Application of Alkylbenzene

The main application of linear alkylbenzene is to produce alkylbenzene sulfone LAS, which is used in detergents. Linear alkylbenzene is the most abundant and widespread organic intermediate in the production of household detergents. Like other commercial intermediates, linear alkyl benzene is not a single component and forms a mixture of components. This mixture contains isomers with different carbon distributions. It also has by-products and alkyl tetralin, which affect the quantity and quality of the product. General applications of Alkylbenzene include:

  • Detergent powders, both manual and machine (home and industrial use)
  • Washing machine detergent tablets
  • Laundry liquids
  • Dishwashing liquids
  • Multipurpose and hard surface cleaners
  • Industrial cleaners
  • Due to irritation on the skin, the use of this substance in body and hair care products is prohibited and it is only used in fabric, house, and dish care products.
  • Due to the sensitivity of this material to water hardness ions, the presence of builders is necessary to increase efficiency.crease efficiency.
  • Due to the creation of powders with proper fall and high stability, its main use is in the preparation of detergent powders.

Environmental Considerations and Safety

  • Contact with eyes

    If it gets into the eyes, it will cause severe irritation so protective glasses should be used.

  • Skin contact

    In case of frequent contact with the skin, it may cause severe irritation and burning of the skin, so it is necessary to use special gloves for chemical substances.

  • Swallowing and eating

    In this case, it causes the loss of senses, accumulation in the lungs, and damage to the liver and kidneys.

  • Inhalation

    At normal temperature as a liquid inhaling its smell does not cause much harm, but breathing thick vapors causes damage to the lungs.

LAB has a risk of causing fire if exposed to heat or sparks, so carbon dioxide gas canisters and fire extinguishing foam should be used to extinguish the fire. This material is mostly transported by ISO tanks and barrels, so there is no packaging waste. Also, this material should be stored at a normal temperature of 20-35 degrees Celsius.

The Production of Linear Alkyl Benzene (LAB)

Iranian Linear Alkyl Benzene (LAB) Market, Producers, Exporters, and Market Players

Kerosene is a high-purity linear paraffin raw material, which is finally transformed into linear olefins by dehydrogenation. Linear mono olefins react with benzene in the presence of a catalyst to produce LAB, which is used to produce linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS), a biodegradable detergent. LAS is the largest synthetic surfactant in the world and the main surfactant used in household and industrial detergents. Branched alkyl benzene (BAB) is also sulfonated to produce branched alkyl benzene sulfonate (BAS), which can be used in the same applications as LAS. However, BAS degrades slowly in waste treatment plants. As a result, in developed countries, LAS has been used in household detergents instead, but BAS is still used in some industrial applications in developed countries. The use of BAS in household detergent applications has also been declining in less developed countries; since the production of BAS is more expensive than LAS. Branched alkylbenzene is also more expensive than LAB due to the higher price of upstream products.

The Share of LAB Consumption Based on End-use

According to research by Mordor Intelligence, due to increased product innovation by key players and increased consumer awareness of household cleaning products in developing countries, global household cleaning consumption increased from $30 billion in 2019 to $32 billion in 2020. In 2020, the highest consumption of LAB was in laundry detergents with a share of 39%, which is expected to increase to 40% in 2030. Light dishwashing liquids, industrial detergents, and household detergents are next. It is predicted that by 2030, about 1%, of potential new applications will be added to LAB uses.

LAB Consumption by End-use in 2020

  • Laundry detergent: 39%
  • Light dishwashing liquid: 23%
  • Industrial detergents: 19 percent
  • Household detergents: 16 percent
  • Other: 3 percent

LAB Consumption Prediction Based on End-use in 2030

  • Laundry detergent: 40%
  • Light dishwashing liquid: 24%
  • Industrial detergents: 18 percent
  • Household detergents: 16 percent
  • Potential applications: 1 percent
  • Other: 1 percent

The Effect of Oil Price on LAB Price

The Production of Linear Alkyl Benzene (LAB)
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Examining the correlation coefficient of oil and linear alkyl benzene shows that these two variables are 76% dependent on each other. In other words, an increase in the price of oil greatly increases the price of LAB, and on the other hand, a decrease in the price of oil causes a decrease in its price. As a result, checking and forecasting the oil price trend will greatly help to check and analyze the linear alkylbenzene market.

Factors Influencing the Linear Alkyl Benzene Market

As the major application of linear alkyl benzene is related to personal care and cleaning products, increasing health concerns as well as the growth of the elderly population are likely to drive the growth of the global linear alkyl benzene market. Also, the increase in urban population and increase in disposable income will increase the demand for detergents, cosmetics, and residential and industrial cleaners, and will strengthen the growth of the LAB market. During the coronavirus epidemic, the global market of linear alkylbenzene, like the majority of industries, suffered losses; because the demand for cosmetics suddenly decreased. However, the demand for detergents and soaps in the industrial sector did not rise to that extent, and as a result, the growth of the linear alkyl benzene market stopped.

