CEH Report

Table of Contents

Abstract

Acrylamide is a water-soluble monomer that is consumed mainly in the production of polyacrylamide, a water-soluble polymer. Approximately 93% of the world's acrylamide capacity is in the United States, Western Europe, Japan and China.

The acrylamide business is globalized, as manufacturers locate world-scale production facilities closer to the sites of consumption and exploit lower-cost production locations and process efficiencies through new technology.

Consumption of polyacrylamide for wastewater treatment is the largest end-use market for acrylamide. Use in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) will be the fastest-growing market segment. Water management is the dominant segment in the United States and Western Europe, while paper uses dominate the Japanese market. EOR is the largest segment in the Chinese market.

The following pie chart shows world consumption of acrylamide:

Use in enhanced oil recovery will grow at an average rate of 5.5% per year, followed by mining and water management at about 4% and 3%, respectively. EOR will continue to be the largest segment in China. Chinese demand accounts for more than 91% of the world's consumption in this application. Markets with the highest growth include China at 5.6% and the developing world/rest of world and the United States at 4.5% and 3%, respectively. Western Europe and Japan will show slower growth at about 2% and 0.4%, respectively.