Potassium Permanganate Supply Chain - Executive Summary

Potassium Permanganate

Direct Use Chemical

KMn04
(solid)

Inputs to Manufacturing Process:
Potassium Hydroxide
Manganese Dioxide

% of Total Domestic Consumption
Attributed to Water Sector:
Greater than 50%

Derivative Water Treatment Chemicals: Understanding Chemical Supply Chains
None	Map of Suppliers & Manufacturers

Product Family:

Potassium

Manganese

CAS No.: 7722-64-7

2 Shelf Life:
60+ Months

— RISK OF SUPPLY DISRUPTION (Assessed in 2022)

RISK RATING: Low

g?ate-Low Modera^

RISK DRIVERS

Concerns are primarily due
to reductions in access to the
raw material, manganese
dioxide, and potassium
chloride used to produce
potassium hydroxide. Both
are primarily imported from
a limited number of coun-
tries and have application in
industries which are primary
consumers.

RISK SCORE PARAMETERS

Criticality: High. Application as an oxidiz-
ing agent.

Likelihood: Low. No history of supply
chain disruptions between 2000 and
2022.

Vulnerability: Moderate-High. Supply of
manganese dioxide is entirely import-
dependent, and supply of the raw mate-
rial for potassium hydroxide is primarily
imported and used in fertilizer. Domestic
manufacturing is limited to one location.

MANUFACTURING PROCESS

Water Treatment Applications

Potassium Hydroxide

Manganese Dioxide

Potassium Permanganate

Oxidation

Other Applications

Input	End Use

•	Treatment of oil and gas
production water

•	Air and gas purification

•	Chemical manufacturing

•	Remediation

DOMESTIC PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION, AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Domestic Manufacturing Locations (2015):
1, located in Illinois.

(^) International Trade (2019)

Primary Trading Partner (Imports): India
Primary Trading Partner (Exports): Belgium

Domestic Consumption (2019):
9 Million kg

¦	Domestic Production (11 M kg)

¦	Imports for Consumption (1 M kg)

¦	Export of Domestic Production (3 M kg)

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Potassium Permanganate Supply Chain - Full Profile

Product Description

Potassium permanganate (KMn04), a water soluble potassium salt, is a widely used oxidizing agent in water and
wastewater treatment. Water treatment applications are the most common uses of potassium permanganate in
the U.S.

Use in Water Treatment

Potassium permanganate is utilized directly as an oxidizing agent in drinking water and wastewater treatment
(AWWA, 2016).

Use as a Precursor to Other Water Treatment Chemicals

Potassium permanganate is not used to manufacture other water treatment chemicals.

Other Applications

Potassium permanganate has a wide range of applications, including water treatment, oil and gas well
production water treatment, air and gas purification, chemical manufacturing, and remediation (USITC, 2021a).

Primary Industrial Consumers

The primary use of potassium permanganate is water and wastewater treatment. Past estimates have
approximated the consumption of potassium permanganate for industrial and municipal water treatment at
36.1% of total domestic consumption, and industrial and municipal wastewater treatment at 22.8%. Other
common uses include treatment of oil and gas well production water (17.0%), air and gas purification (11.0%),
chemical manufacturing (3.6%), remediation (1.7%), metal processing (0.3%), and other uses (7.5%) (USITC,
2021a).

Manufacturing, Transport, & Storage

Manufacturing Process

Potassium permanganate is primarily produced through a two-step reaction of manganese dioxide and
potassium hydroxide. The equations for the most common potassium permanganate manufacturing process are
shown in Figure 1. The process begins with ground manganese dioxide, which is oxidized at high temperature
with potassium hydroxide to produce potassium manganate. The resulting solution of potassium manganate is
subject to electrolysis, which results in crystallization of potassium permanganate out of the solution. Some
additional purification steps may be used to produce different grades of potassium permanganate (NCBI, 2021;
USITC, 2021a).

Step 1

Manganese Dioxide + Potassium Hydroxide + Oxygen —>	Potassium Manganate +	Water

2Mn02 + 4KOH + 02 -> 2K2Mn04 +	2H20
Step 2

Potassium Manganate + Water —> Potassium Permanganate	+ Potassium Hydroxide +	Hydrogen

2K2Mn04 + 2H20 -> 2KMn04	+ 2KOH +	H2

t

Electrolysis

	

Figure 1. Chemical Equation for the Reaction to Manufacture Potassium Permanganate

EPA 817-F-22-040 | December 2022

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Potassium Permanganate Supply Chain - Full Profile

Product Transport

Potassium permanganate is primarily supplied for water treatment as free-flowing grade crystals, and is widely
transported in container and bulk by truck, rail, barge, and tanker (Carus, 2012).

