Phosphoric Acid – Uses, Prices, and Production

This blog is the eleventh in a series of blogs I plan to write providing use, price, and production data on high-use inorganic and organic chemicals.  Click here to see the first blog in this series and a list of chemicals to be featured.  This blog provides data on phosphoric acid.  The primary purpose of these blogs is to present estimates of recent price, production, and sales revenues for the chemicals.

Uses.  Uses of phosphoric acid include:

Ø  As a source of phosphate salts used as fertilizers (80 to 90% of use);

Ø  As a supplement in animal feeds (~6%);

Ø  In water treatment for removing various metal ions and in pH control;

Ø  As flavoring in food products;

Ø  In tooth pastes for pH control;

Ø  In surface treatment of metals to prevent corrosion, to clean surfaces;

Ø  As a dental cement; and

Ø  Others.

Prices.  An average 2019 global phosphoric acid price range is estimated to be $600 to $800 per metric ton (mt).   

Production.  Most phosphoric acid is made by treating phosphate-containing minerals with sulfuric acid.   Much of the difficulty in this process involves removing impurities.   For higher purity phosphoric acid, phosphorus is oxidized by heat and then added to water.

From the internet, estimated 2019 global sales of phosphoric acid is in the $35 billion range.  Using $35 billion of sales and an average per mt price of $700 (see Prices above) gives 50 million mt of phosphoric acid sold globally in 2019 ($35 billion divided by $700 per mt).

Nitric Acid – Uses, Prices, and Production

This blog is the tenth in a series of blogs I plan to write providing use, price, and production data on high-use inorganic and organic chemicals.  Click here to see the first blog in this series and a list of chemicals to be featured.  This blog provides data on nitric acid.  The primary purpose of these blogs is to present estimates of recent price, production, and sales revenues for the chemicals.

Uses.  Uses of nitric acid include:

Ø  In the preparation of several chemical products such as: fertilizers (especially ammonium nitrate); explosives; adipic acid (used to make nylon); toluene diisocyanate (used to make polyurethane); and nitrobenzene (used to make dyes);

Ø  In metallurgy, e.g., in extracting metals to corresponding oxides and nitrates; and

Ø  In uranium processing.

About 75 to 80% of nitric acid use is for making fertilizers.  Nitric acid strong oxidizing property accounts for its usefulness.  Most nitric acid is used internally, i.e., by the company for making other chemicals.   About 10% is estimated to be sold externally.

Prices.  An average 2019 global nitric acid price range is estimated to be $350 to $400 per metric ton (mt).           

Production.  Nitric acid is primarily made from the catalytic oxidation of ammonia to nitrogen oxide, which is then oxidized to nitrogen dioxide.  The nitrogen dioxide is dissolved in water to make nitric acid.

From the internet, estimated 2019 global sales of nitric acid is in the $22 billion range.  Using $22 billion of sales and an average per mt price of $375 (see Prices above) gives 59 million mt of nitric acid sold globally in 2019 ($22 billion divided by $375 per mt).

Chemical and Metal Shortage Alert – April 2020

The purpose of this blog is to identify chemical and metal shortages reported on the Internet.  The sources of the information reported here are primarily news releases issued on the Internet.  The issue period of the news releases is April 2020.

Section I below lists those chemicals and metals that were on the previous month’s Chemical and Metal Shortage Alert list and continue to have news releases indicating they are in short supply. Click here to read the March 2020 Chemical and Metal Shortage Alert list.

Section II lists the new chemicals and metals (not on the March alert).  Also provided is some explanation for the shortage and geographical information.  This blog attempts to list only actual shortage situations – those shortages that are being experienced during the period covered by the news releases.  Chemicals and metals identified in news releases as only being in danger of being in short supply status are not listed.

Section I.

None

Section II.   Shortages Reported in April not found on the Previous Month’s List

Carbomer (poly acrylic acid): global; supply not keeping up with demand

Carbon dioxide (for carbonization): United States; supply not keeping up with demand

Ethanol (for use in disinfectants): Switzerland; sources no longer available

Melt blown filtering fibers: global; supply not keeping up with demand

Quaternary ammonium compounds (quats): global; supply not keeping up with demand

Reagents used in coronavirus test kits: global; supply not keeping up with demand

Reasons for Section II shortages can be broadly categorized as: 

1.  Mining not keeping up with demand: none

2.  Production not keeping up with demand: none

3.  Government regulations: none

4.  Sources no longer available: ethanol

5.  Insufficient imports:  none

6.  Supply not keeping up with demand: carbomer; carbon dioxide; melt blown filtering fibers; quaternary ammonium compounds (quats); reagents used in coronavirus test kits

Iodine – Uses, Prices, and Production

This blog is the ninth in a series of blogs I plan to write providing use, price, and production data on high-use inorganic and organic chemicals.  Click here to see the first blog in this series and a list of chemicals to be featured.  This blog provides data on iodine.   The primary purpose of these blogs is to present estimates of recent price, production, and sales revenues for the chemicals.

