The preparation process of ethylene-propylene rubber is basically mature and the output has declined slightly.

Ethylene-propylene rubber is one of the subcategories of synthetic rubber. It is a saturated amorphous copolymer rubber composed of ethylene and propylene as raw materials. Compared with other types of synthetic rubber materials, ethylene-propylene rubber has the advantages of corrosion resistance, heat resistance, ozone resistance, low density and high filling capacity. With the gradual advancement of production technology, the types of ethylene-propylene rubber are becoming increasingly rich. According to different molecular units, it can be roughly divided into ethylene-propylene diene rubber, ethylene-propylene diene rubber, etc.

At present, the preparation process of ethylene-propylene rubber has been basically mature and can be roughly divided into three categories: gas phase polymerization, solution polymerization, and suspension polymerization. Among them, the solution polymerization method has become the main production method in the ethylene-propylene rubber industry due to its advantages of mature production technology and high production efficiency.

From the perspective of application fields, ethylene-propylene rubber is mainly used to produce heat-resistant hoses, tapes, waterproof membranes, oil modifiers, wire and cable sheaths, auto parts, polymer modifiers and other products. It is used in automobiles, electrical appliances, etc. , electronics, building materials and other fields have been widely used. Among them, auto parts have become the largest application field of ethylene propylene rubber, accounting for 45.89%; followed by polymer modifiers, accounting for 13.08%; waterproofing membranes ranked third, accounting for 11.10% .

In the automotive field, ethylene-propylene rubber is mostly used to produce automobile tires, water tanks, rubber belts, door and window seals, etc. Ethylene-propylene rubber has been widely used in the field of building materials due to its advantages of light weight, simple operation, and low environmental pollution, and is mostly used to produce waterproofing membranes and other products. In addition, ethylene-propylene rubber is often used to prepare a variety of lubricating oils, and can also be used as a tackifier for other oils. Overall, the market demand for ethylene-propylene rubber is relatively huge.

According to the“China Ethylene Propylene Rubber Industry Market In-depth Assessment and 2023-2027 Investment Feasibility Consultation Report” released by the Industrial Research Center , with the rapid development of my country’s automobile, lubricant, and building materials markets, the market demand for ethylene-propylene rubber is gradually growing. However, due to the impact of the epidemic, the operating rate of ethylene-propylene rubber companies has declined, and output has declined slightly. In 2022, my country’s total ethylene-propylene rubber output will be 270,200 tons.

From the perspective of import and export, due to the certain gap between my country’s ethylene-propylene rubber market demand and production, large quantities of rubber need to be imported from abroad. However, affected by repeated international epidemics, my country’s imports of ethylene-propylene rubber have declined. According to data released by the General Administration of Customs, my country’s ethylene-propylene rubber imports will be 1.4835 million tons in 2022, a decrease of 47,300 tons compared with 2021 and a year-on-year decrease of 3.09%.

Industry analysts said that there are roughly two types of companies in my country’s ethylene-propylene rubber market. One type is my country’s local companies, such as China Petroleum Jilin Petrochemical Branch, Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Yan’an Energy and Chemical Co., Ltd., etc.; the other type is foreign enterprises or joint ventures, such as Ningbo Aisikai Synthetic Rubber Co., Ltd., ARLANXEO High Performance Elastomers (Changzhou) Co., Ltd., Shanghai Sinopec Mitsui Elastomers Co., Ltd., etc. Among them, ARLANXEO has the largest market share in my country, accounting for 40.03%; followed by CNPC Jilin Petrochemical, with a market share of 21.62%.