Surfactants Update

Surfactants are a key ingredient in paint and coatings formulations. Ceresana Research estimates that the global surfactant market will generate revenues of more than $41 billion in 2018—translating to an average annual growth of 4.5 percent. With a roughly 37 percent share of global consumption, Asia Pacific is the largest surfactant outlet, followed by North America and Western Europe. According to Ceresana Research, over the next eight years, shares in demand of the individual world regions will shift significantly. The analysts from Ceresana forecast countries in Asia-Pacific to increase their shares in global surfactant demand—mainly at the expense of Western Europe and North America. In addition, South America will see strong growth, predominantly because of massive increases in production and consumption in Brazil.

“Asia is a rapidly growing region, especially in demand for APEO-free offerings. This is especially evident in China for two reasons,” said Shiona Stewart, additives marketing manager, Dow Coatings Materials. “First, a new standard (HJ/T 201-2005) is scheduled to come into legislation soon, requiring paint manufacture