Uses.  Uses of iodine and approximate percentages of the uses include:

Ø  To promote contrast in x-ray images – 22%;

Ø  As components of pharmaceuticals – 14%;

Ø  In LCD displays – 12%;

Ø  In chemical catalysis and other chemical processes – 12%;

Ø  As a disinfectant/sterilizer – 12%;

Ø  As an animal feed supplement – 10%;

Ø  In human nutrition – 4%; and

Ø  Others – 18%.

Iodine has good chemical reactivity, which accounts for many of its uses.  Also, compounded average growth rates for many iodine uses are expected to be fairly good, in the 4 to 5% range.

Prices.  An average 2019 global iodine price range is estimated to be $30 per kilogram (kg).       

Production.  Iodine is found in certain minerals (those consisting of iodine are rather rare) and brine deposits, from which, using chemical processes, iodine can be produced.  The estimated 2019 iodine production amount is 30,000 mt.  Using a price of $30 per kg (see Prices above), this provides a value of iodine produced in 2019 of $900 million (30,000 mt times $30 per kg).

Hydrogen Peroxide – Uses, Prices, and Production

This blog is the eighth in a series of blogs I plan to write providing use, price, and production data on high-use inorganic and organic chemicals.  Click here to see the first blog in this series and a list of chemicals to be featured.  This blog provides data on hydrogen peroxide.   The primary purpose of these blogs is to present estimates of recent price, production, and sales revenues for the chemicals.

Uses.  Uses of hydrogen peroxide include:

Ø  As an oxidizer;

Ø  As a bleaching agent;

Ø  As an antiseptic, disinfectant, and antimicrobial agent;

Ø  As a starting chemical in producing other chemicals;

Ø  As a surface conditioning agent; and

Ø  As a propellant.

Industries in which hydrogen peroxide are used include:

Ø  Aeronautics;

Ø  Agriculture;

Ø  Aquaculture;

Ø  Packaging;

Ø  Chemical Synthesis;

Ø  Cosmetics & Personal Care;

Ø  Electronics;

Ø  Environmental and Water Treatment;

Ø  Food Processing;

Ø  Health Care;

Ø  Mining;

Ø  Pulp & Paper (largest use);

Ø  Textile;

Ø  Oil & Gas; and

Ø  Laundry.

Uses of hydrogen peroxide are based on the unstable peroxide bond.

Prices.  Many grades of hydrogen peroxide are sold, and these grades vary greatly in price.   2019 Chinese prices found on the Internet for industrial grade hydrogen peroxide are in the $350 to $450 per metric ton (mt) range.   Prices for food grades are much higher, for example, as high as $3,000 per mt.

Production.  Internet sources suggest that approximately 5 million mt tons of hydrogen peroxide were produced globally in 2019.  And sources indicate that global revenues from hydrogen peroxide sales were about $4 billion.

Sources also suggest that as much as 50% of hydrogen peroxide is used in the pulp and paper industry.  Assuming that lower, industrial grade hydrogen peroxide is used in the pulp and paper industry, and that the average price of this hydrogen peroxide is $400 per mt (see prices above), then revenues generated by hydrogen peroxide sales to the pulp and paper industry can be calculated as follows:  50% of 5 million mt of hydrogen peroxide produced in 2019 times $400 per mt sold equals approximately $1 billion of revenues.

This leaves approximately $3 billion ($4 billion less $1billion) of revenues generated by higher price hydrogen peroxide.  The average price of these higher grades would need to be approximately $1,200 per mt ($3 billion remaining revenues divided by 2.5 million remaining metric tons sold in 2019) to account for $4 billion of hydrogen peroxide 2019 global sales.

Hydrogen Fluoride – Uses, Prices, and Production

This blog is the seventh in a series of blogs I plan to write providing use, price, and production data on high-use inorganic and organic chemicals.  Click here to see the first blog in this series and a list of chemicals to be featured.  This blog provides data on hydrogen fluoride.   The primary purpose of these blogs is to present estimates of recent price, production, and sales revenues for the chemicals.

