Polymer additives: Production route
How antioxidants and light stabilisers are built step by step
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.The main product types are synthesised separately and blended. Phenolic antioxidants come from alkylated phenols esterified with polyols; phosphite antioxidants from phosphorus trichloride and hindered phenols; HALS from acetone and ammonia via triacetonamine; UV absorbers from benzotriazole or triazine chemistry; PVC stabilisers from metal soaps (calcium, zinc stearate) or organotin synthesis from tin metal. Scale is modest (5-50 kt/yr plants), and know-how, registration dossiers and customer approvals matter more than feedstock.
Routes compared
| Route | Share of supply | Inputs per tonne | Typical scale | Yield | Co-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phenolic antioxidants (e.g. AO 1010, AO 1076) | largest stabiliser type by volume (indicative) | phenol, isobutylene, methyl acrylate, pentaerythritol (indicative) | plants of 5-50 kt/yr (indicative) | not published | methanol | not published |
| Phosphite antioxidants (e.g. AO 168) | large (indicative) | PCl3 and alkylphenol | as above | not published | HCl | not published |
| Light stabilisers (HALS, UV absorbers) | smaller volume, higher value (indicative) | acetone, ammonia, amines | small plants | not published | not published | not published |
| PVC heat stabilisers (Ca-Zn, organotin, lead) | large by tonnage (indicative) | tin, zinc, calcium salts, fatty acids | Baerlocher and others run plants worldwide | not published | none | tin price exposure for organotins |
How each route works
Phenolic antioxidants (e.g. AO 1010, AO 1076)2,6-di-tert-butylphenol is reacted with methyl acrylate to a propionate ester, then transesterified with pentaerythritol (1010) or octadecanol (1076).
Commoditising as Chinese capacity grows.
indicative Phosphite antioxidants (e.g. AO 168)Phosphorus trichloride reacts with 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol to tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl) phosphite, a processing stabiliser used with phenolics.
Cheap and effective; hydrolysis sensitivity.
indicative Light stabilisers (HALS, UV absorbers)HALS are built on tetramethylpiperidine from acetone and ammonia; UV absorbers on benzotriazole, benzophenone or triazine.
High margin; some UV absorbers (UV-328) restricted under Stockholm Convention (2023).
indicative PVC heat stabilisers (Ca-Zn, organotin, lead)Metal stearates and co-stabilisers blended into one-packs; methyl- and octyl-tin mercaptides from tin metal; lead stabilisers from lead oxide, now being phased out.
Ca-Zn growing; lead restricted in EU (2023) and being removed in India.
tin tile; indicative Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs move with feedstock and energy prices, plant size and region.