Global Demand for Flourochemicals to Increase

3.9%  Increase  Annually  Through  2016

Worldwide  demand  for  flourine-­containing  chemicals  is  expected  to increase  3.9%  annually  to  3.5  million  metric  tons  in  2016.    This  information was  released  by  Reportlinker.com  and  reported  on  by  AZoM.

Growing  production  of  refrigeration  and  cooling  equipment  is  driving  the numbers.    HCFC  demand  will  fall  through  2016,  while  HFCs  will  continue strong  growth  as  a  replacement  to  HCFCs.  Forecasts  show  the  largest market  growth  in  the  Asia-­Pacific  region  with  smaller  Africa  -­  Mideast  and Eastern  European  markets  showing  above-­average  gains.

This  report  uncovered  several  challenges  to  flouro  chemical  production. China  is  a  major  exporter  of  fluorospar  and  has  been  restricting  exports  of this  key  raw  material.    As  those  of  us  in  the  HVAC/R  industry  well  know, the  unstable  regulatory  environment  makes  supply  and  demand  a  bit unpredictable.    There  is  also  a  growing  market  for  alternatives  to  flouro-­ chemical  use  in  the  commercial  refrigeration  market  and  blowing  agents market.