Factors Influencing the Linear Alkyl Benzene Market

The Global Supply and Demand of LAB in 2020 and the Outlook for 2025

In 2020, the total global production capacity of LAB was equal to 4.108 million tons, and estimates indicate that this number will reach 4.400 million tons in 2025. In 2020, the total production capacity of LAB in the United States of America and Canada was 431 thousand tons, which is expected to remain this amount until 2025. South America had a capacity of 382 thousand tons in 2020 and it is expected that this number will reach 402 thousand tons in 2025. China, with a production capacity of 920,000 tons in 2020 and a forecast of 1,080,000 tons in 2025, is the largest producer of linear alkyl benzene, and India, with an average production of 570,000 tons, and the Middle East, with 575,000 tons, are among the largest producers in Asia. Also, Western Europe with a production capacity of 470,000 tons, Africa with 205,000 tons, Northeast Asia with 285,000 tons, and Southeast Asia with 330,000 tons will be other major producers in the world in 2025.

The Biggest Companies Producing LAB

Linear Alkyl Benzene

With a capacity of 557,000 tons, CEPSA is the biggest producer of linear alkylbenzene in the world, which has 14% of the global production capacity. The production units of this company are located in Canada, Spain, and Brazil, and the Brazilian unit is the biggest production unit of this company, providing 72% of the LAB production. The African company Sasol, having several production units in different countries including Germany, Italy, and North America, was in first place with a capacity of 595 thousand tons. In 2007, by reforming the production structure, it closed two of its production units; so, the capacity of LAB increased to 350 thousand tons.

Predicting the Growth of Demand and Consumption of LAB until 2025

It is predicted that during the years 2020 to 2025, the consumption of LAB will increase by 3% annually. The dominant part of this growth will be in countries and regions where washing powder has a valuable market share in their detergents. African countries, China, India, Indonesia, the Middle East, and South Korea will also have the greatest impact on the growth of LAB demand until 2025. The mentioned countries accounted for approximately 57% of linear alkylbenzene consumption in 2020. It is worth mentioning that the price of LAB raw materials affects its competitiveness. The price of crude oil and, as a result, normal paraffin and benzene affects the price of linear alkyl benzene, and the increase in the price of raw materials increases the price of LAB and may have an opposite effect on its demand.

Linear Alkyl Benzene
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LAB Industry in the Middle East

The Middle East region consists of countries such as Bahrain, UAE, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen. The total population of these countries was recorded as 388 million people in 2020, and during the years 2015 to 2020, it grew by an average of 1.7% annually. It is predicted that the population of this region will grow by an average of 1.5 percent annually between 2020 and 2025, and the GDP of the region will experience an average growth of 2.4 percent in these years. Following the establishment of several LAB production units in the early 2000s, to cover the increasing demand for LAS and detergents in the Middle East region, this region became an exporter of this product in 2007, so in 2020, more than 300,000 tons of LAB were exported from the Middle East to India and other parts of the world. In the last 5 years, the volume of Middle Eastern exports to India and Pakistan has increased significantly and includes 62% of the total exports of the region. Other important export destinations are Vietnam and Africa. Also, exports to Africa have grown in 2020.

Top Exporters of Linear Alkyl Benzene (LAB) in 2021

  • Saudi Arabia
  • Spain
  • United States of America
  • Canada
  • South Korea

Top Importers of Linear Alkyl Benzene (LAB) in 2021

  • India
  • Mexico
  • Pakistan
  • Vietnam
  • Nigeria

The Amount of Linear Alkyl Benzene Exports from Iran in 2021

According to the statistics of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce in 2021, the export value of linear alkylbenzene from Iranian customs was about 67,000,000 dollars. According to the mentioned statistics, the biggest export destinations of LAB from Iran are the following countries:

Linear_alkyl_benzene
  • Emirates
  • Pakistan
  • China
  • Armenia
  • India
  • Uzbekistan
  • Yemen
  • Syria

Iran’s Alkyl Benzene Exports Statistics

Want to see the Iranian Alkyl Benzene Export Statistics? Contact us! For the Iranian Alkyl Benzene export statistics, you will be provided with the information needed in each of the customs clearance regions. Have you been looking for further data and information regarding the Iranian Alkyl Benzene international and domestic market? Leave all your needs in capable hands.

What Makes an Iranian Alkyl Benzene Exporter a Potential Partner

In order to start your partnership with an Iranian Alkyl Benzene exporter, you should make sure that the partner has a valid background in the domestic and international markets. Also, you should make sure that your partner has a legitimate business that you can trust. Iran Consultation Group facilitates all the processes for you by checking the background of your partner and monitoring your relationships. All in all, these are some of the most important characteristics of a good Iranian Alkyl Benzene exporter as your business partner:

  • In-depth experience in exporting Damask Rose
  • Owning a successful factory in the field of Damask Rose packing and processing
  • Legal Activity
  • Owning active Damask Rose farms
  • Appropriate Business Behavior
  • Experiences in the International Market
  • Owning a company outside of Iran for easier international transactions and trades

List of Iranian Alkyl Benzene Exporters

Looking for the list of Iranian Alkyl Benzene suppliers and exporters? Contact us and we will provide you with all the required information.

What Do We Do?

Through our years of experience, we have helped companies from various countries find a safe way to the Iranian market. Thanks to our connections and databases, we provide our clients with:

  • detailed information and research about Iran’s market based on your proposal
  • finds the right partners/cooperators/sellers for you
  • arranges business meetings between you and them
  • supervises your negotiations
  • helps you form a positive relationship
  • checks the legal validity of your shared contracts (or forms contracts/MOUs) for you
  • helps you with shipping and quality control
  • finally facilitates your international settlements

All in all, with Iran Consultation Group beside you, you have a trusted representative office in Iran, that shares the local in-depth knowledge of Iran’s market with you and makes sure you are in the best route of business.

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