Hexane Introduction:

Hexane is an alkane of six carbon atoms produced from crude oil having molecular formula C₆H₁₄. It exhibits properties such as high volatility and flammability. Hexane in its pure form is a colourless liquid with odour similar to gasoline. Hexane is insoluble in water and its vapours are explosive. Some of the manufacturers of hexane are Exxon Mobil, Sumitomo Chemical, Shell Group, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Liaoning Yufeng Chemical Co., Ltd, Indian Oil etc.

Hexane can dissolve many organic compounds and it evaporates easily. Hence it is used as a solvent in industrial applications. Hexane due to its complete miscibility with oil is used a solvent for extracting edible oils from seeds and vegetables (corn, soyabeans, peanuts etc) known as food grade hexane. It is also used during polymerization of LDPE, LLDPE and HDPE polymers.

Hexane Demand-Supply Analysis:

Pharma-grade of hexane is used to make tablet molds due to its high purity, low boiling point, minimum odour, low toxicity and no poisonous fumes. Other than the applications mentioned above, hexane is used as solvents in glues, adhesives, paints & coatings, varnishes, inks etc. Cleaning and degreasing products also uses hexane. It acts as degreasing agent to dissolve oil and greases from industrial machinery.

The oil industry is using hexane widely from 1930s for production of the most consumed seed oils, such as soyabean, rapseed, and sunflower oils. Hexane’s low boiling point, low cost, east recyclability and complete solubility with oil makes it a dominant solvent for oil seed extraction process. Hexane can be easily vapourised from solids and oils due to high volatility making it preferable solvent over petroleum ether and ethyl acetate.

In addition to this, hexane is used to extract specialty oils which contains antioxidants, omega-3, omega-6 fatty acids, bioactive compounds such as tocopherols, phytosterols etc. These specialty oils such as sesame oil, rice bran oil, linseed oil, etc are used as functional foods. Hexane is also widely used for the extraction of flavours and fragrances, colours, bioactive ingredients required in the food & beverage, and cosmetic industries.

Hexane Market Overview:

The market of hexane is driven by the edible oils market. India is one of the major consumers of vegetable oils. The Solvent Extractor Association of India (SEA of India) estimated in 2022 that India’s edible oil consumption is projected to reach 26-27 million tons by 2025-2026. SEA also estimated that India’s oil production will increase to 38-40 million tons from 33 million in 2022. The consumption of edible oils is growing due to the increasing population, increased industrialization, rise of disposable income and improved standard of living. The expansion of India’s food processing industry is also a major factor for growth of hexane market in India.

Growing urbanization and increasing investments in the food processing sector are driving the market of food processing industry in India. The food processing industry is evolving rapidly due to growing exports. The rising global population, increased production of milk, meat, fish and other food products, growing demand for branded food, geopolitical change and climate change are some of the factors contributing towards the growth of exports of food processing industry of India.