Benzene (industrial)

Description

1. Product Overview
Benzene (industrial grade) is a fundamental aromatic hydrocarbon derived from catalytic reforming and hydrodealkylation processes, serving as a critical feedstock for the global petrochemical value chain. Its primary industrial use is in the synthesis of ethylbenzene, cumene, cyclohexane, and nitrobenzene—precursors to plastics, resins, synthetic fibers, and rubber. The key value proposition is high-purity consistency enabling downstream yield optimization and reactor efficiency. Strategically, benzene remains indispensable due to its role in producing over 50 million metric tons annually of derivatives that underpin construction, automotive, and packaging sectors worldwide.

2. Key Specifications & Technical Characteristics

• Chemical composition: C₆H₆ (99.9% min purity)

• Grade: Industrial / Petrochemical grade (ASTM D2359 / EN 14619 compliant)

• Physical characteristics:

  • Colorless liquid

  • Density: 0.876–0.880 g/cm³ @ 20°C

  • Boiling point: 80.1°C

  • Freezing point: 5.5°C

• Packaging options:

  • ISO tank containers (20MT net)

  • Bulk tanker trucks (25MT)

  • New/returnable steel drums (180kg net, 80 drums per 20’ container)

• Shelf life: 12 months under nitrogen-blanketed storage in sealed containers, away from ignition sources

3. Core Industrial Applications

• Chemical manufacturing (ethylbenzene → styrene): Used for polystyrene and ABS plastics. Benzene’s low sulfur and olefin content (<1 ppm each) reduces catalyst poisoning in alkylation units, extending catalyst life by 20% vs. lower-grade feeds.

• Phenol/acetone production (cumene route): High purity minimizes side reactions, improving phenol yield by 2–3%.

• Cyclohexane → nylon intermediates: Consistent freezing point ensures predictable hydrogenation reactor behavior, reducing off-spec batches.

• Nitrobenzene → aniline → MDI (polyurethanes): Performance advantage over naphtha-based benzene: tighter boiling range (0.5°C) enables more efficient distillation recovery.

• Solvent in pharmaceutical intermediates: Limited trace benzene (thiophene-free) meets stringent residual solvent guidelines for early-stage synthesis.

4. Competitive Advantages

• Quality consistency: Every batch certified via GC-MS with typical purity >99.95%; non-detectable levels of non-aromatics (<0.1%).

• Supply reliability: Dedicated storage terminals in Rotterdam, Houston, Shanghai, and Jebel Ali with 30-day rolling inventory cover.

• Logistics capability: Multimodal shipping (ISO tank, barge, rail) with real-time tracking and demurrage management.

• Price competitiveness: Fixed-volume quarterly contracts with price index linkage (Platts, ICIS) plus volume-based rebates above 5,000 MT/quarter.

• Sustainability: Carbon footprint disclosures available (Scope 1 & 2 per batch); lighter logistics footprint via ISO tank reuse (reusable >10 cycles).

• Technical support: In-house application engineers for distillation, reaction optimization, and safety data sheet (SDS) localization in 12 languages.

5. Commercial & Supply Information

• Minimum order quantity (MOQ): 20 metric tons (bulk ISO tank)

• Loading capacity:

  • 1 × 20’ ISO tank container = 20 MT net (tare ~3.5 MT)

  • 1 × 40’ container with drums = 16 MT (80 drums × 200 kg gross) – not recommended for industrial benzene; ISO tank only.

• Lead time: 14 days ex-works / 21 days CIF for major ports

• Payment terms: LC at sight or TT advance for first order; net 30 days for qualified buyers after credit approval