Fluoride has the chemical formula F-. It is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine. Minerals and salts of fluoride are highly utilized chemical reagents in the industry. They are adopted in the manufacture of hydrogen fluoride. Hydrogen fluoride is used in the petrochemical, plastics and chemical industries. It goes into the manufacture of sodium fluoride, aluminum, chlorofluorocarbons, and other fluoride salts.
The fluoride ion closely resembles the hydrogen ion with respect to size and charge. It is found in several minerals, especially fluorite. It is present in drinking water in small quantities. In some regions, it is intentionally added to community water supply through the process of fluoridation. When added to toothpastes, fluoride helps in fighting tooth decay.
However, high concentration of fluoride in water and foods can cause serious health problems. When children’s teeth are exposed to too much fluoride, a condition called dental fluorosis occurs. Severe fluorosis may lead to pitting or discoloring of the tooth enamel. Harsh physical and environmental effects may deter industry growth.
Hydrofluoric acid and fluoride salts are the prime fluorides adopted in industrial processes. Beryllium fluoride and aluminum fluoride are used as phosphate inhibitors. Fluoride salts are commonly used in biological assay processing as they inhibit the activity of phosphates. As far as volumes are concerned, fluoride’s main use is to make cryolite, which is used in aluminum smelting. Fluoride is used in steel-making, to separate slag.
China’s production capacity of hydrofluoric acid was 1.650 million tons in 2011. Key manufacturers include Dongyue Group Ltd., Do-Fluoride Chemicals Company Ltd., and Yingpeng Chemicals Co. Ltd. Volumes of aluminum fluoride in 2011 stood at 1.4 million tons in China. CNMC Orient Group Ltd. Company and Hunan Nonferrous Fluoride Chemical Group are well-known manufacturers. Electric grade fluoride is at a nascent stage in the country.
Organic fluoride sub-industry encompasses fluoropolymer, fluorine refrigerant, etc. Of the fluoropolymers, the market for PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) is relatively developed in China. However, demand for PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) and fluororubber is still to grow.
In the global space, North America occupied the largest share of the PVDF market. It was followed by Asia Pacific and Western Europe. Oil & gas, electrical & electronics, coatings, etc. are the leading worldwide consumers of PVDF.
Intensive research and development is a critical success factor of the fluorine market. Stakeholders like manufacturers, end-users, associations, etc. are investing large amounts for developing advanced and technologically modified products.
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