On 14 Aug., the Hangzhou Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau approved the environmental impact report for Zhejiang Jianye Chemical Co., Ltd. (Jianye Chemical)’s annual 80,000 t/a citric acid ester project.

Project overview

• Nature: Renovation
• Location: Jiande Economic Development Zone, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province
• Total investment: USD7.21 million (RMB48.95 million)
• Construction content: To be constructed in two phases
  • Phase I: Utilizing the site of the former 20,000 t/a plasticizer Phase I facility (diisobutyl phthalate) to construct a 40,000 t/a tributyl citrate (TBC) unit, with supporting utilities.
  • Phase II: Utilizing the site of the former 20,000 t/a plasticizer Phase II facility (dibutyl phthalate) to construct a 38,150 t/a TBC unit, with supporting utilities.
  • Phase II: Converting the former 5,000 t/a trioctyl trimellitate facility into a 20,000 t/a acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC) unit (consuming 18,150 t/a TBC; product includes 5,000 t/a acetic acid), with supporting utilities.
• Product plan:
  • Phase I: 40,000 t/a TBC
  • Phase II: 20,000 t/a TBC, 20,000 t/a ATBC, 5,000 t/a acetic acid
• Process technology:
  • TBC: Produced by esterification, using citric acid and n-butanol as raw materials under concentrated sulfuric acid catalysis, via esterification reaction.
  • ATBC: Produced by co-acetylation, using tributyl citrate and acetic anhydride as raw materials under concentrated sulfuric acid catalysis, via acetylation to yield ATBC and acetic acid.
  • The process package and design are provided by Shandong Branch of Liaoning Fangda Engineering Design Co., Ltd., employing the most advanced semi-continuous process technology available domestically.
• Labor quota: 45 new employees
• Working system: three 8hr shifts per day, 300 working days totaling 7,200 working hours per year

Jianye Chemical is a leading enterprise in the low-carbon aliphatic amine industry, with a production capacity of 133,000 t/a organic amines (n-butylamine, di-n-butylamine, tri-n-butylamine, cyclohexylamine, dicyclohexylamine, ethylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine, isopropylamine, diisopropylamine, n-propylamine, di-n-propylamine, tri-n-propylamine, sec-butylamine, di-sec-butylamine, isobutylamine, and diisobutylamine) and 60,000 t/a acetate esters (n-propyl acetate, ethyl acetate, isopropyl acetate, and isobutyl acetate), among others.

You can get more information on China’s corn deep-processing industry by checking out NK Corn Deep-Processing China News. Follow our LinkedIn to get more industry news.

Main Content of Citric Acid & Sodium Citrate Industry in China 2024

Executive Summary

1. Citric Acid and Sodium Citrate Industry Overview
2. Citric Acid in China

2.1 Supply and Demand, 2022-2024

2.1.1 Market size (volume & value)

2.1.2 Export

2.2 Production Landscape

2.2.1 Major Producers with Own Fermentation

2.2.2 Capacity Development (2022-2024)

2.2.3 Planned Expansions (2025-2027)

2.3 Price in 2022-2024

2.4 Profitability

3. sodium Citrate in China

3.1 Supply and Demand

3.2 Major Producers with Own Fermentation

3.3 Capacity Development (2022-2024)

3.4 Planned Expansions (2025-2027)

List of tables

Table 2.1-1 China’s annual export and import of citric acid, 2020-2024

Table 2.1-2 Top 10 export destinations of China’s citric acid in 2024

Table 2.2-1 Capacity and output of citric acid by producer in China, 2022-2024

Table 2.2-2 Citric acid capacity forecast to 2027 (from 2022 onwards)

Table 2.4-1 Raw materials cost of citric acid in China, 2024

Table 2.4-2 Manufacturing cost of citric acid in China, 2024

Table 2.4-3 Total cost of citric acid in China, 2024

Table 3-1 Capacity and output of sodium citrate by producer in China, 2022-2024

Table 3-2 Sodium citrate capacity forecast to 2027 (from 2022 onwards)

List of figures

Figure 2.1-1 China’s monthly export volume of citric acid, Jan. 2022-Dec. 2024

Figure 2.2-1 China’s capacity and output of citric acid, 2020-2024

Figure 2.3-1 Monthly average ex-work price of citric acid in China, Jan. 2022-Dec. 2024

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In Sept. 2018, the EI report for Seven Star Lemon Technology Co., Ltd. (Seven Star Lemon)’s 500,000 t/a food additive project was approved. Phase I passed the completion environmental protection acceptance in Sept. 2020. According to the completion environmental protection acceptance report publicized recently, Stage I of Phase II has been completed.

Overview of Stage 1 of Phase II

• Nature: New construction
• Location: Yishui Economic Development Zone, Linyi City, Shandong Province
• Total investment: USD139.3 million (RMB1 billion), of which USD7.6 million (RMB54.287 million) is for environmental protection
• Construction content: New fermentation, plate and frame, extraction, ion exchange, and refining workshops with production facilities for citric and sodium citrate, and supporting facilities like wastewater treatment.
• Product plan: 200,000 t/a food additives (88,000 t/a anhydrous citric acid, 88,000 t/a monohydrate citric acid, 24,000 t/a sodium citrate), 64,000 t/a corn starch residue, 34,300 t/a citric acid dregs, 231,700 t/a calcium sulfate.
• Key raw material: about 330,000 t/a corn
• Labor quota: 300 new employees (total 520 employees currently)
• Working system: Three 8hr shifts per day, 330 working days per year
• Progress:
  • Starting construction: 25 Feb., 2023
  • Completion: 10 Jul., 2024
  • On-site acceptance monitoring: 2-5 Dec., 2024

Currently Seven Star Lemon can produce 132,000 t/a anhydrous citric acid, 132,000 t/a monohydrate citric acid, 36,000 t/a sodium citrate, 96,000 t/a corn starch residue, 51,500 t/a citric acid dregs, 347,500 t/a calcium sulfate. After completing Stage 2 of Phase II (under construction), the company will produce 500,000 t/a of food additives (220,000 t/a anhydrous citric acid, 220,000 t/a monohydrate citric acid, 60,000 t/a sodium citrate),160,100 t/a corn starch residue, 85,800 t/a citric acid dregs, and 579,200 t/a calcium sulfate.

You can get more information on China’s corn deep-processing industry by checking out NK Corn Deep-Processing China News. Follow our LinkedIn to get more industry news.