The burgeoning requirement for isophthalic acid is fueling the demand for meta-xylene (m-xylene) across the world. Isophthalic acid is basically an organic compound that is used in several applications such as the production of inks, reinforced plastics, alkyd resins, and unsaturated polyester resins. The sales of plastics are driven by the mushrooming requirement for packaging products and the increasing construction and building activities in various countries all over the world. 

As per the GRID-Arendal, which is a United Nations’ affiliated organization, in 2017, around 400.0 million tons of plastic were manufactured. Isophthalic acid is used for producing plastic in huge quantities. Since meta-xylene is required for producing isophthalic acid, the increasing usage of isophthalic acid is fueling the surging demand for m-xylene. The mushrooming requirement for paints and coatings, due to their heavy utilization in infrastructural development and construction activities, is also pushing up the worldwide sales of meta-xylene. 

This is, in turn, driving the growth of the global meta-xylene (m-xylene) market. Xylene is basically a volatile and colorless liquid hydrocarbon produced from coal, petroleum, and wood. Meta-xylene is an isomer of para-xylene and ortho-xylene. The material is an aromatic hydrocarbon having two methyl substituents connected at the meta positions of the benzene ring. It is mainly used for producing isophthalic acid. M-dimethylbenzene, m-xylol, 1,3-xylene, and 1,3-dimethylbenzene are the other names of this chemical.

The major application areas of the material are isophthalic acid production, solvent, and 1,4-xylidine and 2,6-xylidine production. Amongst these, the utilization of the material was found to be the highest in isophthalic acid production in the past. M-xylene is required in huge quantities for producing isophthalic acid. Thus, the rising requirement for pure isophthalic acid in the plastic and polymer industries is boosting the sales of m-xylene all over the globe.

During the last several years, several petrochemical producing organizations have built and proliferated their production facilities near the oil-producing regions, especially in the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. However, during the last few years, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region has observed huge expansion in the petrochemical sector. This is one of the major trends witnessed in the meta-xylene market. This trend has massively pushed up the production of meta-xylene in several countries. 

Globally, the m-xylene market is currently recording the fastest growth in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, as per the findings of P&S Intelligence, a market research company based in India. This is ascribed to the increasing usage of m-xylol in the packaging, aerospace, and automotive industries. In addition to this, the presence of a rapidly growing construction industry in South Korea and China is boosting the requirement for new coating formulations and resins in the region.