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Tetrahydrofuran (THF) is a cyclic ether with two primary industrial uses.
The major use is as a monomer in the production of polytetramethylene ether
glycol (PTMEG), a component of cast and thermoplastic urethane elastomers,
polyurethane stretch fibers (spandex) and high-performance copolyester ether
elastomers. A smaller amount of THF is used as a solvent in polyvinyl chloride
(PVC) cements, pharmaceuticals and coatings, in precision magnetic tape manufacture
and as a reaction solvent. World consumption of tetrahydrofuran was approximately
439 thousand metric tons in 2006.
The following pie chart shows world producers of tetrahydrofuran:
Four companies produce tetrahydrofuran in the United States. INVISTA alone
accounted for 43% of the total U.S. capacity in early 2007. Polytetramethylene
ether glycol (PTMEG) is made by the Lewis acid–catalyzed polymerization
of THF. Three companies produce PTMEG in the United States.
The only two producers of PTMEG in Western Europe are DuPont and BASF, both
of which have a captive supply of THF.
Since China had no production capacity for PTMEG until 2004, THF was consumed
largely in solvent applications such as in pharmaceutical production. China’s
PTMEG imports have increased dramatically, driven by rapidly increasing demand
for spandex fibers.
Responding to rapidly growing THF demand in China, driven by increasing PTMEG
demand for spandex fibers, BASF constructed a new integrated production facility
for THF and PTMEG in the Shanghai Chemical Industrial Park in Caojing/Shanghai.
The new plant was completed in early 2005 and started the supply of PTMEG to
the rapidly growing spandex fibers market in China. However, the plant was
shut down because of some technical problems at the THF production line in
the first quarter of 2006 and has not been restarted.
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