Abstract
Global production and consumption of benzene in 2007 was almost 41 million metric tons. Average global capacity utilization was 82% in 2007, essentially unchanged from 2006. Global benzene consumption is estimated to have increased by 4.7% in 2007, and is expected to increase by 3.8% per year from 2007 to 2012, declining to 2.7% per year from 2012 to 2017. In the near term, global benzene capacity will grow at about the same rate as global consumption; however, later in the forecast, projected capacity growth will slow, allowing utilization rates to gradually increase.
Ethylbenzene accounted for almost 53% of global benzene consumption in 2007, followed by cumene and cyclohexane with 19% and 12% of total consumption, respectively.
The following pie chart shows world consumption of benzene by end use:
