Normal paraffins (n-paraffins) are linear, aliphatic hydrocarbons of C9-C17 chain lengths that are usually separated from kerosene or gas oil fractions of crude oil using molecular sieves. High levels of midrange n-paraffins, suitable for producing linear alkylbenzene (LAB), are produced at a gas-to-liquids.
Paraffin is a mixture of hydrocarbons; it usually consists of about 10 different hydrocarbons, each containing from 10 to 16 carbon atoms per molecule; the constituents include n-dodecane, alkyl benzenes, and naphthalene and its derivatives.
Paraffins are also called alkanes and have the general formula of CnH2n+2, where n is the number of carbon atoms in a given molecule. Paraffins are divided into two groups of normal and isoparaffins. Normal paraffins or normal alkanes are simply written as n-paraffins or n-alkanes, and they are open, straight-chain saturated hydrocarbons.
Paraffin is used in cosmetics and personal care products to thicken formulations. With emollient and protective qualities, they provide stability to skincare and cosmetics and boost their viscosity and consistency. The personal care industry accounted for a healthy share of the global paraffin market, in 2017.
Global demand of N-Paraffin is anticipated to reach 3.7 Million MT by end of 2021 mainly driven by the demand from LAB market. Though N-Paraffin demand is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 1.6% Y-o-Y until 2018, industry has to operate at 92-94% to meet the global demand until 2020.