Bisphenol A: Production route
Two phenols, one acetone, and the purity battle
What this tab covers How it is made: the main production routes or, for product families, the main product types and technologies, compared on share of supply, inputs per tonne, plant scale, yield, co-products and unit cost.Essentially all BPA is made by acid-catalysed condensation of phenol and acetone, now almost always over sulphonated ion-exchange resins rather than hydrochloric acid. Plants differ mainly in purification, which sets whether the product is polycarbonate grade or epoxy grade. Most large plants sit next to phenol-acetone units and polycarbonate plants. Alternatives to BPA itself, such as isosorbide or other bisphenols, are substitutes rather than routes.
Routes compared
| Route | Share of supply | Inputs per tonne | Typical scale | Yield | Co-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ion-exchange resin catalysed condensation (polycarbonate grade) | about 90% (indicative) | about 0.84 t phenol, 0.26 t acetone, steam and power (indicative) | 150-300 kt/yr; new Chinese units 0.20-0.27 Mt/yr (GlobalData) | about 95% on phenol (indicative) | o,p-BPA isomers and tars recycled or cracked back to phenol | feed about 0.84 x phenol + 0.26 x acetone plus about $100-150/t conversion (indicative) |
| Epoxy-grade BPA | about 10% (indicative) | similar | smaller | similar | similar | slightly lower |
| HCl-catalysed condensation (older) | small (indicative) | similar | old plants | high | acid wastes | higher maintenance |
How each route works
Ion-exchange resin catalysed condensation (polycarbonate grade)Excess phenol and acetone react over a sulphonated polystyrene resin with a thiol promoter. The BPA-phenol adduct is crystallised, separated and stripped of phenol to give high-purity BPA. Licensors include Badger (Stellar), Mitsubishi Chemical, Idemitsu-Chiyoda and Covestro.
Mature and efficient; margins tied to phenol-acetone.
GlobalData 2025; indicative Epoxy-grade BPASame chemistry with less purification; slightly lower purity is acceptable for epoxy resins.
Cheaper; not suitable for optical polycarbonate.
indicative HCl-catalysed condensation (older)Hydrochloric acid catalyst with corrosion-resistant equipment. Largely replaced by resins.
Corrosion and waste.
indicative Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs move with feedstock and energy prices, plant size and region.