Gains will be driven by increasingly stringent fire
codes and flammability requirements, especially in building materials and
consumer products. An improved economic outlook in key applications, such as
wire and cable insulation and jacketing, electronics housings, and aerospace
products, will fuel demand.
Phosphorus-based flame retardants will grow at the
fastest pace, driven by increasing trends toward non-halogenated products.
However, brominated compounds will continue to lead the market in total value,
as the regulatory climate in the United States is unlikely to undergo dramatic
changes in the near future. Rapid gains are also expected for smaller-volume
flame retardants, such as magnesium hydroxide, which is finding increased use
in polypropylene and engineering resins. Alumina trihydrate (ATH) will remain
the largest-volume flame retardant through 2011, comprising 45% of demand and
growing in line with the market as a whole.