromsyn specializes in the research and manufacturing of novel aromatic compounds and is engaged in the manufacturing of benzaldehyde, aniline series, cinnamic aldehyde, phenol, anisole, phenyl-hydrazine, benzonitrile, hydroxybenzoate, benzoic acid, benzamide, benzyl halide, bromobenzyl alcohol, benzylamine, cinnamic acid, and other heterocyclic compounds. It has manufacturing units in Europe, the Middle East, the US, and Southeast Asian countries.
8) SP Chemicals
SP Chemicals is an ion-membrane chloralkali manufacturer in Jiangsu. It produces and sells chloralkali products and associated downstream products. The company has six business units: Nitrobenzene, aniline, caustic soda, chlorine, vinyl chloride monomer, and styrene monomer. In 2004, SP Chemicals started exporting its products to various other regions such as Japan, Korea, the US, and Australia.
The nitrobenzene offered by the company is used by various end users such as the dyes, rubber chemicals, agricultural chemicals, and pharmaceuticals industries.
9) Bann Química Ltd.
The company deals with three business segments: Textile dyes, industrial gases, and organic intermediates. Under organic intermediates, it offers amines (nitrobenzene, cyclohexylamine, aniline, O-toluidine, and dicyclohexylamine). Under industrial gases, it offers hydrogen 99.999%, anthranilic acid, and sodium sulfite.
10) Nanjing Chemical Industries
A subsidiary of China Petroleum & Chemical (Sinopec), Nanjing Chemical Industries deals with the manufacturing of inorganic chemicals, fine chemicals (rubber chemicals), organic chemicals with the help of main products such as inorganic chemicals with coal, sulfur, and salt as raw materials, fine chemicals with rubber additives as the main product, and organic chemicals with benzene as raw material. The organic chemicals manufactured with the help of benzene as raw material are nitrobenzene, aniline, chlorobenzene, and nitrochlorobenzene.
