Butane is a hydrocarbon of the alkane family with four carbon atoms attached to it. Butanes may refer to either to either of two structural isomers, n-butane (normal butane) or isobutene or to a mixture of these two isomers. Butane is a colorless, flammable and easily liquefied gas. Butane is heavier than the air with a density of approximately 575 kg per cubic meters at 15 degree Celsius. The boiling point of butane is approximately -1 degree Celsius whereas, the flash point of butane is approximately -40 degree Celsius.
Normal butane is primarily used in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). About two third of the butane produced globally is used in LPG. Butane is commonly referred to as LPG when it is mixed with propane in a certain proportion. LPG is mainly used for residential and commercial purposes as cooking and heating fuel. LPG is also used for chemical/petrochemical and industrial purposes as a fuel. One of the fastest growing usages of LPG is as an auto fuel; owing to its cleanliness it is gaining the market share as one of the emerging fuels for automobiles and transportation purposes.
The next biggest application of butane is in petrochemical industry where it is being used as feedstock for producing variety of petrochemicals, including primary petrochemicals like ethylene and other downstream petrochemicals like butadiene (a key raw material for the production of synthetic rubber). Butanes are also used in refineries as blending agent mixed in gasoline. Other uses of butane include as fuel in cigarette lighter, propellant in aerosol sprays such as deodorants etc.
One of the sources from where butanes are extracted is gas processing plants which are located close to crude oil or natural gas reservoirs. Basically, butane is produced as a byproduct of crude oil production and refining. Butanes are also produced as byproduct of crude oil refining in a refinery. The crude oil extracted from the reservoir is sent to refineries for extraction of various end use products like gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, lubes etc. Crude oil is processed in a fractionating tower and various products are recovered from the tower at various temperature levels, which are also known as crude cuts.
The growing demand for LPG from residential and commercial sectors where it is mainly used as a domestic fuel is the major factor driving the market for butanes. Butane used as petrochemical feedstock for producing ethylene and other derivatives is also driving the market for butanes owing to growing ethylene capacity in the Middle East). However, the volatility in crude oil prices and the regulatory issues owing to growing environmental concerns are the major factors inhibiting the market for butanes.
This report segments, estimates and forecasts the global market for butanes along with its regional demand for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and others. The report provides in-depth analysis for each application segment along with market estimates and forecast from 2010 to 2018 in terms of volumes and revenues. This report measures the market from supply and demand side and covers value chain analysis and porter’s five forces analysis of butanes market. This report also analyzes the market attractiveness of various applications of butanes.
In order to provide our clients with the best competitive analysis, this report also covers the market share analysis along with the company profiles of leading companies operating in the butanes market, globally. Some of the companies profiled in this report Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Conoco Phillips, Chevron, Total, and British Petroleum among some others. The company profiles in the research report include company overview, financial overview, business strategies and recent developments for each of the companies mentioned above, which will help assess competition prevailing in the market.
We have used a combination of both primary and secondary research to estimate the market for each segment of the research study. Detailed secondary research was conducted for each application segment and region. The estimate and forecast analysis was further validated with C-level executives of major companies operating in the global butanes market through means of primary research.
This research is specially designed to estimate and analyze the demand and performance of butanes in a global scenario. The research provides in-depth analysis of butanes manufacturers, sales, and trend analysis by segments and demand by geography. The report covers all the major segments of the global butanes market and provides in-depth analysis, historical data and statistically refined forecast for the segments covered. It also describes the major potential and emerging applications for butanes. The study presents a comprehensive assessment of the stakeholder strategies, winning imperatives for them by segmenting the butanes market as below:
Butanes Market, by Application:
- Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)
- LPG (Butanes) Market, by Application:
- Auto fuel
- North America
- Asia Pacific
- Rest of the World (RoW)