Isopropyl alcohol

Chronicle

2024: A fundamentally new technology for the production of catalysts for the production of medical alcohol has been developed in Russia

In July 2024, Russian scientists announced the development of a fundamentally new technology for the production of catalysts necessary for the production of high-quality isopropyl alcohol, widely used in medicine and pharmaceuticals.

According to Kommersant, specialists from the Institute of Catalysis named after G.K. Boreskov worked on the creation of a domestic catalyst for the hydrogenation of acetone. The new product is not inferior to foreign counterparts in key parameters: yield volume, selectivity of conversion of acetone to alcohol and purity of the final product.

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For pharmaceuticals, the purity of alcohol is critical. Therefore, the technologies for the production of catalysts for hydrogenation processes are so in demand. Valery Bukhtiyarov, a representative of the Catalysis Institute, stressed.

The development of a new technology for synthesizing catalysts took at least three years. It is undergoing pilot tests at a pilot plant in the laboratory of the Omsk Rubber plant, which is part of the Titan group of companies. This plant is the leader in Russia in terms of isopropyl alcohol production, producing more than 30% of the total volume of this product in the country.

The first pilot batch of acetone hydrogenation catalysts is expected to be released in 2026. In the future, the domestic technology of synthesis of nickel catalysts for hydrogenation processes will allow not only to completely abandon the import of these substances, but also to begin export supplies.

The creation of domestic catalysts is especially important against the backdrop of an increase in the production of isopropyl alcohol in Russia. In 2023, it amounted to 53,267 tons, which is 21.9% more than in 2022. This growth is due to the high demand for disinfectants, the main component of which is isopropyl alcohol.^[1]

2023: Production of isopropyl alcohol in Russia for the year increased by 21.9% to 53,267 tons

In 2023, the production of isopropyl alcohol in Russia reached 53,267 tons. This is 21.9% more than the previous year. Moreover, more than 30% of the total output of these products is provided by the Omsk Rubber plant, which is part of the Titan group of companies. Such indicators are given in materials published on July 23, 2024.

Isopropyl alcohol is widely used in many areas of everyday life and various industries. In particular, it is used in pharmaceuticals and medicine as the main component of disinfectants. In addition, isopropyl alcohol is part of cosmetics, perfumes, household chemicals, disinfectants, repellents, car products, etc. The substance can be produced from oil or as a result of catalytic synthesis in the chemical process of hydrogenation of acetone.

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The key producers of isopropyl alcohol in Russia, in addition to the Omsk Rubber enterprise with a capacity of up to 60 thousand tons per year, are PJSC Khimprom (Novocheboksarsk) with a capacity of up to 12 thousand tons per year, Synthesis-Acetone 2000 LLC () Dzerzhinsk - up to 4 thousand tons and Impexneftekhim LLC, which produces products at the facilities of ZAO Synthetic Alcohol Plant (Orsk) with a capacity of up to 21 thousand tons per year. It is noted that isopropyl alcohol, as well as propyl alcohol, which is used as a cleaning agent and solvent for oils, are exported from the Russian Federation with the code (TN VED) 290512. In 2021, these products were imported mainly from,,, and, and Azerbaijan USA Germany from REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA the Russian Federation, China the main shipments fell on, and. Turkey Belarus Kazakhstan

The average annual increase in the production (CAGR) of isopropyl alcohol in Russia from 2017 to 2023 amounted to 5.1%. In terms of output of these products, the Volga Federal District is in the lead (68.7% of production during 2017-2023), and the Siberian Federal District is in second place (31.3%).^[2]

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