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MARKETS
Citric Acid Output Jumps D e m a n d n o w lags c a p a c i t y , but g a p should close i n a f e w years; expansions a l r e a d y planned
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Teflon* tubing is well known to be chemi· cally inert, to resist abrasion, and to stay flexible at extreme temperatures. For mechanical, chemical, aeronautical and electrical uses, extruded tubings of Teflon and other plastics bearing \the FLEXITE trademark assure you dependable perform ance through precision manufacturing by MARKEL—with whom excellence has been a credo since 1922. Name your need; let Markel send samples and data. /' /
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*Du Pont Tradeirark
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L. FRANK MARKEL & SONS Norristown 36
C&EN
Pennsylvania DEC.
7,
1959
JbiiGH on anyone's list of big changes in 1959: the citric acid milieu. With two producer-suppliers now turning out t h e acid·— Chas. Pfizer a n d Miles Chemi cal—estimated U.S. annual capacity has jumped to about 70 million pounds a year. Of this, about 7 million is used captively by Miles Laboratories, Elk hart, Ind., of which Miles Chemical is a division. Total capacity there is better than 15 million pounds a year. And if Bzura Chemicals' plant goes u p as planned, 8.5 million pounds will be a d d e d to 1960 tabulations. Whether or not the market will ab sorb the increases is open to specula tion, most of which is optimistic. More important, though, are long-range pre dictions. These hold that citric acid should enjoy a 5 to 7r/O growth each year, based on population increases and development of new uses. Current citric acid use probably runs between 50 and 60 million pounds a year, a range also being bandied about a s Pfizer's capacity. But the estimate includes the 7 million-pound slug that Miles uses in making Alka-Seltzer and other pharmaceuticals. If growth esti mates pan out, then demand will nearly equal, possibly exceed, today's capacity in a few years. Possible barometer: Miles' new plant (C&EN, Nov. 23, page 30) was built to allow a 50f/c ex pansion on short notice. And Bzura pins much of its hopes on increased demand. • Food Industry Biggest User. About 60Vr of the citric acid sold today goes into foods and beverages. And with the food industry's concentration i n the Midwest, that area is geograph ically the major outlet, says Miles. T h e Indiana location, claims Miles, puts it i n the middle of the biggest consuming area. Major food outlets for citric acid in clude its use in acidulating and improv ing the flavor of soft drinks, h a r d candy, fruit juices, and desserts, as well
as powders and concentrates for triese. Together with other additives, the acid also works as a fat antioxidant, a p H stabilizer, and improves the proper ties of oleomargarine, ice cream, j a m s and preserves, and processed (frozen and canned) foods. Drugs make u p the second largest market—about 169c of consumption. Seltzer-type effervescent powders and tablets account for most of this outlet. Sirups, elixirs, anticoagulants, astrin gents, and spermicides round out the list of pharmaceutical uses. Although taking only about 5c/o of citric acid sales, industrial uses m a k e up one of the potential fast-growing markets. T h e category includes izsing the acid to sequester iron in oil well recovery by water flooding, as a w a t e r conditioner, and in metal pickling b a t h s . Metal cleaning uses show some promise, too. Sodium citrate and citric acid esters, usually reported as a separate group, take a 10'/ or so slice of the market. T h e sodium salt also goes into food. Esters like triethyl and tributyl citrate are used as plasticizers and foam
Here's Where the Citric Acid Goes MARKET
%
Foods and beverages
60
Drugs
16
Sodium salts and esters
10
Exports
7
Industrial uses
5
Cosmetics
2 100
i n h i b i t o r s f o r vin^l s h e e t i Q £ r and. d o i v e s t e r r e s i n s . Pfizer's C i t r o f l e x series of c i t r a t e s is a p p a r e n t l y m a k i n g good progress. Exports, mostly t o Latin America, t a k e a b o u t 79Ό o f t h e m a r k e t . Cos metics bring up t h e rear with 2 % . • P r i c e I s F i r m . C i t r i c acid's p r i c e p e r - p o u n d is e x p e c t e d t o h o l d w h e r e it is, b a r r i n g radical c h a n g e s i n p r o d u c t i o n c o s t s . A s o n e o b s e r v e r p u t s it: ^ T h e r e j.ust i s n ' t a n y room for p l a y i n g a r o u n d . " C u r r e n t p r i c e r u n s 2 9 l /.2 t o 3 0 V 2 c e n t s a p o u n d ( anhydrous ) , within a p e n n y of w h a t it cost five y e a r s a g o . T h e m o n o h y d r a t e runs 2 cents a p o u n d less. P r i c e is g e a r e d v e r y closely t o p r o c e s s i n g c o s t s . Pfizer's a n d Miles* p r o c e s s e s differ m a r k e d l y f r o m each o t h e r . B z u r a r e p o r t e d l y will u s e still a t h i r d p r o c e s s . Pfizer m a k e s c i t r i c a c i d v i a a shallow p a n fermentation, Miles b y a s u b m e r g e d fermentation process. A l t h o u g h B z u r a h a s n ' t m a d e any p r o c e s s d e t a i l s p u b l i c , t h e firm c l a i m s tiiat it h a s a n e w m e t h o d w h i c h uses b l a c k strap molasses as a starting materiaL
WEEK'S PRICE CHANGES
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3 6 a n d 5 1 «cents; a n d p o w d e r e d H a k e a t 36 cents, truckloads, freight allowed. P r i c e s f o r l e s s t h a n t r u c k l o a d Scribs a r e 1 c e n t h i g h e r t h a n t h e foregc&âirag• C h a r l e s B o w m o n o n d C o . , X e w York C i t y , i s s u e d a p r i c e sehedîulle coverinsg x i t a m i n 0 - 3 , i r r a d i a t e d 7-d!îhydiPoeia©l e s t e r o l i n r e i n e d v e g e t a b l e c A 1-11 k i l o g r a m , p e r m i l l i o n uraîts. Onu t h i s Sîasiis t h e c o s t i s 0 - 0 3 5 c e a t p e r muîlîîoim aimaïSs for 1 t i n ; Û J 3 3 2 5 c e n t Bon 1 2 tims, s a i d 0.03 cent for 7 2 tins, • A r a p a h o e Chemicals, Boalder, Cola, i s s u e d a n e w s c h e d u l e for êid©îelMat57irâc a c i d q u o t i n g 25-gjraim b o t t l e a t S 1 2 . 5 0 ; 100-grain, S 4 5 ; SOO-gsam, S 1 S 5 ; 1 k i l o g r a m a t ^ 3 5 0 ; a n d 5-paiMid ÎMtëriîe at $ 1 5 5 p e r poundJ o h n W . Mascy, s a l e s m a n a g e r , s a y s e i a o u f e e t i a r e o f 20d o l e h u t y r i e i s coiatiniMirag a m d delïveinies a r e h e i n g n i a d e f r o m s t o c k . Foiregoisag p r i c e s a r e f . o . h . B o u l d e r , w i t h me rosale diseouiaîs.
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