Uses.  Uses of hydrogen fluoride include:

Ø  As a feedstock in synthesizing fluorine-containing compounds and polymers;

Ø  In the semiconductor industry;

Ø  In making, cutting, and polishing glass;

Ø  In treating various metal surfaces;

Ø  In aluminum production;

Ø  In gasoline production;

Ø  In manufacturing/reprocessing nuclear fuel elements;

Ø  In various chemical production processing; and

Ø  As a source of fluorine.

Two forms of hydrogen fluoride are in use – anhydrous and aqueous.  Both are very reactive and need to be handled cautiously and in special containers. 

Prices.  2019 global prices for hydrogen fluoride were in the $1,000 to $2,000 per metric ton (mt) range, with anhydrous hydrogen fluoride selling at higher prices.

Production.  Hydrogen fluoride is produced from the mineral fluorspar (calcium fluoride) by reacting sulfuric acid with fluorspar.

Internet sources suggest that approximately 2 million metric tons of hydrogen fluoride were produced in 2019.  This indicates that revenues generated by hydrogen fluoride sales in 2019 ranged from $2 billion ($1,000 price – see prices above – times 2 million mt production) to $4 billion ($2,000 price – see prices above – times 2 million mt production).

An earlier blog on fluorine can be read by clicking here.

Hydrogen Chloride – Uses, Prices, and Production

This blog is the sixth in a series of blogs I plan to write providing use, price, and production data on high-use inorganic and organic chemicals.  Click here to see the first blog in this series and a list of chemicals to be featured.  This blog provides data on hydrogen chloride.   The primary purpose of these blogs is to present estimates of recent price, production, and sales revenues for the chemicals.

Uses.  Uses of hydrogen chloride include:

Ø  In the production of other chemicals such as: vinyl and alkyl chlorides; chlorine-containing carbon compounds; chlorine; and inorganic chlorides;

Ø  In surface treatment of steel;

Ø  In the semiconductor industry, e.g., in etching semiconductor crystals and in purifying silicon;

Ø  In titanium and magnesium production;

Ø  In regenerating catalysts;

Ø  In the textile, paint, mining, rubber, and other industries, e.g., as an acid; and

Ø  In making fertilizers.

Hydrogen chloride usefulness derives from being able to readily provide chloride ions for creating new chlorine-containing compounds and in readily producing hydrogen ions for adjusting solution pH and in initiating various reactions.

Prices.  Two forms of hydrogen chloride are in use – anhydrous and aqueous.  Anhydrous hydrogen chloride, a gas at room temperature, is very reactive and needs to be handled cautiously and in special containers.  It is the more expensive of the two forms.  2019 prices found on the Internet range from $5 to $10 per kilogram (kg) (if purchased in large quantities) or $25 to $35 per kg (if purchased in low quantities).  A major use of anhydrous hydrogen chloride is in the semiconductor industry, where high purity hydrogen chloride is needed.  

Aqueous hydrogen chloride (hydrochloric acid) is much cheaper, around 25 cents per kg.   Aqueous hydrogen chloride usually has a hydrogen chloride concentration of 30 to 35%.

Production.  A very high percentage (perhaps as high as 90%) of aqueous hydrogen chloride is produced as a by-product, e.g., in the production of chlorinated hydrocarbons using chlorine.  And the aqueous hydrogen chloride by-product is then used internally in other processes, without being commercially available.  So estimated commercial amounts of aqueous hydrogen chloride produced certainly are low estimates.

Amounts of aqueous hydrogen chloride produced could not be found searching the Internet.  However, estimated revenues for aqueous hydrogen chloride found is in the $1 billion range (for 2019).  Using an estimated price of 25 cents per kg (see prices above) for aqueous hydrogen chloride gives an estimated production of 4 million metric tons (mt) in 2019 ($1 billion divided by 25 cents per kg).  Assuming that the 4 million mt represents only 10% of the aqueous hydrogen chloride produced (i.e., 90% made by companies is used internally, and not sold commercially), then the total 2019 aqueous hydrogen chloride production could be more like 40 million mt.

Estimated revenues generated from anhydrous hydrogen chloride sales in 2019 was found on the Internet to be in the $3 billion range. This gives a production of 300,000 mt ($3 billion divided  by $10 per kg) for anhydrous hydrogen chloride.

An earlier blog on chlorine can be read by clicking here.