|
World consumption of toluene in 2005 reached 18.6 million metric tons, including
toluene that was recovered and subsequently blended back into gasoline.
The majority of toluene produced is unrecovered (i.e., not isolated from other
aromatic constituents) and is consumed as a constituent of various refinery
streams. Additional quantities of isolated toluene are blended into unleaded
gasoline for octane improvement. However, this report covers only toluene that
is recovered for subsequent processing in chemical operations.
Of the countries included in the Other Asia category (not including Japan),
India and Taiwan were the largest producers of toluene, accounting for about
62% of the region’s total in 2005. Although capacity is being added in
the Middle East andOther Asia, China is the only country increasing its percentage
of the world share, while the United States and Japan are decreasing in share
as a result. The following pie chart shows world consumption of toluene:
The top five producers globally are ExxonMobil (United States), China Petrochemical
(China), INEOS (United Kingdom), Reliance Industries (India) and The Royal
Dutch/Shell Group (Netherlands/United Kingdom), accounting for almost 30% of
total world capacity.
Under the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA), the U.S. EPA is required to
regulate emissions of listed toxic air pollutants. As a result, emissive applications
for toluene are at risk where substitutes are available. Some users opt for
the installation of engineering controls to limit toluene emissions, but these
systems are usually costly. Many aromatic solvent suppliers have developed
non-HAP (hazardous air pollutant) alternatives. Toluene will likely lose market
share in solvent applications over time. In the coatings area, alkyl acetates
are being substituted for toluene and other aromatics and for ketones.
Other nations or regional governing bodies are starting to address toxic emissions
as well, although not as quickly as the United States. The European Union has
established regulations that will cut hazardous emissions by two-thirds in
2007.
|
