Chemical Profile Tripolyphosphate (STPP)

04 October 2004 00:01  [Source: ICB Americas]

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SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE

October 4, 2004

North American Producer	CAPACITY*
Astaris, Carondelet, Mo.	60
Astaris, Carteret, N.J.	85
Astaris, Lawrence, Kans.	100
Prayon, Augusta, Ga.	60
Innophos, Chicago, Ill.	50
Innophos, Port Maitland, Ontario	120
Total	475

*Thousands of short tons per year of sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP). Sodium phosphates are produced commercially by reaction of phosphoric acid with a sodium alkali, usually sodium carbonate. Disodium and monosodium phosphates produced initially can be recovered and used alone or as intermediates in production of other primary sodium phosphates, including STPP. Plant capacities can vary depending on product mix, and most facilities make other sodium phosphates in addition to STPP. In August 2004, the private equity firm Bain Capital (Boston) completed its acquisition of Rhodia's North American specialty phosphates business, and renamed the business Innophos. The company has STPP production facilities at Chicago, Ill., and Port Maitland, Ontario, with a combined capacity of 170,000 short tons per year. Astaris LLC is the 50-50 joint venture company owned by FMC Corp. and Solutia Inc. formed in April 2000. Last October Astaris launched a restructuring and consolidation project in North America that included the closing of four phosphate facilities in the US; two of these with STPP capacity. The deleted STPP production capacities were: 225,000 tons at Green River, Wyo., and 35,000 tons at Trenton, Mich. Prayon is a 50-50 joint venture owned by Office Cherifien des Phosphates (OCP) of Morocco and the Belgian investment agency, Wallonia Regional Investment Company (SRIW). Their Augusta, Ga., facility was formerly owned by Solutia, which divested the site when Astaris was formed and FMC and Solutia consolidated their phosphorus chemicals manufacturing operations. Profile last published 8/6/01; this revision 10/4/04.

DEMAND

2002: 258,000 short tons; 2003: 263,000 short tons; 2007: 268,000 short tons, projected. Demand equals production plus imports (2002: 88,000 short tons; 2003: 120,000 short tons) less exports (2002: 15,000 short tons; 2003: 12,000 short tons).

GROWTH

Historical (1998-2003): -0.5 percent per year; Future: 0.5 percent per year through 2007.

PRICE

Historical (1998-2003): High, $44 per cwt., list, tech., bulk, hopper cars, works, frt. equald.; low, $38, same basis. Current: $48, same basis.

USES

Detergent builders, 51 percent (industrial & institutional cleaners, 26 percent; dishwashing, 23 percent; consumer cleaners, 2 percent); food and beverage, 30 percent (meat, poultry, seafood, 13 percent; baking, 8 percent; dairy, 6 percent; other, 3 percent); water treatment, 8 percent; miscellaneous, including metal and plastic finishing and dentifrices, 11 percent.

STRENGTH

While STPP has been removed from all household laundry detergents in the US, except for regional and private label products, it continues to resist share decline in the automatic dishwashing detergent sector. Though slowly losing market share to zeolites in the industrial and institutional cleaner segment, STPP still maintains a large presence in dishwashing, more or less successfully competing on price against the zeolites. In these applications, STPP has an acknowledged cost-performance advantage over substitutes. Food-grade STPP continues to do comparatively well with the ongoing growth of processed foods—about 1.5 percent annually. In processed foods, STPP provides a variety of useful functions (curing accelerator, sequestrant, leveling aid or emulsifier, depending on the application).

WEAKNESS

The peak year of STPP consumption was 1969, when the market demand was 1.2 million short tons. The principal use at the time was as a builder in powder laundry detergents. This use dramatically declined, beginning in the 1970s, when many states banned the use of phosphate detergents based on fears of adverse environmental effects. In the 1980s, liquid detergents began displacing powder products, hastening the decline of STPP. Today, STPP’s two largest applications, automatic dishwashing detergents and industrial and institutional cleaners, are no-growth sectors in the US.

OUTLOOK

It appears that the dramatic decline of STPP in the detergent business has ended. Where still used in detergents—dishwashing powders and industrial and institutional cleaners—there are no phosphate bans and none are anticipated. With the exception of food, STPP’s applications are mature, and little or no growth in demand for these sectors is likely over the forecast period. The aggregate growth for the forecast period is 0.5 percent annually.

By: Mark Kirschner
+1 713 525 2653

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