Commodity chemicals

Commodity chemicals (or bulk commodities or bulk chemicals) are a group of chemicals that are made on a very large scale to satisfy global markets. The average prices of commodity chemicals are regularly published in the chemical trade magazines and web sites such as Chemical Week and ICIS. There have been several studies of the scale and complexity of this market for example in the USA.[1][2]

Commodity chemicals are a sub-sector of the chemical industry (other sub sectors are fine chemicals, specialty chemicals, inorganic chemicals, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy (e.g. biofuels) and materials (e.g. biopolymers)). Commodity chemicals are differentiated primarily by the bulk of their manufacture.

Types

Chemical compounds are often classified into two classes, inorganic and organic.[3][4]

Inorganic chemicals
  • aluminium sulfate
  • ammonia
  • ammonium nitrate
  • ammonium sulfate
  • carbon black
  • chlorine
  • diammonium phosphate
  • monoammonium phosphate
  • hydrochloric acid
  • hydrogen fluoride
  • hydrogen peroxide
  • nitric acid
  • oxygen
  • phosphoric acid
  • sodium carbonate
  • sodium chlorate
  • sodium hydroxide
  • sodium silicate
  • sulfuric acid
  • titanium dioxide

Organic chemicals

Commonly traded commodity organic chemicals include:[3]

  • acetic acid
  • acetone
  • acrylic acid
  • acrylonitrile
  • adipic acid
  • benzene
  • butadiene
  • butanol
  • caprolactam
  • cumene
  • cyclohexane
  • dioctyl phthalate
  • ethanol
  • ethylene
  • ethylene oxide
  • ethylene glycol
  • formaldehyde
  • methanol
  • octanol
  • phenol
  • phthalic anhydride
  • polypropylene
  • polystyrene
  • polyvinyl chloride
  • propylene
  • polypropylene glycol
  • propylene oxide
  • styrene
  • terephthalic acid
  • toluene
  • toluene diisocyanate
  • urea
  • vinyl chloride
  • xylenes

Sectors

Commodity chemicals are produced to supply diverse but usually well-defined industrial needs. Some major sectors and their components are:

See also

References
  1. Soltz; et al. (2003). Industry Trade & Summary: Organic Commodity Chemicals (PDF) (Report). UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION.
  2. McFarlane; Robinson (5 March 2007). SURVEY OF ALTERNATIVE FEEDSTOCKS FOR COMMODITY CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING (PDF) (Report).
  3. "Facts & Figures Of The Chemical Industry". Chemical and Engineering News. 90 (27, July 2): 37. 2012.
  4. Wieissermel & Arp (February 1997). Industrial Organic Chemistry 3rd Edition. ISBN 3-527-28838-4.
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