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Propylene trimer and tetramer are oligomers produced by the polymerization of propylene. These olefins are branched and frequently referred to as nonene and dodecene, respectively. Nonene is the more commonly accepted name for propylene trimer; however, tetramer is the preferred name for the branched C12 olefin, as this name serves to distinguish it from 1-dodecene, the linear alpha-olefin derived from ethylene. Once manufactured primarily as components of polymer gasoline, these products are now valued primarily for chemical use. Major applications, shared by derivatives of both nonene and tetramer, include plasticizers, surfactants, lubricating oil additives and polymerization modifiers. This report provides detailed coverage of North America (the United States and Canada), Western Europe and Japan, areas that account for 86% and 91% of world nonene and tetramer capacity, respectively.
The following pie charts show world consumption of nonene and tetramer:
World demand for nonene is forecast to continue to grow, but at very low rates. Good growth in isodecyl alcohol will be partly offset by a decline in its consumption in the nonylphenol market. This market will face increasing restrictions on the use of nonylphenol and its ethoxylates because of environmental concerns that have been raised about them. Overall world growth for tetramer will also be very slow, as growth in the use of dodecylphenol and tridecyl alcohol is offset by falling consumption of dodecyl benzene in the developing countries.
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