Picric Acid Market Size & Share, by Type (Dry, Wet); Grade (< 99%, > 99%); Applications (Explosives & Munitions, Chemical Intermediates, Antiseptics, Energetic Materials, Liquefied Gas Fuels, Thin Films, Power Generation); End-user (Defense, Agriculture, Textile, Mining, Pharmaceutical) - Global Supply & Demand Analysis, Growth Forecasts, Statistics Report 2023-2035

Global Picric Acid Market Definition

Picric acid is also referred to as trinitrophenol (TNP) by the common population. Picric acid is classified as an organic aromatic compound with the formula of (O₂N)₃C₆H₂OH. Picric acid constitutes phenol and has three nitro (NO₂) substituents at 2,4,6 positions. The word ‘picric’ is derived from the Greek language which means ‘bitter’, as it is bitter in taste. Moreover, picric acid is considered to be one the most acidic phenols which are explosive in nature owing to its pyrotechnic ability. The appearance of picric acid is yellow in color and is generally found in form of crystals or slurry. Also, natural picric acid is highly flammable and toxic to the human body if ingested.

Owing to its varied properties, picric acid is being used for a wide range of purposes. The most common usage of picric acid is in munitions, and explosives as the ammonium salt present in picric acid is explosive dunite. Also, it is also useful as an etchant in metallurgy science, particularly for optical metallography. The other usages of picric acid range in the industries of antiseptic, power generation, defense, pharmaceutical, textile, mining, and agricultural.

Picric acid is usually manufactured by the combination process of anhydrous phenol along with fuming sulfonic acid to generate pohydoxyphenylsulfonic acid, which is subsequently nitrated with concentrated nitric acid, or nitrating 2,4-Dinitrophenol directly with concentrated nitric acid.

Global Picric Acid Market: Key Insights

Global Picric Acid Market Size, Forecast, and Trend Highlights Over 2023 - 2035

The global picric acid market is estimated to garner a revenue of ~USD 80 Billion by the end of 2035 by growing at a CAGR of ~8% over the forecast period, i.e., 2023 – 2035. Further, the market generated a revenue of ~USD 34 Billion in the year 2022. The growth of the global picric acid market is predicted to be on the back of its extensive use in the manufacturing of explosives, dyes, and drugs. Picric acid, a derivative of phenol, is an organic compound that is highly flammable and hence finds utility in the production of munitions, Dunnite, and TATB. With worldwide defense spending exceeding USD 1500 billion in the year 2021, there is much scope for the global picric acid market to grow in the forthcoming years.

Picric acid’s mild toxicity is exploited in other industries, such as agriculture where it is widely used as a pesticide and fungicide. Worldwide, around 3 million metric tons of pesticides were used in farming in the year 2020, a more than 50% increase from its utilization compared to 1990. This is predicted to expand the global picric acid market size. Furthermore, the properties of picric acid are being heavily used in the pharmaceutical industry to produce medicines as an antiseptic and as a therapy for burns. Moreover, the escalation in the acquisition of ammunition and explosive equipment in the defense and military sectors is also estimated to surge the sales of picric acid. In addition, the increased demand for explosives and munitions from various industries including the mining sector, and oil & gas sector is also projected to spike the production rate of picric acid, which subsequently expands market growth during the analysis period.

Global Picric Acid Market: Growth Drivers and Challenges

Growth Drivers

• Growing Use in Textile Industry - Picric acid is widely used in the thriving textile industry in the synthesis of dyes to provide an electric yellow appearance to fabrics. Thus, the growth of the textile industry across the globe is estimated to boost the demand for picric acid. For instance, the Indian textile industry is estimated to attain a revenue of over USD 180 billion by the end of 2025 from about USD 102 billion in 2020, as per the latest report.

• Intensifying Use in the Healthcare industry to Cure Depression and Schizophrenia – Picric acid has medicinal properties that are effective for treating disorders. Thus, the growing use of picric acid in the medical field is expected to drive market growth in the forecast period. Around 24 million people across the world suffer from Schizophrenia, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which affects about 1 in 300 people.

• Increasing Use as Rocket Fuel in the Aerospace Industry– In 2021, the United States Aerospace and Defense Industry generated over USD 850 billion in revenue, according to research. The surging demand for space exploration is estimated to propel global picric acid market growth.

