DIMER ACIDS MARKET ANALYSIS

Dimer acid Market 2017–2027

Dimer acid is a chemical compound with C36H68O4. It is a light yellow transparent liquid and is widely used to produce hot melt adhesives and polyamide resins. Dimer acid is also referred to as dimerized fatty acids and composed unsaturated fatty acids that are produced from oleic acid, canola oil, and tall oil. Dimer acid is also used in the production of adhesives, surfactants, fuel oil additives, alkyd resins, and lubricant. They are non-toxic in nature and can be used in the production of reactive and non-reactive polyamides for epoxy resins, corrosion inhibitors, polyol esters, personal care products, and oil field drilling muds.

The global dimer acid market is projected to surpass US$ 1000 million by the end of 2027, in terms of revenue, growing at CAGR of 6.1% during the forecast period (2019 to 2027).

Drivers

Growing demand for bio-chemicals across the various end-use industry is expected to foster the market growth of dimer acid. Dimer acid is mainly produced from raw materials such as Tall Oil Fatty Acids (TOFA) and Vegetable Oil Fatty Acids (VOFA), such as soybean oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed, etc. Therefore, dimer acid is obtained from renewable raw materials, and are biodegradable and hence this factor is expected to fuel the demand for dimer acid around the globe.

Growing inks and coatings industry around the globe is expected to foster the market growth of dimer acid. According to the American Coatings Association, in 2015, the paint and coatings industry shipped more than US$ 11.2 billion in architectural coatings from the U.S. the sector of the industry. Therefore, growing production of inks and coatings especially across the developing region is expected to propel the market growth of dimer acid. 

Regionally, Asia-pacific dominated the global dimer acid market in 2018, reporting 32% market share in terms of revenue, followed by Europe and North America, respectively. This is due to rapid growth of various end-user industries in Asia-pacific.

Figure 1. Global Dimer Acid Market, Revenue Share (%), By Region, 2018

Market Restraints

The fluctuating price of dimer acids as they are produced from vegetable oils, such as rapeseed oil and cottonseed oil is expected to hinder market growth of dimer acids. The price of dimer acids completely depend on the prices of vegetable oils, which ultimately tend to affect the demand and supply. Thus, volatile prices of the dimer acids is a major factor expected to hinder the market growth of dimer over the forecast period.

Low availability of feedstock such as C18 tall oil fatty acid is another major factor projected to hinder the market growth of dimer acid. The tall oil is produced from Kraft wood pulping operations and production of dimer acids is mostly carried out from tall oil fatty acids. This factor is projected to restrict the market growth of global dimer acid over the forecast timeframe.

Market Opportunities

Growing opportunities from the automotive sector where dimer acid is used in the production of corrosion inhibitors are expected to foster the market growth of dimer acid. According to the India Brand Equity Foundation, India became the fourth largest auto market in 2018 with sales increasing 8.3% year-on-year to 3.99 million units. It was the seventh-largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in 2018. Therefore, growing sales of the automobile are expected to foster market growth.

Expanding cosmetic industry is expected to offer lucrative growth opportunities to the market of dimer acid over the forecast period. According to the LoudCloudHealth.com. The global cosmetic industry is growing faster today than ever before with an estimated market value of almost US$ 805 billion by 2023. It is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.14% from 2018 to 2023. Hence, the growing cosmetic industry is expected to fuel the market growth of dimer acid.

Figure 2. Global Dimer Acid Market – Opportunity Analysis

Market Trends

Growing environmental concern is a major factor that is encouraging the user to adopt dimer acid as it is a bio-based product and this trend is estimated to stimulate the market growth of dimer acid. Dimer acid is one such chemical that is produced from natural renewable sources, such as vegetable oil. Also, demand for dimer acid-based polyamides polyurethanes has been witnessed steady demand over the recent few years and this is expected to foster market growth.

Growing production of dimer acid production in china is expected to propel the market growth of dimer acid. According to the Coherent Market Insights, China has emerged as the key producer of dimer acids as the country is home to numerous small & medium scale manufacturers of dimer acid who provide lower-priced products as compared to their global counterparts. Moreover, the lower cost of production in China along with the easy availability of raw material is a major factor augmenting the growth of the dimer acid market.

Figure 3. Global Dimer Acid Market, Revenue Share (%), By Derivative, In 2018

On the basis of application, in 2018, non-reactive polyamide resins segment accounted the largest market share of 42% in terms of revenue, followed by reactive polyamide resins and oilfield chemicals, respectively.

Figure 4. Global Dimer Acid Market – Value Chain Analysis

Competitive Section

Key players active in the global dimer acid market are BASF SE, Monsanto Company, E I du Pont de Nemours & Company, Bayer AG, The Dow Chemical Company, Syngenta AG, and Nufarm Limited