Propylene-based elastomer (PBE) has broad application prospects and there are only a handful of mass-produced companies in the world.

Propylene-based elastomer (PBE) is a new series of propylene/α-olefin copolymers based on propylene and supplemented by ethylene. Alpha olefins that can be copolymerized by propylene-based elastomers include ethylene, butene, 4-methylpentene, nonene, octene, hexene, etc. Propylene-based elastomers have good elasticity, transparency, easy processability, flexibility, flexibility, etc. With the upgrading of downstream market demand, propylene-based elastomers have broad application prospects.

From 2015 to 2020, the global propylene market production capacity maintained a steady growth trend. By 2020, the global propylene production capacity has exceeded 140 million tons, with an average annual compound growth rate of more than 3.5% from 2015 to 2020. Polypropylene is the main consumer market for propylene, accounting for more than 60% of its consumption. However, the polypropylene market is oversupplied and the imbalance between supply and demand in the propylene market has emerged. Against this background, the expansion of new downstream propylene products and new consumption scenarios has become a key consideration for relevant companies. The market attention of propylene-based elastomers has increased accordingly.

Propylene-based elastomers were first developed by ExxonMobil. Due to the high production technology threshold, at this stage, there are only a handful of companies in the world that can produce propylene-based elastomers, including ExxonMobil, Dow Chemical Company, and Mitsui Chemicals, etc., the production brands are ExxonMobil’s vistamaxx, Dow Chemical’s Verify, and Mitsui Chemicals’ Tafmer.

According to the “2022-2026 propylene-based elastomer (PBE) industry market supply and demand status and in-depth investigation and analysis report on industry operating indicators》shows that from 2017 to 2021, the output of the global propylene-based elastomer industry has been relatively stable, with annual output basically remaining at more than 300,000 tons, of which ExxonMobil is the world’s largest manufacturer. my country is one of the major consumers of propylene-based elastomers in the world, with annual imports of nearly 146,000 tons. Imported propylene-based elastomers mainly come from Exxon Mobil and Dow Chemical Company.

Propylene-based elastomers are widely used in films, foam products, daily chemicals, household appliances, food containers and other fields. Propylene-based elastomers have good environmental protection and can be used as a substitute for soft polyvinyl chloride to produce environmentally friendly products. . In addition, propylene-based elastomers can also be blended with other materials to improve product performance. For example, blending propylene-based elastomers with polypropylene can enhance product transparency, impact resistance, and improve its processing performance. At present, the application scope of propylene-based elastomers is still narrow and the application scale is limited. However, compared with traditional plastics, propylene-based elastomers have certain advantages in material properties and environmental protection properties, and their application scope will continue to expand in the future.

Industry analysts said that propylene-based elastomers have excellent comprehensive properties and the development of the propylene-based elastomer industry can not only alleviate the imbalance between supply and demand in the propylene market It can also speed up the replacement of traditional plastics. With the upgrading of my country’s manufacturing industry, the propylene-based elastomer market has huge development potential. At present, the propylene-based elastomer market is still in its infancy. There are only a handful of manufacturing companies in the industry, and the application scale of propylene-based elastomers is relatively limited. The propylene-based elastomer market needs to be further developed.