Storage and Shelf Life

Potassium permanganate, should be stored in a tightly closed container and kept in cool, dry conditions. When
stored properly, potassium permanganate can have a shelf life of in excess of 60 months (Carus, 2012).

Domestic Production & Consumption

Domestic Production

Production data was collected from the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Data Reporting (CDR)
while trade data was collected from the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) Dataweb, as characterized
in Table 1. Both production and trade data are specific to potassium permanganate.

Table 1. Potassium Permanganate Production and Trade Data Sources

Production and Trade Data

Category

Data Source

Identifier

Description

Domestic Production

2020 TSCA Chemical Data
Reporting

CAS No.: 7722-64-7

Potassium Permanganate

Imports and Exports

U.S. International Trade
Commission

HS Code: 2841.61
HS Code: 2841.60

Potassium Permanganate

Salts of Manganites, Manganates, and

Permanganates

Total U.S. domestic manufacturing of potassium permanganate was approximately 11 million kilograms (M kg)
in 2019 (EPA, 2020). The sole reported domestic commercial manufacture of potassium permanganate takes
place at the Carus Corporation (Carus) facility in Illinois. Carus has been the only known operating domestic
manufacturer of potassium permanganate since at least 1998. In 2021, Carus has indicated that a portion of the
potassium permanganate they produce is used in captive consumption to manufacture sodium permanganate
(USITC, 2021a). The number of domestic manufacturing locations shown in Figure 2 represents operating
facilities as of 2015. Supply of NSF/ANSI Standard 60 certified potassium permanganate for use in drinking water
treatment is primarily concentrated in the eastern half of the U.S. (NSF International, 2021). Some of these
permanganate suppliers obtain product from Carus, but other import product from India or China. For a more
current listing of manufacturing locations and supplier locations, visit the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's (EPA's) Chemical Locator Tool (EPA, 2022a).

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Potassium Permanganate Supply Chain - Full Profile

men

Figure 2. Domestic Supply and Manufacturing of Potassium Permanganate
Domestic Consumption

U.S. consumption of potassium permanganate in 2019 is estimated at 9 M kg. This includes production of 11 M
kg, import of 1 M kg, minus export of 3 M kg (EPA, 2020; USITC, 2021b), as shown in Figure 3.

Domestic Consumption (2019):

9 Million kg

¦	Domestic Production (11 M kg)

¦	Imports for Consumption (1 IVI kg)

¦	Export of Domestic Production (3 M kg)

Figure 3. Domestic Production and Consumption of Potassium Permanganate in 2019

Trade & Tariffs
Worldwide Trade

Worldwide import and export data for potassium permanganate is reported through the World Bank's World
Integrated Trade Solutions (WITS) software, as a category specific to salts of manganites, manganates, and
permanganates, including but not exclusive to potassium permanganate. In 2021, the U.S. ranked fourth

e

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Potassium Permanganate Supply Chain - Full Profile

worldwide in total exports and third in total imports. In 2021, Laos ranked first worldwide in total exports while
Thailand ranked first in total imports (WITS, 2022), as shown in Table 2.

Table 2. WITS Worldwide Export and Import of Salts of Manganites, Manganates, and Permanganates in 2021

2021 Worldwide Trade
Salts of Manganites, Manganates, and Permanganates (HS Code 2841.60)

Top 5 Worldwide Exporters	Top 5 Worldwide Importers

Laos

76 M kg

Thailand

4 M kg

China

19 M kg

Japan

2 M kg

India

6 M kg

United States

2 M kg

United States

4M kg

South Korea

2 M kg

Japan

1 M kg

Spain

1 M kg

Domestic Imports and Exports

Domestic import and export data are reported by USITC in categories specific to potassium permanganate.
Figure 4 summarizes imports for consumption1 and domestic exports2 of potassium permanganate between
2015 and 2020. During this period, the overall quantity of exports and imports remained relatively steady, with
domestic exports consistently exceeding imports for consumption. Over this five-year period, Belgium was the
primary recipients of domestic exports while India was consistently the source of greater than 90% of imports
for consumption (USITC, 2021b).



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Figure 4. USITC Domestic Import and Export of Potassium Permanganate between 2015 and 2020

1	Imports for consumption are a subset of general imports, representing the total amount cleared through customs and entering
consumption channels, not anticipated to be reshipped to foreign points, but may include some reexports.

2	Domestic exports are a subset of total exports, representing export of domestic merchandise which are produced or manufactured in
the U.S. and commodities of foreign origin which have been changed in the U.S.

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Potassium Permanganate Supply Chain - Full Profile

Tariffs

There is a 5% general duty for import of potassium permanganate (USITC, 2022), as summarized in Table 3.
Imports from China are subject to additional duties of 25% and 128.94% (Federal Register, 2021; USITC, 2022).

