Thursday, September 24, 2020

Commercialization of Metal Organic Frameworks (mofs)

An extensive Internet search for companies offering metal organic frameworks (mofs) products and/or expertise services found seventeen companies: 

Atomis - a Japanese company developing and producing mofs.   

BASF – Has been researching and producing mofs since at least the early 2010s; offers several for sale through Sigma Aldrich. 

Energy X – an American company offering lithium extraction using mofs. 

Framergy – an American company selling mofs for gas separations. 

Great Science Alliance -  a Japanese company selling mofs. 

Immaterial – a British company providing mof consulting services. 

MOF Technologies – an Irish company providing mofs on request.  

MOFWORX – an Australian company providing carbon dioxide capture; gas separation; and hydrogen storage expertise using mofs. 

Mosaic Materials – an American company offering gas capture and separation expertise using mofs. 

NanoResearch Element – an Indian company selling mofs and providing consulting services. 

Nanoshel – sells mofs; produced by other companies. 

novoMOF – a Swiss company developing  and producing mofs on request. 

NuMat – an American company designing and producing mofs, including for gas storage in the semiconductor industry. 

ProfMOF – a Norwegian company providing mofs. 

Sigma Aldrich – sells mofs, produced by BASF. 

Strem – sells mofs; probably produced by other companies. 

Water Harvesting – an American company producing products that harvest water from the atmosphere using mofs. 

I also searched for estimated 2019 global mof revenues and found an amount in the $70 million range to be most suggested.   Revenue amounts are based on information provided by marketing research companies at their websites.  Some mof price information was also found that indicates a large range of mof prices in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per kilogram (kg). 

From the estimated $70 million and using a price per kg, an amount of mofs sold in 2019 can be estimated.  Using $50,000 per kg and $70 million of mof product sold gives a mof 2019 amount sold of 1,400 kg (1.4 mt) ($70 million divided by $50,000 per kg).  If the sales price assumption is doubled to $100,000 per kg, then 700 kg (0.70 mt) of mofs were sold in 2019 ($70 million divided by $100,000 per kg). 

It is likely the above amounts are not exactly right, but they are probably in the right ballpark and therefore shows roughly the commercial size of mofs in 2019. 

Although commercialization is very small as of 2019, potential mof applications are mindboggling (if they can be commercially developed), e.g., solving storage problems for hydrogen as a vehicle fuel; more energy efficient and effective desalination; and more efficient and effective metal extractions.    Should these applications be realized commercially, mofs revenues certainly will grow at enormous rates.

  

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Global Production and Sales Revenue Data for Several Chemicals – Part 2

In my previous blog, I provided a listing of 37 industrial chemicals and their 2019 global production and sales revenues.  (Click here to read that blog.)   In this blog, I provide estimated data on per capital global use of these chemicals in 2019 and an estimate of the increased production of each chemical in 2025, using an estimated 2025 global population.  

The following table show the per capital global use for each of the 37 industrial chemicals in kilograms.   The global 2019 population is assumed to be 7.7 billion (source:  United Nations). 

37 highly used industrial chemicals

average 2019 global production in million metric tons

average 2019 use per capital of chemical in kilograms, assuming global population = 7.7 billion

acetic acid

15,500,000

2.214

acetone

7,500,000

1.071

ammonia

175,000,000

25.000

argon

700,000

0.100

benzene

45,000,000

6.429

bromine

650,000

0.093

butadiene

14,000,000

2.000

calcium carbonate

132,500,000

18.929

chlorine

80,000,000

11.429

ethanol

102,500,000

14.643

ethylene 

160,000,000

22.857

ethylene glycol

27,000,000

3.857

ethylene oxide

29,000,000

4.143

fluorine

2,900,000

0.414

formaldehyde

12,000,000

1.714

helium

28,000

0.004

hydrogen

60,000,000

8.571

hydrogen chloride

4,000,000

0.571

hydrogen fluoride

2,000,000

0.286

hydrogen peroxide

5,000,000

0.714

iodine

30,000

0.004

methanol

92,500,000

13.214

methyl tertiary-butyl ether

19,500,000

2.786

nitric acid

59,000,000

8.429

nitrogen

53,000,000

7.571

oxygen

220,000,000

31.429

phenol

13,000,000

1.857

phosphoric acid

50,000,000

7.143

phosphorus

240,000,000

34.286

propylene

120,000,000

17.143

sodium carbonate

58,000,000

8.286

sodium hydroxide

72,500,000

10.357

sulfuric acid

272,500,000

38.929

sulfur

77,500,000

11.071

titanium dioxide

5,500,000

0.786

urea

200,000,000

28.571

xenon

51,500

0.007

The following table shows an estimated increase in global production of each chemical from 2019 to 2025, assuming the average global use per person is the same as in 2019 (see above table) and the 2025 estimated global population is 8.1 billion (source:  United Nations).   (Estimated 2025 global production = 8.1 billion population times average 2019 per capital use.)

37 highly used industrial chemicals

estimated 2019 global production in million metric tons (mt)

estimated  2025 global production in million metric tons

estimated increased global production in 2025 over 2019 (in mt)

acetic acid

15,500,000

17,935,714

2,435,714

acetone

7,500,000

8,678,571

1,178,571

ammonia

175,000,000

202,500,000

27,500,000

argon

700,000

810,000

110,000

benzene

45,000,000

52,071,429

7,071,429

bromine

650,000

752,143

102,143

butadiene

14,000,000

16,200,000

2,200,000

calcium carbonate

132,500,000

153,321,429

20,821,429

chlorine

80,000,000

92,571,429

12,571,429

ethanol

102,500,000

118,607,143

16,107,143

ethylene 

160,000,000

185,142,857

25,142,857

ethylene glycol

27,000,000

31,242,857

4,242,857

ethylene oxide

29,000,000

33,557,143

4,557,143

fluorine

2,900,000

3,355,714

455,714

formaldehyde

12,000,000

13,885,714

1,885,714

helium

28,000

32,400

4,400

hydrogen

60,000,000

69,428,571

9,428,571

hydrogen chloride

4,000,000

4,628,571

628,571

hydrogen fluoride

2,000,000

2,314,286

314,286

hydrogen peroxide

5,000,000

5,785,714

785,714

iodine

30,000

34,714

4,714

methanol

92,500,000

107,035,714

14,535,714

methyl tertiary-butyl ether

19,500,000

22,564,286

3,064,286

nitric acid

59,000,000

68,271,429

9,271,429

nitrogen

53,000,000

61,328,571

8,328,571

oxygen

220,000,000

254,571,429

34,571,429

phenol

13,000,000

15,042,857

2,042,857

phosphoric acid

50,000,000

57,857,143

7,857,143

phosphorus

240,000,000

277,714,286

37,714,286

propylene

120,000,000

138,857,143

18,857,143

sodium carbonate

58,000,000

67,114,286

9,114,286

sodium hydroxide

72,500,000

83,892,857

11,392,857

sulfuric acid

272,500,000

315,321,429

42,821,429

sulfur

77,500,000

89,678,571

12,178,571

titanium dioxide

5,500,000

6,364,286

864,286

urea

200,000,000

231,428,571

31,428,571

xenon

51,500

59,593

8,093

It is interesting that while the population increase from 2019 to 2025 is about 5%, the increase in production of the chemicals is about 16% in order to have the same per capital use in 2025 as in 2019.