Bromine May Be Nearing End of Growth Trail - C&EN Global

Nov 6, 2010 - But over-all, bromine may be nearing the end of the growth trail. The reason: the uncertain future of ethylene dibro-mide's growth rate ...
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Bromine May Be Nearing End of Growth Trail While many uses grow, uncertain future of ethylene dibromide clouds the industry's over-all outlook Bromine presents a paradox. Its use in fumigants, flameproofing agents, and water purification compounds is growing at a healthy clip. Potential uses in chemical synthesis are numerous. But over-all, bromine may be nearing the end of the growth trail. The reason: the uncertain future of ethylene dibromide's growth rate as a lead scavenger in antiknock compounds, a use that accounts for about S0(/c of total bromine output. Bromine's paradox is reflected by producer attitudes. Michigan Chemical, for one, sees substantial growth ahead for some bromine markets, is doubling the size of the plant it owns jointly with Murphy Corp. But another maker confides that it has very little interest in bromine. In 1959, total sales of bromine and bromine compounds by primary U.S. producers came to 231 million pounds, according to the Bureau of Mines. This is equivalent to 195 million pounds of elemental bromine. These figures are llc/r higher than those for 1958 and just about equal to sales in bromine's best year—1956. Actual bromine consumption, according to industry estimates, was about 180 mil-

lion pounds. The 1960 outlook is for a 3 or A(/c increase over 1959. One Big Market. Bromine, a versatile, mature chemical, has been produced in this country since 1897. Yet it has managed to crack only one volume market—tetraethyllead-and for the past 30 years this market has dominated. Every pound of TEL used in automotive antiknock fluids means 0.29 pound of etlnlene dibromide. A pound of TEL in aviation gas takes twice as much. Last year, antiknock fluids consumed about 167 million pounds of ethylene dibromide (bromine content 140 million pounds). The future of etlnlene dibromide is tied directly to the future of TEL. And TEL appears to be in for some rough sailing. TEL consumption reached a peak of 510 million pounds in 1956. Then its growth rate, about 79r a year, stumbled over a combination of factors Probably most important were the numerous refiners with idle capacity who cut back on TEL content and achieved proper antiknock properties through additional refining. The end of Detroit's ''horsepower race" and the amazing success of the

Bromine Sales Show Little Change 280

{Sales of bromine and bromine compounds, millions of pounds)

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I 120 1954

1955

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compact cars also work against TEL. Likewise, TEL consumption is hurt by the decline in demand for aviation gasoline. "Aviation mix" accounted for 12 # of TEL use a few years back. Now the figure is under 109c and producers estimate that it will have slipped to about 7c/c by 1963. Between 1956 and 1958, TEL consumption in the U.S. fell 14%. Since then, it has held its own, and producers look for growth in the near future. Because losses in the aviation market will just about offset TEL gains reached through increases in auto gasoline use, the TEL industry must pin its hopes on higher concentrations. Currently, the average TEL content of auto gasolines is a shade under 2.0 ml. per gallon (high point, in 1956, was 2.32). Whether average TEL content will increase substantially is debatable. Eventually, tetramethyllead is expected to take over anywhere from 20 to 50c/( of the business now held by TEL. But this will not affect ethylene dibromide, since TML fluids also require lead-scavenging agents. Over the long term, developments in engine technology, such as an economical gas turbine for autos, could knock out TEL, TML, and ethylene dibromide. Other Uses. Soil and seed fumigants are bromine's second largest end use. The three major bromine fumigants—ethylene dibromide, methyl bromide, and l,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane—soaked up some 15 million pounds of bromine last year. The outlook is for continued growth. The remainder of bromine output, about 25 million pounds last year, goes into a long list of end products: dyes, medicinals, inorganic bromides, sanitizers, flameproofing agents, and fire extinguishing compounds. All along the line, bromine competes to some extent with chlorine. Its properties are clearly superior to those of chlorine in many cases. In flameproofing compounds, for instance, a bromine atom is several times more effective than a chlorine atom. In chemical synthesis,

WEEK'S PRICE CHANGES Aug. 22, 1960 Advances CURRENT

Corn oil, crude, lb. Grease, white, lb. Iodine, crude, domestic, lb. Soybean oil, Decatur, lb.

$

PREVIOUS

0.12 $ 0.07V*

0.117s 0.077*

1.10

0.95

0.097

0.095

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Declines Acrolein, tanks $ 0.31 $ 0.46 Coconut oil, Coast, lb. 0.137s 0.1372 Mercury, 76-lb. flask 208.00 209.00 Niacinamide, imported, kilo 5.90 6.00 Nicotinic acid, imported, kilo 3.85 4.00 Palm oil, tanks, lb. 0.11 0.127* Silicon, single crystal, gramt 1.39 1.55 Theobromine, imported, lb. 4.00 4.50 Theophyllin, imported, lb. 3.15 3.25 1.037* 1.037* Tin metal, lb. Tin salts, lb.: oxide, 440-lb. drums 1.09 1.117* stannous chloride, anhyd. 1.007 1.013 potassium stannate 0.784 0.789 sodium stannate 0.642 0.648 t Single producer

bromine does some jobs that chlorine can't do. Price, however, can be more important than superior results. And here the difference between chlorine and bromine is dramatic—3-1/4 cents per pound in tank cars for chlorine vs. 2 1 - 1 / 2 cents for bromine. Annual capacity of domestic bromine producers is about 215 million pounds. The Ethyl-Dow plant at Freeport, Tex., is by far the industry's largest. Trade sources estimate it can make 115 million pounds per year, all of which is converted to ethylene dibromide for Ethyl. Dow itself has two plants with a combined annual capacity of about 80 million pounds. Michigan Chemical's two bromine plants have a total capacity of about 5 million pounds per year. The Michigan-Murphy plant at El Dorado, Ark., will be rated at 10 million pounds a year after expansion. The other three producers—Food Machinery, American Potash, and Great Lakes Chemicalhave a combined capacity of about 10 million pounds per year.

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