What Are Applications of Unstabilized Hexamine?

With a surge in the population, the demand for medical products has significantly increased in recent years. This is because the rising population has resulted in poverty, which has led to an increase in the incidence of neurological diseases and urinary tract infections (UTI); poverty is usually reflected in unhygienic surroundings and poor mental health. Hexamine is used as an antibiotic for the treatment of bacteriuria in people suffering from neurological disorders and for the treatment of UTIs.

In addition to the pharmaceutical and rubber industries, hexamine is used in the explosives, resin, and numerous other sectors. Among these, resin production accounts for the highest consumption of hexamine because the compound acts as a crucial component in thermosetting the resin production, by functioning as a curing agent. Moreover, hexamine possesses a heterocyclic organic structure, great solubility in polar solvents, such as alcohol, chloroform, and water, and a mild amine odor. Further, resins are used in the plastic, leather, fertilizer, adhesives, and paper industries and as coatings and laminates, which is driving the demand for them.

The consumption of unstabilized-grade hexamine has increased significantly over the years due to the widening application base of the chemical in all the industries mentioned above. Unstabilized hexamine is used as fuel tablets for camping stoves, corrosion inhibitor for steel, stabilizer for lubricating and insulating oils, antiseptic for UTIs, and cross-linking agent to harden phenol-formaldehyde resins and vulcanize rubber. It is also used for preserving hides, detecting metals, and production of explosives.

Globally, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region consumed the highest volume of hexamine in 2017, and the chemical demand is further escalating in industries such as resin, pharmaceutical, and rubber here. Additionally, the production of hexamine has increased in the APAC region due to the flexible norms regarding its manufacturing and availability of cheap raw materials and labor. These factors help in reducing the minimum efficiency scale (MSE) during the production of hexamine in this region. Besides, the stringent environmental laws in European countries have led producers to shift their base to the APAC region.

Emerging economies, including India and China, also hold lucrative opportunities for the hexamine market due to the increasing consumption of the compound in the adhesives and plastics industries. In India, Simalin Chemical Industries Pvt Ltd. serves as the leading supplier of hexamine to the plastics, adhesives, and pharmaceutical sectors. Other companies now targeting the APAC region include Hexion Inc., Sina Chemical Industries Company, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company Inc., Kanoria Chemicals & Industries Limited, Lanxess AG, "JSC" Shchekinoazat United Chemical Company, and INEOS Group Holding S.A.

Thus, the booming pharmaceutical, adhesives, and plastics industries in developing countries are expected to propel the demand for hexamine in the coming years.