Table 3. Domestic Tariff Schedule for Potassium Permanganate in 2021

HS Code

General Duty

Additional Duty - China
(Section 301 Tariff List)

Additional Duty-
China3

Special Duty

2841.61

5%

25%

128.94%

Free (A, AU, BH, CL, CO, D, E,
IL, JO, KR, MA, OM, P, PA, PE,
S, SG)4

Market History & Risk Evaluation

History of Shortages

No notable potassium permanganate domestic supply chain disruptions were identified between 2000 and 2022.
Risk Evaluation

The complete risk assessment methodology is described in Understanding Water Treatment Chemical Supply
Chains and the Risk of Disruptions (EPA, 2022b). The risk rating is calculated as the product of the following three
risk parameters:

Risk = Criticality x Likelihood x Vulnerability
Criticality	Measure of the importance of a chemical to the water sector

Likelihood Measure of the probability that the chemical will experience a supply disruption in the
future, which is estimated based on past occurrence of supply disruptions

Vulnerability Measure of the market dynamics that make a chemical market more or less resilient to
supply disruptions

The individual parameter rating is based on evaluation of one or more attributes of the chemical or its supply
chain. The ratings and drivers for these three risk parameters are shown below in Table 4.

3	Continuation of Antidumping Duty Order; Potassium Permanganate from the People's Republic of China: Final Results of the Expedited
First Sunset Review of the Countervailing Duty Order, 86 Fed. Reg. 234,70113 (December 9, 2021), the Department of Commerce
published noticed that potassium permanganate imported from China would continue to be subject to countervailing import duties.

4	Symbols used to designate the various preference programs and trade agreements. A full list of special trade agreements and
associated acronyms can be found at https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-310?language=en US and the General Notes Section of the
Harmonized Tariff Schedule https://hts.usitc.gov/current

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Potassium Permanganate Supply Chain - Full Profile

Table 4. Supply Chain Risk Evaluation for Potassium Permanganate

Risk Parameter Ratings and Drivers



i

1

ICriticality High

1 Likelihood Low 1

(Vulnerability Moderate-High 1

Potassium permanganate is widely
used as an oxidizing agent in the
water sector.

The water sector has not experienced
potassium permanganate supply
chain disruptions between 2000 and
2022.

Domestic manufacturing is limited to
one location, and inputs of
manganese ore (manganese dioxide)
and the raw material for potassium
hydroxide production (potassium
chloride) are heavily-dependent on
imports.

Risk Rating: Low

'1

,ate-L°w Moderaf

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References

American Water Works Association (AWWA), 2016. B603 Permanganates. Denver, CO: American Water
Works Association.

Carus, 2012. Cairox® Potassium Permanganate, Free-Flowing Grade Data Sheet, retrieved from

https://www.carusllc.com/wp-content/uploads/DW-CAIROX-Data-Sheet-FreeFlowing-Grade.pdf

EPA, 2020. 2020 TSCA Chemical Data Reporting, retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/chemical-data-
reporting/access-cdr-data#2020

EPA, 2022a. Chemical Suppliers and Manufacturers Locator Tool, retrieved from

https://www.epa.gov/waterutilityresponse/chemical-suppliers-and-manufacturers-locator-tool

EPA, 2022b. Understanding Water Treatment Chemical Supply Chains and the Risk of Disruptions, retrieved
from https://www.epa.gov/waterutilitvresponse/risk-disruptions-supplv-water-treatment-chemicals

Federal Register, 2021. Potassium Permanganate From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of the
Expedited First Sunset Review of the Countervailing Duty Order, Federal Register Vol. 86 No. 234, 70113,
Washington D.C.: Department of Commerce, retrieved from https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/FR-
2021-12-09/context

NSF International, 2021. Search for NSF Certified Drinking Water Treatment Chemicals, retrieved from
https://info.nsf.org/Certified/PwsChemicals/

National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), 2021. PubChem Compound Summary for CID 516875,
Potassium permanganate, retrieved from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Potassium-
permanganate

U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), 2021a. Potassium Permanganate from China, Publication
5241, retrieved from https://www.usitc.gov/publications/701 73lZpub5241.pdf

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Potassium Permanganate Supply Chain - Full Profile

U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), 2021b. USITC DataWeb, retrieved from
https://dataweb.usitc.gov/

U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), 2022. Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) Search, retrieved from
https://hts.usitc.gov/

World Integrated Trade Solutions (WITS), 2022. Trade Statistics by Product (HS 6-digit), retrieved from
https://wits.worldbank.org/trade/countrv-byhs6product.aspx?lang=en#void

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