Analysis of China’s vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) market status and development prospects in 2022

Vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), also known as vinyl chloride, is an organic compound and an important monomer in polymer chemistry. Vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) is mainly used to produce homopolymers and copolymers of polyvinyl chloride. It is also used for copolymerization with vinyl acetate, butadiene, etc., and as a chlorinated solvent.

Vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) is an important raw material for the production of polyvinyl chloride resin. Its product quality and cost also have a great impact on the production of polyvinyl chloride resin. The vinyl chloride production process has developed over a long period of time. Currently, there are two main methods for industrial production of vinyl chloride monomer: acetylene method and ethylene method. The acetylene method uses acetylene and hydrogen chloride as raw materials, and reacts under the action of a mercury catalyst (mercuric chloride loaded on activated carbon) to synthesize vinyl chloride monomer, which is further polymerized to form polyvinyl chloride (PVC); the ethylene method utilizes the direct chlorination reaction of ethylene to generate vinyl chloride. Ethyl chloride, thermal decomposition of dichloroethane to obtain vinyl chloride monomer (VCM).

“2023-2028 China Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM) Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report” compiled and released by the Industrial Research Center shows that in actual market applications, vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) is mainly used as the upstream raw material of polyvinyl chloride. It is polymerized according to the free radical polymerization reaction mechanism with initiators such as peroxides and azo compounds or under the action of light and heat. Polymerizes into polyvinyl chloride. In recent years, China’s polyvinyl chloride (PVC) market has continued to expand, and industry production capacity has continued to grow. This is mainly due to the continued development of the real estate industry, which has driven the continued growth of market demand for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes and fittings and other products. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material is used as a common plastic material in building construction due to its excellent wear resistance, mechanical strength, safety, and good cost-effectiveness. However, in recent years, the real estate industry has continued to decline, and the demand for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products has also been affected to a certain extent. The supply and demand side has gradually shifted from a balanced state to a surplus. In 2022, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) product prices will gradually decline after reaching a high point in April, and the decline will be larger. However, due to the increased investment in infrastructure development and urban construction projects by the governments of developing countries such as India, India and Southeast Asia have high demand for polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and China’s PVC exports are expected to grow. In addition, with the widespread application of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in the medical field, the demand for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in the medical field is also expected to increase, which will also promote the vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) market.

Currently, the global market demand for vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) is mainly concentrated in North America, Asia and other regions. Healthcare expenditures in North America continue to grow, and demand for products such as blood bags, catheters, dialysis bags, and intravenous bags continues to grow. The vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) market is expected to grow rapidly in the next few years.