• Rise in the Incidence of Burns - Picric acid has antiseptic and astringent properties which are used in the medical field as a surface anesthetic ointment or solution and in burn ointment to use in healing wounds and injuries. Thus, the rapid growth in burn cases is expected to increase the usage of picric acid and ultimately expand market size during the analysis period. It is used in the manufacture of surface anesthetic solutions and burn ointments. Burns affect over 1 million Indians every year, according to the WHO.

• Increasing Use in the Manufacturing Process of Plastic Goods – As per the latest reports, across the world, the use of plastic has increased fourfold in the last 3 decades, with over 450 million tons used in 2019, as per the latest research.

 Challenges

• Risk of Poisoning When Ingested, due to its Toxic Nature – Picric acid when is present in a hot and heating condition results in the formation of a toxic oxide of nitrogen and carbon. These are harmful to the human body be consumed or ingested. Thus, the toxic nature is anticipated to hinder the expansion of the market size in the forecast period.
• Corrosive in Nature – The constituents of picric acid are corrosive in nature which is handled carefully to eliminate rusting. Hence, it is stored in either plastic or glass containers. Therefore, this trend is expected to restrain market growth.
• Need for Trained Professionals in Handling and Storage

Global Picric Acid Market Segmentation

The global picric acid market is segmented and analyzed for demand and supply by applications into explosives & munitions, chemical intermediates, antiseptics, energetic materials, liquefied gas fuels, thin films, power generation, and others. Of these segments, the power generation sub-segment is expected to flourish over the forecast period owing to the greater demand for electricity to cater to a booming population worldwide. It is predicted by the UN that the global population is set to increase by about a billion to reach 9.8 billion by the end of 2050, which is anticipated to impact the global picric acid market. Also, the presence of power generation plants all over the world along with the escalation in the production rate of electricity generation are other growth factors for segment expansion. On the other hand, the explosives & munitions segment is also attributed to garnering a significant share of the market with a noteworthy CAGR. Picric acid when comes with any kind of metals such as copper, lead, mercury, zinc, nickel, and iron forms salts that are sensitive explosives. Thus, owing to the varied usages of explosive properties in mining chemicals industry, picric acid is in high demand for manufacturing explosives and munitions. Also, explosives are also being heavily used in the defense and aerospace sectors for military purposes, hence, generating a need for picric acid.

The global picric acid market is also segmented and analyzed for demand and supply by type into dry picric acid and wet picric acid. Out of these, the wet picric acid segment is considered to hold the largest share of the market. As wetted picric acid is helpful in lowering the risk of detonation making it useful for usage in multiple industries including defense, mining, pharmaceutical, and others. Also, wet picric acid is easily accessible in the market at a low cost, and added efficaciously are other factors that are estimated to boost market growth during the analysis period.

Our in-depth analysis of the global picric acid market includes the following segments:

Global Picric Acid Market Regional Synopsis

The Asia Pacific picric acid market, amongst the market in all the other regions, is projected to hold the largest market share by the end of 2035, owing to a growing customer base, burgeoning infrastructure development, and a viable development in the textile, agriculture, and pharmaceutical industries in the region. China’s pharmaceutical industry gained over USD 120 billion in the year 2018 and has expanded to attain over USD 450 billion in 2021. This is one of the reasons for the prediction of the global picric acid market growth in the region. Furthermore, the high presence of a high number of end users in India and China is another factor that is projected to boost the growth of the global picric acid market during the analysis period. Moreover, the surge in investments by major key players along with the government in the research and development sector to manufacture picric acid is also considered to fuel revenue generation in the region.

On the other hand, the North America picric acid market is also estimated to garner a remarkable share during the analysis period. The major factor for market expansion is the presence of robust defense and military industries. In addition to that, the existence of major key players in the region along with the rising government support is another factor that is anticipated to create a positive outlook for the growth of market expansion. Also, the rising demand for agricultural products, textile materials, and medicinal merchandise is forecasted to escalate the production rate of picric acid in the upcoming years.

Top Featured Companies Dominating the Global Picric Acid Market

• Merck KGaA
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• Odyssey Organics Pvt. Ltd.
• Loba Chemie Pvt. Ltd.
• RICCA Chemical Company
• Aadhunik Industries Pvt. Ltd.
• Indian Platinum Pvt. Ltd.
• Otto Chemie Pvt. Ltd.
• Parchem fine &Specialty Chemicals Inc.
• Spectrum Laboratory Products, Inc.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific