The continuously increasing demand for methionine has been the key driver for the development of China’s methionine sector. Spurred by strong market demand and soaring prices for the
amino acid, domestic manufacturers have been aligning their production to the burgeoning market in recent years. As one of the indispensable additives used in the production of animal feed, methionine can help fatten up poultry and livestock rapidly. Rising global population and improving living standards have triggered an increase in the production of the amino acid. Statistics show worldwide output of methionine increased to 600,000 tons in 2005 from 260,000 tons in 1993.
China’s imports of methionine used in animal feed are soaring year by year. With the development of the livestock sector accelerating, the country has been the world’s second largest producer of animal feed, with annual production of 100 million tons per year. Furthermore, the output is
still growing at a very fast pace. Demand for methionine, particularly methionine used for animal feed, will continue its strong growth worldwide. By 2010, global demand for methionine is expected to increase to 900,000 tons, while China’s demand for the amino acid will exceed 100,000 tons. For this reason, a number of enterprises in several Chinese provinces and cities including Zhejiang, Guangdong, Shandong, Hubei and Shanghai are showing great interest in the production and supply of raw materials that go into methionine.
Currently, more than a dozen domestic producers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for methionine have obtained approval from the State Food and Drug Administration. It has become feasible for China to start mass production of methionine now, as the country has both the competencies and abundance of raw materials, insiders said. While some Chinese methionine manufacturers have expanded their production capacity
by revving up their own production lines, others have sought higher output through partnerships with foreign producers. China National BlueStar (Group) Corporation acquired French animal nutrition supplement producer Adisseo on 17 January 2006. It was the first time that China's chemical industry has made an overseas acquisition.
The two companies plan to build a new methionine manufacturing facility in China to meet growing demand in the global market, and the new facility is scheduled to be put into operation in 2011 with a total annual capacity of 140,000 tons.
Hubei Provincial Bafeng Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals Share Co., Ltd has successfully worked out a new technology which can recycle wastewater resulting from production of L- methionine. The new technology enables the company to achieve zero discharge of wastewater and to reduce production costs by RMB8,200/ per ton (approximately US$1,140/ per ton).
