Isopropanol

Isopropyl alcohol: a cheap, fast-drying solvent and disinfectant made from propylene or acetone, used in pharma, coatings, inks and chip cleaning.

Commodity chemicals · Methanol & oxygenates · No. 35

• Single chemical
• Feedstock: Oil, gas or coal
• about 3 Mt a year (2025, indicative)
• 1.8 t CO₂e per t
• HS 290512

The 70% alcohol in every hospital swab doubled in price in 2020 as the world scrambled for sanitiser.

Chart: Illustration: Isopropanol

Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Propylene is hydrated with water over an acid catalyst, or surplus acetone from phenol plants is hydrogenated. Direct hydration accounts for about 45% of capacity.

Three things to know

1. In Q3 2025 IPA cost about $872 a tonne in China but about $1,393 in the US.
2. India's DGTR recommended anti-dumping duties of $82-217 a tonne on Chinese IPA in August 2024.
3. Electronic-grade IPA for chipmaking must hold metals below 1 part per billion and sells for several times the technical price.

The journey

1. 1 Propylene or acetone0.75 t propylene or 0.98 t acetone
2. 2 HydrationAcid catalyst at 130-160 C, or hydrogenation
3. 3 DistillationBreaks the 87.4% water azeotrope
4. 4 GradingTechnical, pharma, or ppb-pure electronic
5. 5 End useSolvents, sanitiser, chip cleaning, then evaporates

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