International. The global solvent market sold US$25 billion in 2013, according to the research firm Ceresana in the third edition of its report on the subject in which they also analyzed that revenues are expected to increase by 4% per year until 2021.
The largest consumers of solvents are manufacturers of paints and varnishes, followed at a great distance by producers of printing inks.
In the paints and varnishes segment, a trend towards water-based products and other more environmentally friendly alternatives is evident. In Europe and North America in particular, the market share of solvent-based paints and varnishes continues to decline, the report said.
The most commonly used solvents were alcohol, ethanol, n-butanol, isopropanol and methanol. About 6.5 million tons of these products were consumed worldwide. Aromatics, ketones, esters and ethers also account for the most notable market shares.
